botnet posts

Short-Lived Spam Blast Scams Plaguing E-Mail Accounts

by Warren Riddle (RSS feed) — Sep 17th 2009 at 3:25PM

A new IRS-inspired e-mail phishing scam emerged last week and hit accounts across the nation, USA Today reports. Unlike previous IRS-related scams, which enticed people with promises of free stimulus money, last week's spam blast attempted to ensnare targets with scare tactics.

The e-mail message, which appeared to be from the IRS, alerted people to the supposed fact that earnings had been under-reported and, in order to resolve the matter, the intended target needed to download a special government form. With the download, though, the perps could take over their mark's computer and continue to distribute the message to everyone in the victim's contact list. The compromised computers could then become part of a botnet (a network of infected computers that scammers remotely control) in order to continue blasting spam and stealing personal information.

Tags: botnet, malware, scam, scareware, security, spam blast, SpamBlast

Cell Phones, Google, iPhone

Apple Patches iPhone SMS Security Flaw

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — Jul 31st 2009 at 3:33PM

A month after first announcing that the iPhone had a serious security flaw in how it handled text messages (and even longer still since it was first brought to Apple's attention), Charlie Miller at last publicly demonstrated the attack at yesterday's Black Hat Security Conference, and released a paper detailing how it is executed.

The flaw, which allows a hacker to hijack a phone by flooding it with invisible SMS control messages, isn't iPhone-specific. Windows Mobile and Android are also vulnerable, though Google patched the hole with its Cupcake update. The flaw is particularly worrisome since the only sign a user would see is a single text message with a lone box-like character. The rest of the control messages would not appear on the handset, but could shut down the phone entirely or even automatically forward the commands to other iPhones creating a vast mobile botnet.

Tags: android, apple, botnet, charlie miller, CharlieMiller, hack, security, sms, text messaging, TextMessaging, top, windows mobile, WindowsMobile, winmo

Cell Phones

'Sexy Space' Botnet Could Make Your Phone a Zombie

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — Jul 20th 2009 at 2:43PM

Botnets, networks of infected devices that work together to send spam and steal data, are already quite commonplace on PCs. But now, security firm Symantec reports that it has discovered the world's first cell phone botnet.

It was only a couple of months ago that we got our first warning that botnets might be making their way to handsets, but now the first one, called 'Sexy Space,' has been spotted in the wild. The virus is passed along via a text message that includes a link and text about "A very sexy girl. Try it now!" Classy.

It may be difficult for the virus to spread, however. Users need to click the link (and download software) to become infected, and, due to the number of different cell phone operating systems, the botnet is contained to one type of handset. (In this case, it appears to be Symbian-based Nokia phones.) So, even in a worst case scenario, a mobile botnet would never be as widespread as a Windows PC-based infection.

Tags: botnet, cell phone, CellPhone, mobile, mobile virus, MobileVirus, security, texting, top, virus

Computers

Computer Hijackings Increase by 50% in 2008

by Tim Stevens (RSS feed) — May 6th 2009 at 10:09AM

Computer Hijackings Increase by 50 Percent in 2008

There are plenty of malicious programs that can do plenty of nasty things to plenty of computers, but, far and away, the most common type of attack results in what is known as a zombie. A zombie is a hijacked computer that can be remote-controlled by the attacker and made to do his or her bidding. According to a recent study by security firm McAffee, there were 50-percent more zombie computers on the Internet in 2008 than there were the year previous.

The report goes on to state that a frightening 18-percent of all computers in the U.S. are infected, meaning that, almost certainly, one of the computers you use (or one of the computers your friends use) is infected. Largely responsible are malicious programs like Conficker that trick users into installing or running them and then run in the background, responding to signals sent out by zombie ringleaders. Some can exploit flaws in an application's security, injecting themselves into your computer without your ever having prompted them.

To avoid being a sad statistic, always keep your computer up to date, and always, always, run a virus scanner. [From: BBC News]

Tags: bot, botnet, mcaffee, security, top, virus, virus scanner, VirusScanner, worm, zombie

Computers

New Botnet Threatens Mac Computers

by Tim Stevens (RSS feed) — Apr 23rd 2009 at 11:16AM

For years now, Mac users have flaunted their seeming immunity to computer viruses, malware, and other noxious applications that plague the hearts, minds, and hard drives of PC users. However, there have been exceptions to the Mac's invincible reputation, like the one app from last summer that stole photos and all sorts of other information. According to security software firm Symantec, there's another one on the loose, turning Apple computers into zombies.

The app is (somewhat humorously) called iBotnet, and it runs quietly in the background after its taken control of your Mac computer. It then allows the crooks who distributed the software to use the infected machines for their nefarious means, doing whatever they like. That's the essence of the botnet. Only a few thousand Macs are infected, but, given the general lack of virus protection on most Apple computers, that's a number that could quickly balloon.

What can you do? Well, if you're on a Mac, it's time to start watching what you click and download, just as your PC brethren have been doing for years. And perhaps it's time to be a little less self-sure, too. [From: CNN]

Tags: apple, botnet, botnets, ibotnet, mac, mac virus, MacVirus, online threats, OnlineThreats, os x, OsX, security, top, virus

Computers

Malicious Infection Turns Your Computer Into a Spam-Sending 'Bot

by Chad Mumm (RSS feed) — Mar 18th 2009 at 12:42PM

The newest trend in Internet infection is growing at an alarming rate, according to Breach Security Lab's recently released Web Hacking Incidents Database (WHID) 2008 Annual Report. The attack is called an SQL injection and it works by corrupting the database layer of a Web site. This type of attack, once thought nearly obsolete due to the legwork required of the hacker, was resurrected when the hacking community began automating the process last June, allowing for a 300-percent increase in SQL injections in 2008.

The exploit essentially opens the infected site up to the hacker's whims. Once they gain control, they can install malware ranging from data stealers to viral spam. If you click on an exploited link and become infected, your secure information is compromised and your PC becomes susceptible to control by the infection, acting as a bot to help spread spam and deliver more infections to other computers. This means that infections can have near exponential growth; alarming, since some 500,000 sites have been infected, including government Web sites like the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's.

Tags: bot, botnet, botnets, infection, infections, malware, security, sql, sql injection, sql insertion, SqlInjection, SqlInsertion, viruses

Computers

Spam Levels Still Low After November Shut-Down

by Tim Stevens (RSS feed) — Jan 14th 2009 at 10:28AM

A few months ago, the Federal Trade Commission worked to shut down the spammy behavior of one California-based ISP called McColo. The company was found to be hosting a number of so-called botnets (groups of computers that send e-mails and spread malicious software) that were responsible for a huge portion of the world's spam. When McColo was shut down, inboxes around the world breathed a sigh of relief. Now, two months later, spam levels have still not recovered.

According to virus-protection company McAfee, spam levels are still at only 60-percent what they were before the take-down in November. Meanwhile, Symantec is a bit more pessimistic, saying we're at 80-percent. Neither, however, is optimistic enough to say that spam levels will stay this low, with estimates indicating that by June or July we'll have just as much spam as before -- and likely more.

So, enjoy these halcyon days while you can, as they won't last for long. [From: ars technica]

Tags: botnet, FTC, mcaffee, mccolo, safety, security, spam, symantec

Computers

17-Year-Old Admits He Went on 3-Year Computer Crime Spree

by Tim Stevens (RSS feed) — Nov 19th 2008 at 5:45PM

In the online world, there are various levels of hackers. Lowest are the script kiddies, would-be miscreants who lack the skills to be a proper threat. Then there are the white hatters who infiltrate corporate and government networks largely just to see if they can -- often alerting the necessary authorities about the flaws. Worst are the skilled black hat hackers -- Dshocker was one of those, and arguably one of the most notable on the Web. Unfortunately (for him), he wasn't the most elusive, and he was sent to a juvenile detention facility for 11 months after being convicted of numerous crimes.

Dshocker is an unnamed 17-year-old kid from Massachusetts whose skills with computers got him into trouble. He not only led personal attacks against other online hackers, but was the leader of a large botnet and used his skills to make a number of bogus 911 calls. He was able to call emergency services and make it appear as if he was at one location, when in fact he was at another. He'd report that a violent crime was taking place, resulting in armed police storming the supposed origin of the call -- a dangerous situation for all involved.

Dshocker could have faced 10 years in prison had he been tried as an adult, but he managed to get away with less than a year in detention. We hope it's enough. [From: The Register]

Tags: 911, botnet, crime, cybercrime, dshocker, hacker, hackers, hacking, security

Computers

Online Attacks Getting Bigger, Stronger, Says Report

by Dan Reilly (RSS feed) — Nov 11th 2008 at 2:12PM

Cyber criminals have proven again and again that they're a step or two ahead of the law enforcement and computer techs that are trying to stop them, but a new report says criminals aren't restraining themselves to viruses and shady emails. The survey shows that distributed denial of service, or DDOS, attacks are increasing in number and potency and could threaten the largest Web sites and networks. DDOS attacks use botnets, a string of infected computers, to overload and crash servers, and they have been used in political and military conflicts, as well as garden-variety Internet schemes.

Arbor Networks, a network security company, conducted a survey of 70 of the largest service providers in the world, and Arbor says that the size of attacks has increased over the last seven years from less than half a megabit to 40 gigabits. According to Arbor, most businesses have one gigabit connections or less, so even a relatively small DDOS attack can bring them down. Companies are responding by adding capacity to their networks, but it's still plausible that a large attack will succeed.

Another eye-opener in the report is that 58-percent of the surveyed operators hadn't referred any attacks to law enforcement in the last year. The reasons? Some said the law isn't equipped to deal with it, others thought customers should be the ones reporting it, and still others just didn't see the point. And they wonder why criminals consistently have the upper hand? [Source: New York Times]

Tags: botnet, ddos, denial of service, DenialOfService, safety, security, web

Computers

FBI Sees Drastic Rise in Computer Crime

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — Oct 16th 2008 at 3:15PM

The FBI is reporting that computer crime rose dramatically this year and is costing the U.S. tens of millions of dollars.

In particular, two types of attacks have seen an increase in popularity. Botnets spread malicious software via a virus. These Botnets turn infected PCs into unwilling participants in a network of PCs that "recruit" other computers and harvest data. The other type of attacks that have increased in prevalence are so-called "spearfishing" attacks, in which hackers send out official-looking e-mails to collect personal account data from employees of companies.

A third type of attack that is less widespread, but still seeing an increase in use is the "Pump and Dump" scheme, where attackers break into Wall Street firms and drive up the price of stocks only to dump them from their own accounts.

The FBI set up the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) in 2000 to track such attacks. The IC3 currently receives 18,000-20,000 reports of potential computer crime per month, which works out to around 650 attacks per-day. Even the most dangerous neighborhood in the world seems tame by comparison. [From: Reuters]

Tags: botnet, botnets, breaking news, BreakingNews, crime, fbi, hacking, ic3, security

Computers

Russian Gang Hijacking PCs on a Massive Scale

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — Aug 6th 2008 at 6:27PM

A new report in the New York Times says that Russian cyber-gangs are turning the tools of system administrators against them. The gang spreads an application called Coreflood by hijacking administrative accounts, then infecting the rest of the network through this trusted source. The malicious program turns the infected PCs into a vast network of computers working in unison to steal data and send spam called a botnet.

Coreflood is unique because it captures information displayed on screen, not just entered, so the criminals can check bank balances of victims without having to login to the account. Coreflood is also

Because the gang has infected almost 400,000 PCs through normally trusted sources -- essentially by getting the password and login information of network adminstrators (yes, the IT folks) -- law enforcement officials in the US and Russia are particularly concerned with the attack. They're reluctant to share too many details, though, as the investigation is still ongoing. [Source: NY Times]

Mobile Phones Next Big Target for Hackers

Tags: botnet, crime, cyber crime, CyberCrime, hacker, hackers, hacking

Computers

Valentine's Day e-Card Could Be Virus In Waiting

by Will Safer (RSS feed) — Feb 13th 2008 at 11:01AM

Storm Worm is coming this Valentine's Day.

Be wary when opening e-mail greeting cards this Valentine's Day if you don't know the sender. As Switched.com has been warning all its readers for a few weeks now, the message could turn out to be a computer virus, in this case known as a "botnet," which can take over your computer to send more viruses out, link to other computers doing the same, or even steal your personal information.

The FBI suggests not opening e-mail if you don't know the sender.

This particular e-mail baddy is known as the Storm Worm virus, and saw activity around several holidays last year. It takes advantage of people who let down their guard because an e-mail greeting card is often entertaining and seen as non-threatening.

Typically, the e-card arrives in a user's in-box, the e-mail is opened, and the user is directed to click on a link within the text to retrieve the full card. That's when the virus download occurs. The Storm Worm will be downloaded to that computer and begin its bad work, which ultimately is to deny service to a large network.

Storm Worm (so named because the subject line of the e-mail messages originally contained the line "Many Dead As Storm Batters Europe") was the most pervasive Internet attack last year.

Here are Switched.com's quick three tips to avoid Storm Worm and other viruses, trojans and malwares from being downloaded to your computer:

Don't click on a link in an e-mail message from someone you don't know.
Turn on your e-mail reader's spam prevention.
If an advertisement you find on a Web page looks suspicious, type in the company Web address yourself instead of clicking directly on the ad (Sometimes Web ads are another way viruses and trojans get distributed.)

Are you looking for a safe way to send a Valentine's Day greeting card -- or a card for any other occasion? Try Hallmark, Bluemountain, or, of course, our parent, AOL, which has a whole site dedicated to just that.

From News.com.au.

Computers

Teen 'Botnet' Leader Arrested in New Zealand

by Tim Stevens (RSS feed) — Nov 30th 2007 at 11:07AM

In the realm of cyber terrorism, the botnet is a terrible thing. It's a collection of computers hijacked through malicious software that can be used to stage massive attacks, like the ones that shut down networks across Estonia earlier this year. One of the ringleaders in a global 1.3-milliion-computer botnet has been arrested, and surprisingly, he's only 18.

The kid, whose name has not been released due to his age, is known only as "AKILL." He was arrested as part of the FBI's 'Operation Bot Roast', a global effort to discover and shut down cyber-terrorists. Threats from botnets already apprehended by the FBI are estimated to have resulted in the embezzlement of over $20-million. It's unclear whether AKILL himself made any significant amounts of money from his botnet, but it is known that he used it to barter for access to viruses and digital trojans, tools of the trade in the botnet world. These were given in exchange for using his botnet to attack computer networks. That sort of bartering led to a cyber-attack on the University of Pennsylvania in February 2006.

While this is a major step, AKILL is just one player in a sea of botnet criminals. He is said to be tied to a botnet gang known as the A-Team, who the FBI hopes will also be behind bars soon.

From BBC News and PC World

Related Links:

Tags: A-Team, Botnet, Cyber-terrorism, security

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'Black Friday' Deals to Watch For

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Black Friday' Deals to Watch For

Traditionalists might balk, but the holiday shopping season is already underway. Skeptical? Head to your local department store and you'll be inundated by Christmas trees and ornaments. Bargain hunters, though, know that the real deals are more than a month away.

Black Friday, traditionally, is when retailers truly slash prices. Early birds can save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars off of their holiday bills. Switched.com checked with a few elves, who gave a sneak peek at what you can expect deal-wise this year.

Blu-ray Players and Movies: Blu-ray is shaping up to be the biggest door buster of this year's Black Friday. de Grandpre expects at least one retailer will offer a Blu-ray player for just $49. Look for bargains on Blu-ray films as well, with last year's hit titles (such as "Iron Man") to fall as low as $5.

Laptops: With the proliferation of Netbooks this year, it's never been easier to find affordable portable computing, but Dan de Grandpre, CEO of DealNews.com says it will get even cheaper on Black Friday. Look for well-equipped Netbooks to sell for $199 – and basic 15" laptops to go for as little as $249.

HDTVs (Pretty big): The holidays are typically the best time to buy a new TV – and Black Friday is the time to do it. If you're looking for a normal sized set, you're in luck. Piper Jaffrey analyst Mitch Kaiser says he expects to see 32-inch LCD sets for as low as $299. GottaDeal.com is estimating 37-inch plasma and LCD sets will fall to $399 or less.

HDTVs (Really big): Need something bigger? How about a 46-47 inch LCD set for $599 – a 25 percent savings? Or a 52-inch LCD for $999? Dealnews says you can expect both. Plasma deals will be a little harder to come by, but a 50-inch set should run roughly $899.

HD Camcorders: You've wanted to shoot your child's school play in HD for a while, but haven't been able to spring for the pricey camcorder. This might be the year. Low-end, flash-based 720p models could drop as low as $60 (though you won't be able to zoom with those). Expect a high quality 1080p HD camcorder for $349.

GPS: While navigation systems have dramatically expanded their reach this year – even making it onto the iPhone – there's still a market for car-based systems. Dealnews predicts you'll be able to find a no-name entry-level system for $49, while a Garmin or Tom-Tom brand will be as low as $69.

Digital Picture Frames: Showcasing your digital pictures consistently gets cheaper. This year, skip the 7-inch screens and focus on the 8- or 9-inch ones, which should be available on Black Friday for as little as $30.

Monitors: Computer monitors might not be the sexiest of gifts, but they're usually welcomed with open arms – and they'll be cheap this year. Name brand 22-inch LCD models may go for as low as $99, while 24-inch models will drop below $150.

Memory: Don't know anyone who needs a monitor? External hard drives are always popular, since they're an easy way to back-up data. Dealnews expects a 1TB drive to fall as low as $49 this year. Gottadeal is looking for 8GB flash drives to hit $15.

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