We know, it's sad but true. Our last weeks super-star, “the worm that does nothing”, has slowly declined it's spread.

We've been following it's evolution, however it seems the last version only has one additional feature: it can update itself to the latest version. It does this by exploiting the adodb.stream vulnerability in Internet Explorer to download a file from several hosts which contain instructions on the location of the new version. Although BitDefender detects this e-threat since January under the name VBS.Worm.Runauto.E it has not changed ever since. Seems like it's development stopped at version 10.0.

Nevertheless, this weeks malware evolution hasn't stopped with our friendly worm. Next we will look at a worm called Win32.Antiman.N. If infected with it, the victim will surely be ridden of a certain genre of music called "manele". It searches the entire hard disk for most "manele" artists and and will delete them. Next it will add a lot of entries to the %windir%system32drivershosts file to block social networking websites, like hi5 and netlog, and many free download websites that provide this genre of music. It will also send itself to the whole Yahoo Messenger list using a set number of strings in Romanian language that state something like: “I found a great new program for winamp (or for pictures).”

Posted by Annette King in Adware, Spyware and Trojans at 15:06

6. Test the health of the hard drive

The hard drive is where all of your computer's data is stored. Unfortunately, like everything inside or connected to your PC, these will, overtime, degrade and eventually fail.

Before a drive fails entirely though, it will give you tell-tale signs of impending doom in the form of sluggish performance, louder than standard operation and, if bad sectors have developed on its storage platter, ‘clicking' sounds. If you've noticed any of these, it's best to try and first back-up all essential data and then run a check to test the drive's health. Before you get cracking however, we recommend disabling any non-essential software.

To check your drive's health, double click on ‘Computer' and then right click on the drive - that you want to run a check on - and select ‘Properties'. Now, click the ‘Tools' tab and then hit ‘Check Now'. Make sure to un-tick the ‘Automatically fix file system errors' but tick the ‘Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors' option boxes. Once done, hit ‘Start'.

This process could take anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours (depending on the health and size of the drive). If problems are detected, we recommend - if you haven't already - first trying to back-up your essential data before allowing the app to try and fix the issues. If a problem is detected and cannot be corrected however, it's a sure fire sign the drive is close to failing completely.

Posted by Annette King in Virus & AntiVirus News at 16:05

If your PC has fallen ill and you want to get it back into running condition, read on as WINDOWS talks you through 10 ways to nurse your PC back to health...

1. Install security software

If your computer is giving you random problems and crashing or is even performing poorly, the first port of call when it comes to recovering is to check for viruses, Trojans, malware and more. To do this, you'll need to get hold of security software. Keep in mind however that these days it is better to have a fully-fledged suite that includes antivirus, antispyware and a firewall rather than investing in a single antivirus-only package.

You can buy a complete security suite from various vendors [such as ESET]. These are easy to install and make it quite simple for novice users to maintain a smooth running rig that's free from trouble.

There are also free alternatives available for download which perform the same functions. The bottom line is that if your computer is unprotected, you need to install a security suite immediately. If something is not quite right with the running of your system, run a scan, and you might just detect something malicious - whether it's a virus, Trojan or other mal-ware.

Posted by Annette King in Virus & AntiVirus News at 16:59

Microsoft update hits Zone Alarm users

A Microsoft update is causing problems for Zone Alarm users, causing a complete loss of internet access.

The KB951748 update is the offending piece of software, which alters files relating to Windows networking.

Zone Alarm reportedly interprets this as a malicious attack and completely blocks all internet traffic in response.

"For those of you using ZoneAlarm who installed the windows updates today, you probably already know that your internet connection has died," warns a user of the Broadband Reports forum. "It appears that KB951748 made changes to the networking files that ZA doesn't see/recognise."

"After two hours of messing around, I found an inelegant solution that will work temporarily... set the Internet Zone Security permission slider from high to medium. The connection will be restored," continues the user.

"We are investigating the issue with the MS update KB951748. For the time being we suggest you uninstall KB951748 until the issue has been resolved," says a company spokesperson on the Zone Alarm forum.

This is not the first time that Zone Alarm has fallen foul of a Microsoft update. Earlier this year Windows Vista was found to conflict with the software, prompting the removal of several key features of the program.

COMPUTER SECURITY SOLUTION STATEMENT: This update has no affect on Smart Security firewall. You will not have to make any changes or adjustments after installing the Microsoft KB951748 update.

Original Story

Posted by Annette King at 14:43