drive-by

Android malware now spreading through hacked Web sites

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

Two free programs help prevent drive-by downloads

As Elinor Mills reported in her Insecurity Complex blog, malicious code was added to a widget on the growsmartbusiness.com site of Web-hosting firm Network Solutions. The widget was also placed on sites "under construction" that Network Solutions hosts.

The widget has been removed, but Wayne Huang, co-founder and chief technology officer at security firm Armorize, claims in an August 14 blog post that more than a half million of these parked domains are infected. Network Solutions says this figure is "inaccurate" but hasn't yet estimated the impact of the infection.

Regardless of the final … Read more

Exclusive: LinkScanner for Mac

With the enormous popularity of Apple's iPhone, more and more people are switching to Mac desktops and laptops to get the full Mac OS X experience. But as the popularity of the platform reaches unprecedented heights, Macs are beginning to be targeted by malicious attacks, often in the form of drive-by Web site attacks. This means that your Mac could download malicious code just by visiting a questionable Web site.

AVG LinkScanner for Mac (exclusive to CNET Downloads today) protects your computer from malicious threats by providing a shield against dangerous Web sites. This free program has no option … Read more

Firms tackle virus-laden Web sites, ads

Taiwan-based Armorize knows something about keeping malware off Web sites.

Four years ago, Wayne Huang left his job researching ways to help secure the Taiwanese government's networks from attacks. He and his brother, Matt Huang, a Stanford MBA graduate, decided to commercialize the research and launched Armorize, which became an anti-malware leader in Asia.

Now the company is taking its malware expertise to the United States. This week, Armorize announced it is moving its headquarters to San Francisco while keeping most of its research and development in Taipei. Armorize also is announcing a new version of its cloud-based service … Read more

How to make your speakers sound better: Play better-sounding music

Decent-sounding records are becoming increasingly rare, so I'd like to point out the great-sounding ones that have come my way in recent months. For more good stuff, check out my previous "Top 10 must-have CDs" lists from 2009.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Live Anthology

First, I have to admit I'm not a big TP fan, but I love this four-disc live collection culled from a database of 3,500 songs, including 169 takes of "American Girl" performed between 1980 and 2007. The tunes aren't arranged in chronological order, but the sound quality remains high from start to finish. Vocals are clear, dynamic range kicks butt, and you hear the fans whooping it up to good effect. Petty does a lot of covers, my favorites run from "Goldfinger" to the old Fleetwood Mac tune, "Oh Well."

Drive By Truckers, "Live From Austin, TX"

This show, from September 26, 2008, has something for everyone: it rocks, it smokes, and it's very easy on the ears and eyes. You can buy the CD or the CD packed with a DVD of the same show. That's what I have, and the band really does put on a terrific show. Sound is clean and clear; I don't think they mucked around with it very much, though I do prefer the CD's sound.

Owen Pallett, "Heartland"

Owen Pallett, aka Final Fantasy, isn't exactly your average rock musician. For starters he plays violin, and if you're a fan of Arcade Fire, Grizzly Bear, or Beirut, you've heard his sound. "Heartland" is an expansive work, with densely orchestrated tunes, but don't get nervous; it still appeals to an indie rock crowd. Sound quality, on CD and 45 RPM LP, is spectacularly good. You're going to see "Heartland" on a lot of best-of-2010 lists in December, but why wait?

The Doors, "Live in New York"

The Doors' "Live in New York" contains all of the Doors' performances at the Felt Forum in New York in 1970. All four shows were recently mixed and mastered by the band's longtime engineer, Bruce Botnick. Sound quality is, and not just for a 40-year-old recording, exceptional. It's very dynamic and totally vivid. This six-CD set ain't cheap, but Amazon is listing a "Live in New York" LP that'll come out in March for a lot less than half the price of the CD set. … Read more

Toyota sued for fatal crash linked to throttle

A lawsuit filed in California on Thursday alleges that a fatal crash in which a Toyota Camry accelerated out of control was caused by faulty electronics.

The lawsuit is centered on Toyota's "drive by wire" system, which is the technology underlying the electronic throttle control, the alleged cause of the uncontrolled acceleration cited in the lawsuit. That is a separate issue from the mechanical accelerator pedal problems that Toyota is addressing with its massive recall.

The suit claims that the crash killed Upland, Calif., resident Noriko Uno, 66, when her Camry suddenly accelerated to 100 miles per … Read more

Drive-by pharming attack hits home

Whenever you type an address into an Internet browser, that address is instantly resolved into the site's numerical Internet address by a DNS server located somewhere in the world. On Tuesday, Symantec announced that online criminals have started to remotely redirect your home network router's DNS server so that whenever you type in a financial institution or other trusted site, your browser will instead be redirected to a bogus or phishing Web site.

The practice, called pharming, usually attacks the DNS servers directly, but this latest attack brings it all home (if you are using broadband connectivity). Fortunately, … Read more