New spyware disguising itself as a Flash plug-in for the Mozilla Firefox web browser is infiltrating computers in an attempt to monitor the search patterns of victims worldwide. The nameless spyware is being called "sneaky" because it also appears as legitimate.

According to Sophos, everything about the new spyware is designed to dupe users. It even shows up in the list of Firefox extensions after download completion under the faux name "Adobe Flash Player 0.2". (Source: pcworld.com)

New Spyware: Anything but Legitimate

However, what's installed is anything but legitimate. The spyware is designed to monitor your Google searches and send the data to a "remote server". The result: doctored advertisements that appear on the web pages you view. It is unknown at this time if clicking onto these advertisement banners will lead to the installation of more malware, though experts believe that result is the most likely.

Those concerned about the safety of their computer are warned to take the extra effort in ensuring the validity of the downloading source. Users can also go one step further in improving their security standards by sending all questionable downloads to virustotal.com, where about 40 different anti-virus engines (including Sophos) will scan your downloaded program prior to installation.

Questionable Flash in New Mac OS

Flash also remains a sore spot for the new Mac OS X Snow Leopard, which is now being shipped with an old and very unsecure version of Flash (version 10.0.23.1). (Source: yahoo.com)

Those unsure about the stability of their current Flash program can visit the test page found at adobe.com and swap their unsecure version for the latest and safest copy from Adobe.