Computer security

[mindido]

Just found an interesting article on high school hackers and the problems they're creating for a Pennsylvania school district:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/internet/08/09/kutztown.hackers.ap/index.html

[mindido]

More critical holes in MS Windows. Updates are apparently available.

http://money.cnn.com/2005/08/09/technology/ms_security.reut/index.htm?cnn=yes

[mindido]

Want to know the current state of effectiveness of your anti-spyware apps?

http://www.spywarewarrior.com/elh/adw-state.htm

Now you know why you need more than one anti-spyware app.

[mindido]

An interesting article on how hackers have developed code that hijacks websites. I thought the following quote was interesting:

"The worst thing is, these malware installations are just a front for massive sets of zombie boxes, and they're getting ready to point them somewhere. If you're an admin of an Apache box, PLEASE ensure that you are fully patched, especially in the area of OpenSSL exlpoits.

More will likely be made public in the coming weeks, but the infection is making its way round many home users PCs, and if you end up being hijacked, nothing short of a reformat will remove the garbage from your system."

http://www.vitalsecurity.org/2004/11/major-hack-attack-discovered-8mb-of.html

[mindido]

A "massive" ID theft ring has been uncovered that is using keyloggers to get the info:

http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/story/0,10801,103737,00.html

[tntstyles]

the first article is damn interesting... so that's what kids are up to these days

[mindido]

I guess it was only a matter of time.

Firefox users beware! Someone has developed a script that really trashes Firefox and inserts at least 2 Java/Byte Verify trojans. I picked it up around 11 a.m. today and am just getting things back to normal.

What it does (that I currently know of):

1. Somehow messes with you default Profile and apparently deletes it, thus losing all settings.
2. Deletes all bookmarks (probably as a result of #1).
3. Inserts the 2 trojans.
4. Trashes Firefox to the point where I had to reinstall it.

AVG picked up the trojans. Spybot and AdAware reported finding nothing. But the machine is still acting a little weird. Don't know yet if this is significant or just me.

I picked it up while surfing celeb sites and will post the site I think I got it from when verified. In the meantime I would suggest checking this out. Firefox has a new (I think) extension called NoScript. Its supposed to block all scripts from being run until you allow it. Its definitely a bit of a pain but probably worthwhile in the long run.

Also, make sure you have your bookmarks backed up!

More later.

[Preferred User]

Interesting Mindido. I tend to think of "alternative" software (i.e. firefox, Apple, Linux) as having two lines....one is compatability and the other is security. When a platform becomes popular enough that it is reasonably compatible with everythiing "out there", then it makes sense for hackers to ding away at it to the point where the two lines intersect and you just swap problems. Not hard to see Firefox getting there some day.

[mindido]

Hey Preferred,

Have to agree. I was just hoping that this would take a bit longer. Anyway, I hope everyone is forwarned.

I think that I found the site that did this although I can't be absolutely positive as my history file was wiped out. And I wasn't able to replicate the occurance as I'm now using the NoScript extension so the Javascript wouldn't work (and I wasn't really interested in redoing everything again). Anyway, if theres someone adventurous out there, heres the site:

http://www.dadump.com/goLink.php?Id=31685

If your not adventurous, DON'T GO THERE!

[mindido]

Gosh, I thought the Chinese were supposed to be our buddys nowadays! It seems we've identified a group of hackers in southern China that are concentrating on DOD computer systems.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1098371,00.html?cnn=yes

The article says they don't know who is behind this but can there really be any doubt?

[mindido]

A really interesting article identifying "The Twenty Most Critical Internet Security Vulnerabilities". If your interested in computer security make sure you bookmark this and check back periodically.

http://www.sans.org/top20/

The jist of the article is that the authors have detected a shift in the apps that hackers are attacking. While still going after OS's, IE, etc; the hackers are now spending more time identifying vulnerabilities in the AV's, Firewalls and programs that most of us use, i.e., MS Office apps, etc.

Spend some time with this article, its well worth it.

[mindido]

It looks like keyloggers have made it to the point of being free and shareware now. If you need one, here you go (just scroll down the page a bit and look for the Ardamax Keylogger):

http://www.brothersoft.com/record-now-max.html

[mindido]

A really interesting article by MIT's David D. Clark. He contends that the internet is broken:

"the Internet's shortcomings have resulted in plunging security and a decreased ability to accommodate new technologies. "We are at an inflection point, a revolution point," Clark now argues. And he delivers a strikingly pessimistic assessment of where the Internet will end up without dramatic intervention. "We might just be at the point where the utility of the Internet stalls -- and perhaps turns downward."

He suggests that the internet needs a whole new architecture and, that if we don't do it soon, we could be in for big trouble.

http://www.technologyreview.com/infotech/wtr_16051,258,p1.html

[mindido]

Another thing that was only a matter of time. If you own a Mac, best be careful over the next few weeks. Someone has developed a worm that only targets Macs:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4723390.stm

[mindido]

An interesting article on securing laptops. Seems ID thieves have started targeting them as they often have info they're interested in.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20060327/tc_usatoday/theftspromptproductsthatdomoretosecurelaptops

The bastards!

[mindido]

Jeez,

Another reason not to use Norton (Symantec) AV. It seems someone has figured out a way to hack Symantec's corporate edition of Norton AV that allows the hacker to completely take over the machine. Surprisingly, the home version doesn't seem to be vulnerable.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/internet/05/25/antivirus.flaw.ap/index.html

[Preferred User]

Surprisingly, the home version doesn't seem to be vulnerable.


That's because it runs so many #@%! processes the frick'n computer doesn't have any resources left to download the Trojan.

[mindido]

That's because it runs so many #@%! processes the frick'n computer doesn't have any resources left to download the Trojan.

Heh, heh. Regrettably, thats probably true.

[mindido]

Not keeping up with your computer security? Well, your not the only one. According to a new report from MS, their new Malicious Software Removal Tool is reporting back to MS that 60% of PC's are infected with some type of trojan.

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/mmLKSACV8lI1t2/Microsofts-Malware-Report-60-Percent-of-PCs-Infected.xhtml

Better make sure your AV's and firewalls are up to date.

[mindido]

Man, its been awhile since I've posted in here. Anyway, anyone here use Monster.com for finding a job? It turns out that their servers were hacked last month and the personal info on about 1.6 million users was compromised! Some nasty little trojan got onto their servers and was uploading peoples info to a server somewhere in the world. Heres the article:

http://www.symantec.com/enterprise/security_response/weblog/2007/08/a_monster_trojan.html

Just a reminder.........NEVER, EVER put valuable personal info on the web. If Monster.com can be easily hacked, just about anyone can.

[GrapJ]

nice hack thought
wondering how to get the source-code for those two files (ntos.exe,Trojan.Gpcoder.E)

[mindido]

Just ran into an article that everyone should read. Apparently, Google just did a study of how many websites have drive-by attack software installed on them. Unbelievably, its about 1 in 1,000. They even found that someone had hacked Al Gore's website. And its not just porn sites, they found them on all kinds of sites:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,142574-c,google/article.html

[GrapJ]

Man, its been awhile since I've posted in here. Anyway, anyone here use Monster.com for finding a job? It turns out that their servers were hacked last month and the personal info on about 1.6 million users was compromised! Some nasty little trojan got onto their servers and was uploading peoples info to a server somewhere in the world. Heres the article:

http://www.symantec.com/enterprise/security_response/weblog/2007/08/a_monster_trojan.html

Just a reminder.........NEVER, EVER put valuable personal info on the web. If Monster.com can be easily hacked, just about anyone can.

not last month; this happened a much longer while ago, they found 1.6 Million fields filled with personal data in a database on a server in Ukraine.

[mindido]

Hey Grap,

Uggh, that post was from October of last year.

[mindido]

It just goes to show how far these scumbag virus developers will go. Another new one on me. Believe it or not, we now have to be very careful before using just about any new USB device. The following article describes how hackers have somehow got their tentacles into brand new digital photo frames. Plug the thing in and you have some type of virus. One person saying that it took him about 12 hours to get rid of.

http://tech.yahoo.com/blog/null/66647

Be aware!

[Kaneinite]

Plug the thing in and you have some type of virus. One person saying that it took him about 12 hours to get rid of.

Be aware!

Haha! I work at Best Buy in the Appliance department while I'm going to school and those picture frames were right across from my department during the holidays...a lot of people bought them...

[mindido]

Haha! I work at Best Buy in the Appliance department while I'm going to school and those picture frames were right across from my department during the holidays...a lot of people bought them...

Kane,

Did you ever hear of any problems from customers? Most people probably didn't even realize where the virus came from.

[scoundrel]

I found this story today. If you bank online and if you do it using Internet Explorer or Firefox as your browser, there is a Trojan virus called Zeus (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8634356.stm) out there looking for your machine. It collects passwords and personal data by logging your keystrokes, then transmits it to a server somewhere in the world where it can be used or sold on to other bad guys.

The news article says we need to keep our firewall and anti-virus and our browsers up to date, like this is a really valuable insight. The most effective precaution I could think of is to have an old laptop reserved exclusively for internet banking and to do all social web browsing on a different machine, but that's quite an expensive option and even then, who can say how secure you really are?

Myself: I don't bank on the web. I prefer not to even use my credit card there but there are times when you can't avoid it, so I would imagine I am vulnerable to something like Zeus as well.

Let's be careful out there. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2QApwtE8zQ)

[mervin]

I found this story today. If you bank online and if you do it using Internet Explorer or Firefox as your browser, there is a Trojan virus called Zeus (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8634356.stm) out there looking for your machine. It collects passwords and personal data by logging your keystrokes, then transmits it to a server somewhere in the world where it can be used or sold on to other bad guys.

The news article says we need to keep our firewall and anti-virus and our browsers up to date, like this is a really valuable insight. The most effective precaution I could think of is to have an old laptop reserved exclusively for internet banking and to do all social web browsing on a different machine, but that's quite an expensive option and even then, who can say how secure you really are?

Myself: I don't bank on the web. I prefer not to even use my credit card there but there are times when you can't avoid it, so I would imagine I am vulnerable to something like Zeus as well.

Let's be careful out there. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2QApwtE8zQ)

Are you joking about the separate laptop? If you're that clueless about internet security and the way with which malware operates than I think that you shouldn't be surfing the web at all.

Everyone who surfs the internet should do so with current and updated malware protection software. There's enough good free internet security programs out there today that no one has an excuse for surfing the web without active protection. Avast, Avira and Microsoft Security Essentials are all relatively good free programs that offer protection from viruses and spyware. They even give you a firewall too. If you're someone who pays for your internet security software (which I recommend) than you just need to make sure you don't let it expire and that it's updated regularly. Using a secondary program that's dedicated to spyware alone like Super Anti-Spyware or Malwarebytes is also very important. You do all of these things and I can guarantee that you'll avoid about 95% of these sorts of problems.

[tabler]

Are you joking about the separate laptop? If you're that clueless about internet security and the way with which malware operates than I think that you shouldn't be surfing the web at all.

What an insulting fucking arsehole to someone who is only trying to help others on this forum!:angryrazz

[scoundrel]

Are you joking about the separate laptop? If you're that clueless about internet security and the way with which malware operates than I think that you shouldn't be surfing the web at all.
Ignorant of the world wide web perhaps but at least I am not ignorant of elementary courtesy and good manners. Whichever charm school you attended mervin, I strongly recommend that you sue them for a full refund.
Everyone who surfs the internet should do so with current and updated malware protection software. There's enough good free internet security programs out there today that no one has an excuse for surfing the web without active protection. Avast, Avira and Microsoft Security Essentials are all relatively good free programs that offer protection from viruses and spyware. They even give you a firewall too. If you're someone who pays for your internet security software (which I recommend) than you just need to make sure you don't let it expire and that it's updated regularly. Using a secondary program that's dedicated to spyware alone like Super Anti-Spyware or Malwarebytes is also very important. You do all of these things and I can guarantee that you'll avoid about 95% of these sorts of problems.Now this is helpful and for this I thank you. I will reflect upon this good advice. In return, I would suggest you should consider what you can possibly lose by being a bit less abrasive towards perfect strangers on the internet: it's not big and it's not clever.

[usninc]

Long time visitor but first time poster.

I used a few free spyware/anti virus programs and it helped me about 50% of the time.
I was finally running slow and fighting things on my computer for so long that I ended up buying a anti virus/spyware removal program and cleaner....AWESOME!

I had so many problems and it cleaned them all out.
I'm running fast and even seem to connect to my wireless network at a better speed.

I'm not saying a paid program works better than a free one but for me it did.

Happy and safe surfing to all.

USNinc