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Microsoft study reveals a third of all software is counterfeit
- A recent white paper released by the International Data Corporation (IDC) on behalf of Microsoft revealed that roughly 33 percent of all software is counterfeit. The paper further highlights the fact that issues related to counterfeit software like identity theft,…
Chameleon clickfraud botnet costs advertisers $6 million a month
- Researchers at Spider.io have detailed the discovery of a clickfraud botnet that is purportedly causing at least 70 times more financial damage than the Bamital network Microsoft and Symantec killed in early February. By its estimates, the security outfit says…
Mysterious MiniDuke malware takes aim at governments worldwide
- Government agencies and high profile institutions from at least 20 countries may have fallen victim to a sophisticated new cyber-attack, according to security firm Kaspersky and Hungary's Laboratory of Cryptography and System Security (CrySyS). Dubbed MiniDuke, the attack in question…
Symantec: Stuxnet existed two years earlier than anyone realized
- A new report from security firm Symantec highlights the discovery of a new version of the Stuxnet virus that crippled Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. The most recent finding predates the earliest known instance of the cyber weapon by two years,…
McAfee says malware is getting more sophisticated
- McAfee’s fourth quarter 2012 threats report highlights the fact that malware attacks are not only growing in frequency but sophistication. The security firm said the number of trojans built to steal passwords was up 72 percent during the last three…
Android continues to be a key target for mobile malware
- A new report from web security provider Blue Coat Systems reveals that Google’s Android platform is quickly becoming a key target for mobile cyber attacks. These cyber criminals are fine-tuning their abilities to compromise the OS’ wide range of flavors,…
Microsoft and Symantec kill Bamital search hijacking botnet
- In partnership with Symantec, Microsoft has disrupted yet another botnet, marking its sixth takedown in the three years since starting Project MARS (Microsoft Active Response for Security). Called "Bamital," the malware network has evolved into several variations since Symantec began…
New worm is designed to attack Iran financial institutions
- Stuxnet garnered a ton of media attention when it managed to cripple Iran’s nuclear program but a new worm recently detailed by Symantec is attacking the country on a different and perhaps even more damaging level.
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...
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,…
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...
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...
Flame virus created by U.S. and Israel sources say, Iran is target
- The Washington Post reports that Flame, an extremely sophisticated virus which was first discovered in Iranian oil refineries, is the brainchild of U.S. and Israeli efforts to slow Iran's nuclear program. This information comes from several Western officials who purportedly…
Iran targeted by Flame malware in 'most complex' cyber-attack yet
- The Duqu and Stuxnet malware heralded in a new era in cyber warfare, and brought cyber-espionage to the forefront of security experts minds. In many ways this has also resulted in the general public becoming increasingly sensitive to the almost…
Flashback Trojan maker missed out on fraudulent ad click payout
- At the height of the Flashback Trojan, experts say it spread to more than 600,000 Macs worldwide. Aside from being a pain in the rear end of those who were infected, it was estimated that the author could be generating…
Sophos: 20% of Macs harbor Windows malware
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Although folks are currently fixated on the Flashback botnet, Sophos draws attention to the fact that one in five Macs harbors some kind of Windows-oriented malware. The company gathered results over seven days from 100,000 Apple machines using its free antivirus program...
SabPub Mac Trojan spreads through Microsoft Office vulnerability
- Less than one week removed from the Flashback Trojan, there are reports of yet another Mac Trojan that is making the rounds. Backdoor.OSX.SabPub.a is designed to steal information from infected systems and uses an exploit in Java that allows it…
Millions of infected machines might be kicked offline March 8
- In three weeks, the FBI could knock millions of infected systems offline by disabling some DNS servers. In November, Estonian authorities arrested six men suspected of using "DNSChanger Trojan" malware to redirect victims to malicious websites and block them from genuine…
Avast accidentally identifies Steam as a trojan
- Just a quick heads up for Avast users: if you're having trouble opening Steam, your malware protection might be to blame. For over an hour Sunday morning, the free antivirus accidently flagged a Steam executable as a trojan and moved…
AVG: QR code-based malware attacks to rise in 2012
- A new report from AVG suggests you should think twice before using your handset to scan unknown Quick Response (QR) codes. The Global Community Powered Threat Report for the fourth quarter of 2011 found an increase in mobile-related malware, with…
Sophos: 66% of lost USB drives are infected, none are encrypted
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Sophos researchers have tested 50 USB drives and found that two-thirds (33) were infected. The drives were purchased at a train company's lost property auction, so they were presumably owned by passengers before being misplaced. During testing...
Zero-day Windows bug blamed for Duqu virus infections
- Microsoft is on the hot seat over a previously unknown bug in its Windows operating system that's being exploited to infect computers with the Duqu virus, piped by some experts to be the next big cyber threat. The Duqu virus was…
Microsoft reaches settlement with Kelihos botnet suspect
- Microsoft has reached a settlement with the man named in last month's botnet sting. In September, Redmond incapacitated a medium-sized botnet dubbed Kelihos that controlled some 41,000 machines and was capable of sending 3.8 billion spam emails per day. Although…
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