A top Homeland Security Official admitted to Congress that electronics and software sold in the United States are sometimes preloaded with spyware, malware, and other nasty security-compromising components by unknown foreign parties. Greg Schaffer, DHS assistant secretary for cybersecurity and communications, testified to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee…
DHS aware of imported electronics pre-loaded with malware
Geoff DuncanJuly 11, 2011 International A DHS official has gone on the record that some electronics imported into the U.S. are being preloaded with malware and spyware. Testifying before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, acting deputy secretary of the DHS National Protection and Programs Directorate Greg Schaffer admitted…
Microsoft’s IE9 Blocks Almost All Social Malware, Study Finds
A study prepared by NSS Labs concludes that Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 9 blocks virtually all socially engineered malware, far more than rival browsers. The study was designed to examine one aspect of security: how a browser handled a malicious URL, such as one received in a posting on a social…
Rapidly-changing malware on the rise
Security experts Symantec warned that a new type of aggressive malware is threatening the network world as they prey upon social networks and mobile phone users. In its July 2011 Symantec Intelligence Report, Symantec said that “polymorphic malware”, or malware that is aggressive and rapidly changes, was seen in 23….
Malware mints virtual currency using victim’s GPU
Security researchers have unearthed a piece of malware that mints a digital currency known as Bitcoins by harnessing the immense power of an infected machine’s graphical processing units. According to new research from antivirus provider Symantec, Trojan.Badminer uses GPUs to generate virtual coins through a practice known as minting. That’s…
Android malware masquerading as Google+ app
(Credit: Trend Micro) A new flavor of Android malware is disguising itself as a Google+ app in an attempt to capture instant messages, GPS, location, call logs, and other sensitive data. Uncovered by the team at Trend Micro, the new malware known as ANDROIDOS_NICKISPY.C can also automatically answer and record…
New Android malware disguised as racing game
Racing game addicts, beware. This racing game for devices running Google’s Android system may be racing to send home the data on your phone to its controller. Computer security firm Trend Micro said the Trojanized Android app, “GoldDream,” is disguised as a racing game called “Fast Racing.” “For a game,…
Malware Exploit Found for iOS Devices by German Researchers
Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security issued a warning today that iPhones, iPads and the iPod Touch have a “critical weaknesses,” the Associated Press reports. The malware is delivered by an infected PDF that can affect the user’s device without them knowing. The same a result would occur when a…
Cyber-thieves targeting Facebook to spread ‘identity detecting’ malware infections
London, July 6 (ANI): Cyber-thieves are reportedly targeting trusted social networking sites like Facebook by spreading malware infections that can quietly hack users’ passwords as they go about logging into their profiles and bank accounts, with the intention of stealing their identities and money. Although malware infections are nothing new…
Search engines top vehicle for malware
July 06, 2011, 8:55 AM — Search engines were the most popular vehicle for delivering malware into the Internet during the first half of the year, according to Blue Host Systems’ 2011 Mid-Year Web Security Report. Nearly 40 percent of all malware incidents originated via Internet search sites. According to…