After all my warnings about scareware, Google comes along with a warning on its search results pages that many of you might believe is scareware, but it’s not – it’s real.
Google Malware Warning
According to Google’s Online Security Blog
This particular malware causes infected computers to send traffic to Google through a small number of intermediary servers called “proxies.” We hope that by taking steps to notify users whose traffic is coming through these proxies, we can help them update their antivirus software and remove the infections.
This malware is actually a result of scareware, or fake anti-virus software that infects computers. And, Google admits, there may be a whole new slew of fake scareware ads that look like the Google warning. A valid Google warning will only be seen at the top of a search results page.
So, if you see this warning it’s time to run an AV scan. You do have anti-virus installed, right? And it’s up-to-date, right? If not, Google will even help you at their Help Center..
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Computers don’t feel pain. At least, up until now. Trust me, I’ve done things to my computer that defy the Geneva Conventions and while acting surly for a week or so, it didn’t show any evidence of real pain.
But, a group of researchers at Florida Tech is exploring ways to have future computers experience pain.
The problem, according to Richard Ford, a computer science professor and head of the research team, it that computers, for all their computing ability, are essentially dumb.
“Computers are brittle,” Ford said. “Your computer will screw up in the same way every single time. It doesn’t learn. It doesn’t adapt. If there is a (string of code) that’s messed up in your computer, it’s going to crash in the same place every time. It’s all just ones and zeros at the end of the day.”
So he’s started looking at ways to teach a computer to feel pain so it can determine there’s a problem and heal itself, much like humans use fevers and antibodies to overcome infections.
The idea is to model the human immune system in computers – to become aware of an attack, overcome the attacker, repair the damage, and be immune from the same future malware attack, all without external assistance.
Estimated time to mass production? 10 – 15 years.
Further Reading:
Machine, Heal Thyself.
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There’s a new vulnerability in Windows XP concerning parts of the Help and Support system. It was found by a Google researcher who posted the flaw just five days after talking with Microsoft about it. Evidently Microsoft wasn’t addressing the issue fast enough for him, raising a bit of a backlash from the community for not giving Microsoft time to respond.
Whatever the case, the exploit is now in the wild and XP machines are vulnerable to drive-by attacks on evil web sites.
It affects Windows XP’s Help and Support functions. Anything using the HCP protocol (hcp:// URI’s) is subject to unauthorized commands.
The easiest way to fix it is to go to Microsoft’s ‘Fix it’ page. You can fix it and, if you don’t like what happens, unfix it from the same site. Pretty cool.
This can also be manually done by following these simple directions:
- Click Start, and then Run.
- Enter regedit, and click OK.
- Expand HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, and then highlight the HCP key.
- Right-click and Export the ‘Selected Branch’ to be on the safe side.
- Right-click the HCP key, and then click Delete.
I read that it may cause some problems in your Control Panel, but I’ve tried most of the links and everything seems to be working on my XP computer.
[Editor's Note: This vulnerability was fixed in this month's Windows Update (July 13th), so make sure your computer is set to update Windows automatically or open your IE browser and go to Tools/Windows Update to download the security patch].
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We often get clients asking us for a recommendation on anti-virus software. This occurred last week when one of our clients was infected with a scareware trojan (again). He couldn’t download anything off the web because the trojan was blocking it and was standing at the anti-virus software rack at the local Office Max. He had been using AVG on his new computer, which didn’t block the scareware.
So let’s talk about antimalware protection for your home office or small business. First, there are Internet security suites that can contain a firewall, anti-virus, antimalware, anti-phishing, anti-spam, parental control, identity theft protection, backup software and any number of other features which you may or may not need.
Then there is dedicated anti-virus/antispyware software that specializes in protecting your computer from a virus/worm/trojan. Continue reading .
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There’s a new bot on the net called “Chuck Norris” trying to infect your router or DSL modem. If it’s successful it redirects your browser to a malicious web page that tries to install a virus, then looks for other vulnerabilities on your network.
It can also steal non-encrypted (non-SSL connections) private information and be used to attack other systems like most botnets.
This bot is new, but the attack method is not. It finds routers using default passwords or uses a basic password guessing program to install itself. Because it’s on your router, your anti-virus software can’t see it.
The solution is relatively simple. If you think your router or modem has been infected, just unplug the power source for 30 seconds or so and it should remove the bot from the RAM.
Next, make sure you have a strong password on your router. Look up how to access your router or modem’s interface in the manual that came with it or do a search on the web with the make and model for instructions on how to change the password.
Your router is like the front door to your computer(s). Using the default password is like leaving your front door unlocked..
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PDF files usually seem harmless. People don’t think twice about opening a PDF, even if it’s an email attachment, or reading one online.
Adobe has acknowledged a vulnerability in its Adobe Reader/Acrobat that allows hackers to hijack data from compromised computers. They are investigating the problem but haven’t come up with a patch yet.
You have two options: disable Javascript in Adobe Reader or use an alternate reader. The video below shows you how to do either option…
The alternate readers described in the video are:
Further reading:
Adobe confirms PDF zero-day attacks.
How to mitigate Adobe PDF malware attacks
[Author's Note 1/18/2010] Adobe released a fix for Adobe Reader/Acrobat Jan 15th. If your software hasn’t automatically updated then go here for directions on how to update..
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