Ryan Naraine

A new Christmas-themed worm attack is underway, delivering an offensive rootkit payload over the AOL, MSN, Windows Messenger, ICQ and Yahoo instant messaging networks. The worm, identified as IM.GiftCom.All, was discovered by researchers at IMLogic Inc.s Threat Center spreading via IM and attempting to trick users into clicking on a malicious URL. The link lures […]

An independent security researcher on Tuesday flagged an unpatched flaw in the Symantec AntiVirus Library and warned that attackers could exploit the bug to execute arbitrary code when a malicious RAR archive is scanned. In a published advisory, here in PDF form, researcher Alex Wheeler said the vulnerability is the result of unchecked 16-bit length […]

Microsoft has announced plans to make several key default changes to Internet Explorer 7s security zones to further harden the browser against attacks. The built-in zones, used in IE to enforce security rules for Web sites by grouping them into categories, will be changed to scrap the use of the “Intranet” zone unless the computer […]

Researchers at Microsoft Corp. have blown the lid off a large-scale, typo-squatting scheme that uses multi-layer URL redirection to game Googles AdSense for domains program. The scheme was uncovered when Redmond lab rats decided to extend its HoneyMonkey exploit detection system, a project that runs automatic and systematic Web scans to investigate the seedier side […]

White Wolf Publishing Inc., a company responsible for some of the most popular role-playing game brands, has shut down operations after international hackers exploited a software flaw and stole user data that included user names, e-mail addresses and encrypted passwords. Following the breach, the company, based in Stone Mountain, Ga., said the hackers attempted to […]

More than two months after Microsoft Corp. issued a critical patch for a Windows 2000 worm hole, malicious hackers are successfully exploiting the vulnerability, confirming fears that patch deployment rates remain frighteningly low. The latest network worm attack, identified by anti-virus vendors as W32/Dasher, enters through a flaw in the Microsoft Windows Distributed Transaction Coordinator […]

WASHINGTON, D.C.—More than a year after Microsoft Corp. shipped Windows XP Service Pack 2 as a massive security-centric OS makeover, customer adoption internationally continues to lag at disappointing levels, according to a senior Redmond executive. Stuart McKee, Microsofts U.S. National Technology Officer, said the overall install rate of XP SP2 was just shy of 70 […]

WASHINGTON, DC—Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday clinched Common Criteria security certification from the U.S. governments National Information Assurance Partnership for six versions of its flagship Windows OS. At the Security Summit East here, Microsoft announced that all the products earned the EAL 4 + (Evaluation Assurance Level), which is the highest level granted to a commercial […]

WASHINGTON, DC—The gospel according to LUA (least-privileged user account) took center stage at Microsoft Corp.s Security Summit East here with a pair of Redmond consultants pitching the idea of a well-funded security deployment repository to help developers create applications for non-admin users. The LUA principle, which promotes the use of accounts with fewer access rights […]

Intel Corp.s researchers are working to outwit cyber attackers, including those employing stealthy rootkits. The chip makers Communications Technology Lab, in a project called System Integrity Services, has created a hardware engine to sniff out sophisticated malware attacks by monitoring the way operating systems and critical applications interact with hardware inside computers. By watching a […]

The algorithm used in one of the most debilitating e-mail worm attacks in history has been cracked, allowing virus researchers to accurately predict the dates and URLs that will be used in future mutants. Researchers at Finnish anti-virus vendor F-Secure Corp. first cracked the code used in the Win32.Sober worm family in May this year […]

Microsoft Corp. has announced plans to make several key default changes to Internet Explorer 7s security zones to further harden the browser from malicious hacker attacks. The built-in zones, used in IE to enforce security rules for Web sites by grouping them into categories, will be changed to scrap the use of the “Intranet” zone […]