According to the makers of PC Tools, a new program dubbed CyberLover, which mimics human flirtation, is circulating on Russian chat boards. The software was designed to extract personal information that could be used to compromise a person's financial or personal accounts.

The software compiles a dossier on a victim that includes name, contact information and photographs. The software can establish as many as 20 relationships per hour and represents a unique approach to sophisticated social engineering.

CyberLover offers several different "profiles" to unsuspecting respondents that range from "romantic lover" to "sexual predator." The software can also lead victims to a "personal Web site" that delivers malware to the user's computer.

Although the software is used exclusively on Russian chat sites, security firms are watching it for a February release worldwide.