PHOENIX — Imagine trying to get online and finding out you’ve been cut off from the Internet.
It’s expected to happen to millions of unsuspecting computer users because of something referred to as the Internet kill switch.
It all started with six guys in, of all places, Estonia in Europe, who infected more than 4 million computers worldwide, a half a million in the United States.
The DNSChanger Trojan virus takes over users’ domain name system settings.
“What it allowed these hackers to do was determine where you go on the Internet and guide you to malicious or fraudulent sites,” said Ken Colburn with Data Doctors.
The FBI arrested the group in November, but as Colburn explains, the damage was already done.
“Great, they caught them,” he said. “But, they realized that with 4 million machines being infected, if they had brought down the hackers all at once then 4 million people would be suddenly cut off from the Internet.”
To keep infected users connected, the FBI created a replacement system — a splint of sorts — to support sick computers.
But, the court order that put that splint system in place expires March 8, causing an estimated half a million computers in [...] Continue Reading…
Article source: http://www.azfamily.com/news/consumer/Half-million-to-lose-Internet-access-in-coming-weeks-140048693.html
Published Wed, Feb 22nd, 2012 Matthew Weinschenk
In 2012, the ever-evolving cyber security industry will not only rapidly shift its focus, but its growth, too.
This isn’t just because of a simple increase in business. The threat of a cyber attack has become something much different – and much more dangerous.
On the backs of these new types of attacks, the global cyber security industry is expected to grow an additional $7.2 billion in the next four years, according to projections from Gartner.
Not only does this include expanding security measures, but also redesigning old systems and dealing with new infrastructures as more data moves to “cloud” systems.
At the root of it all is the nature of this new cyber security threat that will reshape both cyber security as a technology and as a business.
The Advanced Persistent Threat
Cyber attacks used to cast a wide net to try to find valuable nuggets of data where available. Now they set their sights on one particular wealthy target and are sure to take it down. They’ve gone from catching tuna in a net, to spearfishing for prized marlin.
Appropriately titled “phishing,” the old cyber attack would blast out emails that appeared to be a [...] Continue Reading…
Article source: http://www.wallstreetdaily.com/2012/02/22/cyber-security-growing-threats-and-profits/
VERNAL — Computers of all makes and models sit on shelves in the back room at Techris Design, waiting to have the harmful content that’s built up on their hard drives removed.
That’s the bulk of the small repair shop’s business.
“Ninety percent of the work that we do is virus removal and repair,” owner Ted Munford said.
[...] Continue Reading…
Article source: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765552910/Virus-hampering-Internet-use-for-millions.html
(CNN) — In Syria’s cyberwar, the regime’s supporters have deployed a new weapon against opposition activists — computer viruses that spy on them, according to an IT specialist from a Syrian opposition group and a former international aid worker whose computer was infected.
A U.S.-based antivirus software maker, which analyzed one of the viruses at CNN’s request, said that it was recently written for a specific cyberespionage campaign and that it passes information it robs from computers to a server at a government-owned telecommunications company in Syria.
Supporters of dictator Bashar al-Assad first steal the identities of opposition activists, then impersonate them in online chats, said software engineer Dlshad Othman. They gain the trust of other users, pass out Trojan horse viruses and encourage people to open them.
Once on the victim’s computer, the malware sends information out to third parties.
Inside Syria: Hope, supplies run low in bunker
Othman is an IT security “go-to-guy” for opposition activists. He resides outside of Syria for his own safety.
Syria: Rain doesn’t stop protests
Walking through a deserted Homs
Syrian town held by opposition
Since December, he has heard from dozens of opposition members who say their computers were infected. Two of them recently passed actual viruses to Othman and [...] Continue Reading…
Article source: http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/17/tech/web/computer-virus-syria/
Computer scam hits Southend
4:43pm Wednesday 22nd February 2012 in Southend
A COMPUTER scam has taken in people from across Southend.
Southend Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership is warning people about the ruse which could allow fraudsters access to their personal information.
Several residents have received telephone calls from someone claiming to be working for Microsoft or Windows.
The cold?caller says they have detected a virus on the user’s computer and can tell this by [...] Continue Reading…
Article source: http://www.southendstandard.co.uk/news/southend/9547325.Computer_scam_hits_Southend/
Bitdefender has released an update to its cloud-based virus scanner, Quickscan.
The service runs in Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome as a browser add-on that will check for any threats currently running on the system or that run during system start-up.
Quickscan works by comparing files running on a computer with an online database. Scanning and virus definitions are hosted on remote servers and if any potentially malicious files are detected, the software makes the user aware of the threat.
Razvan Costache, Quickscan’s product marketing manager, said that the online tool was a fast and effective way to check if a computer was infected.
“The security of users is our paramount concern, and we are proud that Quickscan is one of [...] Continue Reading…
Article source: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2154351/bitdefender-updates-quickscan-cloud-virus-scanner
(CNN) — In Syria’s cyberwar, the regime’s supporters have deployed a new weapon against opposition activists — computer viruses that spy on them, according to an IT specialist from a Syrian opposition group and a former international aid worker whose computer was infected.
A U.S.-based antivirus software maker, which analyzed one of the viruses at CNN’s request, said that it was recently written for a specific cyberespionage campaign and that it passes information it robs from computers to a server at a government-owned telecommunications company in Syria.
Supporters of dictator Bashar al-Assad first steal the identities of opposition activists, then impersonate them in online chats, said software engineer Dlshad Othman. They gain the trust of other users, pass out Trojan horse viruses and encourage people to open them.
Once on the victim’s computer, the malware sends information out to third parties.
Inside Syria: Hope, supplies run low in bunker
Othman is an IT security “go-to-guy” for opposition activists. He resides outside of Syria for his own safety.
Syria: Rain doesn’t stop protests
Walking through a deserted Homs
Syrian town held by opposition
Since December, he has heard from dozens of opposition members who say their computers were infected. Two of them recently passed actual viruses to Othman and [...] Continue Reading…
Article source: http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/17/tech/web/computer-virus-syria/
Hopeless romantics looking to catch the love bug this Valentine’s Day could end up infected with nothing more than a computer virus.E-cards from secret admirers often turn out to be spam from online scam artists, the NSW Department of Fair Trading has warned.Minister for Fair Trading Anthony Roberts says people should think with their heads, not their hearts, when making Valentine’s Day purchases and receiving online messages.’We know in the lead up to February 14, there is a marked increase in spam relating to Valentine’s Day,’ Mr Roberts said.’Much of this spam … contains malware, computer viruses or links to rackets including scam dating sites.’Messages containing links to dating services could be bogus sites trying to steal consumers’ money, he said.’Carefully scrutinise contracts and fees, and ideally choose an Australian-based company as this makes recourse easier should things go wrong,’ he said.Mr Roberts also warned never to hand over money online to someone you have not met.’Requests for money should ring warning bells, not wedding bells.’
Article source: http://wap.news.bigpond.com/articles/Technology/2012/02/09/Valentine_online_warning_bells_716759.html
DESCRIPTION
Chances are you’re reading this on a computer. Chances also are that, at some point, you or someone you love has mysteriously lost all of their data right before they needed it or encountered the blue screen of death or been attacked by hidden “Trojans” that invaded their machine as they unsuspectingly watched an episode of “How I Met Your Mother.” But whether you’re facing virus problems or software issues or anything in between, grab today’s deal and enjoy a full computer tune-up for just $40 with My Computer Guy Joe!
Joe has the expertise to keep your computer running strong coupled with the kind of friendly customer service that’ll diffuse any impulse you may have to punch your computer right in the screen. With today’s deal you’ll get a computer tune-up for just $40, which includes virus scans, system checks, and other necessary examinations to make sure your computer is working right.
My computer Guy Joe has years of computer experience, making it easy to get the computer support you need on products, installation, repair, and laptop services. And the best part is: Joe will come to you. No need to mess with unplugging cables or lugging [...] Continue Reading…
Article source: http://dealoftheday.gazette.com/daily_deals/63014
[...] Continue Reading…
Article source: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765552910/Virus-hampering-Internet-use-for-millions.html