Warning: Make sure that's Google Wave-ing you in

Malware writers have are exploiting interest in Google's new Wave service, according to researchers.

In a recent report, security vendor Symantec explained that a new wave of Trojans had been crafted to take advantage of the heightened interest in the new invite-only collaboration service.

Researchers uncovered trojan applications connected to the Xrumer spam tool which were masquerading as a tool to automatically generate invites for the wave service.

The attack begins as a message spammed through either online forums, spam emails or Twitter feeds. The message advertises a tool which can generate invites for the Wave service and suggests that users could make money by selling the invites online.

When the file is downloaded, however, a trojan is installed which creates a backdoor file on the victim's machines, potentially allowing the attacker to later access and control the infected system.

In recent years, malware writers and cybercriminals have begun paying close attention to high-profile news items and popular search terms to lure users to malicious sites and trojan downloads.

Symantec security analyst Patrick Fitzgerald noted that the attack not only plays on the popularity of the Wave service, but also uses the trust associated with Google's name to believe that the download is legitimate.

"Cybercriminals have used Google Wave for the bait precisely because of current its popularity," Fitzgerald said.

"Unfortunately, this technique is something fraudsters use all the time and internet users should be wary, if something appears too good to be true, then it usually is.”