Tag: security
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Security strikes back – NOT!
Microsoft released their largest ever update set this Tuesday past ( a total of 17 updates to fix 40 holes ), which included fixes for all 4 Windows holes related to the Stuxnet worm. This update set includes MS10-090 which fixes 6 CSS issues in IE which have been actively exploited over the last few…
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IE hole has first blood drawn by Amnesty International
The latest 0-day hole in Internet Explorer has been exploited by vulnerabilities in the Amnesty International web site. The hole itslef is related to flawed processing routines for parsing certain Cascading Style Sheet combinations in HTML documents. This allows attackers to manipulate certain pointers and execute injected code at the user’s privilege level. The new…
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Security vendors and their ‘secure’ products
One typically expects security devices and products to be, well how to put it – secure? Yes, secure. But it appears that security vendors struggle with bugs and the like, almost as much as normal software. There have been a number of high profile AV definition update failures in the last year, Cisco had some…
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ZeuS banking trojan now into SMS
New versions of the ZeuS trojan are starting to target the SMS-TAN system which is used to send transaction numbers ( TANs ) to clients’ cell phones to authenticate that person for a online transaction. Now, the developers of ZeuS have pursued the last strategy to get trojans onto devices in an attack requiring multiple…
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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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Windows LNK vulnerability attracts more attacks
The unpatched LNK vulnerability in all versions of Windows ( from XP onwards ) is attracting a lot more attention from malicious code authors. A further 2 exploits have been detected in the wild. The 1st .lnk trojan Stuxnet, was very specific about it’s payload, attacking Siemens SCADA software specifically. But the effectiveness of .lnk…
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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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Microsoft and anti-virus software
I’m subscribed to a Microsoft UK email newsletter that I get once a month. The latest one started as follows: As someone who is fully aware of the potential dangers that the internet poses to those who use it for banking, shopping and social networking, you must get a lot of people asking for your…
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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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AT&T’s Ipad data leak
Further on from my previous articles on online data storage and services ( On-line storage – safe or not?, Windows and online banking, Local insurance company loses client data, Data loss for Sidekick users Part 2 and Apple and data leakage? ) AT&T have had a massive data leak of email addresses and ICC-IDs (unique…
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Facebook worms have free reign
A new worm is spreading rapidly via Facebook. The cause is a problem disclosed weeks ago which Facebook seems unable to fix. As a result, there has been another wave of crafted status messages – this time they refer to a web page which allegedly presents the “101 hottest women in the world”. Those who…
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Microsoft installs software without permission
It seems that Microsoft just can’t help itself. As part of its regular Patch Tuesday, Microsoft released an update for its various toolbars, and this update came with more than just documented fixes. The update also installs an add-on for Internet Explorer and an extension for Mozilla Firefox, both without the user’s permission. The update…
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Windows 7 SP1 due in July
Microsoft anounced a public beta of SP1 for Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 at TechEd in New Orleans this week. Yes that’s right – the same package is used to update both platforms due to them using the same kernel. While Windows 7 doesn’t gain any new functionlity from this update, Server 2008 R2…
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Adobe get’s hacked ( again )
It didn’t take long for someone to start exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities in Adobe’s software. In fact, having the the honour of designing the most hacked software on the planet, means that Adobe’s products are always going to be on the front-line of attacks. Since late Friday attackers have been exploiting a critical vulnerability in the…