Security

One of the ways that the spyware and Trojan makers get spyware on your computer is to trick you into installing it. Just recently, I was deleting some spam on a forum I administer, I came across something that caught my eye. I was offered a video to ... watch, but I was told I had to install something to see it. I then decided to get my test computer ready, and installed the codec that I was told that I needed. Subsequently, the installed file brought spyware onto my computer. Shortly after that, I began to get pop up ads. One of those pop ups had a new program that I had not heard of before, ... (view more)

For those like myself who use Yahoo's online mail service everyday, the recent announcement that a security leak has been rectified is welcome news. A few problems have arisen this summer, including a Javascript flaw featuring the Yammaner worm with ... the ability to attack all versions of Yahoo web-based mail except for the most recent (Summer 2006) version of the program. News of the threat was first reported in mid-June, but the most serious attacks appear to be from threats arising earlier this month. Emerging in Late July, Yahoo mail users were susceptible to an attacker with the potential ... (view more)

For those not already aware, the Blackberry is the definitive palm pilot. Developed by the Canadian company Research In Motion, the Blackberry features a mini keyboard and the ability to send and receive both calls and emails as well as store ... important dates. It essentially has the power to ruin any vacation -- no matter where you are -- for any businessman (or woman). ;-) However, recent discoveries might make the Blackberry a hacker's dream, too. Developed by Praetorian Global consultant Jesse D'Aguanno, the hacking program BBProxy has the power to exploit the link between an average ... (view more)

For the hardcore programmers out there, be warned that the anticipated Windows Powershell scripting technology has already been targeted by a group of European virus writers. A mischievous Austrian group has developed a malware code with the ... potential to shut down Microsoft's Powershell program, a major part of the upcoming Exhange Server 2007 (set for release in late 2006 or early 2007). (Source: microsoft-watch.com ) Windows Powershell is the newest command-line shell from Microsoft, an engine that serves as the controller of system administrative tasks. Its main draw is that it allows ... (view more)

And now for the biggest surprise of the day: Malware goons are using spicy pictures to install Trojan horses on the computers of excited users. Online security firm Sophos recently reported that the picture slideshow of an exotic young Russian named ... "Victoria Stasova" is installing a vicious Trojan that nabs information from an aroused user's system. Presenting the scantily-clad Russian through a three-frame slideshow, the Troj/Keylog-HD Trojan steals keystrokes and personal data from the infected PC. Graham Cluely, a tech consultant for Sophos, believes that many excited users will be duped ... (view more)

Has the Church of England been turned upside down by a Spyware scandal? It sure seemed that way when a computer program called Visual Liturgy was identified as Spyware by Norton Antivirus. The liturgy-creation software is essential for vicars who ... depend on it to help them map out church services. But all hell broke loose when Norton incorrectly flagged "vlutils.dll" as Spyware and instructed users to erase it. That's because it's actually a crucial Visual Liturgy file. Without it, the program won't work. Church House Publishing, the makers of Visual Liturgy, said it took Symantec (Norton) ... (view more)

It appears as though a rather clever imitation of Google's toolbar download is infecting thousands of innocent users with a Trojan horse. Looking almost exactly like the original Google downloads page, those who request files from the imitation site ... are finding their systems loaded with W32.Ranky.FW. The Trojan turns any unlucky PC into a raving automaton, spreading itself by simply requesting recipients of spam emails to follow a suggested link. The problem was first discovered by online rent-a-cops at Surfcontrol, who have since declared that the Trojan horse program is far from perfect in ... (view more)

[Continued from Firewalls: Hardware and Software Solutions , Part 1] On the software only side of things, there are quite a few possibilities available for a software firewall. These all install directly on your PC and use the internal resources ... like any other program run on your system (such as memory, disk space, CPU cycles, and so on). Software firewalls do a good job of preventing both inbound and outbound traffic and are easy to install and configure. First up is Zone Labs Zone Alarm. The download is free as is the firewall product itself. They will try to get you to buy the Pro version ... (view more)

As the popularity of MySpace continues to grow, so too do the number of predators crawling within its virtual borders. Not too long ago, Infopackets columnist Chris Sabga wrote a story on the dangers for children and teenagers with MySpace accounts ... -- but recently, threats to pretty much anyone are becoming apparent. The most notable is Zango, the Spyware program that has established its own MySpace account and is thrusting .exe files at anyone silly or curious enough to drop in. For the most part, MySpace has avoided Spyware invaders, including Direct Revenue, the massively spreading malware ... (view more)

[Continued from: Firewalls: Definition | Firewalls: A Brief Discussion ] Because of my need to test everything I share with the infopackets audience, I have spent a great deal of time evaluating various firewall packages. This kind of testing takes ... a lot of time. Installing each firewall and letting it work while I monitor it isn't hard work or anything, but it does take time -- sort of like watching grass grow, if you know what I mean. ;-) The process I followed included installation and configuration as well as some time to allow the firewall to actually do its intended job. That last part ... (view more)