malware

Copycats are now using their own version of the CryptoLocker ransomware scam to steal hundreds of dollars from victims. The new malware is called 'Locker' and demands targets pay $150 USD to reclaim lost files. Locker was recently discovered by ... security firm IntelCrawler, which says the new malware is basically the same as CryptoLocker: after an infection takes hold, files are scrambled and only retrieved after a ransom is paid. So far, Locker infections have been reported in the United States, Holland, Germany, Turkey, and Russia. In the US, people in Washington DC, Texas, and Missouri have ... (view more)

A group of security experts have failed in their bid to disable the dreaded CryptoLocker malware . That means the crooks behind CryptoLocker continue to use the ransomware scheme to demand hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars in bitcoins from ... their victims. The security group 'Malware Must Die' attempted to disable CryptoLocker by taking down a list of domains known to be associated with the cybercriminals behind the scam. Malware Must Die reportedly started its offensive last weekend. New reports suggest the campaign was successful in suspending an estimated 138 domains associated with ... (view more)

It's not uncommon for an employee to plug a USB stick into a computer and unwittingly install malware on a work network. Unfortunately, that appears to have happened on the International Space Station. Eugene Kaspersky, the man behind the Kaspersky ... antivirus software, claims Russian astronauts brought USB sticks onto the space station. At least one of the sticks turned out to contain malware that infected computers on the station. Exactly when this happened hasn't been revealed, though it was probably before May last year, when the station switched to using Linux-based computers. Before that ... (view more)

Security experts say they're upset with Microsoft after the Redmond, Washington-based firm recently took actions to disable botnets associated with the 'Citadel' malware. The problem: Microsoft also disrupted important research being carried out by ... security experts. Citadel is a form of keylogging malware used by hackers to steal login information and passwords, thereby giving cybercriminals access to banking accounts and other web services. It's estimated that more than one thousand botnets were using the Citadel malware to carry out cybercriminals' attacks. At the time Microsoft acted on ... (view more)

The feared Zeus Trojan is expected to make a comeback in the next six months. According to security research firm Trend Micro, many cybercriminals are returning to this form of malware as a tool for compromising website security. Zeus is by no means ... new. Its source code was originally spread across the world wide web more than two years ago, and since that time has been customized by cybercriminals. Popular variants of Zeus included 'Citadel' and 'GameOver'. Overall, Zeus (sometimes called Zbot) is one of the oldest forms of financial malware still being used by cybercriminals today. Zeus a ... (view more)

Microsoft has issued a warning about a new type of malware that assumes the form of a Google Chrome extension and Firefox add-on. The Trojan horse is reportedly designed to target the Facebook accounts of its victims and, once a machine is ... compromised, performs a number of automated social media tasks, including "liking" certain pages and posting comments. The malware, which was first detected in Brazil, is named 'Trojan:JS/Febipos' and operates by checking to see if the current user is logged into Facebook. If this is the case, the bug attempts to download a configuration file that contains ... (view more)

Security researchers have discovered a new type of Trojan downloader capable of covering its tracks by deleting the files it downloads. That makes it harder for security experts to find and remove the downloader. The downloader, which is called ... Win32 / Nemim.gen!A, shows how malware writers are producing progressively more sophisticated tools. By deleting all of the files it downloads and uses, this Trojan makes it almost impossible to recover, isolate, and analyze component files. Sophisticated Malware Difficult to Confront According to Microsoft Malware Protection Center researcher Jonathan ... (view more)

Researchers have discovered a new type of malware that uses several advanced strategies to prevent you from detecting it. Those strategies include tracking user mouse usage and hiding malicious files. The malware, which is being called ... Trojan.APT.BaneChant, was recently discovered by researchers at security firm FireEye. The malware reportedly spreads through an infected Microsoft Word document attached to emails. So far, BaneChant has mostly been seen overseas. "We suspect that this weaponized document was used to target the governments of Middle East and Central Asia," noted FireEye ... (view more)

Security firm Trend Micro says it has discovered a malicious software program that employs online notepad service Evernote as a communications tool. Evernote is a cloud-based note-taking software utility that allows users to place "notes, web clips, ... files and images ... on every device and computer." (Source: evernote.com ) That means you can make a note about a recently-discovered favorite wine on your smartphone and have that note instantly show up on your home computer. Unfortunately, it seems this handy little program has been exploited by cyber-crooks. Evernote Used to Communicate with ... (view more)