December 07, 2005

First IM (Instant Messaging) worm that could chat!

A new worm,named IM.Myspace04.AIM, that targets users of America Online's AOL Instant Messenger is believed to be the first that actually chats with the intended victim.

It says something like "lol thats cool" and included a URL to a malicious file "clarissa17.pif." If users feel suspected and asked if the attachment contained a virus, the worm has replied: "lol no its not its a virus". Cool, huh?

The malicious file disables security software, installs a backdoor and tweaks system files. Then it starts sending itself to contacts on the victim's buddy list.

But the worm is programmed so that the infected user cannot see the messages that are being sent out by the worm.

These news are based on the IM security vendor IMlogic. "This is a first," said Andrew Burton, director of product management at Waltham, Mass.-based IMlogic. This worm is not widespread, but attackers are just trying out this new technique, he said. "We will see one or two instances of an attack, there will be a refinement and then there will be an outbreak." [source]

October 18, 2005

HP Recalls over 135,000 Laptop Batteries

If you think you may be affected click here.

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, on October 14, 2005, HP announced a worldwide voluntary recall and replacement program for battery packs used in certain HP notebooks. HP customers affected by this program will be eligible to receive a replacement battery pack for each verified, affected, recalled battery pack at no cost.

The computer industry has recently experienced battery pack recalls by other computer manufacturers. However, HP believes that this current battery pack recall is unrelated to any other announced battery recall.

HP and the battery pack cell manufacturer have identified a defect in assembled battery packs manufactured between March 2004 and September 2004. HP considers the defect to pose a potential safety hazard to end users.

October 2, 2005

First Anti-Phishing Law Enacted in California

Arnold Schwarzenegger, governor of California, signed a bill yesterday that makes phishing a civil liability. According to MSNBC, the new law is the first of its kind in the country: "The bill, advanced by state Sen. Kevin Murray, is the first of its kind in the United States and makes 'phishing'... a civil violation. Victims may seek to recover actual damages or $500,000 for each violation, depending upon which is greater." This is an expensive penalty for phishers who are litigated against, but do the lack of criminal accountability and the burden of action on the victim hinder the effectiveness of this bill?"

September 26, 2005

Spoof email tricks AOL users

An email scam is targeting AOL customers in an attempt to steal personal details, according to web monitoring company Websense.

Users receive a spoofed email purporting to come from the security department at AOL claiming that the company suffered a security breach over the weekend and that confidential information may have been compromised.
The email also requests users to connect to a website to download and install a new 'security patch', which will 'protect their information'. The spoofed message reads:

'Failure to download this security patch in the next 48 hours will result in the temporary suspension of your America Online account. At this point we will send you a Security Patch CD in the mail. Upon installing it, your account will be reactivated.'

When users click on the link, they are redirected to a website hosted in Scotland which downloads a piece of malicious code, named patch.scr, written in Visual Basic and using Yoda Crypt.
When the file is run, a wizard opens to guide users through the disclosure of their confidential account and billing information, including their account limit. Once this information is obtained, it is sent in a text file via FTP to an account at a hosting facility.

Ross Paul, product marketing manager at Websense, said: "This is a blended threat that we haven't seen before. It combines the threat of a security breach with a link to a download that masquerades as a patch but in fact requests sensitive user information.

"The kind of questions it asks should alert you to the fraud because your provider already has those details."

September 4, 2005

Watch out for XP Service Pack 2 – There are many problems associated with the current release of the XP Operating System. Microsoft has documented many on their web site. http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=884130 If you have Windows Update set to automatic, you may have already been updated. About 200 program problems are listed on the above link, so if you are having related problems, contact either your software company for an update to correct XP service pack 2 or if you need further assistance, or have questions, contact Computer Medics Of West Houston @ 832-229-2046.

Examples of Programs affected: AOL Tool Bar, Encyclopaedia Brittanica, Norton AntiVirus (does not automatically start scanning), and Norton Systemworks, Yahoo Instant Messenger, Zone Alarm (a recommended Firewall program by Microsoft).

August 18, 2005