Security and spyware

In September 2011, Apple stopped software support for OS X 10.5 in favor of OS X 10.6 or later, including security updates for the older OS. However, in light of the recent malware attacks that have left users of OS X 10.5 vulnerable to exploit, and perhaps following recent criticism of its approaches to security, Apple has issued new tools to help users of OS X 10.5 better secure their systems.

After Flashback malware hit headlines in early August, a number of security companies released Flashback detection and removal tools that automated the manual steps for … Read more

NEW ORLEANS--Security suite maker AVG has teamed with independent Android marketplace and mobile content provider Livewire to scan all the apps it hosts for malware before they are made available to the public, the companies announced today at CTIA. The deal will also install AVG's free Android security app Mobilation (download) on devices to scan apps after they update.

Jon Lobb, vice president of Global Business Development for mobile at AVG, said that the partnership would keep phones safe from before an app is installed through the app's updates. "It's a belt-to-bracers approach," said Lobb. … Read more

China and the U.S. are facing guerrilla cyberwar and must work to avoid crises between the two countries, their top defense officials said yesterday after meeting in Washington.

"Because the United States and China have developed the technological capabilities in this arena, it's extremely important that we work together to develop ways to avoid any miscalculation or misperception that could lead to a crisis in this area," U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said at a joint press conference with Chinese Minister of National Defense Gen. Liang Guanglie.

It's no secret that the U.… Read more

Better firewall technology, smarter bandwidth monitoring, and Windows 8 compatibility are the hallmarks of the latest Norton betas, now available for download.

The Norton AntiVirus 2013 beta, Norton Internet Security 2013 beta, and Norton 360 v7 beta all include support for Windows 8, though the company has yet to reveal what the specific Windows 8 enhancements are. Savvy Symantec observers will note that Norton 360, usually a first-quarter release, has been moved to the company's fall schedule.

Norton has updated its firewall, too, so that it uses the suite's Insight analysis technology to detect and block suspicious Internet … Read more

A campaign of "ransomware" is locking people out of their computers unless they pony up the right amount of money.

Spotted by security blog abuse.ch, the malware taps into an exploit kit known as "Blackhole." Sold underground, Blackhole is used by criminals to infect computers through security holes in the browser or third-party plug-ins, such as Java and Adobe Reader.

If the version of Java, for example, is not up to date with the latest patches, the downloaded file will exploit the software's weakness by downloading the Trojan to the PC and then running … Read more

It's been a tough year for the U.K.'s Serious Organized Crime Agency (SOCA).

The organization confirmed to TechWeekEurope today that its site has once again become the target of a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, and has been forced to take its site offline to "limit the impact" of the threat.

"Clearly the things we'd like to stress are that the SOCA website contains only publicly available information, it does not provide access to operational material," a SOCA spokesperson told TechWeekEurope. "DDoS attacks cause a temporary inconvenience to website visitors, … Read more

Android users are now facing another malware twist.

A new Android Trojan dubbed "NotCompatible" is being spread through compromised Web sites. Though the threat seems to be minimal at this point, security provider Lookout says this is the first time hacked Web sites are being used to target mobile devices.

Further, Lookout believes the new malware could be used to break into private networks via an infected Android device.

The Trojan works by automatically downloading an application from a compromised site through the Web browser, a process known as a "drive-by download." The mobile device then … Read more

ZoneAlarm is making an aggressive move to attract new people to its line of security programs with what may be a first: a free antivirus program pre-packaged with a free firewall.

Available exclusively from Download.com today, ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus+Firewall 2013 (download) could very well make big waves in the free security-suite space. It's the same free firewall that ZoneAlarm has produced for years, but with basic antivirus and anti-malware tools included. It's basically ZoneAlarm Pro Antivirus+Firewall from last year, with an updated engine. And did I mention that it's free?

The free security suite … Read more

The free and paid versions of Lookout Mobile Security (download) have added two new features today that work together to protect you against malicious apps, especially those installed by side-loading or from third-party marketplaces.

While Lookout scans apps installed from Google Play by default, it now asks you if you want it to scan apps from other sources with Install Monitoring. This is for people who have changed their Android settings to allow non-marketplace apps on their phones. Side-loading is when you download an app to your phone and manually tap on the APK to install it. You can also … Read more