Computer Security Articles

The Virus Bulletin Magazine has published an article on the anti-botnet initiative in which Avira takes part. The goal is to clean infected computers and reduce the impact of cyber criminal activities.

Read the article here (.pdf, 111kb) or head over to the Virus Bulletin web site where the magazine is available as whole!

Sorin Mustaca
Data Security Expert

Source: Avira – TechBlog

WASHINGTON (AP) — A malicious computer attack that appears to target Iran’s nuclear plants can be modified to wreak havoc on industrial control systems around the world, and represents the most dire cyberthreat known to industry, government officials and experts said Wednesday.

They warned that industries are becoming increasingly vulnerable to the so-called Stuxnet worm as they merge networks and computer systems to increase efficiency. The growing danger, said lawmakers, makes it imperative that Congress move on legislation that would expand government controls and set requirements to make systems safer.

The complex code is not only able to infiltrate and take over systems that control manufacturing and other critical operations, but it has even more sophisticated abilities to silently steal sensitive intellectual property data, experts said.

Dean Turner, director of the Global Intelligence Network at Symantec Corp., told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that the “real-world implications of Stuxnet are beyond any threat we have seen in the past.”

Analysts and government officials told the senators they remain unable to determine who launched the attack. But the design and performance of the code, and that the bulk of the attacks were in Iran, have fueled speculation that it targeted Iranian nuclear facilities.

Turner said there were 44,000 unique Stuxnet computer infections worldwide through last week, and 1,600 in the United States. Sixty percent of the infections were in Iran, including several employees’ laptops at the Bushehr nuclear plant.

Iran has said it believes Stuxnet is part of a Western plot to sabotage its nuclear program, but experts see few signs of major damage at Iranian facilities.

A senior government official warned Wednesday that attackers can use information made public about the Stuxnet worm to develop variations targeting other industries, affecting the production of everything from chemicals to baby formula.

“This code can automatically enter a system, steal the formula for the product you are manufacturing, alter the ingredients being mixed in your product and indicate to the operator and your antivirus software that everything is functioning as expected,” said Sean McGurk, acting director of Homeland Security’s national cybersecurity operations center.

Stuxnet specifically targets businesses that use Windows operating software and a control system designed by Siemens AG. That combination, said McGurk, is used in many critical sectors, from automobile assembly to mixing products such as chemicals.

Turner added that the code’s highly sophisticated structure and techniques also could mean that it is a one-in-a-decade occurrence. The virus is so complex and costly to develop “that a select few attackers would be capable of producing a similar threat,” he said.

Experts said governments and industries can do much more to protect critical systems.

Michael Assante, who heads the newly created, not-for-profit National Board of Information Security Examiners, told lawmakers that control systems need to be walled off from other networks to make it harder for hackers to access them. And he encouraged senators to beef up government authorities and consider placing performance requirements and other standards on the industry to curtail unsafe practices and make systems more secure.

“We can no longer ignore known system weaknesses and simply accept current system limitations,” he said. “We must admit that our current security strategies are too disjointed and are often, in unintended ways, working against our efforts to address” cybersecurity challenges.

The panel chairman, Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., said legislation on the matter will be a top priority after lawmakers return in January.

Associated Press

New and important evidence found in the sophisticated “Stuxnet” malware targeting industrial control systems provides strong hints that the code was designed to sabotage nuclear plants, and that it employs a subtle sabotage strategy that involves briefly speeding up and slowing down physical machinery at a plant over a span of weeks.

“It indicates that [Stuxnet's creators] wanted to get on the system and not be discovered and stay there for a long time and change the process subtly, but not break it,” says Liam O Murchu, researcher with Symantec Security Response, which published the new information in an updated paper (.pdf) on Friday.

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Source: Security

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twitter.com – facebook.com – During live calls recently, one person asked my opinion on the best anti-virus program to use. I always defer this question to my assistant, Kat. She is a five-year Microsoft MVP in Consumer Security. What security software do you use? chris.pirillo.com

Please RATE or Comment! Microsoft Security Essentials provides real-time protection for your home PC that guards against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software. For more windows tips, click here PCWizKidsTechTalk.com cheers Video Notes Download it from: www.microsoft.com Works in Windows XP 32bit, Vista dn Windows 7 (32 and 64bit)
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I have put together a video on the best paid security suites on the market today and what sites to go to get them! This will give you a brief summary from each and from there, you can decide which one best suits you =] Thank You everyone for over 10000 views! I had to speed Hypercam up a bit or else the video would of gone for approximately 20 minutes. If you cant read anything in the video or have any other questions, either post here or on my profile channel and I will reply to your query. Please Comment, Rate and Subscribe!

UPDATE Issues resolved. The windows logon ui seemed to negate any work done by antivirus programs. I simply renamed the file to exold from exe and haven’t had a problem since. Bad image errors resolved by paying attention to the name & location of the dll file. I went to my other xp pc and searched for that file and copied it from the exact folder referenced in the error since there were two copies of that file on the pc in different folders. Went back to the problem computer and first copied the referenced dll file and saved it to another hard drive just in case I really messed things up. Then I inserted my flash that contained the dll file from my other PC and copied and pasted it to the folder it was supposed to be in. I don’t have those Bad Image errors anymore. Below is what I first posted before resolving the issues: It looks like I have a virus.. Things haven’t looked the same since March 31, 2009. I get a series of bad image errors. Some programs work and some don’t. Regardless of the program, I get a bad image error box referencing the applicatoin or DLL c;|windows|system32\sensapi.dll is not a valid windows image. Please check this against your diskette. I have found some Trojans when running Super AntiSpyware, but I receive a windows logon ui error or the screen will go Blue (NOT A BLUE SCREEN of DEATH) and the only option is to power off. Any attempt to download patches from Microsof windows update is negated by the inability to Install Active X. I have run …

Digital Trends – The downside of having smarter phones is that they are easier to hack. China is finding this out the hard way. More than 1 million cell phones in China have been infected with a virus that continually sends out text messages, costing the country’s citizens $300,000 a day (2 million yuan), according to Shanghai Daily (via InformationWeek).

View full post on Yahoo! News: Security News

Removal information: deletemalware.blogspot.com

Experts say that on April 1st (some time today holy crap!!!!!), a deadly internet worm that has infected an estimated 3+ million Windows computers will be pwned, taking the users down with it. Several hundred thousand internet users will die. No, seriously. JK. But this is one of the worst computer viruses of all time. Over 3 million Windows Computers were affected, and so far no file has been found that may be the virus. It has the potential to erase every file on your hard drive. If we are lucky, nothing will happen, and that is very likely. Some believe it is attempt to sell something, probably some kind of antivirus. A message might pop up saying you have viruses or something, and will suggest you download a program. If you get it, don’t install anything. No antivirus can currently detect it. It will be activated tomorrow, and there are 2 things you can do to see if you have it. If you have windows update usually turned on, go to your control panel. It probably turned it off. If it is still on, theres a good chance you don’t have it. It will also block access to the Microsoft website. Go to www.microsoft.com and see if the page loads properly. If it does, you’re in good shape. UPDATE: So far, nothing happened. But there is proof that there is a virus on millions of computers worldwide. We are lucky that it didn’t cause any computer damage, but it may gradually become worse. It may eventually turn into a keylogger, which will record your keystrokes to steal stuff like …

Descripción y análisis de un virus residente encontrado en el sistema mundial. La religión y los testigos de jehová! Traído a ustedes por elAntiVirus2008

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Instant Virus Killer Developer Hafiz Usman and Syed Imran Ali. Instant Virus Killer is the World’s 1st Antivirus that can detect the USB viruses immediately without any scanning on insertion of USB to your system. No need to reinstall the Windows.

Our friends at Virus Bulletin are hosting a seminar later this month that looks as if it should be worth a visit. Of course, security seminars are ten a penny, but this one is organized by the security-knowledgeable but vendor-agnostic magazine whose annual conference is one of the major highlights of an anti-malware researcher's year. (Yes, we … Read More.

View full post on ESET ThreatBlog

PC Magazine – If a virus or other malware gets past your security software don’t immediately assume you have to wipe the PC clean. There are many tools to help clear up a problem like this.

View full post on Yahoo! News: Security News

An Eastern European cybercrime ring stole $70 million from US banks, the FBI announced today. In additions to the dozens of individuals charged in the…

View full post on Computer Crime Research News

If a virus or other malware gets past your security software don’t immediately assume you have to wipe the PC clean. There are many tools to help clear up a problem like this.

View full post on PCMag.com Security Coverage

AFP – Dutch authorities announced Tuesday the arrest in Armenia of the alleged mastermind behind a computer virus crime group whose server network was dismantled in the Netherlands a day earlier.

View full post on Yahoo! News: Security News

This video compares the most popular virus scanners to see which one’s are the best.

Anti Virus – How To Know If Your Computer Has A Virus: antivirus-software.tech.officelive.com Many viruses today try to interfere with the downloading of windows security updates and the installation of anti-virus and anti-malware software. They are designed to interfere with the internet connection. They can block updates, thus making the anti-malware or anti-virus software almost useless. Some of the viruses are so sophisticated that they can render the new software ineffective during the download and installation process, before you ever get a chance to run the first scan. This makes the virus or malicious software very difficult to remove. More malware can download onto your computer while you are running scans to remove it! You will need to learn how to run your computer in the “Safe Mode with Networking” to update your software and remove a bad virus infection. Details on how to do that and free software at antivirus-software.tech.officelive.com Sign up for our free security newsletter at antivirus-software.tech.officelive.com More ways to protect your computer at spyware.tech.officelive.com

live.pirillo.com – What is more stupid… running your face alongside a cheese grater, or running Limewire? I argue that it’s far healthier to run your face on the cheese grater. What can you do if you don’t run an anti-virus on your desktop? Is there any other way to protect yourself? More information chris.pirillo.com

More than six out of every 10 PC users (62.1 percent) have had a computer virus at some point, a PC Advisor survey has found.

View full post on Network World on Security

EL LINK PARA DESCARGAR MSN CLEANER 1.1.4 ES: www.megaupload.com

Aqui esta el blog donde podran ver el post original para descargar las herramientas y mas www.perucomputec.com By Polin para www.perucomputec.com