Federal law enforcement agents have arrested members of two cyber-crime gangs who may have netted more than $74 million by infecting user computers with scareware and then charging for fake antivirus software.
(Scareware generates pop-ups that imitate Windows System messages, and will usually advertise as a anti-virus software. They typically state that there is a list of issues such as: “Infected files have been found on your computer” and the user is prompted to purchase the software to fix the problem. Once the fake software is installed, Malware will be downloaded and infect the system. While purchasing the fake antivirus does make the scareware stop displaying the warnings, the user will have purchased harmful malware that can potentially corrupt the system and make it unusable. )
In an endeavor dubbed Operation Trident Tribunal, federal agents seized more than 40 computers, servers and bank accounts in the Netherlands, Latvia, Germany, France, Lithuania, Sweden and the United Kingdom, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said June 22. Of the computers seized, 22 were in the United States.
The two rings infected hundreds of thousands of computers with scareware programs using a variety of tricks, and then badgered users into forking over money for fake antivirus software to supposedly clean up the infection. The fake software ranged from $49.95 to $129 apiece, according to federal agents.
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If your Network Security is in question, this article might motivate you to take action. Orange County Computer is here to help.
Article written by USA Today’s Brian Acohido, October 13, 2010
Be nice to the tech folks who keep your company’s computers safe.
Microsoft Tuesday issued its largest ever batch of security patches — essential fixes for a record 49 security holes. What’s more, Oracle this week published its quarterly security update pushing out patches for 81 vulnerabilities in a wide array of Oracle and Sun Microsystems software. (Oracle recently acquired Sun.)
“It’s yet another record ‘Patch Tuesday’ for Microsoft, with updates spanning across products,” said James Walter, manager of the McAfee Threat Intelligence Service. “The volume is indicative of a trend where we’re seeing among various software vendors. As the awareness of vulnerabilities increases, the number of patches get bigger as well.”
But that’s not all. Apple also recently released a security patch for a file-sharing issue in OS X, which could allow a remote hacker to take control of your Mac. Adobe last week pushed out critical patches for 23 vulnerabilities in Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat for Windows, Mac and Linux.
“There’s no rest for the weary,” says Paul Henry, cybersecurity firm Lumension’s forensics and security analyst. “Patching this many total vulnerabilities is scary indeed and, if not managed correctly, they will certainly have a massive impact on corporate productivity.”
Security experts predict workday interruptions as these patches are tested and installed. “These updates will require a restart, shutting down computer systems for a period of time,” says Henry. “In some instances, this can take up to 20 minutes.”
Many of the Microsoft patches are for older versions of Office and Internet Explorer Web browser, including critical updates for Internet Explorer 6, 7 and 8, that are “relatively easy to exploit,” says Wolfgang Kandek, CTO of patch management firm Qualys.
Some 24 vulnerabilities are patched in older versions of Office, so “users should apply both updates as quickly as possible,” says Kandek. “Even the new Word 2010 is affected by two of the vulnerabilities. This shows that achieving a bug-free record is near-impossible.”
Why is Microsoft still finding and patching so many security holes?
Much of it has to do with the software giant’s continued aggressive approach to finding holes before cybercriminals do. “Microsoft is working closer than ever with security researchers,” says Jason Miller, data and security team leader at Shavlik Technologies. “By working with researchers, Microsoft is closing the gap on the time to release fixes for vulnerabilities found. This is a key factor that a lot of people have been asking for, so we shouldn’t be too surprised that we are seeing an uptick in security bulletins.”
October 4, 2010
It’s about to be put up or shut up time for Microsoft in mobile. On October 11, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and AT&T Mobility & Consumer Markets CEO Ralph de la Vega will be conducting a New York City press conference to spill the beans on the widely anticipated Windows Phone 7 smartphones.
Microsoft has been rather immobile in the smartphone biz these past few years. The company’s handsets have been overshadowed by Apple’s iPhone, Google’s Android devices, and Research In Motion’s BlackBerry. Recent efforts by the company to turn things around in mobile have proved disastrous–witness the summer demise, after less than two months in the market, of the company’s youth-oriented Kin handsets.
Now comes the Windows Phone 7 devices the company has been talking up for months. In an interview Monday, Ballmer told the Wall Street Journal, “we’ve got to move forward, not shoot for yesterday. We’ve got to shoot ahead in a way that’s delightful to users, accessible to developers and prioritize everything else we do around those elements.”
But the competition is brutal and getting more so. Microsoft has to persuade developers to play along and consumers that Windows Phone 7 phones are worthy of their consideration. Neither task will be easy.
The Windows Phone 7 phones certainly represent a major departure from the way Microsoft used to do business in mobile. The interface on demonstration phones features colorful and dynamic tiles built around activities and software. The design resembles Microsoft Zune music players more than Windows on a PC.
Readers: Do you plan on giving Windows Phone 7 a chance?
By Ed Baig, USA Today
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