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USB drives responsible for infecting two US power plants with malware
- The latest quarterly report from the U.S. Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT) reveals that control systems at two different power plants in the US were found infected with malware last year. The organization didn’t name which plants…
New zero-day vulnerability in Java being widely exploited (Updated)
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Three days after a critical Java vulnarability was widely reported, Oracle has issued an update to shut down the potential exploit and secure browsers using Java. You can update to Java SE 7u11 to secure your PC (or disable Java altogether). The security hole made browsers vulnerable to remote exploits when visiting a malicious website.
AVG and Yahoo enter into agreement to protect you from malware
- There used to be a time where one would only run the risk of contracting malware by installing questionable software on their computer. Those days are of course long behind us as it’s now possible to pick up an infection…
First fake-installer Trojan for OS X spotted in the wild
- Mac OS X users don't typically have to worry about malicious software, but with the platform’s popularity on the rise we’re starting to see more and more malware targeting Apple’s operating system. Just this week researchers at Russian anti-virus company…
Trojan bypasses two-factor authentication, steals $46.5 million
- A sophisticated, multi-layered trojan dubbed "Eurograbber" is estimated to be responsible for siphoning over €36 million -- or about $46.5 million -- from the bank accounts of unsuspecting Europeans. In a case study (pdf) performed by Versafe and Check Point Software Technologies, researchers reveal…
Microsoft Security Essentials bombs tests, loses AV-Test certificate
- Microsoft Security Essentials was the only entry to fail AV-Test's certification between September and October -- an embarrasing slip for the once well-regarded virus protection solution. MSSE received a total of 10.5 out of 18 possible points, most notably falling short…
U.S. blamed for spying on French government with Flame malware
- According to The Telegram and sources close to French news outlet L'Express, politically-driven U.S. hackers were responsible for a cyberattack that occurred just days before French voters cast their ballots in April. Those sources claim hackers were able to infiltrate French…
Exploit bypasses Adobe Reader's sandbox, being sold for $30-50k
- Russian security firm Group-IB has found a zero-day flaw in Adobe Reader that bypasses the program's sandbox protection. Currently available on the black market for $30,000 to $50,000, the exploit allows attackers to sidestep the application's "Protected Mode," which was…
Kaspersky Lab discovers highly specialized miniFlame malware
- Researchers at Kaspersky Lab have discovered an advanced piece of malware dubbed miniFlame (officially referred to as “SPE” and “John” by the designers) being used to attack high-profile targets. miniFlame works as an espionage add-on tool alongside similar state-sponsored code…
Major scamware creator fined $163 million by U.S. authorities
- Software scam artist Kristy Ross has been fined $163 million by U.S. authorities for running an unscrupulous "scareware" operation. The Federal Trade Commission had been following Ross since 2008 in hopes of closing in on her dealings and the judgment includes…
Regulators crack down on telemarketing scareware scammers
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Regulators from five countries including the US FTC have announced a crackdown on six scareware operations that imitated tech support agents to trick unwitting users into paying for the removal of fake malware. The scammers were mostly based in India and targeted...
Researcher uncovers new Java exploit, 1 billion Macs and PCs at risk
- Security researcher Adam Gowdiak has uncovered a new zero-day vulnerability in Oracle’s Java software. The bug is said to be present in currently-supported versions including Java 5, Java 6 and Java 7 and has the potential to allow attackers to…
Kaspersky uncovers mystery malware on Flame C&C servers
- Kaspersky has published its findings on the massively distributed Flame malware it identified four months ago, revealing that evidence found on Command & Control (C&C) servers suggests the strain dates back as far as 2006. Researchers also learned that the…
Internet Explorer hit by zero-day exploit, temporary fix issued
- Microsoft is urging users of Internet Explorer to download a free security tool, enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET), as an interim measure against a previously unknown zero-day exploit in its web browser software that is under active malware attack by hackers. …
Microsoft disrupts botnet malware that was preinstalled on new PCs
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Microsoft has disrupted an emerging botnet along with more than 500 strains of malware after taking control of a malicious.org domain this week. Last August, Microsoft learned that many systems sold in China were preloaded with malware, including strains linked to Nitol...
Google acquires VirusTotal, but will continue independent operation
- VirusTotal, a popular web-based virus scanning tool, announced its very own acquisition by Google. While details regarding the deal remain mostly secretive, VirusTotal says it will continue to operate independently of Google and maintain its multi-faceted sphere of partnerships with…
Oil giant Saudi Aramco hit by hackers, virus infects 30,000 PCs
- Saudi Aramco, a Saudi Arabian oil giant responsible for supplying a tenth of the world's oil, has instructed six separate firms with expertise in hacking and viruses to investigate a massive breach of security that infected 30,000 of the company's…
Symantec says cybercrime cost consumers $110 billion last year
- New research shows more than 71 million Americans became victims of cybercrime over the past 12 months. Symantec’s 2012 Cybercrime Report further highlights the fact that US consumers lost nearly $21 billion as a result of malware, viruses, hacking, scams,…
Mozilla warns Firefox users to disable Java over zero-day exploit
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Mozilla has warned Firefox users to disable Oracle's Java software framework plugin after researchers discovered that cybercriminals are actively exploiting yet another zero-day vulnerability in the cross-platform software. Atif Mushtaq, a security researcher for FireEye, first discovered...
Weekend Open Forum: Have you been infected by malware recently?
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Whether on our own computers or those of our friends and family, we've all witnessed the damaging effects of malware. While variants such as the Stuxnet worm and its recent spinoff Gauss have helped propel media coverage of malware to new heights, such specialized attacks...
Gauss: Stuxnet-like cyber-espionage toolkit targets Middle East banks
- Kaspersky security analysts have identified another cyber-threat (PDF) targeting the Middle East as part of ongoing research into Flame. Named Gauss, it displays all the hallmarks of being part of the same family as Flame (Stuxnet, Duqu) and is compromising financial…
Pentagon's MDA employees caught surfing porn sites, told to stop
- The US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) recently sent out a memo to employees telling them to stop engaging in behavior that was described as inappropriate use of the MDA network. The specific offenses, according to executive director John James, had…
Panda Cloud Antivirus 2.0 brings faster, smarter detection
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Panda Security has released an overhauled version of its cloud-based antivirus software today, bringing a slew of new features including an updated interface and Windows 8 compatibility. Available in both free and paid versions, Panda Cloud Antivirus 2.0 touts 50% faster...
First malware ever found in iOS App Store, malicious app removed
- For the first time, according to Kaspersky Labs, security researchers have unearthed what appears to be malware on the Apple App Store. "Find and Call", a Russian-language app which touted contact list simplification, was discovered to be a little too…
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