Oh, oh, oh, this isn't good. A free MP3 player being given away by McDonalds and Coca-Cola in Japan not only came with ten free tracks preloaded, it also came with a Trojan horse virus which transferred itself onto a user's PC when synced with the player. This virus then takes the usernames and passwords of the user and emails it on to hackers. Now that's a value meal. Experts reckon the virus got onto the players when the free tracks were loaded, and McDonalds have admitted some 10,000 players are most likely affected. They've set up a website and 24 hour hotline to assist customers with the problem. To be fair, IT types say it is a low-level risk virus which will be picked up by most anti-virus packages, though the PR fallout that is currently occurring from the whole thing may well make the two global brands think twice before replicating similar digital music promotions elsewhere in the world.
Oct 17, 2006
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1 min read
Big Mac, fries, Coke, MP3 player - extra virus with that?
A free MP3 player promotion by McDonalds and Coca-Cola in Japan came preloaded with a Trojan virus that can steal user passwords, affecting around 10,000 players.