malware

On July 9, the FBI will close down a network of DNS servers that many people have been depending on for proper Internet access. These servers were originally a part of a scam where a crime ring of Estonian nationals developed and distributed a malware package called DNSChanger, but which the FBI seized and converted to a legitimate DNS service.

This malware scam has been widespread enough that even third-party companies like Google and Facebook and a number of ISPs like Comcast, COX, Verizon, and AT&T have joined in the effort to help remove it by issuing automatic … Read more

Researchers at Microsoft and Sophos say they believe malware-infected Android phones are sending spam via Yahoo Mail accounts as part of a botnet, but Google and mobile firm Lookout say there could be other explanations.

Terry Zink, a program manager for Microsoft Forefront Online Security, said in a blog post two days ago that he had found some spam samples that had this Message-ID:

"<1341147286.19774.androidMobile@web140302.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>."

That was followed by speculation from Chester Wisniewski at Sophos, who wrote in a blog post today: "It is likely that Android users … Read more

The DNSChanger malware has been around for years, but its deleterious effects are coming to a head this Monday. Here's what you have to know about it, and how to fix it.

What is DNSChanger? DNSChanger is a Trojan horse malware with many variants. It changes an infected computer's DNS settings to point to rogue, bad guy-controlled servers. These then show you ads that look real, but aren't. Basically, it redirects your legitimate Web surfing to malicious Web sites that then attempt to steal personal information and generate illegitimate ad revenue.

How much money did DNSChanger make? … Read more

On this Thursday, take a whiff and smell those fresh Apple rumors:

New details on a smaller iPad are pouring in. The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg have sources saying Apple is gearing up to produce an iPad Mini that would arrive sometime this year. We've also heard the same earlier this week from an analyst at NPD DisplaySearch. This would compete with other 7-inch tablets, like the Amazon Kindle Fire (which will likely have a new model out this summer) and the Google Nexus 7 tablet.

But that's not the only hot Apple news today. Just check … Read more

Android malware levels are rising at an alarming rate, according to antivirus maker Trend Micro.

The security firm said at the start of the year, it had found more than 5,000 malicious applications designed to target Google's Android mobile operating system, but the figure has since risen to about 20,000 in recent months.

By the coming third-quarter, the firm estimates there will be around 38,000 malware samples, and close to 130,000 in the fourth-quarter.

If Trend Micro is forecasting the numbers correctly, it won't be a flu epidemic you'll be worried about come … Read more

Microsoft released the identities of two alleged members of the Zeus botnet crime ring, which used an estimated 13 million computers infected with the malware to steal more than $100 million.

The botnet operators used the software to show fake or modified Web sites when victims tried to use real banking sites, log their keystrokes to capture victims' identity information, and then use that information to steal money from victims' accounts.

The software giant announced today it had amended a complaint last week to add Yevhen Kulibaba and Yuriy Konovalenko as defendants. The pair is already serving time in the … Read more

The same flexibility and freedom companies get from having their software and services hosted in the cloud is enabling cybercriminals to conduct highly automated online banking theft -- without doing much of the necessary information processing on their victims' own computers.

Security and privacy experts have long worried that criminals would launch attacks on the servers storing the data in cloud environments. But, a report released this week from McAfee and Guardian Analytics shows that criminals are now using the cloud infrastructure itself to get more capability out of their campaigns.

"They are leveraging the cloud," Brian Contos, … Read more

Security company Kaspersky Labs has intercepted a new variant of the Tibet malware for OS X, which is being distributed to specific Uyghur activist groups as part of a seemingly politically motivated APT (advanced persistent threat) attack.

The malware is being distributed in e-mails to certain Uyghur Mac users, and is contained within a ZIP file called "matiriyal.zip." If this file is opened it will reveal an image file and a text file that is a disguised OS X application that if run will install the malware. Once installed, the malware will connect to a command-and-control server … Read more

For most ordinary citizens, leaked information from a smartphone or tablet is a hassle but not a life-or-death situation. But for soldiers it can be another story.

The U.S. government is working to reinforce soldiers' devices against data breaches. According to The New York Times, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, has given a $21 million grant to the company Invincea to protect soldiers' Android-based phones and tablets from cyber threats.

"By separating untrusted apps and content we are preventing the compromise of the operating system," founder of Invincea Anup Ghosh told The New York … Read more