spam

The most exploited vulnerabilities tend to be Adobe Reader and Internet Explorer, but a rising target for exploits is Java, according to a report to be released on Wednesday by M86 Security Labs.

Of the 15 most exploited vulnerabilities observed by M86 Security Labs during the first half of this year, four involved Adobe Reader and five in Internet Explorer, the lab wrote in its latest security report for January through June 2010.

Also on the Top 15 list were vulnerabilities affecting Microsoft Access Snapshot Viewer, Real Player, Microsoft DirectShow, SSreader, and AOL SuperBuddy. Most of the exploits observed had … Read more

E-mail inboxes are getting hit this week with spam campaigns that appear to be legitimate Twitter messages but which lead to malware and phishing sites, security firms warned on Wednesday.

Some e-mails masquerade as messages from Twitter's customer support team warning the recipient that the site has detected an attempt to steal the Twitter account password and prompting the recipient to click on a link to download a "secure module" to protect the account, according to Vietnamese antivirus firm Bkis and Trend Micro.

If the link is clicked on a Trojan horse designed to target Windows will … Read more

The earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, the Toyota recall, and Apple's iPad are just some of the search terms that cybercriminals are using to corrupt search-engine results, according to McAfee's first-quarter Threats Report released Tuesday.

Following a significant rise in search-engine spam last year, the bad guys are adopting the latest items in the news to trick search engines into indexing links that lead to malicious Web sites, the report says (PDF). Like other professionals, cybercriminals use analytics and page ranking to determine the most popular search terms to use to capture their victims, a trend that was … Read more

Spam originating from hacked computers in China has "steadily" dropped, and the country is now off the Top 12 chart for spam relaying.

In a report covering the first quarter, security firm Sophos said China had dropped off "Dirty Dozen" list to No. 15. China contributed to just 1.9 percent of the world's spam during the quarter--done primarily through malware-infected computers called bots or zombies.

China had earned a bad reputation as the "launch pad of targeted attacks against foreign companies and government networks," the report said. However, "at least in … Read more

Natali Del Conte joins us in the studio to discuss really important issues such as boobquake day, cartoons, and violent video games. Oh, come on, we also discuss Google's failed attempts to reinvent the mobile phone sales paradigm, unfounded causal links between violent video games and sociopathic behavior, and the dangers of colonization. Good show, guys.

Google Nexus One Gone From Verizon Lineup http://jkontherun.com/2010/04/26/no-nexus-one-on-verizo/ http://preview.bloomberg.com/news/2010-04-26/verizon-says-it-has-no-current-plans-to-distribute-google-nexus-one-phone.html http://www.cnet.com/8301-19736_1-20003397-251.html… Read more

Today's show opens with a not-unexpected rant about AT&T trying to sell you a $150 MicroCell to "supplement" the "coverage" you already pay for. A bit more on Google and China, Apple's unbelievably bizarre sandbox behavior in approving the otherwise super cool Line2 app, and cheap photos from space.

Improve Your 3G Connection with an AT&T MicroCell http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/192557/improve_your_3g_connection_with_an_atandt_microcell.html

China issues media rules for stories … Read more

In this day and age of technological advancement and digital lifestyles, it's incredible to me that nearly half of a recently surveyed audience opened junk e-mail (aka spam), intentionally.

According to an Ipsos Public Affairs Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG) survey report (PDF), tens of millions of users continue to respond to spam in ways that could leave them vulnerable to a malware infection or bot network.

The results of the survey show that nearly half of the users have opened spam, clicked on a link in spam, opened a spam attachment, replied, or forwarded it--all activities that leave consumers susceptible to fraud, phishing, identity theft, and infection.

Of those who intentionally opened spam, they did so to unsubscribe or complain to the sender or to see what would happen. Fifteen percent clicked to learn more about the products or services being offered.

… Read more

More malware is now coming out of China than from any other country, according to a new report from Symantec.

The United States still leads the world in the number of malware attacks sent from mail servers. Symantec's report (PDF) found U.S. mail servers responsible for distributing 36.6 percent of all global malware in March, followed by China at 17.8 percent and Romania at 16.5 percent.

Symantec captured these results by analyzing the IP addresses of sending mail servers. The company uncovered a large amount of malware from the United States in large part because … Read more

We accidentally besmirch the reputation of Danica Patrick, come up with some reasons why Bing might actually work (except for how it apparently means "disease" in Chinese), and take to task the millions of people who are still deliberately clicking on spam.

WSJ on iPad for $17.99 a month, magazines to be at or near newsstand prices? http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/25/wsj-on-ipad-17-99-a-month-magazines-to-be-at-or-near-newsstand/

Gmail to alert users to suspicious activity http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-20001078-245.html

Microsoft'… Read more