Computer Security

Beware of “ransomware”

Ransomware is the name given to malicious software that once installed on your computer, keeps your files from you until you pay the ransom. In the latest example, software encrypts your files so you can’t open them, tells you they are corrupt, and offers a $50 utility to fix the problem.
With all the hype about [...]



Conficker virus panic overblown

Just a quick word to all our clients who may have been spooked by all the mainstream media reports of an impending I.T. armageddon today, that they are blowing it all out of proportion; The facts are;
Computers are already infected with the worm, so your PC is either already compromised, or its not and either [...]



Secret Censor blacklists are bad!

This is probably how censorship started everywhere in the world, like China; First, you tell your citizens that you are going to protected them for some nasty stuff that will hurt them, like Child Porn. Nobody can argue against getting rid of Child Porn!
Then, you point out that the list of websites you are going [...]



Facebook suffers photo outage

In another blow to “cloud computing”, the popular site facebook as temporarily lost about 15% of the users photos it stores for them. While this doesn’t mean the photo’s are gone, as once Facebook fixes their snafu they will reappear, it does go to show how we cannot yet fully rely on web services for [...]



ATO Warns against fake emails

The Tax Office is warning people about a fraudulent email being circulated that claims to offer a refund from the Tax Office.
It is similar to previous scams and uses the Tax Office logo and the words ‘Notification – Please read’ or ‘Australian Taxation Office – Please Read This’ in the subject heading.
There may also be [...]



Fake Anti Virus ripping off users

PandaLabs says that more than 30 million internet users have been tricked into installing fake anti virus software that steals personal information and bank details. They report that there are now over 7000 known variations of the fake AV scam, with that number increasing.
It is thought that about 3 percent of users have been tricked [...]



Trend Micro destroys windows

I’ve just become aware (yes, let to the party I know!) that Trend Micro PC Cillan earlier this month falsely identified a windows dll file as a trojan and deleted it, rendering affected machines useless and causing their owners to have to call in tech support to fix the problem.
This isn’t the first time [...]



Top Three AV packages have 80% miss rate!

Turns out testing shows the popular anti virus suites can fail as often as 80% of the time to protect you against malicious code. The theory is that the people writing the malicious code are specifically targeting the top packages and making their sneaky products more adept at getting around them.
Next time you are speaking [...]



Celebrity sites a major malware attack vector

News today that the internet bad guys looking to infect your computer with spyware and other nasties are using fake celebrity websites to accomplish their goals.
At different times, searches for celebrities like Paris Hilton or Britney Spears have been dangerous, as the number of fake websites that will infect your PC if you visit them [...]



New trojan on its way

Reports are filtering in that hackers are selling custom versions of a new trojan called Limbo 2, and they are guaranteeing the trojans ability to infect and to remain undetected.
Apparently those with a criminal mind can purchase a custom version of the trojan which they then use to infect computers with a “payload”, usually designed [...]