Securelist / Blog
Securelist / Blog
  • Adobe Incubates Flash Runtime for Firefox

    The Adobe AIR and Adobe Flash Player Incubator program updated their Flash Platform runtime beta program to version 5, delivered as Flash Player version 11.2.300.130. It includes a "sandboxed" version of the 32-bit Flash Player they are calling "Protected Mode for Mozilla Firefox on Windows 7 and Windows Vista systems". It has been over a year since Adobe discussed the Internet Explorer ActiveX Protected Mode version release on their ASSET blog, and the version running on Google Chrome was sandboxed too.

    Adobe is building on the successes that they have seen in their Adobe Reader X software. Its sandbox technology has substantially raised the bar for driving up the costs of "offensive research", resulting in a dearth of Itw exploits on Reader X. As in "none" in 2011. This trend reflects 2011 targeted attack activity that we’ve observed. 2011 APT related attacks nailed outdated versions of Adobe Flash software delivered as "authplay.dll" in Adobe Reader v8.x and v9.x and the general Flash component "NPSWF32.dll" used by older versions of Microsoft Office and other applications. Adobe X just wasn't hit. IE Protected Mode wasn't hit. Chrome sandboxed Flash wasn't hit. If there are incident handlers out there that saw a different story, please let me know.

  • Malicious ads on security websites
        Perhaps the worst possible scenario is when a bank website is hosting malicious ads: you never know what can be installed and when on your computer if you click on the ad banners. Something similar happens with security websites hosting malicious ads. They are supposed to be for security information. The people browsing such sites trust the content to be safe, but in actual fact because of the ad banners the resources may be anything but trustworthy.

  • Will Google Bouncer definitely remove all malware from the Android Market?
    Will the Bouncer be effective in addressing the malware problems with Android apps? First of all, this is a good and really necessary move Google is taking, however the solution will be only partial. Based on the public information around this service, all apps will be scanned for known malware. Basically that means a multi-scanner or something similar will be used, so the quality of malware detection will depend greatly on what AV engines Google will use to analyze apps. Not all AV engines have the same quality, so there is a possibility some malicious apps won't be detected as malicious. The second step offered by Google is emulation. It's a good approach, however it can also be cheated by anti-emulation tricks or a malicious app can be programmed to behave differently once an emulation is detected, making the app appear to be non-threatening.  So, basically the same malware tricks used to bypass Windows security can be implemented now on Android.
    Is it still a good idea to use a mobile security program for protection even with Bouncer in place? Yes, for sure it's a good idea. The situation is many people download apps not only from the official Android Market, but also from third-party sources.  Nobody knows for certain what kind of apps are out there on private market stores, run by people not affiliated with Google. Additionally as we mentioned if Google's multi-scanner won't count on all AV engines but only some of them, it's certainly good to use AV detection on your phone as a second opinion for anything that might have slipped past Google’s scanner.
    Are there ways for hackers to sneak infected apps into the store despite Bouncer? Yes and one of them is by hacking well known and trustful developers accounts. In fact I believe that will happen in the near feature. I say this because of Google says it will check all new developers account. If a developer is already known and trusted by Google, that developer account will be a prime target for cybercriminals. Also, even though we haven’t seen it happen yet, we know cybercriminals can start developing apps that work differently in specific geographic zones. For example, an app could be designed to only behave maliciously if it detects a Latin American carrier…if the same app is used by a US carrier, no malicious behavior will be detected. That's also an anti-emulation trick which can be exploited by cybercriminals in order to avoid Bouncer detection.
 
SpywareGuide Articles
Articles on Spyware, Adware, Malware and privacy in general
SpywareGuide Articles
  • DATA-THEFT WORM TARGETING GOOGLE'S ORKUT
    FaceTime Security Labs announced the discovery of a worm that steals users? banking details, usernames and passwords. The worm, known as MW.Orc, is propagating through Orkut, Google?s social networking site, as users launch an executable file disguised as a JPEG. Google has a temporary fix in place
  • The Digital Underground: Interview with RinCe
    This is Part TWO of a series of write-ups focusing on the recent threat to E-Commerce systems via potential IM (Instant Messaging) attack vectors and more besides, by way of a remotely installed administration tool and custom-built scripts, designed to find vulnerabilities in third-party payment sys
  • Property Values, Satellite Maps and Zillow
    A new service called Zillow allows you to easily access the value of your home...and your neighbors and even their neighbors. SpywareGuide articles are sponsored by FaceTime Communications, providing solutions for securing and controlling IM, P2P and Spyware Greynets.
What Is Spyware? PDF Print E-mail
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Submitted By: Johnny Moon

 

You hear a lot about spyware these days and unfortunately many of us have dealt with it first hand. I think anyone who has had to deal with spyware knows at least one thing about it; It's annoying. Sometimes it can be even more than just annoying, sometimes spyware can be used to steal your identity.

Everyone hates spyware (except for maybe the evil people who create it) but what is it exactly?

It's computer software that is usually downloaded onto your computer without your knowledge. This spyware software collects personal information about the user(s) of the computer that it is running on.

Among the information that spyware may record are the websites that users of the computer go to, keystrokes entered into the computer (worst case scenario being the recording of important secret passwords), and the contents of the computer's hard drive. Spyware may scan the hard drive looking for information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, and passwords.

Spyware can be intended to do a variety of things. It can be intended to steal your financial information and steal your identity or it can merely be trying to collect data on you for advertising purposes. While the latter may not be nearly as serious it's almost as annoying.

If you're like me then you don't want any program running on your computer that you didn't purposely run yourself. One of the best methods of preventing spyware is to be careful of what websites you surf to and what email you open. Never open an email that looks suspicious and has an attachment (even if it's from someone you know.) Sometimes emails are forwarded that have very bad attachments that the person who is sending it to you may not have any clue about. Avoiding certain types of websites will also improve your odds of avoiding spyware. Websites which claim to offer "free" anything may also be sending your computer free spyware, for example. Free "adult" websites and websites which offer "cracks" are among the most dangerous sites. Also be wary of most sites which have popups. Sometimes popups are harmless but unfortunately they are also often used for evil.

Luckily there is some software that has been developed to combat spyware. This software of course costs money but I find that it is really essential these days due to the constant barrage of spyware that attacks computers on the internet today.

Spyware can be merely annoying but it can sometimes be much worse than that. You have to protect your computer and surf smart.

About the Author
Johnny Moon is one of the reviewers for SmartReviews.INFO who helped choose XoftSpySE as the top SpyWare protection software available today.

Published At: www.Isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=155307&ca=Advice
 
 

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