McAfee, one of the industry’s leading software developers of anti-virus software have through its Avert Labs has discovered a new Trojan that infects WindowsCE which was developed for the Microsoft PocketPCs. The Trojan, disables data and network security rendering it useless and can be installed via memory card. The Trojan has the nasty ability to defy removal through software methods with the exception of a total re-format and re-installation of the applications and OS from a secure and safe source. Infected users are also asked not to use flash drives or memory sticks with saved data for they can also contain the code which spreads the trojan.The Trojan was discovered in China and makes itself the home page of the heavily reliant PocketPCs on the web. Information regarding the device, serial number and other personal information are then sent to the author of the Trojan leaving it open to future attacks and installation of malware due to security that has been turned off by the said Trojan.
The Trojan has been found contained snugly within legitimate installers and Asia being one of the fastest growing areas for mobile devices it would only take a little time before the said Trojan aptly named InfoJack spreads and wreaks havoc on Asia’s growing mobile PC community. The US-CERT or Computer Emergency Readiness Team has already taken notice of the said Trojan and is closely monitoring for further developments. Them along with anti-virus developers are currently developing methods of defeating the perpetrator and hopefully also capture the crook who designed the said malware.
Tags: PocketPC, Trojan, US-CERT, Windoes CE
Categories: Backups, Cryptography, General, IT Security Basics, Malware, Network Security, News, Operating Systems, Real-World Issues, Spyware
In the endless fight for IT security in the vulnerable internet, even Google’s Orkut has been hit by a self-propagating Trojan which is currently being studied for a possible cure to remove it from the wild. The Trojan works when the creators get information and send messages with links that prompts users to install a newer version of the flash player program. The user is greeted by a pop-up window that tells the user an installation of a newer version of software being used is in need of download and subsequent update. The program downloads a seemingly legal copy of the software installer which in turn begins to unload it’s payload of malicious code and propagates by sending more messages with the addresses that are tagged as friends in the victim user’s address book. So far, the pop-up message that promotes the spread of the Trojan is only in Portuguese which has been seen only in Brazil and with a few in India, but the security experts at Symantec are worried that an evolved version can unload more malicious code that can do more damage to the millions of users on the web, even cause another cascading slowing down of the internet as a whole if these Trojans begin to overload vital internet hubs forcing them to shut-down due to the infinite requests for direction which it would be unable to handle. Google has been warned by Symantec which has yet to release a reply to that warning. Symantec and many other industry leaders in the development of virus/,alware removal software have predicted the rise in attacks that would take effect this year as more and more people get onto the social network bandwagon making the world a smaller place but at the same time opening previously shut doors ripe for attack fromt the ever changing face of malware.
Tags: Google, Orkut, Trojan
Categories: General, IT Security Basics, Instant Messaging, Malware, Network Security, News, Privacy & Anonymity, Real-World Issues, Security Policies
McAfee, one of the industry’s leading software developers of anti-virus software have through its Avert Labs has discovered a new Trojan that infects WindowsCE which was developed for the Microsoft PocketPCs. The Trojan, disables data and network security rendering it useless and can be installed via memory card. The Trojan has the nasty ability to defy removal through software methods with the exception of a total re-format and re-installation of the applications and OS from a secure and safe source. Infected users are also asked not to use flash drives or memory sticks with saved data for they can also contain the code which spreads the trojan.The Trojan was discovered in China and makes itself the home page of the heavily reliant PocketPCs on the web. Information regarding the device, serial number and other personal information are then sent to the author of the Trojan leaving it open to future attacks and installation of malware due to security that has been turned off by the said Trojan. 
