MS Security Essentials

Anti-malware testing group AV-Comparatives.org not only gave Microsoft Security Essentials a top rating for malware removal, but now theyve given it their best ranking in their performance test as well.AV-Comparatives.org ran a series of real-world tests running through common scenarios like downloading, extracting, copying, and encoding files, installing and launching applications, and they also ran through an automated testing suite as well. Once the dust had settled, it became clear that not only is MSE one of only three products that both blocks and removes malware well, but its also very light on system resources.Out of all the products tested, Microsoft Security Essentials was the best-performing free antivirus solution, and one of only two that received “very fast” on each of the real-world tests, earning it their top award: an “advanced+” ranking. Weve been telling you for a while that you dont need to pay for Windows security, and now with MSE ranked alongside the top paid apps in both malware removal and performance, you might want to consider making the switch.Hit the AV-Comparatives link for the full report in PDF form, or check out the PC Mag story for the overview—if you can deal with some irritating in-text ads.

via Lifehacker

The gang behind the Koobface worm has been hard at work in releasing their next iteration of their worm. We’ve already identified over 60 active domains spreading the content through the usual method of posting a message linking to a “CooooL Video” on Facebook.

After clicking the link, the victims are automatically redirected to a Koobface controlled server, which then routes the them off to a fake codec site specifically designed for the social network they came from.

Fake codec site:

The Koobface gang uses the same old “Flash Player upgrade required” tactic to trick users into opening the executable, which then ultimately transforms their machine into a distribution point for the infection to further propagate.

On infection, the Koobface worm immediately attempts to download three additional exectuable files.

After turning the victims computer into its next distribution point, it also attempts to monetize by installing “Total Security” Rogueware.

via PandaLabs blog

Twitter is suspending the accounts of some users whose computers have fallen victim to a well-known piece of malicious software that has targeted other sites such as Facebook and MySpace.

The malware, Koobface, is designed to spread itself by checking to see if person is logged into a social network. It will then post fraudulent messages on the person’s Twitter account trying to entice friends to click the link, which then leads to a malicious Web site that tries to infect the PC.

The popular microblogging service has had a strong impact as a new communication platform, such as providing on-the-ground insight from participants in the recent protests over the presidential election in Iran. But it is also being targeted by fraudsters and hackers, who using it as a way to infect people’s PCs with malicious software.

Twitter is the latest site to be targeted by a Koobface variant, said Rik Ferguson, senior security advisor for Trend Micro. Other sites have included Bebo, Hi5, Friendster and LiveJournal, according to the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team.

“Koobface has a long, inglorious history and has been relatively successful at infecting machines,” Ferguson said.

At least a couple hundred accounts have been infected by Koobface’s latest efforts, according to Ryan Flores, an advanced threats researcher, writing on Trend’s blog. When it made its first appearance a couple of weeks ago on Twitter, Koobface was just sending out three shortened URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) leading to malware. Flores wrote that Koobface is sending out more bad links this time around.

The use of URL shortening services on Twitter have made it difficult for people to tell what Web site they’ll end up at, Ferguson said. However, Twitter tools such as TweetDeck will show the full URL, which can help make people make a better security judgement, he said.

Some of Koobface’s bad links have advertised, for example, videos of Michael Jackson, where the malware writers are trying to pique people’s interest in current news events, said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. If a person followed the link, it would lead to a Web site asking the user to download an upgrade for their Flash multimedia players but is actually Koobface, he said.

But Twitter has been fairly quick at shutting down accounts of people who are infected with Koobface and resetting their passwords, Cluley said.

Malware has also spread on Twitter via fake accounts that have been registered using automated tools. Ferguson said Twitter could somewhat guard against that by sending a verification link to an e-mail address during registration, making it more difficult to register dummy accounts en masse.

“That’s real low-hanging fruit for them to address,” Ferguson said.

Koobface gets instructions from a command-and-control server, which tells the malware which messages to send out. Koobface is dangerous on other levels, however, as it can also steal data from a PC or download other malware.

Security software suites should generally detect early versions of Koobface. However, its creators are crafting variants of the malware to try to escape detection, Ferguson said. They do that by obfuscating Koobface’s code and compressing it, which can make it more difficult for security software to spot.

Happy Fathers Day! A great idea would be to help Dad get his computer cleaned up and running a little smoother for him. How about starting with uninstalling any programs you are SURE he doesn’t use, and follow it up with a free virus scan from Eset. Makers of NOD32.

http://www.eset.com/onlinescan/

If you can’t remember a password for a website (or anything else for that matter), all your passwords are saved in the Keychain Access utility (which probably isn’t news to you), but the cool thing is you can do a Spotlight search from right within Keychain to quickly find the password you’re looking for.

Start by looking inside your Applications folder for the Utilities folder, and inside of that double-click on Keychain Access. When it opens you’ll see a search field in the upper-right corner. Type the name of the site you’re looking for, and it will appear. Double-click on the result and an info dialog will appear, and to see your password, turn on the show Password checkbox.

OpenDNS now has a Conficker testing tool…

http://blog.opendns.com/2009/04/02/do-you-have-conficker-find-out-in-your-opendns-account/

Here is another Conficker test to see if you are infected.

http://www.joestewart.org/cfeyechart.html

[via Gizmodo]

On the surface, April 1 came and went without a peep from the dreaded Conficker megaworm. But security experts see a frightening reality, one where Conficker is now more powerful and more dangerous than ever.

In the first minute of April 1, Conficker did exactly what everyone knew it was going to do: It successfully phoned home for an update. And while it was fun to imagine what nasty payload that update may have included (it was fun, wasn’t it?), the result was not outwardly catastrophic; rather than a blueprint for world domination, the update contained instructions on how to dig in even deeper.

“The worm did exactly what everyone thought it was going to do, which is update itself,” security expert Dan Kaminsky, who helped develop a widely-used Conficker scanner in the days leading up to April 1, told us. “The world wants there to be fireworks, or some Ebola-class, computers-exploding-all-over-the-world event or God knows what, but the reality is…the Conficker developers have cemented their ability to push updates through any fences the good guys have managed to build in February and March.”

And here’s why that is deeply, deeply scary. As we explained, Conficker has built a zombie botnet infrastructure by registering hundreds of spam DNS names (askcw.com.ru, and the like), which it then links up and uses as nodes for infected machines to contact for instructions. In its earlier forms, Conficker attempted to register 250 such DNS names per day. But with the third version of the software, the Conficker.c variant which has been floating around for the last month or so, the number of spam DNS takeovers was boosted to 50,000 per day—a number security pros can no longer keep up with.

What the April 1 update did was simple: It provided instructions for linking up with the thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of new nodes registered by Conficker.c over the last few weeks, effectively growing the size of the p2p botnet to a point where it can not be stopped.

“It’s not about ownage, it’s about continued ownage,” says Kaminsky, citing a favorite quotation of one of his hacker buddies. “It’s not about how you get into the network, it’s about, ‘How do you be [there] a year from now?’” And the answer is: “You do a lot of the things the Conficker developers are doing.”

“This is not something where the guys wrote it, it’s out, then they’re going to go out and play Nintendo. They’re frankly trying to build something that is a sustainable network for months or years to come,” Kaminsky says.
Kevin Haley, director of Symantec Security Response, raises another good point: “The first [of April] would have been a pretty bad day to choose [to do something with Conficker], because everyone was watching to see what was going to happen. Whoever’s behind this is as lot more patient than we are.”

As far as what comes next? More waiting. Good methods now exist for detecting and cleansing Conficker from infected machines on a network (and, let’s not forget, a months-old security patch from Microsoft is all you need to protect yourself), but by now the size of Conficker’s infected army of nodes spread around the world is big enough to function with devastating consequences even if most PCs are secure.
So we’ll just have to keep waiting to see what this thing does.

As some of you may be aware, a new worm is on the loose called “Conficker”. It is set to activate itself on April 1st. This one is very serious and can cause a stop to your workflow. 

Instructions:
Download the patch from Microsoft here:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=ad724ae0-e72d-4f54-9ab3-75b8eb148356

If you are infected already, you may not be able to download it, because the worm will block that address. If you can’t, download it from my website:

http://www.corndogcomputers.com/dl/ConfickerPatch.exe

After you download, and install it, let it do a FULL system scan to make sure you are protected. For all of you that I have remote access to your servers, I will remote in and install it today.

Contact me by email if you have questions.

A recently discovered exploit for Internet Explorer has been found that has the potential to allow hackers to steal passwords you enter into websites. This is a critical one, and needs to be patched immediately! Microsoft has posted the patch on their website.

You will need to know the version of Internet Explorer you are running, and what Version of Windows and Service Pack you have.

For Windows and Service Pack version:
1. Open any folder on you computer, like your “Documents” or “Pictures” folder.
2. Go to the Help menu at the top of that window, and select “About Windows”

Windows XP Service Pack 3

For Internet Explorer version:
1. Open Internet Explorer
2. Go to the Help menu at the top of that window, and select “About Internet Explorer”

Internet Explorer version 7

Then click the link below to choose which file to download and install.

Here’s the link:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS08-078.mspx