(The Hosting News) – Hackers have commonly come up with creative methods to trick computer users into downloading harmful viruses. On Wednesday, a report from The Citizen Lab (University of Toronto) shed light on a new method hackers were using to steal user data in the middle-east.

In countries including Iran and Syria, governments commonly block common citizens from accessing particular websites. It’s a form of censorship commonly criticized in other parts of the world including the west. To avoid government restrictions, citizens commonly turn to proxy software, allowing them to bypass the blocks.

One popular proxy in the area is Simurgh, allowing users to securely connect to internet access points in other countries. However, a version of the software was recently altered by hackers who added a trojan virus into the mix during user installations.

“The malicious copy will install the Simurgh software, but will also install an undesirable backdoor on the victim’s computer,” explained the Citizen Lab in its report. Stolen data was redirected through a Saudi Arabian-based website.

Meanwhile, the creators of the proxy have advised interested parties to download the real version via the official website at simurghesabz.net.

The middle-east has been in the news lately regarding high-profile virus attacks. Earlier this week, Kaspersky Lab detailed the ‘Flame’ virus, intricate data stealing software mostly infecting computer systems in Iran. Kaspersky said Flame likely originated from a nation state.

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