virus

Thu
10
Sep
Dennis Faas's picture

New 'Fan Check' Malware Infests Google, Yahoo Search

The latest case of malware infestation is once again targeting Facebook , this time masquerading as a virus removal kit designed to rid the computer world of a bogus "Fan Check" bug. Fan Check: Valid App, but 'Bug' is Bogus While the Fan Check "bug" ... does not really exist, Fan Check is in fact a valid Facebook application used on Facebook.com. The purpose of the Fan Check application is to rank friends based on how often they interact with your Facebook pages. (Source: facebook.com ). The new malware, however, is rather devious because it pretends to defend against a made-up virus, ... (view more)

Fri
07
Aug
Dennis Faas's picture

Whatever Happened To The Conficker Virus?

Though it's been out of the headlines for some time, the Conficker virus is alive and well. Researchers say it appears the virus has kept working despite little if any attention from its creators. According to Mikko Hypponen of F-Secure, one of the ... firms investigating the virus, there are still more than 5.5 million computers infected by Conficker, with Brazil, Vietnam and China particularly affected. That may be because computer owners there are less likely to be able to afford security software and more likely to be running pirated copies of Windows which are less likely to update Microsoft ... (view more)

Mon
25
May
Dennis Faas's picture

Alive and Well: Conficker Infecting 50k PCs Daily

Although it's been quiet in recent weeks, the dreaded Conficker worm is far from done its reign of terror. In fact, never before has this virus caused so much havoc than when the news mediums stopped printing urgent warnings about its dangers. Now, ... as the reports of countless victims come pouring in, security officials are getting a clear sense of just how many computers are infected on a daily basis. According to one security expert, Conficker infiltrates as many as 50,000 new PCs every day. International Incident What makes matters worse is that the virus has no specific target area, as all ... (view more)

Mon
04
May
Dennis Faas's picture

New Malware Plays On Global 'Swine Flu' Fears

Hackers have taken notice of the worldwide H1N1 hysteria and, in an effort to catch people reading up on the virus, have begun flooding email inboxes with messages promising "swine flu" news. These messages instead deliver malware and dubious ... advertisements promoting anything from herbal medications to male enhancement pills. The "hot topic" of the past few weeks has been the worldwide spread of the H1N1 virus, more commonly referred to as "swine flu". All across the globe, analysts and experts have urged people to help stop the global outbreak by reading up on the virus, and if any symptoms ... (view more)

Mon
04
May
Dennis Faas's picture

Malware

Malware (a portmanteau of "malicious software") is any software program developed for the purpose of causing harm to a computer system, similar to a virus or Trojan horse. Malware can be classified based on how it is executed, how it spreads, and/or ... what it does. The classification is not perfect, however, in the sense that the groups often overlap and the difference is not always obvious, giving rise to frequent flame wars. Overuse of the term 'Virus' Because viruses were historically the first to appear, the term "virus" is often applied, especially in the popular media, to all sorts of ... (view more)

Tue
14
Apr
Dennis Faas's picture

Teen Creates Twitter Worm 'Out of Boredom'

While many people were expecting the arrival of Easter Bunny greeting e-cards over the weekend, an unwelcome "Twitter bug" hopped onto many systems, too. According to reports, the worm was still mutating and affecting countless user profiles well ... into Monday. Initial reports of the "Mickeyy" worm began on Saturday morning at around 2 a.m., as users were hit with a barrage of questionable messages. As is becoming the norm for most malware attacks (ie. Koobface ), users were enticed to click onto an infected page posted by another user. The clicks then set off a chain reaction that posted ... (view more)

Fri
03
Apr
Dennis Faas's picture

Conficker Stats: Vietnam Worst, Worm Still Dormant

Security experts have put together some intriguing statistics about the Conficker virus, including the total spread of the worm and the worst-hit country. It seems Vietnam has seen the most serious invasion, while four per cent of all computer ... infections are related to Conficker. The figures come from OpenDNS, a firm which offers DNS (Domain Name System) resolution services. This is the process of mapping a website name (such as www.infopackets.com ) to the actual IP address where the website physically exists. Because Conficker interferes with this process, the firm has plenty of data to ... (view more)

Mon
30
Mar
Dennis Faas's picture

China Implicated Over Conficker Virus

China is receiving a double dose of blame for the Conficker virus, as reports suggest that the country may either be the source of the virus, the reason why it spread so quickly, or both. The Conficker virus is due to update itself on Wednesday . ... China has already been in the news recently for security issues. It's been blamed for a widespread network of spy computers which have allegedly infected computers including those of the Dalai Lama. Origins may reach as far back as 2001 Vietnamese security firm BKIS says it has analyzed Conficker's coding and believes there are some unmistakable ... (view more)

Thu
26
Mar
Dennis Faas's picture

Conficker Virus: Next Update, Attack April 1st

According to security researchers, the Conficker worm virus -- which has infected millions of machines since its discovery in October 2008 -- is set to wreak havoc next Wednesday, April 1st. The problem is that nobody is sure exactly what the worm ... will do. At the moment the virus, which exists in at least three different 'strains' , does not actually do anything other than attempt to spread further across the webosphere. Secret Methods of Communication All that's known at the moment is that on April 1st, PCs already infected with Conficker will contact a random website for instructions on ... (view more)

Fri
13
Mar
Dennis Faas's picture

New Koobface Virus Messages Malware to Friends

As Facebook readies itself for a complete profile page makeover, hackers are now striking fast and furious with a barrage of attacks aimed at all those associated with the social networking site. The site has been exposed to five different security ... threats in this past week alone, including four new hoax applications that trick members into divulging usernames and passwords. There are a number of reasons why hackers are attracted to social networking websites like MySpace and Facebook. The interconnectedness of millions of people, coupled with pages and pages of personal information, make ... (view more)

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