malware

The Home Depot recently revealed that its systems had been hacked, leaving approximately 56 million customer credit cards and 53 million email addresses vulnerable to cybercriminals. Now, the retailer is apparently blaming Microsoft's Windows ... operating system (OS) for its security vulnerabilities, and has reportedly switched many top-ranking employees to Macintosh computers and iPhones. The Home Depot announced additional findings of its security breach on November 6, 2014. In the days that followed, customers whose data was affected received an email from the company, which read: " ... (view more)

A new report suggests that many users who use the Windows Update feature to automatically download and install the latest security patches from Microsoft do not have an up-to-date operating system. Windows Update gives users two options: manual and ... automatic updates. With the manual option, users must initiate security downloads themselves, which can be carried out when it's most convenient. On the other hand, the automatic option alerts users to necessary updates and begins the download and installation process without requiring user input. Most Windows Users Delay Automatic Updates The ... (view more)

Some of the web's most popular sites, including Yahoo, AOL, and dating portal Match.com, were recently hit by a wave of malicious advertisements linked to ransomware . The attack was carried out using vulnerabilities in web browsers plugins , and if ... successful, automatically (and silently) installed file-encrypting software CryptoWall on victim's PCs. According to reports, the malicious advertising -- or 'malvertising', as it's being called -- appeared on 22 different websites, including realestate.aol.com, and several Yahoo pages, including Yahoo Finance and Yahoo Sports. Three Million ... (view more)

Security researchers have purposely unleashed tools that could help hackers use USB drives to secretly spread malware on computers, including mobile devices with USB ports. The goal in releasing such tools is to coerce USB drive manufacturers into ... doing more to protect consumers against such attacks. The attack vector was initially reported in early August of this year, and until now was only theoretical. The tools were released by security researchers Adam Caudill and Brandon Wilson. Their campaign is inspired by the unveiling of " BadUSB ," a type of attack that uses a USB thumb ... (view more)

A new form of ransomware has reportedly infected more than half a million computers in the past six months, making its creators an estimated $1 million. Ransomware is a type of malicious software (or " malware ") that takes control of a computer ... system and then holds it for ransom. In many cases, if victims do not pay the ransom, the data on the computer is encrypted and rendered unusable. The ransomware program in question is known as CryptoWall. According to Dell SecureWorks' Counter Threat Unit (CTU), CryptoWall has been spreading rapidly since late last year. In fact, in ... (view more)

A new report suggests that roughly one thousand American businesses have been victimized by 'Backoff', a form of malware that exposes customers' most sensitive information, including credit card data. Backoff made headlines late last year when ... retail giant Target was hit , exposing credit card data of roughly forty million customers. Now, the National Cybersecurity and Communications Center (NCCIC) and U.S. Secret Service are suggesting that many more businesses have been exposed by the same malware. If an infection occurs, the Backoff malware is capable of recording keystrokes ... (view more)

A new report suggests that most USB flash drives (also known as thumb drives) have a critical security weakness that allows them to be reconfigured, giving hackers an opportunity to silently infect targeted computer systems with malware . The report ... comes from Germany's Security Research Labs, which says that most companies making USB flash drives fail to protect the firmware installed on their devices. That means attackers could easily hack and replace the firmware with a malicious version of the firmware, which is then capable of delivering a payload onto a victim's PC - usually with ... (view more)

Microsoft is planning to release a slew of security fixes for Internet Explorer (IE) -- suggesting the web browser continues to face a torrent of security threats . Nevertheless, a recent study shows that Internet Explorer maintains a vice-like grip ... on the web browser market. Yesterday, Microsoft released a Security Bulletin Advance Notification for July 2014 , with plans to ship a total of six security updates to customers next Tuesday (July 8, 2014). The updates will patch security vulnerabilities present in every version of Internet Explorer and all supported editions of the Windows ... (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)

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DOHS) has warned that users should switch away from Internet Explorer until a serious bug has been fixed. It's the first big security scare since Microsoft stopped supporting Windows XP earlier this ... month. The bug doesn't have a glamorous nickname and is instead simply known as CVE-2014-1776. When triggered, the bug allows for remote code execution, which means a third party would have full control over a remote PC without the need for credentials or consent from the PC owner. By clicking on a malicious link or by visiting an infected ... (view more)