Security

Hackers have unveiled a nasty new virus that seeks to embarrass as much as harm its victims. However, have no fear if your online behavior is at a PG rating or below: the virus targets those who frequent a popular -- ahem -- skin file-sharing site. ... Kenzero, a virus that originated in Japan, is on a rampage looking to embarrass (and then steal) from users of the illicit file-sharing service "Winni". In total, Winni draws about 200 million users from across the globe. (Source: yahoo.com ) Winni customers use the site to download copies of games from the aforementioned genre. In doing so, their ... (view more)

In a recent annual security report posted on the web site of China's National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team (CNCERT), it was reported that almost 7 million Internet Protocol (IP) addresses were infected with the "Conficker B" ... worm at the end of 2009. While the number of infections fluctuated on a week-to-week basis, all but one week had at least 5 million IP infections in the country. Statistically, China represents 28 per cent of the total number of compromised computers infected with the Conficker B worm, the largest percentage world-wide. (Source: pcworld.com ) ... (view more)

Having a rootkit (virus) installed on your PC is a bad thing. That's because by definition, rootkits are specialized malware programs that are stealthy in nature and are near-impossible to detect and remove. In searching for a solution, however, ... it's understandable that infected PC owners would look to a software company like Microsoft to fix a problem affecting its operating system -- in this case, Windows XP. Unfortunately, that's not the case for many users with PCs suffering from the Alureon rootkit virus. Microsoft Update Causes Infected PCs to Crash Alureon, or Win32/Alureon.A, infects ... (view more)

We recently reported on a story in which the identities of 3.3 million loan borrowers were hacked , including the names, addresses, social security numbers of these individuals. Now, figures from the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse suggest that more ... than 347 million records have been breached since 2005. So, what happens if you aren't aware that your identity has been compromised? The short answer is that someone will likely try to use your identity to commit fraud. For example, you might receive a bill for a credit card expense that you knew nothing about. It could ruin your credit score, or ... (view more)

This month's security updates from Microsoft will cover every currently supported edition of Windows. That means home users should check carefully if they don't have automatic updates switched on, while businesses will need to plan how they will ... apply the patches. As happens on the second Tuesday of every month, Microsoft will release its Patch Tuesday security fix for issues affecting the Windows operating system (OS). This month, though, there was an exception: an emergency patch released on March 30th for a serious security flaw in Internet Explorer versions 6 and 7. At the time, several ... (view more)

Jeremy Conway, a security researcher with NitroSecurity, is claiming to have found a way to spread malicious code via PDF (Portable Document Format) documents. The secret is in the way PDF file format works. More specifically, a certain flaw exists ... in the PDF file format that adds malicious data to legitimate files. This means that anyone who opens compromised PDF files instantly becomes a victim of a worm-like attack. Attack Launched Without User Consent Conway spent a great deal of time developing a technique with which to inject malicious commands into PDFs. Until now, his attacks only ... (view more)

A recent study reports that 4.4% of all Internet usage in China is done without antivirus protection. What is more disturbing is that these figures have actually increased when compared to figures from last year. The studies were conducted by the ... Chinese Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) and China's National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team (CNCERT). $2.2B In 'Service Fees' To Clean Up Attacks In 2009, Chinese Internet users spent almost 15.3 billion yuan ($2.2 billion) on service fees designed to clean up after cyber attacks. It is also reported that free ... (view more)

Cybercrime is often likened to a never-ending cycle: just when a security company believes they have found a way to combat one malware-installation method, hackers come along and find a new ways to attack a computer. Thus, it should come as little ... surprise that there is a new hack that attacks network card firmware: software specifically designed to control the network card. This innovative hacking technique (dubbed the "Jedi Packet Trick") works by sending infectious network packets to the network's firewall , which needs to be running a vulnerable network card. Once an infected packet is ... (view more)

The names, addresses, and Social Security numbers of 3.3 million people were stolen in what is believed to be the largest-ever breach of personal information amongst university students. The issue could affect as many as 5% of all federal ... student-loan borrowers. According to Educational Credit Management Corp. (ECMC), a non-profit guarantor of federal student loans, during the weekend of March 20-21 the personal details of 3.3 millions borrowers were stolen from their St. Paul, Minn. headquarters. The theft did not involve hackers. ECMC spokesman Paul Kelash told the Wall Street Journal that ... (view more)

A Miami-based hacker found guilty of stealing millions of credit card numbers has been sentenced to two decades behind bars. However, the Boston US District Court judge who sentenced him opted not to commit Albert Gonzalez to more jail time for his ... role in several major schemes. 130 Million Credit Card Numbers Stolen We first reported on hacker Albert Gonzalez in August of last year. Back then, he had just been apprehended for an incredible heist of some 130 million credit card numbers from Heartland Payment Systems Inc., a huge U.S. credit and debit card processor. Although it doesn't appear ... (view more)