Tag: antivirus
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The end of Windows XP
Windows XP support will officially end on April the 8th next week. This is a very important change that appears to have escaped many people. Why important? Because you will no longer be receiving any updates ( security or other ) from Microsoft for XP. That effectively means that if there is a security hole…
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Android Security
I’ve been a keen Android user for many years now; as I am with all things Linux. I really do believe that Linux, and other associated FOSS software, has proven a great advantage for us bipedals, allowing those in a not so fortunate financial situation to still use high grade software and achieve their goals.…
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Large security breach involving fast food outlets and banks in SA
A variant of the Dexter malware has apparently been running on POS systems unchecked for quite a while. All of SA’s banks have been hard hit by the losses incurred as a result of arguably one of the largest security breaches in SA history. More info here: http://www.techcentral.co.za/sa-banks-in-massive-data-breach/44338/
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Apples can get viruses
After years of deceiving its clients, Apple has finally admitted that its products can get viruses, something most of us have known all along. The Mac maker changed the wording on its “Why you’ll love a Mac” page from stating “It doesn’t get PC viruses” to “It’s built to be safe”. The same page also…
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Mobile Security in a nutshell
Mobile security has morphed in the last few years to become a major area of security concern. It’s no longer just laptops that provide on-the-go networked computing – smartphones, tablets, ultra-portables, e-readers and other networked devices now all vie for a space in your electronic arsenal, and they all come with their unique set of…
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Symantec Endpoint Security issues
Regular readers of this blog will know that I’m not a fan of Anti-Virus companies, especially when they use FUD to sell their products. What’s even worse is when a security application, which is supposed to protect you from security issues, has security issues itself. Symantec’s workstation anti-virus application, SEP, is apparently riddled with them…
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AV vendors offer ‘free’ LNK protection
Aw, aren’t we lucky ( well Windows users at least ) – G-Data and Sophos have stepped forward with free protection for the .lnk vulnerability. G-Data’s solution LNK-Checker displays no-entry signs for iconss associated with exploits while other icons function as normal.However, users can still click on malicious LNK files and start the malware manually,…
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New Microsoft Windows exploit the most dangerous of all
A new malicious attack has been spreading through the internet in the last few weeks, initially using USB memory sticks to propagate. Called, the LNK vulnerability, the attack uses specially crafted shortcut (.lnk) files, which trick Windows into running code of an attacker’s choosing. Any Windows application that tries to display the shortcut’s icon—including Explorer—will…
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Security vendors – stop your advertising antics!
I always find it quite amusing ( and ironic ) when security vendors eat their own dog food – and get bitten. Here are a few gems: Earlier this year, Mcafee released a definition file which a Windows XP SP3 system file ( svchost.exe ) it thought was a threat resulting in thousands of machines…
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Security, the employee and business
Anyone who runs a business ( from small SMEs to large corporates ) these days, with computing facilities for their employees, faces a tough battle with network and computer security. The list of external malicious vectors are endless, including phishing attacks, spyware, viruses, DoS attacks and many others. The Mariposa virus, shut down in March…
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New research paints grim picture for AntiVirus software
While I’ve never assumed AV software will protect you from all ills on the Internet, new research from SurfRight shows just how bad things are. A sample of just under 110k users ( a very good sample I think ) shows that 32% ( yes 1/3rd ) of all machines running AV software were infected…
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Recent source of Mydoom attacks found – UK
The recent DDoS attacks on SKorean and US websites have been found to have originated out of the UK, with analysis indicating an estimated size of 176000 botnet-controlled PCs! The master host was also found to be a Windows 2003 Server machine. Seeing as the IP address is known, it will be interesting to see…
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Old Windows viruses just keep on coming
The 2nd week of this month saw a large number of DDoS attacks on prominent US and South Korean web sites. Many thousands of compromised Windows PCs were used through a botnet to perform these attacks with a subtle variation of the Mydoom virus/worm. Considering that Mydoom was released in Jan 2004, it’s surprising (…
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Viruses, viruses, and more viruses
3 new scenarios for the weekend … I recently had to rebuild a Linux server for a large national retailer, running a console-based app, due to hardware failure. This duly done and the machine back in operation, I was surprised to get a call relating to high traffic usage on that network. As some background…
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Conficker still around?
The hype surrounding Conficker just seems to be increasing and the latest variant ( C ) apparently has some interesting capabilities such as disabling security software ( AV, firewalls, etc. ), killing processes for running security apps and p2p networking to spread infection. The worm exploits a vulnerability in the Windows Server service that is…
