Windows Security »
13-year-old Alaskan middle school students hack classroom computers by using phishing on their teachers
In Ketchikan, Alaska a group of 18 students (aged 12 to 13 years) attending Schoenbar Middle School were able to hack into various computers after exploiting teachers to gain admin access. After taking control of various computers remotely, the hackers played pranks on other students.
Teachers were alerted about the [...]
Read More »[Windows] Easily block porn, phishing, and malware websites with DNS Angel
The internet is an extremely dangerous place, even for adults. At any given moment, we can have our sensitive information stolen, run into a phishing scam, catch a virus and come across the occasional site that advocates pornography (some of those ads can get pretty risqué). As adults we know [...]
24% of PCs worldwide are vulnerable to viruses and cyber attacks, because people don’t update their antivirus
According to the most recent Microsoft Security Intelligence Report, an average of 24 percent of computers worldwide are vulnerable to viruses and cyber attacks. The reason? Simple — the lack of up-to-date antivirus software.
The report says that some people may not realize the importance of installing and maintaining [...]
Read More »EA’s online video game service Origin is exploitable by bug that lets attackers remotely run malicious code
Video game publisher Electronic Arts recently put out one of the bigger releases of the year in SimCity. The game was plagued with launch woes and continuous server issues as it required an online connection to EA’s Origin service to function. It turns out that’s not the end of the [...]
Read More »Hackers successfully crack Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer on Windows 8 and Windows 7 at Pwn2Own hacker competition
Chrome OS may have survived a barrage of attacks at Pwnium 3 but Windows and Windows browsers have not been so lucky. At Pwn2Own, a hacker competition sponsored by HP, hackers were able to exploit vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer 10 on Windows 8, Chrome on Windows 7, and Firefox on [...]
Read More »Oracles releases Java patch to fix latest McRat exploit, update right now to stay safe
Last week two separate instances of Java zero-day vulnerabilities were reported. One, reported by Security Explorations, was not (is not) being exploited in-the-wild as far as anyone knows. The second one, however, was (is) being exploited in-the-wild to infect users with McRat trojan. Oracle has now issued an update to [...]
Read More »Yet another new zero-day Java vulnerability is found, and this one is being exploited in-the-wild
Do you still have Java installed? Then you probably want to know that yet another zero-day Java vulnerability is found, and unlike the two vulnerabilities discovered earlier this week by Security Explorations, this vulnerability is being exploited in-the-wild effectively making it a new zero-day attack aimed at Java users.
According [...]
Read More »![Kaspersky tells user to “ignore” Trojan found on computer [Image]](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/02/fail_kaspersky-290x160.jpg)
Guess what? Adobe Flash is being hit with in-the-wild attacks (again); update to latest version to stay safe
Java. Flash. Java. Flash. Java. Flash. It seems like these two take turns in making your system vulnerable to attack. Sometimes they even misbehave at the same time, like today. As mentioned earlier today, two new vulnerabilities have been discovered in Java. Now it is Flash’s turn.
Adobe just announced [...]
Read More »This is getting old: New zero-day vulnerabilities found in latest versions of Java, including Java 7 Update 15
Still have Java installed on your computer or enabled in your browser? Then you should know new vulnerabilities have been discovered in the latest versions of Java. Again.
The current latest version of Java is Java 7 Update 15, which includes the most recent patch Oracle issues on February 19. [...]
Read More »Browser toolbars aren’t just annoying — they can be dangerous, too [Image]
![Browser toolbars aren’t just annoying — they can be dangerous, too [Image]](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/02/bad_toolbar-290x160.png)
Most of us dislike having toolbars in our browsers because they are annoying; not only do they tend to hijack our homepages, but they use up a lot of screen real estate, making it more difficult to surf the web… especially if you have 12 toolbars installed in one browser. [...]
Read More »Adobe Reader is hit with new zero-day attack, avoid immediately to stay safe
Adobe Reader, Adobe’s popular PDF viewer, has a flaw that is allowing hackers to install malware on users’ computers. The exploit affects the latest version of the program (11.0.1), as well as earlier versions. This appears to be Windows only.
Adobe engineers have tried to make malware attacks harder to [...]
Read More »32% of computers around the world are infected with viruses and malware, according to Panda Security
Most anti-virus companies like to release yearly reports based on their findings throughout the year. Panda Security is no exception and has released its ’2012 Annual Security Report’. In this report you will find some stats that may or may not shock you.
Of all the computers scanned by Panda [...]
Read More »Be sure to run Windows Update this Tuesday, Microsoft is going to release a monster update that fixes 57 vulnerabilities — including a critical Internet Explorer bug
Every second Tuesday of every month Microsoft releases patches of its products on Windows. This day has come to be known as ‘Patch Tuesday’. And this upcoming Patch Tuesday is going to be one you don’t want to miss.
In total, this Tuesday (February 12) will see twelve patches being [...]
Read More »Adobe Flash is under attack, update to Flash 11.5.502.149 to stay safe
Attacks on Java may be subsided for a few days but the other kink in your armor — Flash — is now under attack. Adobe has released a security bulletin notifying Windows and Mac OS X users to update to Flash 11.5.502.149 because of an ongoing attack targeting Windows and [...]
Read More »New York Times hack shows your antivirus won’t protect you from zero-day attacks
Some may call it obvious but just having antivirus software installed isn’t going to help you much if hit by zero-day attacks. The New York Times had antivirus from Symantec (Norton) installed on the devices connected to their network, but that didn’t stop Chinese hackers from retrieving usernames and passwords [...]
Read More »Latest version of Java (7u11) is still vulnerable, Oracle issued an incomplete patch according to experts
Something surprising happened last week. Oracle issued an update (Java 7u11, Java 6u37, Java 5u38, and Java 4u40) in just three days to patch a recently discovered and massively exploited Java vulnerability. And over the weekend, too. As it turns out, Oracle didn’t do a very good job. (Is anyone [...]
Read More »Beware of fake Java update patch — it contains malware
There are two groups in this world that are notoriously quick to react to technological change — the porn industry and hackers. The porn industry is known for pioneering new technology to try to increase revenue. For example, porn websites were one of the first websites that started accepting payments [...]
Read More »Microsoft Security Essentials fails to gain certification from anti-virus testing company
AV-TEST Institute is an organization that runs anti-virus/anti-malware tests. During AV-TEST Institute’s latest Nov/Dec 2012 anti-malware testing, 3 out 25 anti-virus software failed to gain certification. One of those 3 is Microsoft’s popular Security Essentials. (The other two are AhnLab V3 Internet Security and PC Tools Internet Security 2012.)
According [...]
Read More »Oracle issues Java update to fix latest exploit, but security experts say to still stay away
You know that latest Java exploit that had the world up in arms, with Firefox and Apple blocking Java and U.S. Department of Homeland Security recommending people disable Java? Yeah, well, Oracle has issued updates to Java to address and plug the exploit.
According to update notes released by Oracle [...]
Read More »New Java zero-day exploit hits the internet, is “massively exploited in the wild” — disable Java now!
So you thought Java season was over, eh? Wrong! It is still open season on Java and a brand new, previously unknown bug has been discovered in Java that allows scumbags to install malware on the computers of netizens.
It isn’t entirely clear how this exploit is conducted but it [...]
Read More »Internet Explorer 8 and earlier is vulnerable to criminal attacks due to new security hole
It looks like the bad news for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer just keeps piling on, with every other day seemingly bringing news about a new security problem for the browser.
This time, however, users of the most recent versions — namely Internet Explorer 9 and 10, can rest easy. A new [...]
Read More »Vulnerability in Internet Explorer allows hackers to track your mouse movements
If there’s one thing that Microsoft doesn’t need, it’s more bad publicity for Internet Explorer. The company’s browser has often been criticized to be slow and simply downright inferior compared to other offerings right now. Unfortunately for them, it looks like more bad news is on the way.
The bad [...]
Read More »Did the US (or Israel) hack the office of French president, Nicolas Sarkozy?
French magazine L’Express is reporting that, last May, the computers in the offices of Nicolas Sarkozy (who was still president back then) were hacked by the “Flame” malware. This is that same malware that made headlines for being developed by the United States and Israel for intelligence and disruption purposes [...]
Read More »Windows 8 is hacked by security firm, details about the hack can be had… for a price
Some companies, and individuals, find and disclose vulnerabilities — may those be on websites, operating systems, programs, whatever — for the betterment of society. Others do it for a “finder’s fee”. VUPEN does it so they can sell the secrets to whomever wants them.
VUPEN is a security research firm [...]
Read More »New Adobe Reader zero-day vulnerability allows hackers to infect your computer with malware
Do you ever feel sorry for Adobe? I mean, yeah, it is hard to feel sorry for a multi-billion dollar corporation that likes to use closed standards and charge us for the privilege. But still, you have to feel for them; two of their products, Flash and Reader, are two [...]
Java, Flash, and iTunes are in the “top 10 vulnerabilities” list — Microsoft products are nowhere to be found
Kaspersky Labs, a digital security firm, releases a quarterly “IT Threat Evolution” report. For the Q3 2012 report, one section provides information as to what programs have the most widely spread vulnerabilities. I’m sure you can guess some but may be surprised by others.
The following are the top ten [...]
Read More »[Windows] Comodo Cleaning Essentials is a portable tool that helps find, stop, and remove malware/viruses
There are tons of different virus and malware removal tools out there. However, the problem is most of these programs have to be installed to do their job. What if you get hit by a virus that prevents you from installing new software and you have nothing to remove it? [...]
[Windows] Remove rootkits, fake or rogue anti-viruses, scareware, and more with Norton Power Eraser
Despite using some of the most popular and expensive anti-virus programs, some users are still infected with stubborn malware. If your other anti-malware programs are of no help, Symantec’s new tool Norton Power Eraser could be the answer to remove such stubborn bugs.[...]
WHAT IS IT AND WHAT DOES
Read More »[Windows] Protect yourself from keyloggers with the new freeware version of Zemana AntiLogger
Due to their frequent giveaways last year, most of us probably have heard of — if not used — Zemana AntiLogger, a security solution that costs $29.95 per year. However, I’m sure most dotTechies have not yet heard of Zemana AntiLogger Free, the freeware version of Zemana AntiLogger.[...]
What
Read More »Malware is being spread with “lol is this your new profile pic” message on Skype — be careful what you click
Skype users be warned: if you get a message on Skype that says “lol is this your new profile pic” with an accompanying http://goo.gl/XXX?img=XXX URL, do not click on the link!
It is being reported by various security firms, and confirmed by Skype, that many Skype users are being spammed [...]
Read More »Windows XP is the most exploited version of Windows while infections on Windows 7 are increasing, according to Microsoft
Wondering which version of Windows you should stick to be the safest? According to data released by Microsoft in its most recent Microsoft Security Intelligence Report, Windows XP remains at the top of the list when it comes to most infected Windows version while Windows 7 — particularly 64-bit [...]
Read More »New malware (ransomware) locks your computer claiming you violated the law under SOPA, asks for $200 if you want your files back
Ransomware is a type of malware that locks your computers, encrypts your files, etc. to prevent you from accessing your data and asks for money if you want to regain access. In other words, your data is held ransom, hence the name ransomware.
A new ransomware is floating around the [...]
Read More »FTC takes aim at fake tech support from India, shuts down more scareware operations
Yesterday we learned Innovative Marketing, a firm that developed scareware programs, has to pay a fine of $163 million. In the comments of the article, Rob mentioned another scareware scam — “tech support” calling up people, telling them there are issues with their computers, and charging them for the privilege [...]
Read More »Court orders developer of scareware programs to pay $163 million
In this day and age, most semi-tech savvy computer users know what scareware is. For those that don’t, scareware is not malware, per se, but it is software that make you think like you have a problem on your computer (when you actually don’t) and charge you a large sum [...]
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