Security

Here's yet another good reason to pick up Spyware Doctor : a new Trojan has been sweeping the Internet via spam emails. The spam messages actually contain attached MS Word documents, offering information about popular laptop sales from companies ... such as Apple, Sony, and HP. Typically, the document contains specs on laptops, such as processing speed, RAM, and even product dimensions. The malware, named "Kukudro-A", is a host Trojan which attaches itself to the MS Word documents. Once Kukudro-A infects a PC, it presents messages with content like "worth to see", "prices", and even a ... (view more)

The Anti-Christ's dark influence may have already poisoned "Left Behind: Eternal Forces," a new real-time strategy game based on the best-selling Christian book series. The game allows you to "conduct physical and spiritual warfare: using the power ... of prayer to strengthen your troops." (Source: LeftBehindGames.com ) But the power of prayer won't protect you if you install Left Behind: it comes bundled with a special bonus feature: hidden Spyware that cannot be blocked or uninstalled. It tracks your every move: How often you play The duration of each game session What time of the day you play ... (view more)

I have most wonderful news! Over the past few weeks I've been in contact with PC Tools (the makers of Spyware Doctor, Registry Mechanic, and Privacy Guardian); after explaining our current funding situation , PC Tools has agreed to discount Spyware ... Doctor by an incredible 20% off the retail price to help raise funds for our web site. Reminder: What is Spyware Doctor? In short, Spyware Doctor is a multi-award winning Spyware removal utility that can instantly remove thousands of Spyware and adware traces, Trojans, keyloggers, tracking threats, and other nasty Spybots from your PC. Last year, ... (view more)

Yahoo Mail, the world's most popular e-mail service, was recently attacked by a software virus (worm) dubbed "Yamanner" or "JS.Yamanner." Major anti-virus companies Trend Micro and McAfee disagree with Symantec (Norton) about Yamanner's threat ... level. Trend Micro and McAfee have categorized the virus as a "low" threat, but Symantec (Norton) is calling it an "elevated threat." Most worms are activated only after an infected e-mail file attachment is downloaded. Not Yamanner. Merely opening the mail is enough to automatically unleash the virus onto your computer. That is likely the reason for ... (view more)

Recently, Kaspersky Labs detected a new form of spam email which contains an attachment of a password-stealing Trojan horse. The attached malware, which is software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's consent, is ... called "Trojan-PSW.Win32.Sinowal.u" (herein referred to as "PSW"). (Source: viruslist.com ) Senior research engineers at Kaspersky Lab refer to PSW as being "the next-generation Trojan." The variant is part of the "Sinowal" family of password stealing Trojans, which is designed to steal usernames and passwords entered ... (view more)

According to the Microsoft Support Lifecycle, Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) and Service Pack 1a (SP1a) on will reach its end of life on October 10, 2006. This is a significant announcement as this will also end any further security updates for ... anyone using these service packs; subsequently, any computer using SP1 or earlier will be at risk for exploits. (Source: sysadmin.it ) If you are still running SP1 or SP1a, it is recommended that you upgrade to Windows XP Service Pack 2 as soon as possible. How to Determine Which Service Pack is Installed on your System To determine which service pack ... (view more)

Microsoft has changed a major "feature" found in its Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) software, after receiving an onslaught of complaints from end users. The criticism is in regard to the program's daily check-ins with the company's servers; now, ... the tool will dial home in 14-day intervals instead of after every system boot. (Source: techtree.com ) Microsoft opted to change the frequency of the WGA check-ins after receiving allegations that the behavior of their software reached the level of Spyware status. Lauren Weinstein, cofounder of People for Internet Responsibility, recently ... (view more)

As many of us know, coming up with a password can be a real chore. Then you have to be able to remember it! Actually, it isn't as hard as it sounds. There are several neat little tricks (or rules) used by the professionals that make password ... selection easier. Number one is to NOT use anything that someone could decipher by using personal information (names of your pets, parents, spouse, children, street you live on, etc). For example: use the lyrics of a song you like or use a catchy phrase that sticks in your mind. Take the first letter of the words in the phrase and stick a number in it ... (view more)

Mozilla recently released a new update of its Firefox Web browser, version 1.5.0.4. The update is to fix 13 security holes. Mozilla stated that at least five of these vulnerabilities could let attackers install software via the web without the ... knowledge from the user. Other security fixes included: privilege escalation, file stealing, buffer overflow, and potential memory corruption. (Source: WashingtonPost.com ) For those not familiar with the Mozilla name or the Firefox line of web browsers: Firefox is a free, standards-based Web browser with support for multiple platforms, including ... (view more)

Recent Studies have shown that the sponsored links of major search engines are more likely to have harmful downloads. For example: web sites that "pay to have their links pop up on search engine result pages are nearly three times more likely to ... harbor Spyware or adware, or hassle users with spam than URLs generated by the engine's algorithms", research claims. It is estimated that the search industry made $1.1 billion from risky sponsored links last year. (Source: CRN.com ) The study evaluated major search engines using 1,300 different keyword searches. It found that about 5 percent of links ... (view more)