Tag archive: Virus

After five months of beta testing, Bitdefender's Mobile Security app for Android devices is officially ready for download. And it couldn't come at a better time; according to a number of recent reports, malware makers have been flooding the Android Market left and right, making it increasingly dangerous for unsuspecting users. Originally launched in June, Mobile Security has been receiving tweaks and upgrades almost constantly, but… Read More

 Facebook says that the flood of images depicting graphic sex and violence that engulfed many of its users over the past 24 hours was the result of a “coordinated spam attack.” The success of the attack was due to a browser vulnerability, the company said. In addition, a Facebook official tells the BBC that hacktivist group Anonymous, who some have blamed for the attack, was not in any way responsible. A Facebook spokesperson says… Read More

On late Sunday, USA Today's official account on Twitter was taken over by the hacking group known as the Script Kiddies. Representatives of USA Today quickly regained control of the account with help from Twitter. While no fake news post was distributed over the USA Today account, the hacking group used the platform of about 170,000 followers to brag about hacks on other prominent accounts and attempted to promote a recently created… Read More

Possibly due to kids under ten running rampant with iPhones, over eighty percent of smartphone owners have no security products installed on their mobile devices according to a new study conducted by NPD. In addition, 25 percent of all smartphone owners have no idea how to install software to make smartphones more secure. However, 83 percent of respondents in the survey claimed they would take action and install a piece of security software… Read More

When discussing eradication of the world’s ailments, we often focus on specific diseases: a cure for small pox, a cure for Ebola, a cure for AIDS, a cure for influenza. But what if we just devised a way to kill viruses in general—all of them? Researchers at MIT have developed an early-stage approach that may do just that. Called DRACO (Double-stranded RNA Activated Caspase Oligomerizer, also the Latin word for dragon), the new procedure induces… Read More

BeautifulPeople.com just announced that it has booted 30,000 'ugly' people from its dating ranks. The site, which distinguishes itself by excluding everyone who isn't deemed physically attractive enough by its membership, claims that it was attacked by a “Shrek” virus that allowed a horde of uglies to join its prestigious ranks without going through the normal voting process. Arguing that it can't just… Read More

In the next few days, Apple plans to release a patch to its Mac OS X to kill the “Mac Defender” virus that has been tricking Apple users into giving away their credit card information. News of the patch comes from Apple's Support site, which now has an entire page dedicated to the malware, which has been spreading across the Mac world. “In the coming days, Apple will deliver a Mac OS X software update that will… Read More

Combine viral news with gullible people and you’ve got the makings of a Facebook scam right in front of you. A post is running rampant on the social networking site advertising a video of Osama bin Laden’s killing: “Osama is dead, watch this exclusive CNN video which was censored by Obama administration due to level of violence, a must watch. Leaked by Wikileaks,” the description reads. Another, less sordid spam post promises free Subway to… Read More

It’s easy to get lured into a false sense of security as a Mac user – after all, Apple's personal computers are paraded about as virus immune machines.  Of course that isn’t a catch-all, and a new report from the Intego Mac Security Blog says there is new malware targeting Mac computers. Apple Discussion forums are also rife with complaints of a program called MacDefender (not to be confused with this site). The trojan appears to be… Read More

It’s understandable: You put it off as long as possible, dread it all year, and when it’s finally time to confront it, you just want to get it over with as soon as possible. Taxes are the worst, but that doesn’t mean you can’t file them. Sure, you could pay for a personal accountant that will charge you an arm and a leg for your time, or shell out for this year’s edition of tax software – or, you could do them online. The benefits? You save… Read More

According to security firm Symantec, an Android app that found itself in the hands of Chinese hackers is hijacking infected smartphones and charging clueless owners. The free app is called Steamy Window, which was modified with a backdoor Trojan added to its code. It was then rereleased to unapproved third-party app vendors, where it’s been picked up by Android owners and since then wreaking havoc on their texting bills. The original Steamy… Read More

Cyber security firm Symantec released its quarterly report yesterday, revealing that targeted attacks to steal company data have increased. The report specifically focuses on the Hydraq Trojan and the Stuxnet worm, and the damage they caused and concern for future attacks involving each. “Past targeted attacks…are important because they demonstrate that there are vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure sectors – specifically, in the power and… Read More

And Microsoft thought its biggest problem this week was Google. According to the company’s lawyers, the sale of pirated Microsoft software has been lining the pockets of infamous Mexican drug cartel La Familia Michoacana. The money from the counterfeit copies has funded the group’s extremely illegal activity, including kidnappings and drug and weapons trafficking. La Familia Michoacana is an elite gang in Mexico and sees a profit of $800 million… Read More

In recognition of last Friday’s Data Privacy Day, Facebook finally introduced HTTPS capability and a slew of other upgraded security tools. But it might not be enough: Today, PandaLabs announced two new malware viruses that are attacking user accounts. As always, users need to be exceptionally careful of unknown or sketchy e-mails and messages. Avoid opening links or opening attached files from unknown sources – and don’t provide any personal… Read More

For years security firms have been predicting that Apple operating systems' run of luck avoiding almost all malware and spyware would be coming to an abrupt end…and, although it hasn't happened yet, network security firm Stonesoft is joining McAfee in forecasting 2011 will bring serious threats to Apple's iOS mobile operating system. But, like all security firms, Stonesoft doesn't think iOS will be the only security story… Read More