Botnets are a growing threat, but there are six steps that security professionals can take to fight back.

Posted by Annette King in Adware, Spyware and Trojans at 09:49

Small businesses are facing huge problems when it comes to spyware infections --.but their troubles could open up doors for channel partners to offer managed services in order to help alleviate the issue, says the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA).

In a recent survey commissioned by CompTIA and conducted by Washington, D.C.-based consultancy Kotler Marketing Group, which polled 537 non-IT employees at businesses with 10 to 200 computer users, more than one in four end users reported having their productivity impacted by a spyware infection during the past six months. Of these, more than one-third reported multiple spyware infections.

According to Steven Ostrowski, director of corporate communications at Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.-based CompTIA, lack of training seems to be behind much of the spyware problem. "Users don't know oftentimes how to compute safely, how to do e-mail the proper way, and that they shouldn't open certain e-mail attachments or visit certain web sites," Ostrowski explained. He added that education has to become more of a business issue rather than a responsibility that sits on the shoulders of the IT department. "The human element continues to be probably the biggest factor in computer security issues that companies are facing...but it has not resonated with a lot of companies that they need this educational component."

Posted by Annette King in Adware, Spyware and Trojans at 17:47

Web-borne malware attacks will continue to flourish in 2008, according to the latest research report filed by scanning and acceleration specialists Blue Coat.

Based on the company's top ten security trends report covering the remaining calendar year, SQL and iframe injection exploits, along with a multitude of other attacks, will continue to spread over the Internet, with a large number of the infections being delivered via compromised Web sites.

Many of the threats will also be planted using drive-by techniques that won't require end user interaction beyond the initial visit to an infected URL, Blue Coat reports. Even popular sites are becoming well-traveled avenues for malware delivery.

"Because these are well-known, reputable sites -- some of the most trusted names in online news and commerce -- URL-filtering and reputation tools won't block users from visiting them," the report summarizes.

Posted by Annette King in Virus & AntiVirus News at 17:44

Phishing -- trying to trick an e-mail recipient to click here, download that file go to this Web site -- is one of the oldest social engineering tricks in the book. It's been around so long mostly because it still seems to work -- and it's getting increasingly sophisticated. "This isn't malware for the masses anymore," said Jeff Green, senior vice president of McAfee's Avert Labs.

Phishing is a tactic known to malicious hackers ever since the first one crawled out of a swamp and onto dry land. It's another variation on social engineering. The phisher's goal is to get people to open themselves up to technical vulnerabilities through nontechnical means. However, even though most e-mail E-Mail Marketing Software - Free Trial. Click Here. users have become more savvy about obvious scams, phishing is evolving.

Why do phishing attacks continue to work when e-mail users are constantly warned about identity theft? Because phishers go where the money is, just like bank robbers.

Posted by Annette King in Adware, Spyware and Trojans at 11:48