Internet Security Online

Comodo Anti-Virus: Savior or Devil In Disguise?

admin — Sun, 14 May 2006 13:45:01 +0000

Imagine this: A reputable security company releases an eternally-free, “enterprise-class,” anti-malware engine that doesn’t waste CPU cycles, or otherwise molest your machine. Windows users rejoice that they can surf without fear of PTM (Porn-Transmitted Malware), and they line up to buy the company’s other, for-cash, products. A national holiday is named in honor of the “firm that saved the internet.”

That’s the dream that Comodo CEO Melih Abdulhayoglu is trying to fulfill with Comodo Anti-Virus V1.0, a free anti-malware offering designed to slot-in with Comodo’s other gratis goods, like VerificationEngine, Comodo Personal Firewall and iVault.

Experts: Cyber-Criminals Still Running Amok

admin — Sun, 14 May 2006 13:40:59 +0000

BOSTON—Gathered in the subterranean confines of a decommissioned vault in the basement of the Boston Stock Exchange, a panel of IT security experts told the assembled crowd that short of locking all their proprietary information in such a contraption, there may be little hope for securing their data.

Brought together on May 12 for imaging giant Xerox’s 2006 Security Summit, the group of technology, intellectual property and law enforcement specialists painted a dreary picture of the current state of information security in enterprise companies, and even U.S. government agencies.

Apple Patches 43 Flaws In OS, QuickTime

admin — Sun, 14 May 2006 13:37:18 +0000

Apple Computer on Thursday patched more than 40 vulnerabilities in its Mac OS X operating system, associated applications, and the Cupertino, Calif. company’s Mac and Windows versions of the QuickTime multimedia player.

The Mac OS X upgrade, dubbed Security Update 2006-003, contains 31 fixes and ups the operating system to version 10.4.6. It was the third collective update of the OS since the first of the year.

According to information posted on the Apple support Web site, 2006-003 fixes one flaw in the Finder, two in both Flash Player and Mail, and one in Safari, along with 25 others. Although Apple doesn’t rate the severity of the vulnerabilities it patches — as does rival Microsoft — 24 of the 31 could let a hacker execute his own code on a compromised Mac.

Search Biz Makes $1.1 Billion Off Risky Links

admin — Sun, 14 May 2006 13:32:46 +0000

Sites that pay to have their links pop up on search engine result pages are nearly three times more likely to harbor spyware or adware, or hassle users with spam than URLs generated by the engine’s algorithms, research released Friday claimed.

And search engines are cashing in, reported McAfee’s SiteAdvisor service. By its estimate, the search industry made $1.1 billion from risky sponsored links last year.

The study, which evaluated Google, Yahoo, MSN, AOL, and Ask.com search engines using 1,300 different keyword searches, found that about 5 percent of the links served up in the first five pages can infect computers or plague users with spam. That figure, about one link per search result page, is more than double SiteAdvisor’s Web average of 2 pecent.

MS Researchers Tackle Automated Malware Classification

admin — Fri, 12 May 2006 16:50:56 +0000

Researchers from Microsoft’s anti-malware engineering team are working on an automated way to sort through the thousands of malware families and variants attacking Windows computers.

The company unveiled its plans at the EICAR (European Institute for Computer Anti-Virus Research) conference in Hamburg, Germany, proposing the use of distance measure and machine learning technologies to come up with automatic classification of viruses, Trojans, spyware, rootkits and other malicious software programs.

Microsoft To Provide Patches For Some Third-Party Apps

admin — Fri, 12 May 2006 16:49:38 +0000

Microsoft confirmed Wednesday that it will continue to patch third-party products that impact Windows.

Tuesday, Microsoft pushed out a patch to Windows XP, 98, and Millennium users for Flash Player, an Adobe-owned multimedia application that’s bundled with those operating systems. It was the first time that the Redmond, Wash. developer had issued an update for a non-Microsoft product using its Windows Update service.

A Microsoft spokesman explained the decision Tuesday afternoon by saying that “Flash Player is a third-party technology that is redistributed by Microsoft in certain versions of Windows, therefore some Microsoft customers may be at risk.

ICANN Turns Down .XXX, But Debate Continues

admin — Fri, 12 May 2006 16:47:03 +0000

ICANN’s rejection of the controversial .xxx supported Top Level domain (STLD) moved the issue of a dedicated porn area on the Web back to ground zero: its opponents expressed relief Thursday that the demise of the proposed TLD will keep children from easy access to adult sites while advocates of the TDL domain complained that an opportunity to control porn site watching has been lost.

ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) clamped a tight lid on the issue, forbidding its directors — who voted 9 to 5 to reject the domain proposal — from discussing the issue for 48 hours. ICANN said it will release details on the vote next week.

Rootkit-spreading Spyware Shop Shuts Down

admin — Fri, 12 May 2006 16:44:15 +0000

A spyware distributor noted for an extensive use of rootkits that make its software difficult to delete has closed shop, citing unspecified practices of its distribution partners as the reason.

ContextPlus, which spread spyware and adware, including software that hijacked searches and programs that leveled systems with egregious numbers of pop-up ads, has posted a message on its Web site saying it’s out of the business.

Spyware, Rootkit Maker Stops Distribution

admin — Thu, 11 May 2006 14:12:36 +0000

LOS ANGELES—A co-owner of a Hollywood video game store that caters to celebrity clients on Wednesday pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to violate federal copyright laws by selling Xbox video game consoles modified to play pirated games.

Jason Jones, a co-owner of ACME Game Store, entered a guilty plea in federal court in Los Angeles. His business partner, Jonathan Bryant, has signed a plea agreement and is scheduled to plead guilty to a conspiracy count on Monday, prosecutors said.

‘Internet Cannibal’ Sentenced To Prison

admin — Thu, 11 May 2006 14:11:06 +0000

File this under the downside of computer dating: a German computer technician was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday for dissecting and eating a victim he met on the Internet.

The bizarre case of the “Rotenburg Cannibal” initially came to light after an Austrian student found another posting by the defendant who was trolling the Internet. Armin Meiwes claimed he was only following the wishes of Bernd Juergen Amando Brandes, who was a willing victim, according to Meiwes. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3286721.stm