Viruses & Malware

A new version of a well-known family of Mac malware exploits vulnerabilities in Java to steal usernames and passwords for online payment, banking and credit card websites.

Flashback.G is the first variant of the Trojan horse to use an attack vector that doesn't require any user interaction, said Intego Security, a French firm that specializes in Mac antivirus software. Most Mac malware needs help from users to get on a machine, if only to okay an installation by entering the system password.

The "Flashback" Mac trojan is back, and it's smarter than ever. Mac security company Intego says the latest variant, Flashback.G, uses three new methods in order to make its way onto Macs, though it won't install itself at all if it detects a number of antivirus or anti-malware security programs already installed.

First spotted nearly a week ago, notifications of copyright violation supposedly sent by the Recording Industry Association of America are still hitting inboxes around the world.

The sender's email address is spoofed to make the message seem legitimate, and the email contains a warning and an attachment that the user is asked to open in order to see details of the violation.

OS X Mountain Lion has extended the functionality of its predecessor viz. Mac OS X Lion by adding over 100 new features to it. Gatekeeper is one of those news features and it provides a whole new security mechanism for Mac users.

The cybercrime underground is expanding each day, yet the longer I study it the more convinced I am that much of it is run by a fairly small and loose-knit group of hackers. That suspicion was reinforced this week when I discovered that the author of the infamous ZeuS Trojan was a core member of Spamdot, until recently the most exclusive online forum for spammers and the shady businessmen who support the big spam botnets.

The number of malware samples discovered worldwide unfortunately surpassed expectations for 2011 overall, according to McAfee’s fourth quarter Threats Report.

Last year, McAfee researchers predicted that global malware occurrences would reach at least 75 million. By August 2011, the number already stood at 65 million and counting.

Malware that specifically targeted mobile operating systems increased in 2011 as smartphones became more popular with enterprise users, as well as consumers. These cyber-criminals also developed affection for the Google Android OS, which saw the biggest jump in malware during the past 12 months, according to a new report from Juniper Networks.

If you're wondering what online security will look like in the year 2022, analysts have both good news and bad news.

The good news: There will probably be smarter security, international treaties regulating cyberwar and, most significantly, no more malware. The bad news: There will be increased attacks from non-malware vectors, as well as smarter hackers and countries that ignore all treaties regulating cyberwar.

Cryptome.org, a Website known for publishing intelligence documents and leaked files, appears to have been compromised and infected with the Blackhole exploit kit, according to documents posted on the site.

Unknown attackers breached Cryptome.org on Feb. 8 and installed the Blackhole exploit kit, Cryptome reported on Feb. 12.  The infection was identified by a reader on Feb. 12. It's not clear who may have been behind the attack, but Symantec appears to be investigating the incident.

Citadel, a computer Trojan that targets online banking users, is evolving and spreading rapidly because its creators have adopted an "open source" development model, according to researchers from cyberthreat management firm Seculert.

The new piece of malware is based on ZeuS, one of the oldest and most popular online banking Trojans. ZeuS was abandoned by its creator in late 2010 and its source code leaked online a few months later.