Pirated website themes contain ‘CryptoPHP backdoor'

Pirate themes and plugins for websites running on WordPress, Drupal and Joomla contain  a nasty bit of malware that supports the attackers’ Search Engine Optimization efforts, CRN reports.

The malware in question is CryptoPHP – a script that allows remote attackers to execute code on web servers, and to have full control of the site. Rather than making itself obvious however, the malware is predominantly used for Black Hat Search Engine Optimization. PC World states that these underhand hand SEO tactics involve “injecting rogue keywords and pages into compromised sites to hijack their search engine rankings and push malicious content higher up in search results.” In this instance, the sites involved were casino and gambling websites.

Pirated website themes contain ‘CryptoPHP backdoor'