Malware packages are now being sold with an end-user licence agreement in a
sign of the increasing professionalism of the underground industry.
Researchers at Symantec have spotted the licence agreement in recent copies
of Zeus, noting that one of the restrictions is that the malware "cannot be used
for purposes other than which it was bought for".
Zeus buyers also "commit to give the seller a fee for any update to the
product that is not connected with errors in the work, as well as for adding
additional functionality".
Liam O'Murchu, of Symantec's security centre, said: "It is hard enough to
enforce your copyright in the real world, not to mention trying to enforce them
in the underground. Did the author really think this ploy was going to work?
"Despite the clear licensing agreement and associated warnings, this package
still ended up being traded freely in underground forums shortly after it was
released. It just goes to show that you can't trust anyone in the underground
these days."
While legally unenforceable given the nature of the product the licence
agreement does show the increasing professionalism and business focus of malware
writers, and the way they are
imitating
legitimate business practices.
However, the writers have their own plans to enforce the agreement. The text
warns that if the user breaks the conditions all technical support ends and the
binary section of the software will be sent to security companies so that it can
be blocked.
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