Virus Information News

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iPad 2 affiliate marketing scams and incompetent spammers

blog.commtouch.com

March 29, 2011

It's so hard to find good help these days.

Even in the world of spam you just have to do everything yourself or else take a risk that some inattentive subordinate is going to mess up. Like this Apple iPad 2 marketing scam campaign which should have the recipient name neatly filled in...

How to protect your Facebook account from Rogue Applications

facecrooks.com

March 21, 2011

A rogue application is a Facebook application developed by someone with fraudulent or deceitful intentions.

The application often doesn't perform its stated objectives. It is designed to obtain account information of the user, and it can be used to spread spam, scams or other malware to the friends of the infected account. The best way to guard against rogue applications is to avoid any third-party Facebook applications entirely. If this approach is too extreme for you, there are some steps you can take to help protect your account.

An un-epiphany (how to use a GPU to speed up ClamAV)

blog.commtouch.com

March 17, 2011

I have always been amused at people talking about the death of the antivirus industry. It has supposedly been dying for decades and it is still around and growing.

What amuses me even more is how people can sound so knowledgeable about how antivirus works and why it is doomed to fail. What is especially amusing is precisely how they get all their facts wrong. I was busy reading about GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) based super-computers and its uses when I came across an interesting paper on how to use a GPU to speed up antivirus software. So I read it and had my un-epiphany.

Has the reported disruption of Rustock affected spam levels?

blog.commtouch.com

March 17, 2011

Numerous reports have been circulating about the sudden demise of the Rustock botnet.

If Rustock has been taken down there are several possible explanations for the generally stable spam levels shown above...

Dream Come True For Murphys Resident

mymotherlode.com

March 3, 2011

Murphys resident Aubrey Anthony had a simple dream. She wanted to be the voice of an anti-virus software program.

Vulnerability in Microsoft Malware Protection Engine Could Allow Elevation of Privilege

microsoft.com

February 23, 2011

The update addresses a privately reported vulnerability that could allow elevation of privilege if the Microsoft Malware Protection Engine scans a system after an attacker with valid logon credentials has created a specially crafted registry key.

Since the Microsoft Malware Protection Engine is a part of several Microsoft anti-malware products, the update to the Microsoft Malware Protection Engine is installed along with the updated malware definitions for the affected products. Administrators of enterprise installations should follow their established internal processes to ensure that the definition and engine updates are approved in their update management software, and that clients consume the updates accordingly.

Google launches two-factor authentication

mattcutts.com

February 10, 2011

Google just launched two-factor authentication, and I believe everyone with a Google account should enable it.

Two-factor authentication (also known as 2-step verification) relies on something you know (like a password) and something you have (like a cell phone). Crackers have a harder time getting into your account, because even if they figure out your password, they still only have half of what they need. I wrote about two-factor authentication when Google rolled it out for Google Apps users back in September, and I'm a huge fan.

How PDF files hide malware - Example - PDF scan from Xerox

blog.commtouch.com

February 9, 2011

The body of the email says that the PDF attachment comes from a "Xerox WorkCentre Pro", a very popular copier machine widely used in offices.

We assume that this type of email and the "innocent" looking PDF attachment would convince most office recipients to open the attachment and thus install new malware on their systems. Commtouch's Command Antivirus detects this malicious PDF as PDF/Expl.IQ. Recipients who actually open the file will see nothing - there is no text or image content displayed.

Analysis of an attack targeting Bank of America customers

blog.commtouch.com

February 7, 2011

The attack begins with a message that comes from a spoofed "Bank of America" sender (such as: RiskDept@hotmail.com, or RiskDept@msn.com).

The attached file, BillingVerification.exe, is a self-extracting archive which contains and automatically loads an html page in the recipient's browser. The file saved on the local drive is:

With great name comes great liability?

f-secure.com

January 31, 2011

As users become smarter in distinguishing the name of fake and real antivirus programs, rogueware authors have now resorted to a bolder move - stealing the identity of a legit program and using it on their fake products.

A rogue was recently discovered to be using AVG's logo and reputable name, hoping to mislead and trick people into purchasing the fake AV. It implemented the typical method used by other rogues, i.e., pretending to scan the system and then claiming to have detected multiple malicious files. Since the free version is limited in capability, users have to upgrade to the full (fake) version to remove these files. Aside from AVG's logo, the rogue's interface bears no resemblance to that of the legit AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 2011.

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