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Rogue copies of Green Simurgh, an Internet proxy software application used in Iran and Syria, have been found to contain malware that records users' activities and keystrokes.

Green Simurgh is an anti-censorship application that routes a computer's outbound connections to a server located in the U.S. This allows the software's users to bypass network filters and access Internet resources that would normally be banned by their ISP.

Green Simurgh doesn't require any installation and can run directly from USB memory sticks, which makes it suitable for users who access the Internet from cafes and public computers.

The software has been used in Iran since 2009 and, according to the Citizen Lab, a University of Toronto laboratory that researches digital media, global security and human rights, Syrian users have also began to rely on it.

"It has recently come to our attention that this software is being recommended and circulated among Syrian Internet users for bypassing censorship in their country," said Citizen Lab technical advisor Morgan Marquis-Boire in a blog post on Friday. "This information led to the discovery and analysis of a back-doored version of this software."

The malicious version is being distributed from file sharing websites like 4shared.com as a package called Simurgh-setup.zip. The archive contains an executable file that masquerades as a Green Simurgh installer.

When run on a Windows machine, the rogue installer drops a legitimate copy of the Green Simurgh software in the Program Files directory, but also installs a computer Trojan horse that runs in the background.

"[The Trojan horse] keeps a log of your username, machine name, every window clicked and keystroke entered," said Chester Wisniewski, a senior security advisor at antivirus vendor Sophos, in a blog post on Tuesday. "It attempts to submit these logs to some servers located in the United States, but registered to an entity that appears to be based in Saudi Arabia."

Considering that thousands of users depend on the legitimate Simurgh software, it's likely that a lot more people have been impacted by this malware than by Flame -- a recently discovered cyberespionage threat that has received a lot of attention in the media -- Wisniewski said.

"Unlike Flame, which is a highly targeted malware that has only been found on a handful of computers globally, this malware is targeting users for whom having their communications compromised could result in imprisonment or worse," he said.

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Copies of Anti-censorship Software Used in Iran and Syria Contain Keylogger

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's Sina Corp has introduced a code of conduct for users of the local version of Twitter amid accusations of censorship to rein in what has grown into a raucous online forum to air political and social grievances.

The code of conduct, first announced earlier this month, stipulates that users of Sina's Weibo microblogging site cannot post information that is against the principles of the constitution, cannot harm national unity, disclose state secrets or publish false information, among other rules.

Many users said the restrictions were aimed at muzzling the often scathing and anonymous online chatter in a country where the Internet offers a rare opportunity for open discussion.

The move, the latest in a series of steps to rein in discussion on Weibo, comes as China prepares for a once-in-a-decade leadership handover, expected to be announced at a party congress later this year.

Sina, the biggest of the Weibo operators, also introduced a points system in which a user starts with 80 points and loses points for every violation. A score of zero results in a cancelled account. A user can gain points for validating his or her real identity.

"It gives Sina a firmer basis for expanding a ban on whatever is considered sensitive news," said one prominent Weibo user who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"The definition of what counts as sensitive was always loose and it's expanding all the time. Of course, nowadays, they're worried because of all the scandal and rumors before the 18th Congress."

In a sign of how intensely sensitive the issue is for the ruling Communist Party, censors blocked online searches for the name of Bo Xilai, the former Chongqing party boss cast out of the party's Central Committee.

Internet users have skirted restrictions on Weibo by using code words to discuss the issue. Sina employs technicians to scrub Weibo of politically sensitive posts.

Sina's move to implement a user contract comes after Beijing demanded last December that microblogging operators ensure their users are registered with their real names.

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China moves to tame microbloggers amid censorship claims

SHANGHAI - China's Sina Corp has introduced a code of conduct for users of its Weibo service - the local version of Twitter - amid accusations of censorship to rein in what has grown into a raucous online forum to air political and social grievances.

The code of conduct, first announced earlier this month, stipulates that users of Sina's Weibo microblogging site cannot post information that is against the principles of the constitution, cannot harm national unity, disclose state secrets or publish false information, among other rules.

Many users said the restrictions were aimed at muzzling the often scathing and anonymous online chatter in a country where the Internet offers a rare opportunity for open discussion.

The move, the latest in a series of steps to rein in discussion on Weibo, comes as China prepares for a once-in-a-decade leadership handover, expected to be announced at a party congress later this year.

Sina, the biggest of the Weibo operators, also introduced a points system in which a user starts with 80 points and loses points for every violation. A score of zero results in a cancelled account. A user can gain points for validating his or her real identity.

"It gives Sina a firmer basis for expanding a ban on whatever is considered sensitive news," said one prominent Weibo user who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"The definition of what counts as sensitive was always loose and it's expanding all the time. Of course, nowadays, they're worried because of all the scandal and rumors before the 18th Congress."

In a sign of how intensely sensitive the issue is for the ruling Communist Party, censors blocked online searches for the name of Bo Xilai, the former Chongqing party boss cast out of the party's Central Committee.

Internet users have skirted restrictions on Weibo by using code words to discuss the issue. Sina employs technicians to scrub Weibo of politically sensitive posts.

Sina's move to implement a user contract comes after Beijing demanded last December that microblogging operators ensure their users are registered with their real names.

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China tames local Twitter amid censorship claims

Social media users in China face tighter controls after the introduction of new rules aimed at preventing the spread of online rumours on Sina Weibo, the country's version of Twitter.

The service, which has 300 million members, has become a platform for Chinese citizens to criticise the government in ways that have never been possible before. But yesterday, the website introduced "user contracts" to curb controversial posts, with the rules thought to have come about amid pressure from Chinese authorities. The norms will strengthen the so-called Great Firewall of China the country's system of internet controls.

Under the system, Sina Weibo users start off with 80 points, which are then deducted when they break the rules by "spreading rumours", encouraging gambling, "insulting the nation" or "calling for illegal protests", according to a posting on the website. If the balance of points falls to zero, users face the cancellation of their accounts.

The new regulations are believed to be the latest attempt by the authorities to contain the impact of the service. Even though micro-blogging in China started less than three years go, it has become enormously popular, with growth quadrupling last year. Nearly half of all Chinese internet users now use micro-blogs.

The government has previously forced Weibo's legions of micro-bloggers to use their own names, not nicknames or avatars. But the rumours and speculation sparked after the removal of the former Chongqing Communist Party boss, Bo Xilai, and the naming of his wife, Gu Kailai, as a suspect in the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood appears to have spurred additional action.

The new controls were introduced as the capital was gripped by rumours about the next stage in the purge of Bo Xilai and the progress of the power struggle within the Party's upper echelons. Authorities shut 16 websites and detained six people for "fabricating or disseminating online rumours" about military vehicles entering Beijing, while Weibo and other sites such as Tencent's QQ, were "criticised and punished accordingly", and their comments sections closed.

But despite attempting to exert control, the authorities have been often hamstrung by the ability of micro-bloggers to find ways around the restrictions they impose. For example, as soon as the words "Bo Xilai" are banned, online users start tweeting "BXL". The new rules are aimed at closing these loopholes.

Officially, the measures have been introduced by Weibo. But it is generally thought that Sina, the technology giant that owns Weibo, is trying to show its good corporate credentials to the Chinese government by helping with self-censorship and avoiding possible censure in the future.

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State pressure blamed for new censorship on China's Twitter

The Indian arm of Anonymous is planning what it describes as non-violent protests against Internet censorship in various Indian cities, after some Internet service providers blocked file-sharing sites in the country.

The protests, planned for June 9, follow a court order in March directed at ISPs, meant to prevent a newly released local movie from being offered in a pirated version online. Some ISPs went ahead and blocked some file-sharing sites altogether, rather than the offending URLs.

One such ISP, Reliance Communications, found its service was tinkered with last week, redirecting its users from sites like Facebook and Twitter to a protest page, according to reports from users. The hackers also claimed to have attacked the website and servers of Reliance, and claimed to have got access to a large list of URLs blocked by the company.

Reliance Communications said on Monday it had thoroughly investigated the matter and all its servers and websites are intact. "We have required preventive measures and strongest possible IT security layers in place to tackle any unwarranted intrusions," the company said in a statement. "Despite repeated attempts by hackers, our servers could not be hacked."

The hackers also claimed to have attacked websites of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the main opposition party in the country, after having previously launched DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks on various websites including that of the Indian central bank, Reserve Bank of India.

Anonymous was active in India last year, when it attacked the website of the Indian army. It quickly reversed its decision to attack the site and kept a low profile after drawing protests from some of its own members.

Anonymous is asking supporters to download and print cut-outs of the Guy Fawkes mask, used by the hacker group as a logo, to be worn during the anti-censorship street protests.

The group's protests are also directed at India's Information Technology Act, which among other things allows the government to block websites under certain conditions, and also allows the removal of online content by notice to ISPs. The government is in the process of framing rules that will put curbs on freedom on social media, Anonymous said in a recent video, presumably a reference to demands by the government that Internet companies should have a mechanism in place to filter objectionable content, including content that mocks religious figures.

India's Computer Emergency Response Team observed last week that hacker groups are launching DDoS attacks on government and private websites. These attacks may be targeted at different websites of reputed organizations, the agency said in an advisory. The attacks are being launched using popular DDoS tools and can consume bandwidth requiring appropriate proactive action in coordination with service providers, it added.

John Ribeiro covers outsourcing and general technology breaking news from India for The IDG News Service. Follow John on Twitter at @Johnribeiro. John's e-mail address is john_ribeiro@idg.com

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Anonymous India Calls for Non-violent Protests Against Censorship