Scott Charney, of Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing, said the government has "never" asked for a backdoor in Microsoft products. Yet a former engineer working on BitLocker claimed the government does... read more
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Viruses & Malware
Viruses & Malware
Compromised Japanese porn websites distribute banking trojan
Submitted by l33tdawg on Thu, 2014-07-17 01:07
Attackers have compromised popular Japanese adult websites in order to distribute a trojan that is primarily targeting customers of two major banks in the country; however, the malware could easily be repurposed for use in the U.S., according to researchers with ESET.
The Aibatook trojan is capable of constantly monitoring browsing activity, modifying visited web pages, redirecting to web pages, and constantly monitoring and exfiltrating information entered into web forms, Joan Calvet, a malware researcher with ESET, told SCMagazine.com in a Wednesday email correspondence.
Google: Mobile anti-virus not needed
Submitted by l33tdawg on Thu, 2014-07-03 02:10
The majority of Android smartphone and tablet users do not need to install anti-virus and other security apps to protect them, despite dire warnings from security companies selling such products, Google’s head of Android security says.
Adrian Ludwig, the lead engineer for Android security at Google, said there was "a bit of a misperception" in how the company reviewed apps for its Google Play store in comparison with other stores.
Malware targeting energy companies in the USA and Europe
Submitted by l33tdawg on Tue, 2014-07-01 00:47
Technology can be a wonderful thing. We live in quite the glorious time, where we have access to amazing medicines and computers. Science and technology have improved everyone's lives -- rich or poor, man or woman -- we all benefit.
Yahoo, YouTube ads spreading viruses
Submitted by l33tdawg on Tue, 2014-05-20 05:58
The $US43 billion online-advertising industry built by companies such as Yahoo and Google is jeopardising consumer privacy and giving hackers an easy path to infect computers, a US congressional investigation has found.
Now, armed with a better understanding of the opaque mechanics of web ads, Senator Carl Levin and other lawmakers are asking whether stricter rules are needed to protect consumers, setting up a battle with companies that shaped the internet.
Bitcoin blockchain allegedly infected by ancient 'Stoned' virus
Submitted by l33tdawg on Mon, 2014-05-19 05:22
A curious and probably accidental artefact has popped up in the Bitcoin blockchain, with a user reporting that it's identified as containing a virus by Microsoft's Security Essentials.
The reason El Reg is inclined to think it's accidental: in this discussion on a Microsoft discussion board, user edc678 says MSE is identifying the signature of the STONED virus in the blockchain.
Since STONED is a 27-year-old relic from the DOS days – all it did was pop up a boot message telling users “Your PC is now STONED”. It's believed to hail from New Zealand in 1987.