Brian Prince

In August 2009, Arbor Networks researcher Jose Nazario uncovered a botnet using Twitter as a command and control mechanism. Since then, other examples of attackers taking advantage of Web 2.0 sites have continued to sporadically pop up. The tactic remains quite rare, but there are a number of reasons why attackers may increasingly look to […]

Microsoft released the beta versions of upcoming editions of Microsoft Security Essentials and Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010. In Security Essentials, Microsoft has added several new features and enhancements, including integration with Internet Explorer to protect against Web threats as well as a network inspection system to prevent network-based exploits. According to a spokesperson, the network […]

News of a Microsoft Windows zero-day vulnerability may have put the Stuxnet malware on the public’s radar, but it has not stopped the malware’s purveyors from trucking along. As of this morning, Microsoft said it detected nearly 10,000 unique machines where Stuxnet infections were prevented. The target of the malware is not ordinary users, but […]

VeriSign has announced plans to make a move into malware scanning to bolster its role in ensuring Website security. The anti-malware service is part of a handful of new features VeriSign is offering to its customers to help them create a safe, trusted experience for visitors. In addition to malware scanning, VeriSign SSL-protected sites will […]

Some security pros are taking issue with Microsoft’s advisory on a zero-day vulnerability one researcher referred to as “simple to exploit.” The vulnerability lies in the Windows Shell component. While Microsoft asserted in its advisory July 16 that the result of the vulnerability is that “malicious code may be executed when the user clicks the […]

Microsoft issued an advisory today to address a zero-day vulnerability linked to a Trojan spreading through infected USB devices. According to Microsoft, the vulnerability at the center of the reports exists because Windows incorrectly parses shortcuts in a way that allows malicious code may be executed when the user clicks the displayed icon of a […]

Researchers with McAfee Labs have observed a significant spike in URLs leading to Koobface malware. Well known for targeting users of social networks such as Facebook since it first appeared on the scene in 2008, Koobface sends false messages and comments to the victim’s friends and redirects them to a malicious Website. From there, it […]

When insider data breaches hit, they hit hard. Just recently, a former senior database administrator for GEXA Energy was sentenced to a year in prison for illegally accessing, copying and damaging a customer database two months after he was fired. The act cost the company $100,000 in damages and former DBA Steven Jinwoo Kim his […]

Microsoft is investigating reports of a Windows security vulnerability being exploited by a Trojan some say is targeting industrial companies. The malware exploits a vulnerability in Windows’ handling of “lnk” shortcut files. According to VirusBlokAda (PDF), a security vendor based in Belarus, the Trojan propagates through USB devices and uses rootkit functionality to hide itself. […]

The United States is still No. 1 — in spam. According to Sophos, the United States is the source of 15.2 percent of all global spam messages in the second quarter of 2010, up from 13.1 percent in the first three months of the year. In second place is India with 7.7 percent. Brazil, the […]

A presentation on Chinese state-sponsored hacking has been pulled from the Black Hat security conference due to pressure from the Taiwanese government. The talk, titled “The Chinese Cyber Army: An Archaeological Study from 2001 to 2010,” was to be held by Wayne Huang, CTO of Web application security firm Armorize Technologies. Advertised by Black Hat […]

A cyber-security progress report from the White House July 14 shed some light on the government’s cyber-security efforts and what officials have planned for the future. President Obama released the results of a 60-day cyber-security review in May 2009 and declared cyber-security a national security priority. Since that time, the president has established the position […]