http://news.softpedia.com Softpedia News - Virus alerts Softpedia News en-us 2001 - 2012 Softpedia. All rights reserved. Tue, 29 May 2012 05:36:51 GMT Tue, 29 May 2012 05:36:51 GMT News http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 10 http://news.softpedia.com/base_img/softpedia_logo.gif http://news.softpedia.com http://news.softpedia.com/news/Andoid-Opfake-Free-Apps-Come-at-a-Price-270320.shtml Google Play customers should be on the lookout for applications infected with the Android.Opfake malware. The apps it hides in are advertised as being free, but those who download them can end up paying large amounts of money for their carelessness.

The Opfake malware particularly targets Russian users, sending SMS messages from their Androi... (read more)]]> Fri, 18 May 2012 07:39:00 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Andoid-Opfake-Free-Apps-Come-at-a-Price-270320.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Andoid-Opfake-Free-Apps-Come-at-a-Price-270320.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Flashback-Operators-Fail-to-Cash-In-Their-Winnings-270162.shtml Some time ago Symantec revealed that the masterminds behind the now-infamous OSX Flashback Trojan made bundles of money. Further analysis, however, has shown that they may have failed to collect as a result of their operations.

Previously, we had learned that the fraudsters made money by displaying ads on compromised computers. Th... (read more)]]> Thu, 17 May 2012 11:58:00 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Flashback-Operators-Fail-to-Cash-In-Their-Winnings-270162.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Flashback-Operators-Fail-to-Cash-In-Their-Winnings-270162.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Worm-Uses-Facebook-PM-s-and-Instant-Messaging-Apps-to-Spread-270148.shtml Social media platforms and popular instant messaging (IM) apps are great mediums for cybercriminals to spread their malicious elements. Trend Micro experts provide a great example of a worm that’s making its way to computers using such methods.

The researchers report that the piece of malware, identified as Worm_St... (read more)]]> Thu, 17 May 2012 11:05:00 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Worm-Uses-Facebook-PM-s-and-Instant-Messaging-Apps-to-Spread-270148.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Worm-Uses-Facebook-PM-s-and-Instant-Messaging-Apps-to-Spread-270148.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Fake-Google-Chrome-Installer-Pushes-Shady-Bank-Sites-269825.shtml Google Chrome is a popular browser that’s currently utilized by millions of people worldwide, but users should be careful because not all “ChromeSetup.exe” files are genuine.

Security researchers from Trend Micro have found that the cybercriminals that serve fake Chrome installer files use a clever technique to ... (read more)]]> Wed, 16 May 2012 09:02:00 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Fake-Google-Chrome-Installer-Pushes-Shady-Bank-Sites-269825.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Fake-Google-Chrome-Installer-Pushes-Shady-Bank-Sites-269825.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs) http://news.softpedia.com/news/P2P-ZeuS-Variant-Used-to-Steal-Debit-Card-Details-269670.shtml You may be wondering what Visa, MasterCard, Facebook, Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo have in common. The short answer, as revealed by security experts, is a peer-to-peer (P2P) variant of the Zeus platform.

For each one of these combinations, cybercriminals have made a clever scenario, Trusteer reports.

When targeting Faceboo... (read more)]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 13:34:00 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/P2P-ZeuS-Variant-Used-to-Steal-Debit-Card-Details-269670.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/P2P-ZeuS-Variant-Used-to-Steal-Debit-Card-Details-269670.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Fake-Android-Antivirus-Served-Via-Twitter-Spam-269361.shtml Security researchers warn that Twitter is being flooded with shady looking posts that contain links to websites hosted on .tk domains. These websites hide malicious elements that target not only PC users, but also Android owners.

GFI Labs experts report that while PC users are served broken .jar files, Android customers are tricked int... (read more)]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 11:34:00 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Fake-Android-Antivirus-Served-Via-Twitter-Spam-269361.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Fake-Android-Antivirus-Served-Via-Twitter-Spam-269361.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Amnesty-International-UK-Site-Hijacked-Serves-Ghost-RAT-269027.shtml Security experts from Websense noticed that between May 8 and 9 their systems detected a malware infection on the site of Amnesty International UK. During this timeframe, visitors may have been served a version of the infamous Remote Administration Tool Gh0st RAT.

According to the researchers, this is not the first time when t... (read more)]]> Fri, 11 May 2012 12:30:00 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Amnesty-International-UK-Site-Hijacked-Serves-Ghost-RAT-269027.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Amnesty-International-UK-Site-Hijacked-Serves-Ghost-RAT-269027.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Fake-SMART-Repair-App-Fixes-Imaginary-Errors-for-a-Price-268701.shtml Experts from Avast have come across a tool called S.M.A.R.T Repair, which allegedly fixes hard drive errors. In reality, it’s nothing but a piece of scareware that tries to fool unsuspecting users into paying for a license that magically makes the errors disappear.

Researchers have analyzed the shady app and found that ... (read more)]]> Thu, 10 May 2012 08:48:00 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Fake-SMART-Repair-App-Fixes-Imaginary-Errors-for-a-Price-268701.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Fake-SMART-Repair-App-Fixes-Imaginary-Errors-for-a-Price-268701.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Tatanga-Malware-Platform-Used-in-Fraud-Insurance-Scam-268275.shtml Cybercriminals have come up with a new way of duping unsuspecting bank customers into handing over their funds. They promote shady insurance that supposedly protects against losses caused by online banking fraud.

Trusteer experts detail the way these attacks work and how they leverage the Tatanga malware platform to ensure the ... (read more)]]> Tue, 8 May 2012 11:31:00 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Tatanga-Malware-Platform-Used-in-Fraud-Insurance-Scam-268275.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Tatanga-Malware-Platform-Used-in-Fraud-Insurance-Scam-268275.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Malware-Signed-with-Chinese-Certificate-Used-in-Ethiopia-267709.shtml It is known that China has a strong economical relation with Ethiopia. However, it is unknown why a piece of malware signed with a VeriSign certificate from a Chinese firm calls back to an Ethiopian command and control server.

Security researchers from Norman have stumbled upon this curious-looking malware, which, at the time... (read more)]]> Fri, 4 May 2012 09:12:00 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Malware-Signed-with-Chinese-Certificate-Used-in-Ethiopia-267709.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Malware-Signed-with-Chinese-Certificate-Used-in-Ethiopia-267709.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Hijacked-Websites-Serve-NotCompatible-Trojan-to-Android-Users-267552.shtml It’s not uncommon for websites to be compromised by cybercriminals who set them up to serve malware drive-by downloads to unsuspecting visitors. However, experts have found that now not only PC users are targeted, but also those who surf the web from their Android devices.

Researchers from the mobile security firm ... (read more)]]> Thu, 3 May 2012 10:40:00 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Hijacked-Websites-Serve-NotCompatible-Trojan-to-Android-Users-267552.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Hijacked-Websites-Serve-NotCompatible-Trojan-to-Android-Users-267552.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Israeli-Institute-for-National-Security-Studies-Serves-Visitors-Poison-Ivy-RAT-267388.shtml It’s well known in the security community that Israeli websites have been under constant attack in the past few months. One of these attacks seems to have targeted the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), whose website has been altered to serve visitors the infamous remote administration tool (RAT) k... (read more)]]> Wed, 2 May 2012 12:12:00 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Israeli-Institute-for-National-Security-Studies-Serves-Visitors-Poison-Ivy-RAT-267388.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Israeli-Institute-for-National-Security-Studies-Serves-Visitors-Poison-Ivy-RAT-267388.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Flashback-Mac-OS-X-Trojan-Earns-its-Masters-10-000-7-600-Each-Day-267276.shtml Symantec experts decided to take a better look at the Flashback Trojan that recently cause havoc among hundreds of thousands of Mac OS X users. The malware has been analyzed before, but this examination was conducted with the purpose of finding the cybercriminals’ motivation for launching this campaign.

To dete... (read more)]]> Tue, 1 May 2012 15:03:00 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Flashback-Mac-OS-X-Trojan-Earns-its-Masters-10-000-7-600-Each-Day-267276.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Flashback-Mac-OS-X-Trojan-Earns-its-Masters-10-000-7-600-Each-Day-267276.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Reveton-Ransomware-Poses-as-US-Department-of-Justice-267230.shtml The piece of ransomware known as Reveton returns and this time it locks the computers on unsuspecting victims on behalf of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ).

The cyberciminals that operate this scam use the Citadel platform to spread the malicious element.

It’s uncertain at this point if schemes th... (read more)]]> Tue, 1 May 2012 12:30:00 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Reveton-Ransomware-Poses-as-US-Department-of-Justice-267230.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Reveton-Ransomware-Poses-as-US-Department-of-Justice-267230.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Details-Mac-OS-X-Malware-that-Exploits-Office-Vulnerability-267205.shtml Malware that targets Mac OS X machines is becoming widespread and most major companies have come to realize that Apple products are not as safe from malicious viruses as they were once. As expected, Microsoft also came forward to provide an example of a Mac OS X threat.

This particular malware, identified as Expl... (read more)]]> Tue, 1 May 2012 09:56:00 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Details-Mac-OS-X-Malware-that-Exploits-Office-Vulnerability-267205.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Details-Mac-OS-X-Malware-that-Exploits-Office-Vulnerability-267205.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Cybercriminals-Control-Android-TigerBot-Via-SMS-267066.shtml At the beginning of April, security researchers found that a number of shady Chinese Android stores were pushing apps that masked a piece of malware called TigerBot (ANDROIDOS_TIGERBOT.EVL).

Also known as Spyera, the malicious element was analyzed by Trend Micro experts. They discovered that the malware was controlled by its masters v... (read more)]]> Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:04:00 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Cybercriminals-Control-Android-TigerBot-Via-SMS-267066.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Cybercriminals-Control-Android-TigerBot-Via-SMS-267066.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Fake-Windows-Antivirus-Series-Still-Doing-the-Rounds-267011.shtml Not long ago we've presented a series of fake Windows antivirus programs designed to fool users into purchasing shady pieces of software that allegedly cleaned up infections that didn’t exist in the first place. Experts warn that new versions of the phony AV applications are making the rounds.

Until now, the fake antiviruse... (read more)]]> Mon, 30 Apr 2012 08:30:00 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Fake-Windows-Antivirus-Series-Still-Doing-the-Rounds-267011.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Fake-Windows-Antivirus-Series-Still-Doing-the-Rounds-267011.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Java-Exploiting-Malware-Targets-Both-Mac-and-Windows-Users-266920.shtml SophosLabs experts have identified a new piece of malware which, similar to the infamous Flashback Trojan, leverages a vulnerability in Java to infect systems. This threat is designed to target not only Mac computers, but also ones running Windows.

The Python-based malicious element is served via hijacked websites which hos... (read more)]]> Sat, 28 Apr 2012 09:55:00 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Java-Exploiting-Malware-Targets-Both-Mac-and-Windows-Users-266920.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Java-Exploiting-Malware-Targets-Both-Mac-and-Windows-Users-266920.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs) http://news.softpedia.com/news/One-Vulnerable-Site-Can-Serve-More-Cybercriminal-Groups-Experts-Find-266737.shtml Security researchers have found that a single vulnerable website may be used by a number of cybercriminal organizations, each one altering the site to serve its own purposes.

In many cases, websites are compromised and altered to lead visitors to domains that push fake antivirus programs, which lately have become ... (read more)]]> Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:10:00 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/One-Vulnerable-Site-Can-Serve-More-Cybercriminal-Groups-Experts-Find-266737.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/One-Vulnerable-Site-Can-Serve-More-Cybercriminal-Groups-Experts-Find-266737.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Conficker-Still-a-Threat-Uses-Weak-Passwords-to-Spread-266483.shtml Microsoft has released its Security Intelligence Report Volume 12 (SIRv12) to detail some of the most important security-related incidents that marked the second half of 2011.

The study offers some statistical data on the highly dangerous Conficker worm. The figures showed that at its peak, the malicious element infec... (read more)]]> Thu, 26 Apr 2012 07:09:00 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Conficker-Still-a-Threat-Uses-Weak-Passwords-to-Spread-266483.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Conficker-Still-a-Threat-Uses-Weak-Passwords-to-Spread-266483.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Office-Flaw-Exploited-in-Wild-with-Malicious-Documents-266068.shtml Security researchers from McAfee warn that the CVE-2012-0158 vulnerability that exists in Microsoft Office and other products that use MSCOMCTL.OCX is currently being exploited in the wild with the aid of maliciously-crafted RTF, Word and Excel files.

The security hole has been patched with the April 2012 updates, bu... (read more)]]> Tue, 24 Apr 2012 08:24:00 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Office-Flaw-Exploited-in-Wild-with-Malicious-Documents-266068.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Office-Flaw-Exploited-in-Wild-with-Malicious-Documents-266068.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Experts-Find-Control-Panel-for-Ransomlock-Powered-Ransomware-265732.shtml Ransomware infections have become more popular among cybercriminals, and security researchers have come across another Trojan that fuels such campaigns. The novelty in this scenario is that the control panel that’s being utilized in the scheme has been found.

Identified by Symantec as Trojan.Ransomlock.K, the malici... (read more)]]> Sat, 21 Apr 2012 16:51:02 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Experts-Find-Control-Panel-for-Ransomlock-Powered-Ransomware-265732.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Experts-Find-Control-Panel-for-Ransomlock-Powered-Ransomware-265732.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Fake-Steam-Client-Urges-Users-to-Disable-Antivirus-265643.shtml Advertised on YouTube as a Steam Cracker that allows users to play “all games for free,” the malicious element is actually part of a phishing scheme that targets game serial numbers.

Chris Boyd of GFI reveals that the YouTube page which promotes the shady app urges users to disable their antivirus applications and their... (read more)]]> Fri, 20 Apr 2012 13:38:00 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Fake-Steam-Client-Urges-Users-to-Disable-Antivirus-265643.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Fake-Steam-Client-Urges-Users-to-Disable-Antivirus-265643.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Spy-Trojan-Served-by-Syrian-Hackers-as-Skype-Encription-265599.shtml We’ve seen numerous reports from security solutions firm regarding the campaigns that target Syrians. Trend Micro experts provide another example of a malicious plot, this time leveraging a so-called Skype Encription application.

Advertised as a product made by IT Security Lab to encrypt communications, in reality, Skype... (read more)]]> Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:05:00 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Spy-Trojan-Served-by-Syrian-Hackers-as-Skype-Encription-265599.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Spy-Trojan-Served-by-Syrian-Hackers-as-Skype-Encription-265599.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Trojan-Hotel-Front-Desk-PCs-to-Steal-Credit-Card-Details-265343.shtml A remote access Trojan is being sold on underground forums to anyone willing to pay $280 (212 EUR) for it. For that price, the proud owner ends up with a malicious program that’s designed to steal credit card details from point of sale (POS) applications found in hotels.

Trusteer researchers found that the seller offers... (read more)]]> Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:53:00 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Trojan-Hotel-Front-Desk-PCs-to-Steal-Credit-Card-Details-265343.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Trojan-Hotel-Front-Desk-PCs-to-Steal-Credit-Card-Details-265343.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Ransomware-Uses-Reveton-to-Phish-Ukash-and-Paysafecard-Credentials-265278.shtml Experts from Microsoft’s Malware Protection Center (MMPC) warn users to be on the lookout for schemes that rely on ransomware to steal login credentials for online payment services such as Ukash and Paysafecard.

Similar to previously seen ransomware schemes, the victims’ computers become locked, displayi... (read more)]]> Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:07:00 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Ransomware-Uses-Reveton-to-Phish-Ukash-and-Paysafecard-Credentials-265278.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Ransomware-Uses-Reveton-to-Phish-Ukash-and-Paysafecard-Credentials-265278.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Android-Users-Targeted-with-Free-Instagram-Rogue-Apps-265049.shtml Ever since Facebook purchased Instagram, the photo-sharing application’s popularity has increased considerably. As we said on past occasions, an app’s growing popularity makes cybercriminals focus their attention on it to launch malevolent schemes.

Security researchers from Trend Micro found a website that advertises... (read more)]]> Wed, 18 Apr 2012 10:02:00 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Android-Users-Targeted-with-Free-Instagram-Rogue-Apps-265049.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Android-Users-Targeted-with-Free-Instagram-Rogue-Apps-265049.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Must-see-Tweets-Point-to-Fake-Antivirus-264996.shtml Experts have found a number of Twitter bots that are being utilized to advertise so-called “must-see” content. Users who click on the links are redirected to websites that serve a fake antivirus.

The link found in the posts appears to point users to a site called fuuut.tk. In reality, internauts are taken to detectoptimizersupervi... (read more)]]> Wed, 18 Apr 2012 08:27:00 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Must-see-Tweets-Point-to-Fake-Antivirus-264996.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Must-see-Tweets-Point-to-Fake-Antivirus-264996.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Malicious-The-Movie-Apps-Served-on-Google-Play-264672.shtml A number of 29 Android applications found on Google Play (the new Android Market) were appointed as being malicious by Symantec. The pieces of malware, identified as Android.Dougalek, pretend to be popular games or games-related videos.

First discovered in February, the malicious elements were advertised as recipe apps, diet assistant ... (read more)]]> Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:50:00 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Malicious-The-Movie-Apps-Served-on-Google-Play-264672.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/Malicious-The-Movie-Apps-Served-on-Google-Play-264672.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs) http://news.softpedia.com/news/New-SabPub-Mac-Trojan-Found-to-Be-Linked-to-APT-Attacks-264668.shtml Security researchers from Kaspersky have found a new piece of malware that currently targets Mac OS X users. It’s called OSX.SabPub and it’s a backdoor Trojan that’s connected to the advanced persistent threat (APT) attacks known as Luckycat.

According to experts, currently there are at least two variants of ... (read more)]]> Mon, 16 Apr 2012 09:33:00 GMT Softpedia News - Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/New-SabPub-Mac-Trojan-Found-to-Be-Linked-to-APT-Attacks-264668.shtml Virus alerts http://news.softpedia.com/news/New-SabPub-Mac-Trojan-Found-to-Be-Linked-to-APT-Attacks-264668.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Eduard Kovacs)