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Internet Security News
Breaking news and updates in Internet security
Last Updated: March 13th, 2010 18:11:39 CST -0600
Nigeria Announces Early Results Of Anti-Scammer Initiative
No one's sure how many there are to go, but according to a Nigerian official, there are about 800 scam email addresses and 18 criminals that can be considered "down." Mrs. Farida Waziri, the chairperson of a government agency, announced that some shutdowns and arrests occurred thanks to an initiative called Project Eagle Claw.
 | | Nigeria Announces Early Results Of Anti-Scammer Initiative |  |
Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is the force behind Project Eagle Claw, and with Microsoft's help, has just started ramping it up. Waziri explained in a statement, "We expect that Eagle Claw as conceived will be 100% operational within six months and at full capacity, it will take Nigeria out of the top 10 list of countries with the highest incidence of fraudulent e-mails."
She then gave some very interesting details, continuing, "[U]pon full deployment, the capacity to take down fraudulent e-mails will increase to 5,000 monthly. Further it is projected that advisory mails to be sent to victims and potential victims will be about 230,000 monthly."
Anything Nigeria can do to address the problem of scammers operating from within its borders will of course be good for the country's image. More than that, it might help honest Nigerians become part of the online world (since some entities have just taken to blocking troubled regions as a whole).
Then there will be the benefit to the rest of the world, with maybe millions of dollars not getting lost. For that reason, Project Eagle Claw is likely to gain a lot of fans.
MessageLabs Names Most- (And Least-) Spammed States
When considering where to live, it's wise to look up stats about an area's climate, the cost of living, and its proximity to other important stuff in your life. Symantec's MessageLabs recently supplied some information about your odds of getting spammed, too.
 | | MessageLabs Names Most- (And Least-) Spammed States | |
Somewhat surprisingly, the states you might imagine as being the "most wired" - California, New York, Washington - weren't at the top of the list. Instead, the state in which spam represents the highest percentage of all emails received is Idaho, with 93.8 percent.
In an email to SecurityProNews, a Symantec/MessageLabs representative then listed the other top states (in order) as Kentucky, New Jersey, Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Maryland.
The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico wound up on the opposite end of the list, followed by Montana, Alaska, Kansas, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and Florida.
We're not quite sure what to make of these findings; the states don't appear to be ordered according to Internet penetration rates, GDP per capita, overall population, physical size, or anything else. Still, if you're looking to move, now you have a better idea of how to decrease the odds of getting bombarded with spam at your new home.
Enormous Malware Archive Creates Stir
A Dutch company known as the Frame4 Group has created what's almost the computing equivalent of a Center for Disease Control lab. The Malware Distribution Project is, according to its own site, the "world's biggest private malware archive."
 | | Enormous Malware Archive Creates Stir | |
Don't jump to the conclusion that the project's run by a bunch of supervillains; the malware samples are supposed to be "offered for the purposes of analysis, testing and malware research."
Also, customers are screened, and a monthly access fee of about $1,235 should act to keep out some of the riffraff.
It actually seems possible that the Malware Distribution Project could be of great help to the security community. When you consider that medical researchers don't have to wander from house to house, asking people if they have cancer, every time they want to start a new experiment, certain practices start to seem a little outdated.
There is a potential for problems, though. One nightmare scenario relates to the Malware Distribution Project's figurative walls failing and everything getting out. Having all of that malware run amuck at once - particularly if security researchers' computers were the first things it'd come across - would be bad.
Then there's the possibility that some unpleasant person would gain access to the Malware Distribution Project's archive and just sort of go on a shopping spree. This way, some relatively stupid hacker might be able to get his (or her) hands on the most sophisticated viruses in existence.
As you might imagine, the Malware Distribution Project is definitely proving divisive.
Anyway, at last count, the repository contained a whopping 3,336,503 files.
UPDATE (10-13-09): Anthony Aykut, the Managing Director of Frame4 Security Services, got in touch with SecurityProNews this morning to pass along some information. In an email, he wrote, "[T]he malware is neither downloadable via the web site or accessible in any other way via the www; in fact, the (secure) servers where the malware is stored (or analyzed/processed) is not even connected to the outside world."
Aykut also stressed that nothing is sold to the public, and added, "Largely due to the security measure(s) mentioned above, and also based on to the fact that the storage media are protected by biometric devices, getting access to the MD:Pro archive is, well, pretty impossible."
Avsim Hacker (Maybe) Brought Before Cops
Perhaps people who like to spend their spare time in the cockpits of imaginary F-16s should be left alone. The man in charge of a flight simulator site that was attacked claims to have identified the hacker and forwarded information to the authorities.
 | | Avsim Hacker (Maybe) Brought Before Cops | |
Avsim is one of the best-known flight sim communities in existence. It's been around for a long time, too. Unfortunately, a hacker managed to wipe about a decade's worth of modification info and forum posts from the site's servers back in May.
Now, though, Tom Allensworth, the publisher and CEO of Avsim, has told the BBC, "We . . . have incontrovertible evidence of the individual that performed the hack. We have protected the forensic evidence and provided that evidence to the London police. We are committed to bringing justice to bear on this case."
Allensworth is confident in the outcome, too, adding, "We fully expect that the criminal complaint . . . will result in the perpetrator spending some time behind bars - under UK law." (Since Avsim's located in the US, this means he's not pushing for extradition or anything of that sort.)
Neither London's Metropolitan Police Service nor the accused individual (who hasn't been publicly named) has made any comment yet.
Email Password Hackers Present Real Threat
The next time you have something really important to tell someone, consider whether a drive over to his or her house wouldn't be a nice way of spending a few minutes. One reporter has found that it's quite easy (and perhaps all too common) for people to buy email accounts' passwords from hackers.
 | | Email Password Hackers Present Real Threat | |
Tom Jackman wrote in an article for the Washington Post, "[S]ervices as YourHackerz.com are still active and plentiful, with clever names like 'piratecrackers.com' and 'hackmail.net.' They boast of having little trouble hacking into such Web-based e-mail systems as AOL, Yahoo, Gmail, Facebook and Hotmail, and they advertise openly."
Jackman found that prices for passwords range from around $30 to $100, which means that even the average ten-year-old can probably afford these hackers' services.
Plus, unless someone important is involved or things get rather serious, law enforcement isn't terribly likely to look into (or at least resolve) the matter, because accessing a computer without authorization is just a misdemeanor in most areas and tracking down a perpetrator can be difficult.
And it doesn't help, of course, that all of these facts have now been publicized in a widely-read newspaper.
So if you've got some nasty business rivals or psycho exes, at least try to play it safe by changing your password often for as long as you're in the person's sights. Then there's always the option of putting a few more miles on the odometer, too.
Laptops, CDs Alarm Governors, Credit Unions
Today's lesson - that stuff in the physical world can pose a security threat - is a simple one. It seems to be an important one, too, as governors and credit unions are receiving unsolicited and suspicious laptops and CDs.
 | | Laptops, CDs Alarm Governors, Credit Unions | |
The laptops may represent the more interesting development. Robert McMillan reports, "The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation is trying to figure out who is sending laptop computers to state governors across the U.S., including West Virginia Governor Joe Mahchin and Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal. . . . According to sources familiar with the investigation, other states have been targeted too . . ."
New HP laptops are apparently just showing up, unsought but ready for use, at government offices. That's fine if some Bill Gates-like figure has decided to give small gifts to our country's political leaders, of course. It's less fine if someone's trying to steal all of their passwords and whatever sort of public and private info they'd use the laptops to view.
As for the CDs, the problem appears to be smaller. Indeed, the discs probably just exposed some lapses in judgment. Malware infected CDs that were sent to credit unions were "part of an authorized pen[etration] test," according to Johannes Ulrich, who spoke with a Microsolved representative.
It doesn't look like any damage has been done, then. Just try to keep in mind the old warnings about knowing where stuff's been and gifts being too good to be true.
AVG Offers LimeWire Users Improved Protection
Given that file-sharing does indeed involve the sharing of files, it can be a dangerous practice, resulting in the spread of malware. Security experts should be pleased to hear, then, that LimeWire has teamed up with AVG to give its "Pro"-level users an additional layer of protection.
 | | AVG Offers LimeWire Users Improved Protection | |
People who don't approve of file-sharing can view this as a sort of community health issue, perhaps similar to the way homeless individuals are given clean needles free of charge. Having less malware out there should benefit everybody in the end, since viruses don't just attack folks who break the law.
As for what, exactly, the new deal involves, a formal statement explained, "LimeWire LLC has licensed the AVG Anti-Virus SDK engine and has integrated the anti-virus/ anti-spyware protection into LimeWire Pro, its premium file sharing software. Through this partnership, all files will be scanned before LimeWire Pro will allow them to play or execute on an end user's computer, which prevents infected files from harming machines."
Jason Herskowitz, Limewire's vice president of product management, then said, "LimeWire is committed to providing peer-to-peer's best user experience and we are vigilant about user security. We are always looking for ways to improve, and with AVG's seamless integration into LimeWire, we will be providing users with peer-to-peer's most secure technology."
The LimeWire-AVG integration should be in effect now, and it doesn't appear that LimeWire will raise the price of its Pro service ($34.95 per year) as a result.
With any luck, this development will have a noticeable and immediate effect. LimeWire Pro users are likely to be trading lots more files than the average person, after all, so it may not take long for the benefits to become obvious.
The one problem might be if LimeWire Pro users - who are presumably somewhat tech-savvy - already have good security software in place, and it's regular LimeWire users who represent the real security risk.
Most Malicious Websites Hosted In U.S.
More than 40 percent of the world's malicious websites are hosted in the United States, according to a new research study from AVG Technologies.
 | | Most Malicious Websites Hosted In U.S. | |
The AVG research study is based on the analysis of threats reported during the last 6 months from AVG's 110 million global users of its LinkScanner security product. The research indicates an increase in malware serving websites targeting end users, which usually focus on stealing online baking information, credit card information, personal identities and passwords to social sites.
After the United States countries hosting the most malicious websites include Germany and China at just five percent each. Many of these malware-serving websites are legitimate sites compromised by hackers to serve exploits on their behalf. In total, exploitive servers were found in nearly 4,600 locations throughout the U.S.
AVG says it is important to note the research makes no statement about who owns or is directing the servers and the criminal networks are located all over the world.
"The results of this study shatter the myth that malicious code is primarily hosted in countries where e-crime laws are less developed," said Karel Obluk, Chief Technology Officer, AVG Technologies. "Our research shows that malicious content is much more likely to show up on web servers in the U.S. than one in Asia or Eastern Europe. This makes perfect sense since the USA is a primary target market for the criminals and has rich and mature Internet infrastructure making the threats both highly accessible and cheap to host."
"What is most striking is the clear rise in the number of malicious servers in the last six months. Today's hacking techniques are highly evasive so the average user cannot tell if a website is serving malware or not. A web security product is needed."
McAfee Warns Consumers Of Fake Antivirus Software
McAfee issued a warning today to consumers about "scareware," or fake antivirus software calling it possibly the most costly online scam in 2010, causing significant monetary loss and damage to users' computers.
 | | McAfee Warns Consumers Of Fake Antivirus Software | |
Scareware is the first scam outlined in McAfee's new Consumer Threat Alert program that warns people about the latest and most dangerous online threats.
"Even the savviest of computer users fall victim to online threats because cybercriminals have become so sophisticated," said Jeff Green, senior vice president of McAfee Labs.
"The Consumer Threat Alerts are a warning sound to keep consumers from falling victim to online dangers. We're on the front lines watching and protecting against threats, and we pass that knowledge onto consumers."
Scareware is one of the most widespread, dangerous and sophisticated online scams, victimizing an estimated one million people around the globe everyday. McAfee says cybercriminals make profits of $300 million worldwide from scamming consumers with scareware.
Fake antivirus software pops onto a users' screen and alerts the users their computer may be vulnerable. To disguise the scam, cybercriminals create legitimate looking logos of fake security companies.
The pop-up prompts the user to scan the computer for vulnerabilities, which they don't realize is fake, or even buy the "security software" which is actually malware in disguise. Cybercriminals get victims to input their credit card information, giving criminals' access to the user's computer and bank details.
"It's an incredibly lucrative business for cybercriminals," said Francois Paget from McAfee Labs, a security research expert.
"In fact, one company known as 'Innovative Marketing' made an estimated $180 million through these scams in one year, and more than four million consumers purchased their fake security software thinking it was real."
FBI Director Warns Of Cyber Threats
FBI Director Robert Mueller spoke about cyber threats along with how the U.S. is working with partners around the world to tackle them, during a keynote address at the annual RSA computer security conference in San Francisco on Thursday.
The Director said U.S. intelligence indicates the threat of cyber terror is "real and rapidly expanding," including the rise of extremist websites to recruit, radicalize, and incite violence.
Terrorists have yet to launch a full-scale cyber strike, but have "executed numerous denial-of-service attacks" and even defaced the website of the U.S. Congress following President Obama's recent State of the Union address. The Director told the crowd of cyber professionals that al Qaeda and other extremists "have shown a clear interest in pursuing hacking skills."
According to the Director, the FBI's cyber capabilities and partnerships include:
*Cyber squads in each field office nationwide, with over 1,000 specially trained agents, analysts, and digital forensic examiners who run complex undercover operations, share intelligence with law enforcement and intelligence partners, and provide training to counterparts around the world;
*More than 60 overseas offices-called legal attachs-that share information and coordinate joint investigations with their host countries;
*Agents embedded with police forces in Romania, Estonia, the Netherlands, and other countries; and
*Mobile Cyber Action Teams-highly-trained groups of agents, analysts, and experts in both computer forensics and malicious code who travel the world to respond to fast-moving cyber threats.
The Director stressed the relationship with the private sector is vital in reporting breaches of cyber security. "No one country, company, or agency can stop cyber crime," he said.
"A 'bar the windows and bolt the doors' mentality will not ensure our collective safety. We must start at the source; we must find those responsible."
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