malware

Ransomware a growing menace, says Symantec

Cybercriminals gangs are creating a surge in ransomware, says a new report from Symantec.

Ransomware is a type of malware best described as an online extortion racket. Malware locks or disables your PC in some way and then demands payment in the form of a "fine" to render your PC usable again. Like most scams, the ransomware message claims to come from a legitimate organization, such as the government or a public corporation, to try to convince victims that they did something wrong to incur the fine.

But paying the fine does nothing since the initial malware remains … Read more

Windows 8, RT to get first critical security patches next Tuesday

Windows 8 and Windows RT will receive their first security fixes when next week's Patch Tuesday rolls around from Microsoft.

The patches are designed to prevent "remote code execution," which means they'll plug holes in the OS that could let someone remotely run malicious code on a PC.

Beyond securing Windows 8, the fixes cover just about every other version of Windows, including XP, Vista, and Windows 7 as well as Server 2003, 2008, and 2012.

The rollout includes six security patches, four of which are considered critical, one important, and one moderate. Most of the … Read more

Is new malware Jacksbot just starting to rear its head?

In the past month a new multiplatform malware package called Jacksbot has been discovered, and while it was initially deemed a minimal threat, it might not stay that way for some Mac, Windows, and Linux users.

Jacksbot is in part a Java-based remote access Trojan (RAT) that appears to be built by a hacking group for the purpose of causing all-too-common malicious activity, including stealing passwords, forcing URLs to load (likely for click fraud), deleting and corrupting files, taking screenshots, logging keystrokes, and otherwise getting personal information.

Java is an attractive platform for criminals to use because being cross-platform means … Read more

T-Mobile beefs up Android security with malware protection

T-Mobile is aiming to fortify the Android smartphones and tablets it carries by offering users free protection against malware and viruses.

The company announced today that it is partnering with mobile security company Lookout to help T-Mobile customers protect their devices with a product called Automatic App Security. The software will come preloaded on certain devices this year, and then T-Mobile will roll it out to most Android devices in 2013.

"As we rely more on our mobile devices, for everything from business to social to banking, it is increasingly important that we protect them from threats," CEO … Read more

Avira 2013 expands features to cover social networking, tracker blocking, and Web site verification

Review: Avira returns to the security field with a second major revamp in as many years of its flagship free antivirus and paid upgrades. Whereas last year's overhaul focused on a breezy new installation and modernizing its interface, the 2013 version is all about offering competitive and forward-thinking security features.

All that sounds well and good, and Avira has even killed off its obnoxious, interrupting pop-up in the free version. However, some aggressive components of those features gave us pause when using the suite.

Installation Last year's improved, zippy install has been changed slightly, and that may cause … Read more

Microsoft settles with second Kelihos botnet suspect

Microsoft has settled a lawsuit with a Russian software programming who admits he wrote the code used for malware that infected 41,000 computers worldwide, according to today's blog post from Richard Domingues Boscovich, an assistant general council for Microsoft.

The case centered around the Kelihos botnet, a series of infected computers that Microsoft said was able to send 3.8 billion spam e-mails per day before the company stopped it last September. While programmer Andrey N. Sabelnikov admits to writing the code, he was not the operator of the botnet and was not involved in those activities, according … Read more

India is world leader in spam output

India has surpassed the U.S. and taken the lead as the greatest spam-sending country in the world. One out of every six junk messages that litter users' e-mail inboxes are coming from India, according to a new report from SophosLabs.

The security vendor's third-quarter "Dirty Dozen" report of spam-relaying countries found that India upped its percentage of global spam for the third quarter in a row and now accounts for more than 16 percent of all junk e-mails.

What is important to note, however, is that this spam doesn't necessarily come directly from India's … Read more

Kaspersky builds its own antimalware OS -- but not for you

The folks at Kaspersky Lab are aiming to create their own secure operating system, but this one would run on industrial systems rather than your average home PC.

In blog posted today, company CEO Eugene Kaspersky confirmed the rumors of a new OS, describing the background behind the effort and hinting at the development process.

Cyberattacks present a growing and challenging problem for industries maintaining systems that must be powered on all the time. If a virus affects a computer at most companies, that computer can be unplugged from the network so as not to infect other devices, Kaspersky said. … Read more

FBI warns users of mobile malware

As mobile malware increases at break-neck speed, the U.S. government wants to be sure users are aware of its dangers. The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), which is a government task force that includes the FBI, issued a mobile malware warning on Friday.

"The IC3 has been made aware of various malware attacking Android operating systems for mobile devices," the warning said. "Some of the latest known versions of this type of malware are Loozfon and FinFisher."

The IC3 said that Loozfon lures its victims by sending them e-mails with links promising "a profitable … Read more

Newly IDed 'MiniFlame' malware targets individuals for attack

A new form of state-sponsored malware is making the rounds, this one apparently designed specifically to spy on its victims.

Dubbed "MiniFlame" by Kapersky Lab, but also known as SPE, the new malware variant is similar to the Flame virus that targeted computers in the Middle East this past summer. But MiniFlame is a cyber espionage program that can take over where Flame leaves off.

As described by Kaspersky:

First, Flame or Gauss are used to infect as many victims as possible to collect large quantities of information. After data is collected and reviewed, a potentially interesting victim … Read more