NOD32 and Virus News - General Security

Windows updates - get them while ... nah - just get them...

news@nod32usa.com (Greg Hewitt-Long) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:45:52 -0600

Microsoft released a whole raft of windows updates today -

Once again, time to get these updates to keep yourself safe...

Much Ado About Facebook

news@nod32usa.com (Greg Hewitt-Long) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 23:28:39 -0600

by Aryeh Goretsky Distinguished Researcher ESET North America

The Reuters news agency reported earlier today a sudden increase in violent and pornographic images and videos on Facebook. A quick review of my personal account and a check-in with my other Facebook-wielding colleagues revealed a couple of nothing more than a couple of suggestive pictures, complete with snarky comments embedded in them, from the usual sources and no discussion of violence or pornography pandemics. While our collective Facebook usage is described as casual at best, it seems unusual that several dozen security researchers who keep an eye or two on Facebook wouldnt have noticed something suspicious should there have been outbreaks of violence and pornography there. After all, if nothing else, it makes for good blog fodder.

Our colleagues at Sophos and BitDefender have written more about the matter in their respective blogs, with the former providing some additional details of what Facebooks customers saw and the latter identifying a variant of the seven-year-old Win32/Bifrose trojan as the source of the problem and speculating that this might be a late arrival of the Fawkes virus that Anonymous claimed it was going to unleash on Facebook for Guy Fawkes Day.
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Expert Says Cloud Technology Is Very Secure

news@nod32usa.com (Greg Hewitt-Long) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 23:22:26 -0600

DENVER (CBS4) Cloud storage is getting a lot of publicity these days. Its designed to simplify and consolidate information in one location. But how secure is the technology?

Jeremy Kossler is a traveling salesman who likes all his data to travel with him.

"I take the iPad into business meetings, that's my note pad. All my notes that I type at client meetings go right to my phone and I can access them anywhere," Kossler said.
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Smartphone scams: Owners warned over malware apps

news@nod32usa.com (Greg Hewitt-Long) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 21:36:14 -0600

A national computer security campaign is urging smartphone users to do more to protect themselves from unwittingly downloading malware applications.

Get Safe Online says that there has been an increase in smartphone malware as the market has grown.

Criminals are typically creating Trojan copies of reputable apps and tricking users into installing them.

Once on the phone, the app can secretly generate cash for criminals through premium rate text messages.

Get Safe Online, a joint initiative between the government, police and industry, said it was concerned that users of smartphones, such as Android devices, were not taking steps to protect their devices.
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New windows updates October 11th 2011

news@nod32usa.com (Greg Hewitt-Long) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:41:20 -0500

Today saw a raft of Windows and other Microsoft Security updates - run Windows Update today!
Updates include:

Security Update for Microsoft Silverlight
Cumulative Security update for Internet Explorer 9
Security Update for .NET Framework 3.5.1
Security Update for .NET Framework 4
Security Update for Windows 7 (x3)
Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool

to live in interesting times... Can Anonymous Really 'Kill' Facebook?

news@nod32usa.com (Greg Hewitt-Long) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 07:03:01 -0500

By Damon Poeter

How credible is the Anonymous threat to "destroy" and "kill" Facebook on Nov. 5? PCMag spoke with Sophos senior security adviser Chester Wisniewski Wednesday to get a read on whether the loosely organized hacking group could actually pull it off.

The first question Wisniewski had concerned whether the so-called Operation Facebook threat is actually coming from Anonymous itself.
Continue reading "to live in interesting times... Can Anonymous Really 'Kill' Facebook?"

uTorrent, possibly BitTorrent Web sites hacked

news@nod32usa.com (Greg Hewitt-Long) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 06:27:03 -0500

By: Seth Rosenblatt

The Web site that hosts uTorrent was hacked by an unknown person or group early this morning. After initially stating that the "mainline" BitTorrent site had been hacked as well, the company now says that it doesn't think that BitTorrent.com was affected. BitTorrent, the owner of the Web sites and the torrent clients hosted there, reported in a blog post that the breach occurred around 4:20 a.m PT.
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Remembering 9/11 and giving thanks to those who serve

news@nod32usa.com (Greg Hewitt-Long) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 08:58:23 -0500

We wanted to do something in remembrance of 9/11 - but to run a "special" selling something seemed a little too "commercial" - so instead of risking the appearance of cashing in, which is the last thing we want to do - we came up with something that was just giving back....

We have 50 licenses of ESET antivirus/anti-spyware to give away for free to any active duty military, police, coast-guard, fireman or other emergency service person.

If you know someone who can benefit from a free year antivirus protection - please have them email us at:

thankyouforserving@betterantivirus.com

This address will be available until we have given away 50 licenses (and then we'll disable it so we're not bombarded by scumbag spammers) - these are full protection licenses valued at $39.99 and we hope that providing a year of malware protection to someone who protects you and I daily.

Thank you all who serve... we appreciate your service each and every day....
Continue reading "Remembering 9/11 and giving thanks to those who serve"

Should we trust those antivirus review sites? How to zero in on good AV solutions...

news@nod32usa.com (Greg Hewitt-Long) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 08:26:13 -0500

If you google "antivirus review" - the number of sites that come up is staggering - over 96 million results on Google today - and results are a very mixed bag... from reputable sites like PC-Mag and cNet to some decidedly dodgy contenders like "toptenreviews" and "antivirus-review.org" - mixted in with a couple of sites we know well - like AV-Comparatives.org and Virus Bulletin.

So who do you trust?

That is the $30-10,000 dollar question (or more - depending on how many machines you need to protect)....

Continue reading "Should we trust those antivirus review sites? How to zero in on good AV solutions... "

Governments, IOC and UN hit by massive cyber attack

news@nod32usa.com (Greg Hewitt-Long) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:09:58 -0500

By Daniel Emery Technology reporter, BBC News

IT security firm McAfee claims to have uncovered one of the largest ever series of cyber attacks.

It lists 72 different organisations that were targeted over five years, including the International Olympic Committee, the UN and security firms.

McAfee will not say who it thinks is responsible, but there is speculation that China may be behind the attacks.

Beijing has always denied any state involvement in cyber-attacks, calling such accusations "groundless".

Speaking to BBC News, McAfee's chief European technology officer, Raj Samani, said the attacks were still going on.
Continue reading "Governments, IOC and UN hit by massive cyber attack"

The Best Malware and Antivirus Tool is Prevention

news@nod32usa.com (Greg Hewitt-Long) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 08:31:16 -0500

By Pam Baker

No doubt the best protection against viruses, spyware and other malware is prevention: You wont have to remove that which doesnt exist.

Firewalls and antivirus programs are a given as are good security practices such as protecting your network, password protecting idle devices and steering clear of suspicious emails. Even so, you may find your computer is infected. Worse still, your antivirus software may be infected too and thus unable to completely wipe the computer clean.

So now what?
Continue reading "The Best Malware and Antivirus Tool is Prevention"

Amy Winehouse and Norway massacre news create warnings about online malware

news@nod32usa.com (Greg Hewitt-Long) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:38:00 -0500

Warnings have been made about a multitude of social networking videos claiming to show late singer Amy Winehouse.

According to Sophos, at least five videos have been identified that claim to show footage of Winehouse hours before her death on Saturday afternoon. As with other persistent scams, users are lured into an online survey where the scammer earns a commission for each survey that victims complete. They also capture personal details and have access to a user's profile and repost the link on their wall.

Malware is a Disease; Let's Treat it that Way

news@nod32usa.com (Greg Hewitt-Long) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 11:35:30 -0500

By Tom Henderson, ITworld

Botnets and botnet kits are flourishing. They're now a commodity, as are the use of controlled machines. Just about daily, a new and frightening major system crack is revealed, data released, embarrassed IT security people called on the carpet. Were these a human virus, the CDC would be subjecting it to observation, protocols, all while someone was racing to invent (perhaps too many) vaccinations for the world to use. It would be an effort that had procedure, and a plan. The U.S. lacks a cohesive national plan to control malware, and the costs of exposure might be calculable to motivate organization of an authority to deal with the problem.

The "free market" of protection surrounds the operating system vendors, third-party virus malware eradication and protection vendors like Kaspersky, Symantec, McAfee (and many others), and a fleet of integrators and consultants. While these organizations provide control to prevent and mitigate, they aren't financially compelled to stop the problem before it starts. There is no motivation for an ounce of prevention that prevents the hideous pounds and costs of cure.
Continue reading "Malware is a Disease; Let's Treat it that Way"

Mac Laptop Batteries Could Run Malware

news@nod32usa.com (Greg Hewitt-Long) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 11:33:18 -0500

A security researcher is to demonstrate hacking Mac laptop chips, causing them to run malicious code or overheat

The batteries used in many Mac laptop computers are vulnerable to attack, meaning they could potentially be made to explode or run malicious code, according to security researcher Charlie Miller, who will present his findings at the Black Hat security conference next week.
Continue reading "Mac Laptop Batteries Could Run Malware"

Mac Laptop Batteries Could Run Malware

news@nod32usa.com (Greg Hewitt-Long) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 11:33:18 -0500

NOD32 and Virus News - General Security

Windows updates - get them while ... nah - just get them...

Much Ado About Facebook

Expert Says Cloud Technology Is Very Secure

Smartphone scams: Owners warned over malware apps

New windows updates October 11th 2011

to live in interesting times... Can Anonymous Really 'Kill' Facebook?

uTorrent, possibly BitTorrent Web sites hacked

Remembering 9/11 and giving thanks to those who serve

Should we trust those antivirus review sites? How to zero in on good AV solutions...

Governments, IOC and UN hit by massive cyber attack

The Best Malware and Antivirus Tool is Prevention

Amy Winehouse and Norway massacre news create warnings about online malware

Malware is a Disease; Let's Treat it that Way

Mac Laptop Batteries Could Run Malware

Mac Laptop Batteries Could Run Malware

Expert Says Cloud Technology Is Very Secure