botnet

An unprotected Windows XP machine lasted just 10 minutes online before being infected. It was an extreme and arguably unrealistic experiment, but does show just how prevalent online threats are. YouTuber Eric Parker carried out the test with a ... virtual machine running Windows XP. A virtual machine is a machine that lives inside of another machine, which makes it appear as if the virtual machine is a separate, physical computer. It's often used by people running two operating systems on the same computer. In fact, this website runs as a virtual machine. At any rate: it's no secret that running ... (view more)

Microsoft says it has disrupted "one of the world's most persistent malware operations." The action against "Trickbot" reportedly involved working with the US military. Trickbot is a botnet , created by infecting computers with malware then ... hijacking and combining their resources for further malicious activity. The operators largely built it using bogus emails that tricked users into opening a file attachment or clicking a link that downloaded and installed malware. The uses of Trickbot have included stealing login details such as online banking credentials; accessing sensitive data; and ... (view more)

An email with a "winky face" for a subject line has helped a malware campaign become one of the most widespread in the world. It's a scam to expand the reach of the Phorpiex botnet which distributes spam and malware from infected machines to others ... online the Internet. According to researchers at security company Check Point, Phorpiex jumped from the 13th most detected malware campaign in May to the number two slot last month. It reports that one in 50 organizations suffered at least one attempted breach from Phorpiex last month. (Source: zdnet.com ) Ransomware, Botnets and Blackmail The ... (view more)

A malicious network of 500,000 computers used to spread malware around the globe has been taken over by do-gooders in an apparent hijack meant to foil cyber criminals. Victims of the botnet have not only found the stealth malware removed from their ... system, but are also receiving an on screen warning to update their computers. It appears the malware creators are themselves the victim of a hack attack by an online vigilante. Phorpiex Botnet a Decade Old, 500k Strong The malware concerned is distributed through the Phorpiex botnet, which has been operating for nearly 10 years. A botnet is a ... (view more)

Three Americans have plead guilty to hijacking more than 100,000 internet-connected devices. The group of infected machines (known as a "botnet") was then used to attack websites using a distributed denial of service attack (DDoS) to make websites ... unavailable. While most DDoS attacks are carried out on PCs, this attack in particular targeted weaknesses in smaller devices that use the Internet. This included routers, digital video recorders and wireless cameras. That's a significant point, as the tech security community has generally treated security flaws in such devices as a lower ... (view more)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has disrupted a major malware botnet specifically designed to steal personal financial data from computers. Both US and UK security agencies are warning all users that they have a two week grace period to ... shore up their defenses before cybercriminals reactivate the threat. A botnet is essentially an army of malware-infected computers under the control of cybercriminals. In this case, the botnet is known as the GameOver Zeus. When a computer becomes infected with malware, it can also become part of a botnet. Malware infection is usually the result of ... (view more)

Is it really that dangerous to continue using Windows XP? Microsoft's Windows XP has officially been decommissioned as of April 8, 2014, meaning that Microsoft will not longer support the software insofar as security updates are concerned. Without ... any security updates, Windows XP is extremely vulnerable to attack if and when an operating system exploit is discovered. And, even if one is discovered, it may or may not make headlines - which means most users running Windows XP simply won't be aware their system has been compromised. It's these types of attacks that are most dangerous ... (view more)