Security

A recent security threat has already infected about 74,000 computers owned by 2,500 companies and government organizations around the world. That's not a huge number, but the way in which the new "Kneber" botnet works should have most folks ... concerned. The Kneber botnet was discovered in late January by security firm NetWitness. The malicious botnet employs the infamous ZeuS Trojan to swipe login and password data once a system has become compromised. Botnet 'Most Dangerous' on the Web Today At this time, the Kneber botnet has yet to be put out of service. Although it was traced to Germany, ... (view more)

With thousands of computer security companies spending millions of dollars in research and product development each year, some might question how the influence of hackers continues to be a growing problem. One company has apparently found success in ... reducing the spread of viruses and malware by doing things the "hard" way. Hardware-Based Antivirus Best for Rootkits Kaspersky Lab announced the acquisition of a U.S. patent for a hardware-based antivirus solution. The success of this form of antivirus will limit the amount of damage done by the stealthiest of malware because the ... (view more)

Simply saying that rogue antivirus software is becoming more sophisticated is one thing, but a new fake antivirus program called "Live PC Care" has made one necessary change to dupe innocent users: offering live technical support for bogus software. ... According to Symantec researchers, once users have installed the program, they are met with a screen that informs them of numerous computer infections, several kinds of malware, and the like. This tactic of duping users is nothing new; what is new, however, is the fact that the free trial version of Live PC Care comes with a large yellow "online ... (view more)

A new ethical hacking contest, called "Pwn2Own" is set to get under way this coming March 24, 2010, with awards of $100,000 in prize money. Predictions on which operating systems will be first to fall prey to hackers are already being heard; ... according to the event's organizer, the speediest, easiest hack will almost surely be on Mac's new Snow Leopard. Fundamental Beliefs: Mac Vs PC Security For years, it's been said that one of the main reasons why consumers have purchased Macs is because of the popular belief that Mac computers are more secure than PCs running MS Windows. Many ... (view more)

A new Trojan horse has surfaced online; its primary functionality makes it appear to be friendly to end users, but the final result can prove disastrous. On one hand, the Spy Eye toolkit is celebrated for its ability to remove malicious rival ... programs from infected computers. It boasts a feature called "Kill Zeus" which removes all traces of the notorious Zeus virus from a victim's PC. Of course, the Trojan horse has ulterior motives in playing the hero. It "Kills" the Zeus Trojan so that the computer is once again susceptible to attack, meaning that Spy Eye has exclusive access to usernames ... (view more)

While most malware infections occur when an unsuspecting user clicks onto a dubious web site, a new report suggests that malware infections also occur on legitimate sites. Websense Security Labs recently released their bi-annual research report ... which suggests that 71 per cent of known websites containing malware are actually legitimate sites. The report encompasses the second half of 2009. Hackers Poison Social Search The report also sheds some light on another growing malware trend: an increased number of searches for the latest news or current buzzwords often leads to malware. In a recent ... (view more)

According to reports, Google and the National Security Agency (NSA) are teaming up in the name of cyber security. Under the agreement, the NSA would help Google defend against attacks like the one that targeted the search company (along with Adobe ... and several other firms) from China several weeks ago . Google announced publicly that their systems had been hacked beginning in December . The Google intrusions targeted Google source code and extended to more than 30 other large tech, defense, energy, financial and media companies. Gmail accounts of human rights activists in Europe, China and the ... (view more)

Microsoft has confirmed a flaw in Internet Explorer could be used by hackers to access the files on a user's computer. The flaw was demonstrated at a security conference this week. The man who discovered the flaw, Jorge Luis Alvarez Medina of Core ... Security Technologies, says that so far as he can tell, it's not something which can be easily patched. The good news is that Windows Vista and Windows 7 both have default options for Internet Explorer which can block the problem. Medina first noted the existence of the flaw last week, but held back details until this week's Black Hat Conference. ... (view more)

United States security officials have joined European officials in noting the potential security risks of running Internet Explorer 6 (IE6). But they haven't gone as far as issuing a formal warning to stop using the browser. The United States ... Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT), part of the Department of Homeland Security has issued an advisory suggesting users review the recent Microsoft security patch and apply any updates which will improve security. That could be interpreted in two ways: patch IE6 immediately, or update to a later edition; the latter of course would make more ... (view more)

Hackers are now hiring new recruits on a contract basis to carry out attacks. According to Kevin Stevens, a threat intelligence analyst for SecureWorks, the "hiring hackers" have no shame in listing exactly what their positions entail. Cash Offered ... for Infected Downloads The desired candidates must be willing to take malicious code and link it to something scandalous that people will likely click on. The incentive is there, however, as new malware peddlers will be compensated for every 1,000 times the compromised software is downloaded onto a computer. One recruiting website boasted a payment ... (view more)