By Consumer Security Chick Some of my best friends are gamers and they’ve been telling me about their need for speed. They feel it is not acceptable to be killed by a troll or bane spider because: · Some sort of malware is draining your PC and slowing you down…
By the ZoneAlarm Team Hackers are getting more sophisticated all the time, but are consumers keeping up? A new 2010 M86 Security Labs report illustrates that there are a number of trends that antivirus alone will not protect us from: 1. Cybercriminals are focusing on multi-pronged tricks to outsmart…
By Doctor Security Recently, a friend of mine had her email account compromised and it was being used to spam everyone on her contact list. I received the email (as did multiple contacts per the header). It had an odd subject line: “Huluky Dakay” and the message was “Check…
By the ZoneAlarm team Good news, ZoneAlarm Free Firewall users: if you are running the latest version, you are seeing 97% fewer pop-up alerts! Some of you will say, “Good!” and stop reading right there. Others want to know more. “Does that mean ZoneAlarm isn’t controlling who sends data…
By Doctor Security If you’re like me, you probably have friends who are struggling to make ends meet in these challenging economic times. Some of my buddies save money by using free antivirus software. This is not something I recommend for most people, because the old adage is usually…
By John Gable, Director of Consumer Product Management There is a new Microsoft exploit that attacks silently in the background (aka, a new drive-by download). Microsoft has not yet deployed a patch and the instructions on how to implement this attack are available online for hackers. Thousands of sites…
By Jordy Berson, group product manager, ZoneAlarm products We just got the results in from our malware testing team. We don’t like to claim victory early, even when we are fairly certain of a win. But now we know (Technical details are in the last paragraph for the “just the…
If exploited, the vulnerabilities could allow an attacker to take control over victim’s computer and download malware to steal banking information, turn the computer into a botnet, or download fake “antivirus” programs.
The Conficker worm recently received a new update by using a peer to peer network. The new update will download a bogus “antivirus” program called SpywareProtect2009. SpywareProtect2009 will try to trick users into buying the fake antivirus by using scare tactics. The scare tactic is a fake “virus scan” that offers to “delete” nonexistent threats only if a consumer buys the fake antivirus. SpywareProtect2009 will also generate popups that show messages such as “your computer is infected” and will hijack the infected computer’s Web browser.
Imagine just handing over the keys to your financial data because a hacker has stepped in between you and a trusted Web site or has spoofed a site you trust.
Usually, when you hear about massive online attacks using botnets, it is legions of infected Windows computers that are doing the dirty work. Here is something new, the exploitation of routers
The worm tries to find connections to systems that are unprotected by the patch. When it infects a PC, it connects to a rogue web server that is controlled by the Conficker creators. To protect yourself from Conficker:
Ensuring you have the latest updates for Windows and “all” the other software installed on your computer will protect your computer from many common security exploits and in essence close the door to the vault. But this can be harder than it sounds, which is why I’m sharing a few tips to make it easier to stay ahead of exploits.
By John Gable ZoneAlarm Director of Product Management Hardly anyone knew about it. The Los Angeles Angels website was recently hacked overnight with a drive-by download. It tried to download “AntiVirus 2009”, a well known fake security program that actually installs malware, onto visitors' systems. The Angels fixed the…
Waledac Valentine’s Day attack stopped by ZoneAlarm ForceField. Are we the only ones?
Going surfing? It’s dangerous out there – wear layers. Is the Internet really dangerous? As you surf, are you *really* at risk? The answer is YES, but nothing hits a point home like a modern-day example. The example comes from our old “friends” at Zango (formerly 180Solutions). Those who follow ZoneAlarm events will remember…
Just when you thought your computer wasn’t listening to you, it turns out Vista is listening to you, that mp3 file someone just emailed you, and even a malicious website with recorded audio. The SANS Internet Storm Center posted this article regarding Vista and its speech/voice system. Apparently, an attacker…
My friend called me last night and explained he recently had two security problems — some malware on his computer and a stolen eBay account. I figured the two were connected, but it’s interesting to understand how. His eBay account had been compromised and someone loaded some fraudulent auctions under…
Ed Felten (a Princeton professor who does a lot of interesting security research) asks "Why so little attention to botnets?" He points out that the ongoing battle with botnets isn’t going so well. I wanted to point out how ZoneAlarm users are protected from this malware and give you tips…
Discussing the state of malware with the press, we often explain the big, highly visible worms of the past are falling out of favor with attackers, being replaced with hack-for-hire type work. Attackers have found they can make more money creating trojans and setting up spamnets (using home PCs, DDoS…
The FTC announced they have fined the people who make Elite Toolbar $2M dollars and prohibited them from making misleading claims regarding their software in the future. Specifically, the FTC prohibited the defendants from: distributing software code that tracks consumers’ Internet activity or collects other personal information, changes their preferred…
You may have heard, the word Spyware is now part of the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. Here is Wikipedia entry about the origins: The first recorded use of the term spyware occurred on October 17, 1994 in a Usenet post that poked fun at Microsoft’s business model. Spyware later came to…
In a search of "identity theft service" I came upon a blog called ID Theft Secrets. The blog has many compelling stories and links to information about identity theft. It also promotes a browser toolbar, that seems to have functions for "no spyware" "anti-spyware scan" and a website blocker, as…
A team of researchers at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam called attention to the threat of viruses and worms spread through RFID devices with the provocatively titled report: Is Your Cat Infected with a Computer Virus? "In our research, we have discovered that if certain vulnerabilities exist in the RFID software, an…