xrdb -- root hole via rogue hostname

Matthias Hopf reports: By crafting hostnames with shell escape characters, arbitrary commands can be executed in a root environment when a display manager reads in the resource database via xrdb. These specially crafted hostnames can occur in two environments: Systems are affected are: systems se...

Preemptive Protection against LizaMoon - Mass SQL Injection Attacks

LizaMoon is a mass SQL code injection attack, where a Web application vulnerability is exploited to inject malicious code into affected websites. If a Web surfer visits an infested site, he will be redirected to an alternate website that tries to install a rogue anti-malware software. This...

Widespread LizaMoon Web Attacks Push Rogue Antivirus

Security firms are warning about a fast-spreading Web based attack that has been linked to the installation of rogue anti virus products. More than 300,000 Web sites have been compromised in a campaign dubbed “LizaMoon,” and are now serving up malicious links to rogue antivirus products, accordin...

Fake 'Walk and Text' App steals Android user data !

Android users who download a pirated copy of the Walk and Text app are strolling smack into trouble. The rogue app, called Android. Walkinwat, is a corrupted version of the legitimate Android Walk and Text app, the security firm Symantec reported. Walk and Text, which can be found in many...

Step 7: Practice Safe Browsing

Rogue antivirus and scareware typically requires user interaction to get a toe hold on victims’ computers. Users can protect themselves by steering clear of suspicious or merely opaque links such as the shortened links common on Twitter and other social media platforms. Beware of pop-up ads warni...

Step 6: Update and Patch

With your machine disinfected, take a few moments to update your operating system software and any third party applications to their latest and most secure version. Rogue antivirus and scareware programs are usually delivered as drive by downloads spawned by malicious Web sites. These leverage...

Where to Begin

Scareware is one of the most pernicious online threats. For those who have been infected, it is also one of the hardest to forget. Rogue antivirus software and other forms of scareware hold victims hostage: shutting off access to their desktop and most of the Internet, disabling security software...

Fake AVG: Scam Software Cops Name and Logo of Real AV

We’ve noted for a while that the practices of rogue antivirus software have started to mimic those of legitimate antivirus software vendors. But a new version of FakeXPA scareware take things a bit further: posing as a legitimate commercial AV package, AVG Antivirus 2011. Microsoft’s Malware...

Mobile Attacks Reign at Black Hat DC

ARLINGTON, VA–A number of researchers showed off interesting new attack techniques at the Black Hat DC conference this week, including one that enables an attacker to execute malicious code on handsets over the air. Perhaps the most interesting technique discussed at the show was a novel attack...

Twitter Worm Uses Google URL Shortener to Spread Scareware

A fast-moving Twitter worm is in circulation, using Google’s goo.gl redirection service to push unsuspecting users to a notorious scareware fake anti-virus malware campaign. At 8:45 a.m EST today, this Twitter search shows thousands of Twitter messages continuing to spread the worm. According to...

Expert: Stuxnet Just Latest in U.S. Hacks of Covert Nuke Programs

CORRECTION: This article originally included the incorrect name for an associate of A.Q. Khan. The correct name of the associate is “Friedrich Tinner,” a Swiss nuclear engineer. The name has been corrected in the article. The author of a new book on the evolution of the world’s first nuclear blac...

Microsoft botnet take down will not stop spam !

A prominent security researcher said he doubts Microsoft's take down of the Waledac botnet would have any impact on spam levels, as the company claimed. "Waledac just is not a hugely prolific spammer," said Joe Stewart, director of malware analysis at SecureWorks and a noted botnet researcher. "S...

December Top 10 Malware List !

GFI Software, a leading IT solutions provider for small and medium-sized enterprises, today revealed continuing high levels of Trojan and rogue malware circulating during December, with data revealing a surge in activity, boosted by themed activity around the Christmas and New Year holiday period...

Account protection status warning scares Facebook Users !

Over the last few weeks we have been contacted by a number of members of the our Facebook page, concerned by a message they saw on Facebook, warning them that their account protection was "very low". With fake anti-virus also known as scareware attacks becoming an ever-growing problem they attemp...

Dissecting the ZeroAccess Rootkit

The ZeroAccess rootkit isn’t the most well-known or closely watched piece of malware in recent history, but, as an extremely detailed new analysis of the program shows, it is a perfect example of the kind of sophisticated malware that attack crews are using to maintain persistent, silent access t...

Protozoids Tap Veterans Day Sentiment To Push Malware

How will you know when your dabbling in pharmaceutical spam and affiliate marketing hi jinks have truly poisoned your soul and stolen the last shreds of humanity you had left? Well, probably around the time that you find yourself taking advantage of public sentiment for the sacrifices of our men...

Midterm Election Buzz Fuels Rogue AV Attacks

Interest in the U.S. midterm elections is being used to lure Web surfers to malicious Web pages that are pushing rogue antivirus programs, according to security firm Websense. With voter interest running high in the U.S., Web searches for hot terms like “midterm election polls,” “2010 midterm...

Users Still Making Life Easy for Scareware Crews

Scareware and rogue AV programs have enjoyed a very good run in the last few years, making millions of dollars for their creators and generally making life miserable for victims. And while there’s been some innovation recently in the mechanisms attackers use to keep the programs resident on...

'Dislike' Button Scam on Facebook Goes Viral

Researchers are advising Facebook users to avoid offers to download an “official dislike button”, which the firm claims has spread virally across the service. There are two different versions of the ruse thus far, both with tiny URL links to rogue applications. Read the full article...

Rogue AV Live Tech Support

This is a recording of a live chat session with the technical support agent associated with a rogue AV program. The session was recorded by Nicolas Brulez, a security analyst at Kaspersky Lab.The video is best viewed in full-screen mode...