USR-Lib

Microsoft IE8 spam filter technology blocks one billion malware attacks.

Microsoft has revealed its web browser spam filter technology has stopped its one-billionth piece of malware from being downloaded. Internet Explorer 8’s (IE8’s) SmartScreen Filter uses URL reputation-based anti-malware technology to warn users if they are visiting web sites hosted by servers known to distribute unsafe content. James Pratt, Internet Explorer business and marketing senior...

AVG reveals huge number of machines vulnerable to ‘Eleonore’ toolkit

AVG Research is claiming that one in 10 of all PCs is infected by malware controlled by cybercriminals using the ‘Eleonore’ exploit toolkit. The security software firm monitored 165 domains controlled by cybercriminals using the commercial attack software toolkit over a two-month period, during which time it tracked more than 1.2 million infected computers. Out of 12 million worldwide users visiting...

A German man uses malware for webcam spying.

A German man has been arrested for using malware to spy on young women using their webcams. The man had used a Trojan to infect a victim’s account via ICQ, a spokesman for the Aachen state prosecutor told the local Westfalenblatt newspaper. He then used this account to find other victims and police estimate 150 women may have been viewed. The investigation was triggered when Thomas Floß from...

Malware attacks Symantec

A sophisticated malware operation targeting defence contractors has been uncovered. Researchers at Symantec Hosted Services said that the operation involved compromising the site of one firm and then using the hacked site to host a malware attack on another contractor. The attack began when the first company’s site was compromised and embedded with a landing page and obfuscated exploit code....

NetQin are claiming to have found malware in Symbian Series 60 handsets

Mobile security firm NetQin are claiming to have found malware spreading via Symbian Series 60 handsets which is being used to build a mobile botnet. The company has identified three piece of malware, which masquerade as mobile games or special offers, which infect versions three and five of the Series 60 Symbian platform. NetQin estimates 100,000 handsets have been infected and could be used to form...

Possible software or hardware problems or user errors in Electronic health record systems

Electronic health record systems likely will soon become a fixture in medical settings. Advocates claim they will reduce health care costs and improve medical outcomes, which could be critical since the new health care reform law increases access for millions of Americans. Although benefits of bringing information technology to health records can be substantial, EHR systems also give rise to increased...

Three men for tricking internet users into buying over $100m (£69m) worth of fake security software.

US federal prosecutors have filed charges against three men for tricking internet users into buying over $100m (£69m) worth of fake security software. The three men are alleged to have set up a company called Innovative Marketing, which sold software such as DriveCleaner and ErrorSafe for around $50 (£34) a time. The software scans a user’s system, purports to have found malware and then offers...

New Computer Security Threat for Wireless Networks: Typhoid Adware

There’s a potential threat lurking in your internet café, say University of Calgary computer science researchers. It’s called Typhoid adware and works in similar fashion to Typhoid Mary, the first identified healthy carrier of typhoid fever who spread the disease to dozens of people in the New York area in the early 1900s. “Our research describes a potential computer security threat...

Malware:The importance of a clean machine

Keeping your computer clean of malware is important for several reasons. First and foremost, malware programs are a security risk. One can never be certain what information these programs are collecting about you from your computer. They potentially could have your name, physical address, e-mail address, credit card number, web site history, passwords, and any other information you have on your PC....

Introduction To Malware

Along with viruses, one of the biggest threats to computer users on the Internet today is malware. It can hijack your browser, redirect your search attempts, serve up nasty pop-up ads, track what web sites you visit, and generally screw things up. Malware programs are usually poorly-programmed and can cause your computer to become unbearably slow and unstable in addition to all the other havoc they...