IT Security Blog

Careful of Unknown Links in Messaging

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Trojans hacks and worms can easily enter a person’s computer by a mere click of a link. Instant messaging, the new trend in adhering towards faster and easier communication anywhere in the world has been enhanced thoroughly, going to the extent of allowing links to be followed, sometimes generated automatically from infected computers. Such are done even when offline messages are left, such as in Yahoo Messenger issues.

Instant Messages

The best way to avoid such links is to refrain from clicking on links without prior notice from the actual user. While most people would rely heavily on the level of relationship that they would have with their online buddy, it is still best to double check and verify before proceeding on the site link.

Being infected is quite painful that it leads to even formatting the entire system. This holds true for people who are not aware or have the time to clean it manually and methodically. Hence, the best way is to be more cautious, especially when peculiar links are met.

Yahoo Messenger Acai Berry Virus

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acaiWhat in the world is an acai berry? If you are into fad diets, then you probably have heard of the acai berry. It is purported to be the next wonder drug, which is all natural by the way. It is supposed to make you lose weight like no other substance in existence. It is also supposed to make you feel better and younger because of its curative properties.

Anyhow, I have nothing against the acai berry fad per se. I mean, these fads come and do and it’s up to you if you want to try them or not. What is happening to me is another story, however. You see, I have somehow been victimized by the acai berry virus (or so I’d like to call it) on Yahoo messenger.

I didn’t have any inkling as to what was happening until I suddenly got this slew of offline messages last week. People on my contact list – even those with whom I had not spoken for months and months – suddenly started sending me offline messages. Their messages seemed to be in reply to something I had sent.

Yesterday, an old friend sent me an SMS saying that I might have a virus. He said that I kept sending him messages on Yahoo Messenger about this acai berry thing. Obviously, it was not me.

I am pretty sure that I am not alone in this thing. I have scoured the web for similar reports and have found a lot of other people complaining of the same thing! The solution? I scanned my laptop for malware using Spybot last night. I am about to scan again using Avast. Then I am changing my passwords. Let’s see if I can get rid of this thing.

Any suggestions?

Cellphone Deals Here…and there…. What’s the catch?

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phishingSeems everybody is out for cheap deals on just about everything and who wouldn’t be in this recession where cash is hard to come by and jobs are being shed by the thousands. Now, there are truly some honest cell phone deals out there but you have to be sure you’re getting the right stuff. Having the latest phone gadget might be one thing but keeping that new phone secure from hacks is another. Sure you can get it cheap from the internet but how sure are you you’re getting the real stuff.
Criminals are becoming craftier than ever and they have even managed to copy branded products complete with all the security stickers and holographic security seals with them. They can also be pre-loaded with malware for the amount of computing power they pack is enough to emulate an ultraportable, in function that is. Just how dangerous are these hacking attempts, for mobile devices using Windows very dangerous for there is a group bent on exacting damage on the software giant.
ensuring you have the latest updates to your operating system is vital to maintaining your ability to fend off attacks. Having intrusion prevention systems installed is also a good thing for like your PC, they also need protection. Given the power of these gadgets and their ability to connect to the internet, they are not immune to attack. Let’s set this as an example, an unprotected PC connected to the internet for the first time will last an average of 15 minutes before it is hacked and compromised. Now you do the math for your mobile!

Voicemail Spam on Your Mobile – Coming Soon

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Came across the incident on InfoWorld and it seems quite interesting for it involves spam messages on your mobile. That might seem a long way from the world of IT but as more and more of us turn to the mobile workforce that may present a big problem that can rival spam in your email inbox. The incident has a user from a certain location who moves to a different location that didn’t have the best of service availability when it came to his mobile carrier. He was contacted by AT&T and was informed that due to some technical constraints that cannot guarantee their full range of services. So in the end he was forced to sign up with an alternate mobile provider (Sprint) from which he began receiving marketing mail and text messages that were on the same level as phishing scams out for your personal information.
Unsolicited marketing is banned (which led to the downfall of most off-site call centers) in the US and almost anywhere else if I got it right, so why does a leading provider allow such things to happen? Well, the marketing industry for one is one of the most aggressive when it comes to the utilization of new technologies to further their reach and mobile phones being almost part of everyday life (except for some far reaches of the Amazon or Africa) it is a ripe and well established area to focus on for marketing drives.
Communications is the key and mobile workforces being very dependent on it makes them prime targets as prey for such marketing drives. The poor fellow isn’t alone for millions of us do get unsolicited voice mail or text messages from time to time (some more than others) and there should be something done to correct such menacing and disrupting activities.

Source : InfoWorld

Unified Communications under Attack…. So Soon!

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unified.jpgThe move to shift from multi-level communications and incorporating Unified communications such as VoIP and other unified platforms has become the prime targets of hackers who are now turning to IM attacks as their targets. Offices have de-centralized communications and other systems combining them into one system that is capable of handling communications eliminating the need for maintaining several systems each with its specific function. IM or Internet Messaging is cheaper and allows office workers in the field to communicate cheaply with the office and VoIP allows them to communicate cheaply over vast distances.
Unified communications is the next step towards virtualization which is currently being developed and tested by various developers. IM is one of the most convenient means of communications which has the capability to receive mail from all over just as SMS or Text messaging has done in the Mobile Industry. Every user who uses the internet may have one or more IM accounts with the many free mail providers or through their company hosting service. Using the IM allows hackers to send malware, unload their payloads and go on to propagate through the networked system, which if looked at from a business perspective crippling one of the vital communications links. There are still mobile phones and other means communications but being ever present at every desktop, any unsuspecting user can download malware without proper intrusion prevention and detection systems in place. Mobile phones have also suffered attacks from malware that is designed to attack stripped down versions of popular Operating systems, the forays of hackers into unified communications may mean they are keeping pace with the development of new technologies as fast as businesses adopt them and accept them as just part of the game.

Economics – the driving force of Mobile Spying Malware

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economics.jpgExperts have said it again and again and history has shown us that money is the root of all evil and so it goes the same for the development and eventual spread of more sophisticated malware intended for the ever growing mobile computing environment. Current malware is simple yet experts are warning users and other experts alike that it would only be time before some hacker develops a more robust and discreet form of malware that would circumvent standard virus scanners. As we have seen and read in news articles, these viruses, Trojans and other forms of malware are evolving so fast that removal and detection experts are finding it very hard to get one step ahead of them. In the time it takes to read this post, about 35 or so new types of malware would have been released into the wild to infect any of the millions of unprotected systems over the internet. The problem has gone into the pandemic stage that no system is safe for long. The soonest a new and more robust intrusion prevention and security system is in place, several new vulnerabilities in the computer systems we use are found and immediately exploited by hackers and their minion.
Economics or the promise of earning a buck from such malware creation and spreading is the major motivation for hackers. Say you get into the cell phone of your favorite Celebrity and get hold of private pictures, or get hold of a confidential report which lists the amount of funds along with the corresponding account information and much more information that one can sell quite profitably over the internet.