Nov182010

Facebook exploits

Published by dave at 9:24 PM under computers | Current Threats | Malware | Internet | Daily Tips | Facebook

You may have read this week how Facebook had disabled a number of accounts of people in an attempt to weed out spam accounts (particularly targeting "female" user accounts).   In what appears to be an attempt to exploit the fact many legitimate accounts were inadvertently disabled, hackers have spammed an attack pretending to be from Facebook notifying you that your account password has been changed.  While there are a number of subject lines associated with the spam, they all carry a ZIP file with malicious payload known as Mal/BredoZp-B, and the Trojan horse contained within as Troj/Agent-PLG.

Once again this is an attempt to cause havoc through social engineering and deception.  Do not open the attached file or any attachment that seems suspicious.  Here is sample text of the email you may receive:

Good afternoon.

A spam is sent from your Facebook account.
Your password has been changed for safety.

Information regarding your account and a new password is attached to the letter.
Read this information thoroughly and change the password to complicated one.

Thank you for your attention,
Facebook Service.

 

 



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Sep282010

The evolving “LinkedIn” threat

A couple of days ago I posted a warning about false communications pretending to be from LinkedIn.  That threat continues and evolves with a variation on the threat arriving in my email today.  See the screen capture below.  Everything about this email on the surface looks legitimate, except of course for the fact my name is not “Dawn”, nor am I expecting any payment from any of my LinkedIn connections.

As always, your best defense is your own common sense.  If anything arrives in your email that just doesn’t “smell right”, chances are it’s not right and potentially carrying a nasty payload just like the ZIP file attached in this email.

Always make sure your system has the latest critical updates from Microsoft.  Always make sure you have current AntiVirus and other malware detection systems active and most importantly, CURRENT and up to date with the latest threat definitions.  The Internet is a seedy place, browse safely and trust no one.

 

Email carrying malicious payload



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Sep252010

New “LinkedIn” threat

Published by dave at 11:43 AM under Current Threats | Malware | social media | Daily Tips

Lately I’ve been receiving a lot of email “invitations” to connect with people on LinkedIn, a popular career networking site.  There are three glaring problems which should raise your suspicion immediately: 1) the emails are arriving at an email address that I have not associated with LinkedIn, 2) I've never heard of the person "making the request", and 3) the URL to accept the invitation is to a phishing site. 

This is a classic case of social engineering to either scam you or damage your computer.  Notice how in this photo when you hover over the “link” to connect, it is directing you to a site other than LinkedIn?  Best bet anytime you receive a message like this is delete delete delete.  Don’t let curiosity get the better of you.

 

LinkedInScam



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Sep142010

Today’s Tip - Alternative Web Browsers

Published by dave at 10:55 AM under Internet | software | Daily Tips | video

If you’re looking for an Internet browser other than Internet Explorer you have options.  Firefox is a popular browser but many people complain of and experience performance issues with it.  Google’s “Chrome” browser touts security with it’s “surf in a sandbox” concept but there are privacy concerns with this browser as everything you do in the browser is transmitted to Google for analysis.  Apple’s Safari browser has a very small footprint in the PC realm… a larger base on Mac since it is the embedded native browser.  One of my current favorite browsers that you might find to be an attractive alternative is Opera’s latest browser 10.60.  It’s free, and it’s fast!  One thing about the browser to be aware of though is by default it wants to turn on Opera “Turbo” mode which optimizes the browser for slow connections… ie, 56k modem.  If you have broadband service of 3MB or greater speed you will want to disable Turbo.  Another browser I just started toying with is from Lunascape (lunascape.tv).  Has a look that is something of a hybrid between Opera and Safari.  What I like about it right up front is the ability to quickly change the rendering engine on the fly without having to dig down into preference and other settings.  If you're feeling very adventurous and a serious computer junkie, look into the Konqueror browser as well.

I encourage to explore and experiment with other offerings until you find the one that feels right for you.  In the meantime, enjoy the introductory video about Opera 10.60 and if you have questions or comments about any of the browsers mentioned (or browsers not mentioned), feel free to consult the Dr.

 



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