Hackers Hide Malware in Memes

We can’t seem to get enough of funny internet memes. You know… Grumpy Cat. Chuck Norris. Elf. Well, it turns out that hackers have devised a way to hide malicious code in some of them. What? Apparently, Trend Micro researchers discovered that hackers used steganography, a technique of hiding contents within a digital graphic image in such a way that’s invisible to an observer to hide the malicious commands embedded in a meme posted on Twitter, which the malware then parses and executes. While the meme looks normal to the human eye, the destructive code hidden in the file’s metadata triggers a screenshot of the infected computer and sends the info to a remote command center (server). The specific Twitter account that was discovered by Trend Micro has been disabled but it’s hard to say where the meme gang might strike next. So the next time you’re tempted to click on that meme…think again.