Security

A well-known Windows virus is spreading to Apple PCs as well. The virus is known as trojan.osx.boonana.a, though it appears to be the same as the so-called Koobface virus which first affected Windows PCs. In both cases the virus spreads through ... social networking sites, most notably Facebook. The virus gets on to computers through bogus messages and one of the most common is some variation on "Is this you in this video?" Clicking the link on this message then runs a Java applet that attempts to download and install the virus. (Source: yahoo.com ) Once installed, trojan.osx.boonana.a (also ... (view more)

Just when security companies have developed new ways of dealing with the infamous Zeus Trojan , a variant characterized as the "Son of Zeus" has arisen. Worse yet, the variant has the trait of being virtually undetectable by conventional antivirus ... applications. About the Zeus Trojan and MS Windows The Zeus Trojan made headlines back in 2009 as a "highly customizable" tool for hackers. It's main mission is to sniff out financial information and break into online bank accounts . Security experts estimate that the Zeus Trojan has been used to infiltrate tens of thousands of PCs around ... (view more)

Frequent wireless Internet (WiFi) users are being warned this morning to never click on the network "Free Public WiFi". It's not actually free wireless, but a rogue network that can lead to the infiltration of a system by hackers. Waiting for a ... plane several years ago, WiFi security guru Joshua Wright first noticed the "Free Public WiFi" network in an airport. Desperate for a connection, he was drawn to the option, but stopped short to investigate it first. "I went to connect to an available wireless network and I saw this option, Free Public WiFi," Wright says. "As I looked more and more, I ... (view more)

Viruses get their name because, like human diseases, they can spread and multiply quickly. Now, Microsoft believes some of the tactics used to protect public health should be applied to the world of technology. Computer Virus Prevention is Key to ... Deterring Further Infections The idea comes from Scott Charney, a senior figure in Microsoft's security team. He's just published a paper named "Collective Defense: Applying Public Health Models to the Internet." In Charney's paper, he argues that while preventing individual machines from getting infected -- for example through security software -- ... (view more)

Hackers have developed a new and clever scam that targets legitimate Apple iTunes subscribers, then drains their bank account. Fake Bill Traps Customers into Clicking Malware Link Victims of the scam receive fake "iTunes receipt" that appear ... completely authentic, with none of the spelling errors or image source code issues that have become synonymous with spam and malware messages. The only real problem with the would-be receipt is that the total for the bill was said to be completely outrageous. And that's part of the trap. Clicking "Report a Problem" Is a Big Mistake Researchers say that ... (view more)

Analysis of a major worm virus that specifically targets industrial control systems shows that three-fifths of the infected machines were in Iran. There's now speculation that the country's nuclear program was the target -- and that a national ... government might have been the culprit. It has been known since July that the Stuxnet virus targeted Iran. Over a three-day period that month, 58.85 per cent of all Stuxnet-infected machines were in the country. (Source: symantec.com ) Infrastructure Under Attack The virus is carefully crafted to breach SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) ... (view more)

Those who spend their time racking up points in online multi-player video games are now being targeted by hackers looking to cash in on their progress. Specially-crafted malware has been made in an effort to attack online gamers, steal their account ... information (and subsequent point accumulation) and sell their goods online. The most popular game currently targeted is World of Warcraft, and maker Blizzard has been working on ways to counter the problem. World of Warcraft attacks have continued to plague Blizzard since reports of difficulties experienced with the game's authenticator were ... (view more)

More than three dozen people allegedly linked to the Zeus Trojan virus have been charged by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Attorney's office in southern New York. As we reported earlier this week, the Zeus Trojan has been ... promoted by scammers via fake LinkedIn email invitation requests . If you receive an email invitation from someone you don't know, delete it immediately. $3 Million Stolen from Bank Accounts The 37 said to have been involved in the cybercrime ring reportedly stole an estimated $3 million from bank accounts by using Zeus and other forms of malware. ... (view more)

Microsoft has this week issued a patch for a bug in the system used to develop active web pages. In a change from the company's normal procedures, the update had already been made available for manual downloading before testing was complete. The bug ... affected ASP.NET (Active Server Pages), a Microsoft system for creating dynamic rather than static web pages. That could cover a journey planner site that created custom results for the reader, as opposed to a page simply listing bus timetables. Passwords Exposed by Flaw The security flaw meant hackers could bypass encryption and see information ... (view more)

If you've recently received an abundance of email LinkedIn invitation requests from strangers, you're not alone. A new form of malicious spam attack is making its rounds, consisting of what appears to be an innocent "friend request" from the popular ... business-oriented social networking site LinkedIn. The request is anything but legitimate; in actually, these fake emails contain links to a website where the malicious ZeuS malware is downloaded directly to your PC without consent. The goal of ZeuS is simple: to compromise the personal and financial data of all of its victims. Instant ... (view more)