malware

If you're an Android user, make sure you avoid clicking on any message that says you've just won a free video game or a $1,000 Target gift card. Failing to heed this advice could lead to your device becoming infected with a nasty Trojan virus. This ... new Trojan virus is spreading so rapidly, according to one report, that it has already been offered to Android users roughly 500,000 times. Problem Starts with Malicious SMS Texts Here's how the scam works: Owners of mobile devices running Google's Android operating system (OS) receive a Short Message Service (SMS) text inviting them to download a ... (view more)

Leading security firm Sophos has revealed that Google's Android operating system (OS) -- and not Microsoft's Windows -- is now the favorite operating system for hackers to target. Sophos revealed that finding in its newly released 2013 Security ... Threat Report. The firm says that during a three-month time frame, one in every ten Android-based devices was the target of some kind of malware attack. By comparison, only six per cent of Windows devices were targeted by hackers and other purveyors of malware. (Source: forbes.com ) This is the first time since the 1990s that Windows has not been the ... (view more)

Let's get this out of the way: Microsoft's decision to drastically change the Windows interface for Windows 8 remains highly controversial. But there are benefits for users who make the switch to the new operating system (OS). Number one on that ... list: the all-new security features that Windows 8 offers. For one, Windows 8 includes Windows Defender (otherwise know as Security Essentials). This free antivirus and antimalware security program takes over and protects a user's computer automatically, and remains in operation until some other antivirus program is installed. While recent tests have ... (view more)

During the past twelve months, malicious software known as 'Eurograbber' was apparently used to steal $47 million in Europe alone. According to reports, the software took advantage of a popular security measure. The security researchers who ... discovered Eurograbber are now warning Internet users that the malware could easily spread from Europe to the rest of the world. (Source: checkpoint.com ) Eurograbber is a modified form of a previously known botnet called 'Zeus.' A botnet is a network of computers controlled by malicious software under the direction of a particular individual or gang of ... (view more)

A new type of malware targeting Microsoft's new Windows 8 operating system (OS) reportedly uses Google Docs to carry out its attacks on unsuspecting users. According to a report from security firm Symantec (which discussed the issue in one of its ... recent Security Response blogs), a Trojan horse known as Backdoor.Makadocs is targeting Windows 8 users. Malware Disguises Itself; Tricks Users Here's how it works, according to Symantec: the malware exploits a vulnerability in the Google Docs program called "Viewer." Apparently the malware masks itself as a Rich Text Format (RTF) or Microsoft ... (view more)

According to a new report, nearly one in every eight home networks in North America is infected with malware. Experts consider about half of those threats to be "serious." The study comes from Mountain View, California's Kindsight Security Labs. In ... its third-quarter malware report, the company indicates that 13 per cent of all home networks are infected. Kindsight's report suggests that about 6.5 per cent of these infections are serious enough to have converted the computers on the infected network into a botnet , or are capable of compromising a user's information security. ZeroAccess Botnet ... (view more)

According to a new report from Microsoft, Windows 7 and Windows XP users are now facing more malware threats than ever before. Meanwhile, the number of malware programs designed to infect Vista machines is decreasing. Microsoft released these ... findings in its semi-annual Security Intelligence Report, which provides a review of security threats and infections faced by users of Microsoft products during the first half of 2012. Threats to Windows 7, XP On the Increase In the report, Microsoft says the average number of Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) machines infected by malware rose by 23 per ... (view more)

Is your new PC already infected with malware? It's possible, experts say. According to a new report, a number of computers recently built in China are not only shipping with counterfeit software but also come laced with malware. Thanks to ... "bloatware" -- the pre-loaded third-party trial software included with most new computers -- getting a new system to run the way you want can be a real hassle. However, finding your new PC pre-loaded with malware is downright frightening. But that's exactly what Microsoft says it found on some new computers built and distributed in China. Microsoft Files ... (view more)

VirusTotal, a company that produces a free online malware scanner service, says it has been acquired by search giant Google. Google has confirmed the transaction took place, but has not released financial details of the sale. We do know that ... VirusTotal announced the acquisition late last week. The firm's online malware scanner evaluates website addresses (URLs) and also files on your hard drive, to ensure they do not contain viruses, trojan horses, or other forms of malware. VirusTotal says it utilizes more than forty different antivirus strategies to detect potential problems. (Source: pcmag ... (view more)

A newly discovered type of malware is designed to avoid detection by severely damaging a victim's computer once it has harvested sensitive data. The new 'Trojan horse' software is called "Shamoon" by most antivirus companies. It focuses on grabbing ... information housed in the 'Users', 'Documents and Settings', 'System32/Drivers' and 'System32/Config' folders on Windows systems. While this new piece of malware is primarily designed to attack large businesses, some of them specifically by name, it will apparently target home users, as well. Malware Packs Two-Fisted Punch Shamoon is unique in ... (view more)