We’ve crossed the Rubicon and there’s no going back. Smartphones are not only here to stay, they’re being integrated into just about every possible aspect of a consumer’s daily life. But that consolidation and integration only increases the temptation for some crafty folks to hack these devices. [More]
malware
Watching Porn On A Smartphone Can Triple Your Chances Of Downloading Malware
By 2.11.13
Despite the ease of being entertained anywhere that comes with owning a smartphone, only about 1% of all mobile traffic is pornography — after all, maybe you don’t want that grandmother next to you on the bus to see you watching. But a new study says that for those people who do indulge on their devices, they’re putting their phones at a high risk of catching something unhealthy. And by that we mean malware, of course. [More]
Great… Now There’s Android Malware That Can Infect Your PC & Turn It Into A Listening Device
By 2.4.13
In general, the malware relationship between PCs and mobile devices has been a one-way street, with infected computers passing on their digital disease to their mobile mates. But now come reports of at least two infected Android apps whose malware heads in the other direction. [More]
Are PC Cleanup Apps Scaring Customers Into Paying For Basically Useless Services?
By 1.30.13
If you’ve ever been up late at night watching TV, odds are you’ve seen those commercials where exasperated PC users just can’t wrangle their computers into submission. Error screens! Frustrating download times! The worst. Who can save you from such a fate? Any of the various PC cleanup applications hawked on TV and the Internet. But can they really, or are we just getting scared into coughing up fees for useless services? [More]
Detect Hardware Trojans With "Singing Rings"
By 11.10.11
Researchers have proposed a new method for detecting trojan viruses embedded into hardware chips by using voltage detectors that “sing out” in a different frequency when they’re used on a tampered circuit. [More]
Fake iPhone 5 Emails Bear Malware
By 10.4.11
On the cusp of a big Apple event today where a new iPhone is expected to be announced, fake emails are going around purporting to give details of “the new Apple iPhone5GS,” featuring a see-through keyboard. Clicking on the links leads to a malware-laced website that targets PCs. Here’s the email and what to look out for. [More]
Google Warning Infected Users About Malware
By 7.20.11
Google has started putting a yellow box with a warning at the top of search results pages for users who may have been infected with a certain kind of malware. [More]
"MacDefender" Trojan Tricks Mac Users Into Giving Up Credit Card
By 5.26.11
Apple will soon be releasing an update to its operating system that will seek out and remove copies on users’ computers of “Mac Defender,” a fake antivirus program that tricks the unwary into forking over their credit card info. [More]
Botnets Rebuild Forces After Rustock Raid
By 5.2.11
After the Feds and Microsoft in March chopped off the head of the hydra that was the 1-million strong “Rustock” botnet responsible for sending billions of spam, several heads have sprung in its place. PC World notes a Symantec report of a 24% jump in emails containing malicious links and attachments, possibly representing an attempt to regrow the forces of zombie controlled computers and fill the void left by Rustock. [More]
Badware Hosting Sites Growing More Sophisticated, Offer Menu Of Services
By 11.15.10
The illicit economy of phishers and malware perpetrators is growing more sophisticated, and more brazen. “Bulletproof” hosting sites that offered to protect their users from attacks and takedown requests now have corporate-like web pages offering a menu of a la carte services. The only limit is no spam and no porn. Hey, even they have standards. [More]
Search Online For Cameron Diaz At Your Own Risk
By 8.19.10
I have no idea why anyone would be searching online for Cameron Diaz screensavers, but according to McAfee, if you feel the need to fill up your monitor with a pic of the thespian, you’re putting your computer in harm’s way. [More]
Security Patching For XP Service Pack 2 Ends Today
By 7.13.10
If you’re still using Windows XP SP2, you’re about to be on your own. Today Microsoft releases its final security update for Service Pack 2 (the 32-bit version, at least). [More]
Science Confirms Porn Sites Are Shockingly Corrupt
By 6.16.10
Last week at a symposium on information security at Harvard, researchers presented the truly shocking results of their investigation — Going to random porn sites could be putting your personal information at risk! (Insert sound of jaws dropping here). [More]
Should You Abandon McAfee Or Take Their Free 2-Year Extension?
By 4.27.10
If you use McAfee’s anti-virus program and have Windows XP with SP 3, you may have noticed last week that your PC was shutting down every 60 seconds. That was because McAfee pushed out an update that it now admits wasn’t properly tested. To apologize, the company says it will reimburse you for repairs (although it hasn’t provided details on this yet), and it’s offering everyone who was affected a free 2-year extension of the service. Should you take the offer and call it even? Seth Rosenblatt at Cnet says you shouldn’t bother. [More]
Bank Of America Technician Turned ATM Into Free Money Machine, Stole Over $200,000
By 4.13.10
A former BoA IT worker has agreed to plead guilty to installing malware on the bank’s ATM machines in order to withdraw money whenever he felt like it, reports Wired. According to the plea agreement, his total take from the crime was between $200-400k. The bank won’t disclose how he did it or what the malware was like, but earlier this month Visa announced that new malware has hit the U.S. that could not only capture customers’ PINs and card data, but also give the criminal the ability to empty the machine of any cash that was in it. [More]
Don't Let An Unknown Caller Talk You Into Downloading Software
By 1.26.10
In the wide world of scams, this combination of a phone call and computer malware is sort of a novel twist. Jay likes to string phone scammers along to waste their time, so he managed to get quite a few details about how this particular scam works. If you’ve got naive family members with access to computers, either take away their computers or tell them never to download software from a stranger on the phone. [More]
The FDIC Would Like You To Know That They're Not Emailing You
By 10.28.09
An email claiming to be from the FDIC is making the rounds on the internet. It supposedly contains a “personal FDIC insurance file” that is really some sort of badness that will ruin your day. Do not click.
Gawker Duped By Malware Gang, Serves Up Infected Suzuki Ads
By 10.27.09
Scammers pretending to buy ads for Suzuki tricked Gawker’s ad sales team last week into running malware-laced ads that installed spyware and crashed the browsers of some readers before they were caught and pulled.
