(Reuters / Danish Siddiqui)

Anti-malware company Malwarebytes has uncovered a new exploit that is launched through a cloned Pirate Bay web site. The cloned web sites originated from an initiative launched by The Pirate Bay last December called The Open Bay project wherein anyone could recreate a copy of the web site online. The project itself arose after TPB faced pressure from intellectual property groups that sought to curtail its activities.

While TPB is now up and running following its brief takedown, many of the cloned TPB web sites are still online at this point in time. While some clones are working as one might expect, several others are now being used in connection to this latest exploit.

In a blog post on their official web site, Malwarebytes representative Jerome Segura explained in great detail how the exploit came about and what the exploit sets out to do. According to the report, several WordPress blogs have been subjected to an attack that adds code to redirect users to a cloned TPB web site. After taking users to the clone, an exploit kit infects vulnerable users through a drive-by download attack.

The end game for the exploit appears to be a banking Trojan that can compromise sensitive information in affected computers.

As a countermeasure to the exploit, Malwarebytes encourages the following measures:

"WordPress users need to check that they are running the latest WP install and that all their plugins are up to date. Other proper hygiene tips such as strong passwords and avoiding public wifi when logging into your site should also be applied."

The company added that the latest version of their anti-malware software already protects users from this new exploit. A free trial version of the software can be downloaded at MalwareBytes' official web site here.

Users frequenting torrent web sites are also advised to avoid cloned versions of The Pirate Bay web site to avoid any untoward incidents.