Hackers have developed a sneaky technique for installing pirated movie files on Windows PCs infected with the lockx.exe rootkit. Doctored copies of BitTorrent are loaded on infected machines and used to download Disney movies or the film version of Mr. Bean.

The motive for the bizarre (and short-lived) attack, linked to a Middle East-based group in control of the network of infected machines - remains unclear. FaceTime Communications, the firm which uncovered the attack, reckons the assault is an experiment which might be applied to far more malign purposes in future. The trick creates a scenario where an infected users might be accused of sharing copyright-protected contact without ever using file sharing software.

The lockx.exe rootkit file was bundled with a variant of the notorious SDBot worm that spread across AOL's IM network in late October. ®