Security and spyware

F-Secure outlines the 2011 Mac malware scene

Over the past year we have regularly covered new malware threats that have emerged for OS X, which included attacks like MacDefender, BlackHole RAT, Flashback, and Revir, among a number of others.

While our coverage of these threats may make them appear significant, when looking at the overall Mac malware scene in review it's apparent that despite the increase in Mac malware prevalence, the threats for the Mac platform are still quite minimal. Additionally, data suggests Mac malware trends may not follow market share as many suspect it does.

Recently security company F-Secure released an analysis of the Mac … Read more

HotSpot Shield strengthens VPN with anti-malware wall

HotSpot Shield maker AnchorFree has built an extra wall of protection into its popular virtual private network software, available today. The update adds a malware site guard to the VPN client without requiring you to download a new version of the program because the changes have all been made on the server, not on your computer.

With the anti-malware site guard in place, HotSpot Shield will throw up a warning like the one you see in the screenshot above. Available on Windows (download), Mac (download), and iOS (download), the new anti-malware site protection is based off a database of more … Read more

Lojack recovers your laptop, without risking your neck

Your security app gives you the longitude and latitude of your stolen tech, but is it wise to confront a tech thief on your own? And how do you get your neighborhood cops to care about your stolen $300 phone?

The publisher of Lojack for Laptops and its new Android counterpart, Theft Recovery, says that it provides more than device tracking. Canada-based Absolute Software claims that its 17 years of experience in the field and connections to local law enforcement agencies make it the best option for device recovery, too.

"Consumer vigilantism and tech are now enabling consumers to … Read more

Google uncloaks Chrome's top security goals

Google's Chrome security team unveiled yesterday its guiding principles on how they build a safer browser.

The manifesto declares seven key guidelines for Chrome security. The first one, "Don't get in the way," both echoes Google's unofficial motto, "Don't be evil," and reflects what many Windows security vendors have learned the hard way about keeping people safe. If security negatively affects performance, users will look to alternatives. For a browser which has built its user base on speed, sluggish response times have the potential to wreak great havoc.

"It's great … Read more

New Flashback malware variant follows XProtect update

When the MacDefender fake antivirus malware was making its rounds early last year, there was a daily cat-and-mouse game between the criminals developing the software and various malware detection companies, plus Apple with its XProtect routine that establishes its "Safe Downloads" list.

While MacDefender has been properly addressed and is no longer an issue, the latest cat-and-mouse game appears to be revolving around the recent Flashback malware that was found for OS X. Flashback is a Trojan horse that is distributed as a fake version of Adobe's Flash player program. When installed it will insert a payload … Read more

Judge recommends court-martial in Manning WikiLeaks case

A military judge has advised the U.S. Army to court-martial Pfc. Bradley Manning after hearing arguments that he was allegedly involved in leaking documents to WikiLeaks.

Lt. Col. Paul Almanza, who is the military judge in the case, made the recommendation yesterday after listening to arguments during an Article 32 hearing. According to the U.S. Army, which released a statement on the hearing, the judge said that "the charges and specifications are in the proper form and that reasonable grounds exist to believe that the accused committed the offenses alleged."

The San Francisco Chronicle first reported … Read more

Microsoft security--you've come a long way, baby

Ten years ago, Microsoft had a big problem. Buggy code was allowing viruses like "CodeRed," "ILoveYou," and "Nimda" to infect millions of computers running its Windows and Microsoft's Web server software.

Times have changed.

Back then, the steady stream of worm outbreaks, coding glitches that annoyed users, and security weaknesses reported by outside researchers was having a steady and negative effect on the company's reputation. Microsoft was everywhere on consumer and corporate PCs worldwide, but the software giant couldn't seem to deliver solid software.

Then came a famous Bill Gates memo … Read more

Microsoft finally vanquishes the BEAST-related bug

A Microsoft Windows update today fixes a weakness in the protocols used to secure e-commerce sites, which was first exposed by researchers using a tool they dubbed "BEAST."

Microsoft planned to release the BEAST (Browser Exploit Against SSL/TLS)-related patch last month, but had to pull it because it created compatibility issues with SAP software. Researchers had demonstrated the vulnerability using BEAST in September, prompting fears that attackers would use the tool to snoop on protected Internet sessions in what is called a "man-in-the-middle" attack. MS12-006 patches a hole in the Secure Sockets Layer and … Read more

Stay secure, time-lapse your face

Not all is doom and gloom in the security world. Facial recognition security program KeyLemon now offers a simple way to create a time-lapse video of your face in the latest update to its free eponymous program.

The new optional plug-in, called LemonDay and available today exclusively from CNET Download.com, takes a photo of your face when you log in to your computer and stitches these photos together into a slightly self-indulgent video.

No separate download is required to install LemonDay. Simply upgrade the free version of KeyLemon for Windows (download) or KeyLemon for Mac (download) to the new … Read more