New Technology Reviews!.: Malware

WordPress malware poisons images on Google Image search

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<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 13px/19px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px; padding-bottom: 0.6em; padding-left: 0.6em; padding-right: 0.6em; padding-top: 0.6em;">
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<img alt="Wordpress logo" class="size-full wp-image-74777 aligncenter" height="180" mce_src="http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/8551/16wordpresslogo.jpg" src="http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/8551/16wordpresslogo.jpg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; clear: both; color: #444444; display: block; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" title="Wordpress logo" width="290" />If you own a blog, whether it be for personal or professional use, chances are you are probably running in on WordPress, a popular platform for both personal and professional blogs/websites. It appears that there is a new form of malware for the platform that has affected over 4,000 WordPress sites, as discovered by Russian research Denis Sinegubko.</div>
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<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=tmZ3c9ibnbA:tl8HgelC2JM:yIl2AUoC8zA" mce_href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=tmZ3c9ibnbA:tl8HgelC2JM:yIl2AUoC8zA" style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="" border="0" mce_src="http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/321/54170435.gif" src="http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/321/54170435.gif" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=tmZ3c9ibnbA:tl8HgelC2JM:qj6IDK7rITs" mce_href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=tmZ3c9ibnbA:tl8HgelC2JM:qj6IDK7rITs" style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="" border="0" mce_src="http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/1281/78027742.gif" src="http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/1281/78027742.gif" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=tmZ3c9ibnbA:tl8HgelC2JM:gIN9vFwOqvQ" mce_href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=tmZ3c9ibnbA:tl8HgelC2JM:gIN9vFwOqvQ" style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="" border="0" mce_src="http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/5005/16132553.gif" src="http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/5005/16132553.gif" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=tmZ3c9ibnbA:tl8HgelC2JM:-BTjWOF_DHI" mce_href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/ubergizmo?a=tmZ3c9ibnbA:tl8HgelC2JM:-BTjWOF_DHI" style="color: #0066cc; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5;"><img alt="" border="0" mce_src="http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/2585/31399496.gif" src="http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/2585/31399496.gif" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 640px;" /></a></div>
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WordPress malware poisons images on Google Image search

If you own a blog, whether it be for personal or professional use, chances are you are probably running in on WordPress, a popular platf...

Do You Know the Dangers - Guide to Types of Computer Viruses & Malware

Computer security is an essential part of protection for your PC from the dangers lurking on the Internet, in fact, surfing the net without Malware Security is like walking through a hospital without an Immune System. There are zillions of threats, from minimal nuisances to severe Malware that can completely and permanently disable vital functions to where the entire operating system needs to be reinstalled and all programs and data lost.   What is Malware: Malware is short for malicious code software (mal-ware), which includes any and all forms of code designed with malicious intent. Malware is the umbrella under which all security dangers exist, such as viruses, worms, spyware, phishing, adware, tracking cookies and rootkits.   What is a computer Virus: Threat Level - Intermediate to Severe. A computer virus is a malicious code that adds itself to other programs that exist on the computer (host), including operating systems. Many computer viruses spread quickly and wreck havoc on the system host, including potential destruction of operating systems and data.   There are different types of viruses and they range from being a nuisance that constantly displays pop-ups to severe dangers that delete system files, attach to registries, destroy the user's ability to log into the Internet and even destroying the computer's operating system along with all the data that is on it. Unless you have completely backed-up the data on your PC, recovering that data will be impossible if you have to re-install the operating system after a virus infection.   While there are many different viruses, the Trojan Horse is one of the most severe and all though threat severity levels vary within the different types of Trojans, basically they are all dangerous and should always be protected against. Unfortunately some Trojans infect computers and cause such damage that it becomes irreversible and a reinstall of the entire operating system becomes necessary.   The best protection against computer viruses is prevention, early detection and removal. A good anti-virus/ Malware security software can protect your computers and provide peace of mind when surfing the net.   P2P File Sharing and Virus Dangers: One of the easiest ways to get a virus is by downloading unsafe freeware, shareware or person 2 person (P2P) from file sharing sites. Specifically those sites that provide P2P free music downloads. Some of these sites are Limewire, Bearshare and Morpheus. Users create a free account on these sites, download the software (which is sometimes full of Spyware/Adware on its own) and get access to millions of other peoples files through what is called the Gnutella Network. Users can search for MP3 music files and download them from other people's computers through this Network.   First, this is illegal, but that's a whole other topic. With these types of downloads there is no way of knowing what is actually on these files and it is easy to download a serious viruses and especially a Trojan. These P2P sites should be avoided to ensure computer security. For a few bucks you can get legal and safe music downloads at sites like Napster and Rhapsody. Play it safe, paying the few bucks is well worth it, as it can save lots of money, not to mention the hassle of having to fix a damaged computer.   Worms: Threat Level - Severe. A computer Worm is a a type of especially nasty Malware that is a self-replicating computer program, which at one point almost brought the entire Internet to its knees. Unlike a virus, it doesn't attach itself to an existing program and does not infect computer files, instead it wrecks havoc on systems as it creates endless copies of itself, with the goal of taking up as much space as possible on the PC and creating program problems.   Worms almost always cause harm to the network, if only by consuming bandwidth, whereas viruses almost always corrupt or modify files on a targeted computer. Internet worms are most prevalent today in the form of email attachments. Two of the worst worms ever were Mydoom and Morris.   Worms are usually sent via email by attachments, you should never open an attachment in your email from an unknown source. Also, when deciding on an anti virus security program it is important to make sure that the email scanner is activated and that the software covers protection, detection and removal features for worms.   Spyware: Threat Level - Low to Severe. Spyware is one of the most common types of Malware and often slows computer performance. Spyware spies on your web browsing activities and comes in forms of keyloggers (where your keystrokes are monitored), recording/sending your web browsing habits to a third party, causing unwanted pop-up adds, hijacking home/search pages and making changes to them, as well as, redirecting browsing results.   A Spyware infection can be caught in several ways. One way is by clicking on a bad link from a bad site. Two, through small windows of advertising that pop up during web browsing (pop-ups). Third, there is what is called a drive-by type download and that is where Spyware infects computers without the user noticing, just by visiting a bad web page. Tip: All web browsers allow you to check a "block pop-ups" selection which can be accessed from the browser toolbar under options.   Adware: Threat Level: Low to Intermediate. Adware is Advertising Display Software that delivers ads in a manner or context that is unexpected, unsolicited and automatically loaded. Many adware applications also perform tracking functions, and therefore may also be categorized as Tracking Technologies. Adware causes pop-up windows with advertisements in the browser based on the information it collects from the user's browsing patterns. Sometimes adware may be installed in conjunction with a companion Spyware program.   Phishing: Threat Level - Severe. Phishing is a form of Internet fraud that aims at identity theft. It's purpose is to steal valuable information such as credit cards, social security numbers, user IDs and passwords.   A phishing site is a duplicate of a legitimate site and it is created to dupe users into logging in and therefore stealing private information. Many phishing scams are perpetrated via mass emails which alert the customer to some problem with your customer account or some other hook, usually from a bank, or Paypal or some other institution and it lures people into entering their private data by following a link to the phishing site of a real site.   The recent IRS rebates spawned a phishing scam, where mass emails were sent with IRS logos informing taxpayers that they are due a rebate check but they must first follow the IRS link and input their information to receive the rebate. The link, of course, leads to a phishing site where unsuspecting people enter personal information, like social security numbers which are then hijacked by identity thieves.   It is important to realize that most reputable companies do not usually send emails soliciting private data. In fact, Paypal explicitly lets its users know that they never solicit customers via email in any way. The IRS has a fraud alert on their homepage advising taxpayers of such phishing scams. If you get emails like this just hit the SPAM button and run for your life or at the very least check with the institution that sent the email in some other way.   There is also the danger of running into a phishing site while web browsing, it is important to have computer security software that will alert to phishing sites with real-time protection. Phishing security is NOT standard on all anti virus software and Malware removal programs. When considering a security program make sure to look for phishing protection.   Drive-By Downloads: Threat Level - Low to Severe   Drive-By download is where all types of Malware can infect your computer via a visit to a web page. The Malware codes are embedded in these bad sites and looks for users computers to become hosts to attach itself to. It is important to look for drive-by or real time protection when considering security software. Drive-by or real time protection should be included on the anti virus software that is on the computer.   Rootkits: Threat Level - Severe. Rootkits are really bad because they can hide their existence from operating systems and users and cause major destruction. Because Rootkits create stealth program codes that run at a lower level than can be detected with all normal anti virus software and Malware removal programs, it is crucial to make sure that the security software explicitly protects against rootkits.   Cookies: Threat Level - Low. Some cookies are positive and really do not harm to your system in anyway, they simply temporarily store your log-in information so that you do not have to enter it again when you return to that site. Plus, many sites will not run properly without cookies enabled and so they are a necessary element. And these temporary cookies can be cleared from within your browser at any time you.   On the other hand Tracking Cookies are a form of Tracking Technology. Tracking Cookies are used to track the surfing habits of users in order to manage, analyze advertising data, and they may be used with the more malicious intent of monitoring user activity more closely. Tracking cookies are usually easily detected and protection from them comes standard on most anti virus and Malware security software.   It can be more difficult to remove Malware if infection occurs than to protect against it and some Malware causes such damage that a complete operating system reinstall is required. There are many Malware security softwares, including some great free ones, and firewalls, that offer various levels of protection.

Do You Know the Dangers - Guide to Types of Computer Viruses & Malware

Computer security is an essential part of protection for your PC from the dangers lurking on the Internet, in fact, surfing the net withou...

Security, Malware, And Your Computer

Computers are practically in every aspect of our lives these days and our reliance on them is heavy. They are used as tools for work, data storage, schoolwork, shopping, and entertainment. Because so much information is typically stored on our computers we must always make sure they are protected from that loss of information. Businesses have to secure information on their computers to protect it from exploitation by hackers. And the home computer user is no exception to the requirement to protect computer information because there can be credit card numbers, social security numbers, and other sensitive personal information stored on their computer or transmitted when doing online shopping. There is a term used for this and it is "computer security risk." This term refers to the likelihood that some action could cause the loss of information, computer hardware, or denial of service.When computer security is put at risk intentionally, it becomes criminal in nature or we call this a computer crime. Another relative of the computer crime is the cybercrime. The FBI pays especially close attention to cybercrimes and there are other types of crimes related to them such as corporate spying, unethical computer activity, cyberterrorism, hacking, cracking, and cyberextortion.Hacking at one time had a positive meaning to it but since computer crimes were introduced, it falls in the bucket with the rest of them. The hacker is the person who gains access to a computer network illegally. They sometimes use the excuse that they were only trying to break a network's security so as to make the administrator aware of any security deficiencies.Closely related to the hacker is the cracker. But the cracker never has been viewed in a positive light. The cracker always has had the intent to gain access to computer and its network to do harm to it or commit a crime like stealing information stored on it. The cracker, like the hacker, has to know what he or she is doing so advanced computer skills are needed in order to pull these crimes off.Then there are the cyberterrorists and cyberextortionists. The cyberterrorist has a political motive behind his or her activities and it is to do harm to computers to adversely affect a political system. Cyberterrorism requires extensive planning, skilled people to carry it out, and money to fund it. It is much like the classic terrorist attack.The cyberextortionist is the one who commits the crime of extortion via email. They will hold a company hostage by threatening to release sensitive company information or harm a company's computers and network if not given some confidential information and/or money. Sometimes these criminals are aware of security leaks that will allow them to exploit the computer. It is much like classic extortion except carried out through computers.Then there is the employee who wants to get revenge on his or her company because of some perceived wrong done to them or they want to pad their pockets. These people are known as the unethical employees and what makes them so dangerous is that they many times know how to get into the system.Not everyone has the computer skills required to be a cracker or hacker so there is another classification known as the "script kiddie." This person is usually is a teenager attempts to harm a computer system but cannot do much because he or she does not know much. This person will use canned programs and scripts to attempt to do the hacks and cracks.Some unethical businesses try to gain an unfair advantage on their competition through an illegal activity known as corporate espionage. The same unethical businesses will hire a corporate spy who is highly-proficient in computers and technology to break into the target corporation's computers. The corporate spy will then steal information or even sabotage the target computer.It is imperative that home and business computer users take action to shield their computer from these threats to their security. Computer security methods are not 100% foolproof but they do decrease the risk to computers significantly. As soon as a solution is found to protect against one threat, someone figures out a new way to gain unauthorized access to them. Computer users on home networks are more at risk to have information stolen than are computers on business networks mostly because of the more advanced security on the latter. And the internet is a network even more susceptible and at risk when it comes to security. Another problem with security on the internet is that there is not one centralized point to manage security and safety on the information highway.You are probably wondering now if your computer is secure from threats such as these. There are ways you can get your system evaluated. You can find sites on the internet that offer services that will access your computer and report to you any security vulnerabilities found either through internet browsing or the e-mail. These same companies many times offer tips and suggestions of ways to protect against the vulnerabilities. Another resource in the fight against computer security threat is the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) Coordination Center which also offers suggestions.Security attacks against computers usually involve things like worms, viruses, denial of service, Trojan horses, and spoofing. All of these, the computer virus is the most famous. A computer virus is basically software that is designed to do damage to the files on your computer once it gets installed on it. All if it is done without the user giving permission and without the user's knowledge at first. A computer virus, once it gets in your computer, will spread and cause more damage. It will do things like delete files and corrupt your computer's operating system and render it inoperable. Thus it was tagged with the term "virus" because it acts much the same way as human virus does: it gets in and spreads throughout the body and causes illness or damage in some cases. Protection against viruses is available through anti-virus software.An offshoot of the computer virus is the computer worm. A computer worm is much like a virus with the exception that it will find some perfectly valid executable program on your computer and attach itself to that program. When the user runs the program, the computer worm will attack. Computer worms can consume a lot of network bandwidth while they replicate across a corporate network.And now for the famous Trojan horse computer threat that derives its name from the famous story in Greek mythology. What a Trojan horse does is hide itself in a program that looks like a valid program but in reality it is not. Trojan horse programs do not replicate like the viruses and worms do.All these different types of threat software are known as malware which is term used to refer to malicious-logic programs. Malware, as the name implies, does damage to your computer. There are other variations of worms, viruses, and Trojan horses but we are just discussing these three for this article. And you should know how to suspect you have been attacked by one or more these malicious programs. You should be suspicious that you have been attacked if your computer shows one or more of these signs:Programs you use suddenly don't work like they used to: Files are missing or corrupted Strange music or sounds are heard on your computer You start running out of memory for no apparent reason Strange files show up on your system System properties begin to change Popup windows with odd messages and/or images display The ways in which these malicious programs do their damage or drop their "bombs" can be one any one of the following: A user runs a program infected with the virus. This is why virus scanning software that checks a program before running it is so important. A user boots a computer and the virus is installed on the boot sector. It is recommended that you remove all media files when you shut down your computer. A user connects to a computer that is not protected against viruses on the network (such as accessing a shared drive). So the user opens a virus-infected file on a shared drive and now the user's client computer has the virus. A user opens up an email attachment that contains an executable file with a virus. This is why it is so important to not open up executable email attachments unless you know the sender and the attachment has been scanned by anti-virus software. And another big problem with malicious logic programs is that new ways to implement them are discovered every day. Security websites try to stay on top of each new malware implementation so that users can be alert for them. Take basic safety measures to protect your computer such as installing a good anti-virus package that gets updated with new malware detection logic automatically. Never open up suspicious email attachments. Be careful of the internet sites you visit (i.e., don't visit Warez sites), and run anti-spyware programs. Take the media out of any alternate boot devices you have so that a virus cannot get stored on it and be introduced at boot time. Finally, stay informed from security websites as to the latest threats and what to look out for.

Security, Malware, And Your Computer

Computers are practically in every aspect of our lives these days and our reliance on them is heavy. They are used as tools for work, dat...

Online Malware Scans Can Help Remove Any Malware From Your Computer System

Is your computer acting strangely? Is it running slowly and freezing up? Are you receiving annoying error messages and pop-up ads? You are likely infected with Malware. The word malware is short for "malicious software" and malicious is a good word for it because it was intentionally put on your computer to cause you problems. A malware program is designed to hack into your computer's hard drive without your knowledge or consent. The good news is there are online malware scans that you can run to check your system for any bad software!Malware is often referred to as a computer virus because of the damage that it does to your system when it comes in undetected through a worm or a Trojan Horse. Many of these viruses make changes to your registry and can stop programs from working or even crash your system. Others place cookies in your web browser that invite annoying pop-up ads or hack into personal information on your computer. Global Leader reports in F-Secure that identity theft is the fastest growing crime in North America. This is largely due to malware.Your computer can be protected against the threat of malware. Here are some do-it-yourself steps that you can take to protect your system against these annoying problems and spare you some costly damage.1.) Prepare a plan. If you have several home computers networked together, make sure each one is protected.2.) Arm Yourself. Be sure that your internet security software is installed and working properly. These programs are available to purchase and download online. There is even some very good antivirus protection software that is free. If you already have a problem, you may need a malware removal tool and registry cleaner.3.) Don't be tempted. Offers that sound too good to be true probably are. You should not click on any pop-up unless you know specifically who and where it came from. Do not open unknown emails especially those with attachments.4.) If you think your computer has been infected by malware stop what you are doing and run an antivirus scan. Turn off your system when you are not using it. Be sure to back-up important files and information daily in case your system crashes. Remember to change all of your passwords frequently and set restore points regularly.5.) Use a pop-up blocker and install a firewall. Download all system updates as they come in and run a scan daily. When you register on a website, be sure to read the privacy statement. This may help you avoid receiving unwanted emails and offers.6.) Use your common sense. With all this new technology protecting you, it is still possible to become infected by malware. Some worms can burrow so deep into your system that you won't know its there until it's too late. When you realize your system is damaged, restore your system to an earlier time and do this every time you become infected by malware.7.) Never underestimate a hacker. They are always one step ahead of the experts and always coming up with new ways to get into your system and do their dirty work. Stop this new crime wave before it gets out of hand. We can't let the criminals win this one.	 	 		 			 				 					 						The best software I have found for <a href="http://www.spyware-fixer.info" target="_new">removing malware</a> is:<a href="http://www.spyware-fixer.info" target="_new">MalwareRemovalBot!</a>

Online Malware Scans Can Help Remove Any Malware From Your Computer System

Is your computer acting strangely? Is it running slowly and freezing up? Are you receiving annoying error messages and pop-up ads? You ar...

Security, Malware, And Your Computer

Security, Malware, And Your Computer

Computers are practically in every aspect of our lives these days and our reliance on them is heavy. They are used as tools for work, dat...