computer virus

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Virus 'Scareware' Scams Millions
Virus 'Scareware'
Scams Millions
Oct 19, 2009 5:07 AM CDT

Virus 'Scareware' Scams Millions

Alarming virus warnings part of major rip off

(Newser) - Alarming warnings that internet surfers' computers are being invaded by a devastating virus are almost always scams used to either hack into computers or rip off consumers for phony protective software. More than 40 million people have fallen victim to the "scareware" scam in the past year. Experts have...

Microsoft's Free Antivirus Software Actually Works!
Microsoft's Free Antivirus Software Actually Works!
Tech Review
Oct 1, 2009 1:00 PM CDT

Microsoft's Free Antivirus Software Actually Works!

Program performs well in stress test

(Newser) - Want a great, free antivirus program from a big software brand? OK, it’s from Microsoft, and … wait! Come back! Believe it or not, Microsoft’s new Security Essentials software is pretty darn good. AV-Test.org ran it through a bevy of tests and found the freebie performed admirably....

New Trojan Horse Virus Stalks Online Banking

Infected computers provide secret log-ins to hackers

(Newser) - A complex new Trojan horse virus called Clampi is stealing online banking log-in codes from infected computers and broadcasting them to hackers who can then empty the victim's bank account, reports the Times of London. The virus spreads via websites laced with the malicious code, including banks, credit card companies,...

Jessica Biel Is Most Dangerous Celeb Online

Searches for actress yield most viruses, spyware: McAfee

(Newser) - Jessica Biel is the most dangerous celebrity on the web, says a security tech firm. McAfee reported that searches for the 27-year-old actress are more likely to lead to online threats such as spyware and viruses than searches for any other celebrity. Fans searching for the actress have a one-in-five...

'Every iPhone in the World' at Risk Tomorrow

Text-messaging flaw could let hackers take over your mobile

(Newser) - The iPhone’s text-messaging system has a dangerous flaw that hackers could exploit to take control of your phone, researchers say. They’ll reveal the trouble at a conference tomorrow, Forbes reports. So if you get a text with a “single square character,” turn off your phone right...

Conficker Worm's Still Out There ... Doing Nothing

(Newser) - An April Fools information apocalypse did not occur, but the widespread Conficker virus that caused so much fear of is still out there, CNN reports. Experts are puzzled over the lack of an attack, but the sheer size of the Conficker infection—5 million computers—yields a clue. “The...

Experts Fear Robots Will Outsmart Humans

(Newser) - With Predator drones bombing villages and robots plugging themselves in, is Hal from 2001: A Space Odyssey around the corner? Leading researchers met recently in Monterery Bay, Calif., to address such fears. Runaway superintelligence seems unlikely, they concluded, but speech synthesis technology could aid data-hunting crooks, and autonomous robotic...

Sorry Folks, No 'Twitpocalypse' Tonight
Sorry Folks, No 'Twitpocalypse' Tonight
analysis
Jun 12, 2009 7:09 PM CDT

Sorry Folks, No 'Twitpocalypse' Tonight

(Newser) - Rumors of a Y2K-style Twitter bug crashing the microblogging site tonight are mere tweeter-tattle, Ryan Paul writes on Ars Technica. True, Twitter assigns each missive with a numerical ID, and their total will soon exceed 2,147,483,647—the most a 32-bit assigned interger can fit. But the site,...

Microsoft to Release Free Anti-Virus Software Soon

(Newser) - Microsoft is developing free anti-virus software to compete with subscription services from Symantec and McAfee, Reuters reports. The program, codenamed Morro, will be released in beta “soon” and will likely have similar features to other companies’ entry-level products that cost about $40 a year. Microsoft made an attempt to...

Conficker Virus Comes Alive, Attacks PCs

(Newser) - Weeks after causing an April Fool's scare, the Conficker bug has come to life and used some personal computers to send out spam, Reuters reports. The computer virus, which has infected millions of PCs, downloaded the spam software onto a small percentage of them in recent weeks. One expert warns...

Conficker Worm Springs Into Action

Mysterious update begins to spread; millions vulnerable

(Newser) - The Conficker worm is showing signs of life a week later than expected, but experts aren’t quite sure what it’s doing, the BBC reports. The program, believed to be on millions of PCs worldwide, began updating itself last night, downloading encrypted software, researchers at Trend Micro found. The...

Computer Virus Phobia Leads to ... Computer Viruses

(Newser) - Fear of computer viruses is now one of the major reasons people are getting them in the first place, Reuters reports. According to Microsoft, seven of the 25 top threats come in the form of fake security programs, which users terrified of malware like Conficker are installing indiscriminately. Losing market...

Conficker Worm Threat Lingers
 Conficker Worm Threat Lingers 
ANALYSIS
Apr 2, 2009 11:58 AM CDT

Conficker Worm Threat Lingers

27 tech giants have banded together to fight it

(Newser) - April Fools’ Day passed without major incident, but the Conficker computer worm is still contacting 500 websites daily from millions of infected computers, reports PC World. A conglomerate of 27 tech heavyweights—including Microsoft, Facebook, and AOL—have managed to limit the peer-to-peer worm’s communicability. But Conficker is still...

Conficker Worm Date Passes Quietly—So Far

Experts warn megavirus could still pose a serious threat

(Newser) - The Conficker worm came to life on its April 1 trigger date but failed to cause any major incidents—so far, Infoworld reports. Fears that the internet itself might be affected have yet to materialize, though experts warn that the malware—estimated to be lying in wait in 10 million...

How to Find, Kill the Conficker Worm

Computer invader may cause trouble tomorrow

(Newser) - Millions of PCs have been infected with the Conficker worm, and word has it the program may cause mischief tomorrow—April Fool’s Day. But routing it out needn’t be difficult, the AP reports. Here’s how:
  • The worm blocks access to Microsoft and antivirus vendor sites, which offer
...

Worm Set to Unleash Massive April Fool's Prank

Malware experts race against time to limit the program's damage

(Newser) - Malware experts are racing to find the authors of the Conficker C worm and limit the damage it seems poised to do beginning April Fool’s Day, CNN reports. Conficker C, the bug’s third iteration since late 2008, has infected between 5 and 10 million computers but so far...

Microsoft Offers $250K to Catch Worm Creators

(Newser) - Microsoft has offered a $250,000 bounty for the creators of the dreaded Conficker worm, which has infected 10 million computers worldwide, PC Magazine reports. The software giant is working with security firms and domain name administrator ICANN to find the culprits, whose virus exploits a vulnerability in Windows. Microsoft...

Computer Virus Targets Gullible Lovebirds

Clicking on heart images in email could turn your machine into spambot

(Newser) - A Valentine-themed spam campaign is underway, with a side dish of coercion and extortion, Computer Weekly reports. Users receive an email, ostensibly from a secret admirer, with a link to a website that downloads a bot called Waledec. Not only does Waledec co-opt the user’s address list and start...

Fannie Mae Engineer Indicted for Planting Crippling Code

Trap that could have caused millions in damage found after man was fired but before it activated

(Newser) - A former Fannie Mae contract worker was indicted Tuesday on a count of computer sabotage for planting malicious code that would have crippled the mortgage giant’s network of 4,000 servers for at least a week, Wired reports. Rajendrasinh Babubha Makwana crafted the malware the same day he was...

Hackers Breach Monster.com

4.5M compromised in UK; jobs site unsure how many of 75M worldwide may be affected

(Newser) - Hackers have illegally accessed Monster.com and stolen personal details from an uncertain number of its 75 million users, Bloomberg reports. The hackers snatched user IDs, passwords, contact information and more, though resumes weren’t accessed. Users should be on the lookout for bogus e-mails that appear to come from...

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