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One of the more widespread malware attacks that has affected Macs, Windows-based PC systems, and even network hardware such as routers is the DNSChanger Trojan, which has also been known as "RSPlug," "Puper," and "Jahlav."

This Trojan was first discovered in 2007, and was able to infect millions of PC systems worldwide. It remained active until 2011 when an FBI sting called Operation Ghost Click resulted in the arrest of an Estonian crime ring and seizure of the rogue DNS network used to maintain the attack.

The DNSChanger malware worked by setting up a … Read more

We are most definitely in favor of anything that saves us time and keystrokes when using the computer, but we usually find that software meant to increase our efficiency ends up being more trouble than it's worth. We're pleased to report, however, that that is not the case with Click.to. This clever utility simplifies the process of copying and pasting text by displaying a menu of possible destination applications every time you copy.

Getting started with Click.to was fairly easy. During setup the program asked us to identify the applications and Web sites that we use … Read more

The Internet, as a tool, has been largely beneficial for people and businesses, but it has also exposed us to new security threats like never before. If you happen to be a Google Chrome user, then Mixesoft's Click & Clean is specially made to make your Internet surfing experience a little bit safer.

While it is possible to manually clean out traces of online activity with currently available programs, Click & Clean is an extension that is designed to automate this process, saving the user a little bit of that very precious commodity, time. The tool is available for … Read more

Last year's DNSChanger malware scam was an effort by a small crime ring of Estonian nationals to steal personal information. The scam worked by distributing malware that when installed would change the user's DNS settings to point to the crime ring's rogue DNS network. Since the DNS system is essentially the Internet's phone book, this allowed the crime ring to route seemingly valid Web site URLs to malicious servers.

Using this malware, the crime ring was able to get personal information and use it to steal millions of dollars before the FBI's Operation Ghost Click sting … Read more

The Wall Street Journal reported today that Google and other ad companies have been using special code to sidestep privacy settings in Apple's Safari browser and track Web users on desktop computers and the iPhone.

The Journal also said that on one of Google's sites--in language that has since been removed--the Internet giant had said Safari users could rely on the browser's privacy settings to avoid tracking by Google. (Editors' note: See Google's response below.)

The privacy-skirting code, which the Journal said Google disabled after being contacted by the paper, appears to have been used to … Read more

One of the more widespread malware efforts over the past few years was the DNSChanger scam, which installed a Trojan horse that would change the DNS server settings on affected computers to divert traffic to rogue servers.

The DNS system is essentially the Internet's phone book that allows your computer to resolve a URL to the IP address of the server that hosts its contents. By changing a computer so that it uses a rogue DNS server, the DNSChanger malware was thus able to redirect valid URLs (such as those for banking institutions) to malicious Web sites in order … Read more

Unlocking the bootloader and rooting an Android device can be a bit intimidating, if not overwhelming, for those who don't feel comfortable with both the jargon and using the command line to carry out the process.

Even with the most thorough of guides, sometimes the easiest thing to do is wait for a streamlined solution to be released.

In the case of the Verizon Galaxy Nexus, an automated method for unlocking the bootloader as well as rooting is now available. Wug's Galaxy Nexus root toolkit was released earlier in the week, affording Galaxy Nexus owners the ability to … Read more

Right Click Enhancer Portable combines two of our favorite things: context menu enhancements and portable freeware. This simple tool lets you customize the menus that appear when you right-click things in Windows. It adds a variety of menu items, including cascading menus with as many submenus as you need as well as custom items you create and configure. This version is completely portable, running from a USB drive or other portable media without having to be installed. You don't need to restart the application every time you reboot, though; the changes it makes persist until you change them back.… Read more

The U.S. Department of Justice said today that it has uncovered a large, sophisticated Internet scam ring that netted $14 million by infecting millions of computers with malware designed to redirect their Web searches to sites that generated ad revenue.

Six people have been arrested in Estonia and a Russian is being sought on charges of wire fraud and computer intrusion, the FBI said. They are accused of infecting about 4 million computers in more than 100 countries--500,000 in the U.S. alone, including NASA--with malware called DNSChanger. The malware altered the Domain Name Server settings on the … Read more