Malware Alerts

‘Explosive Growth’ of Malware SPAM

Published September 14, 2011 | By InetDaemon

From M86 Security Labs comes a blog post showing ‘explosive’ growth in malicious spam, originating from the Cutwail, Festi and Asprox botnets.

Posted in Malware Alerts, Security | Tagged Computer, Malware, Security

World-wide SPAM levels drop 1/3 – Is Rustock Really Dead?

Published April 2, 2011 | By InetDaemon

Symantec estimates that 1/3 of all SPAM was stopped when Microsoft (with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals and a court order) took steps to shut down the Rustock botnet. Other botnets (Bagle, Festi, Cutwail, Lethic, Grum, Xarvester and others) are stepping into the void left by Rustock. Whether Rustock will remain ‘dead’, is unclear as the Rustock programmers and Rustock ringleaders are still unidentified and still at large.

This isn’t the first time Microsoft has taken down a botnet and Rustock is not the only botnet.

We have known for years that personal and business desktop computers infected with viruses and bots were the primary source of the majority of SPAM on the Internet. Lack of computer literacy, knowing how to use and protect your computer, is the primary enabler of computer infection. Having anti-virus isn’t enough, you have to know how to protect your computer and how to surf the web and handle e-mail and files safely.

From the Web:

MICROSOFT

Taking Down Botnets: Microsoft and the Rustock Botnet.

SYMANTEC

NEW YORK TIMES

SPAM Network Shut Down

Posted in Computers, Endpoint Security, Internet, Malware Alerts, News, Security, SPAMs and Scams, Technology, Tweet | Tagged anti-virus, Computer, Internet, Microsoft, Security

Fake Facebook Password Notice

Published April 12, 2010 | By InetDaemon

Received an e-mail today from hackers trying to trick me into opening a file attached to the e-mail. The file was, of course, malware. Below is a copy of the fake Facebook e-mail. These e-mails have been circulating since January 2010.

Full Story: Fake Facebook Password Notice

Continue reading →

Posted in Facebook, Malware Alerts, Technology

Mac Gets Hacked, Again

Published March 29, 2010 | By InetDaemon

Third year in a row Charlie Miller has walked away with the prize at Pwn2Own. Apple is busy patching. As I keep telling my Mac-zealot friends, Mac’s can and do get hacked every day. There is no such thing as a system that is ‘inherently secure’ or ‘inherently immune’ to attack.

Posted in Computers, Malware Alerts, Technology

Yet Another Trojan

Published February 20, 2010 | By InetDaemon

Received a couple of e-mails with the following text:

FROM:   shipping@dhl.com
SUBJECT:  DHL Office. You need to get a parcel NR.xxxx

Dear customer!

The courier service was not able to deliver your parcel at your address.
Cause: Mistake in address
You may pickup the parcel at our post office personally.
The delivery advice is attached to this e-mail.
Print this label to get this package at our post office.
Please do not reply to this e-mail, it is an unmonitored mailbox!
Thank you,
DHL Services.

DHL will usually leave the package at your doorstep unless special instructions were provided or the package is insured (valuable).
If they can’t deliver, they leave a slip of paper at your door, as does UPS, FedEx and the postal service.
If someone flubbed the mailing address, and DHL can’t make sense of it, DHL will send it back to the point of origin (where it was mailed from).
If the address was mistaken and truely was from DHL, how could DHL possibly look me up by a mistaken address and get the right e-mail address, even if they DID have my e-mail (they don’t).
The e-mail address it was sent to is never used as an e-mail address, it is used as a ‘throwaway’ address so that spam sent to it goes in round-file 13 (trashcan).
Given the above, this can’t possibly have come from DHL.
A file is attached named “Facebook_password_xxxxx.zip”. If it is supposed to be ‘delivery advice’–why is the file named ‘Facebook Password’? The least these so-called hackers could have done is pay attention and got the lies straight.

ADVICE:

If you get an e-mail similar to this, don’t open the attachment, delete it unread.

Posted in Facebook, Malware Alerts, Social, Technology, Tweet | Tagged phish, phishing, security alerts, trojan, viruses, worms

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