viruses | Ain't Complicated

A Shot Across Google’s Bow?

Wherein one Internet titan shows a thing or two to another Internet titan’s competing browser:

Users report Microsoft Security Essentials removes Google Chrome

On September 30th, 2011, an incorrect detection for PWS:Win32/Zbot was identified and as a result, Google Chrome was inadvertently blocked and in some cases removed. Within a few hours, Microsoft released an update that addresses the issue. Signature versions 1.113.672.0 and higher include this update. Affected customers should manually update Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) with the latest signatures. After updating the definitions, reinstall Google Chrome. We apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused our customers.

An inadvertent inconvenience — yup. Sure. You betcha. 😆

But, hey, they apologized.

I can believe that.

Question is, does Google?

Next thing you know, we’re going to hear about some strange search (non)rankings and (non)results for Microsoft products.

Maybe when you do a search for “word processor suite,” the results will show WordPerfect back its rightful kingly place. And Microsoft Word(no-perfect-there) will show up once at the bottom of the first page of results…with an ominous warning about it being a potential attack site.

Stand by, folks. This could get exciting.

We may be entering a new phase of the browser wars. 😯

Meanwhile, maybe you’d better play it safe. Use Yahoo! for search, Firefox for browsing, and WordPerfect for documenting. (And maybe Linux for an operating system.)

This PSA has been brought to you by Mark Roth, Ain’t Complicated, and your local browser. You’re welcome.

PS: Coming tomorrow — His Name Is Obama. If current plans don’t hold, well, that post won’t be coming tomorrow. Keep your browser tuned to this…ah…station.

Security Software Recommendations

What McAfee failed to prevent in real time and what Malewarebytes Anti-Malware failed to detect later:

PC Tools Spyware Doctor warring for Mark Roth!

So I was twice disappointed. Read it all

New Virus Spam: ‘Here You Have’

I just learned about this, thanks to Drudge.

A global e-mail virus spammed inboxes this afternoon, slowing — and in some cases halting — work at offices around the world as employees watched their inboxes inexplicably fill with e-mails under the subject line “Here you have.” Some workers were forced to go without e-mail altogether, as the flood of spam put their services out of commission.

Organizations including NASA, Comcast, AIG, Disney, Proctor & Gamble, Florida Department of Transportation and Wells Fargo are just a few of the organizations apparently affected by the worm, which appears to have sent out hundreds of thousands, if not millions of e-mails.

When contacted by ABCNews.com, security firm McAfee said it was investigating the attack but confirmed that it had affected corporations around the world. Although McAfee did not disclose how widespread the attack was, around 4 p.m. Thursday afternoon, the subject of the spam e-mail, “Here you have,” was the second hottest search on Google trends.

[…]

On its blog, McAfee said that because multiple variants of the worm are spreading, it “may take some time to work through them all to paint a clearer picture.”

And with those multiple variants come other subject lines. So maybe you should read more of the story: ‘Here You Have’ Virus E-Mail Spreads Online.

Coming on April Fool’s Day

Vexing computer worm to evolve on April Fool’s Day

A tenacious computer worm which has wriggled its way onto machines worldwide is set to evolve on April Fool’s Day, becoming harder to exterminate but not expected to wreak havoc.

[…]

“There is no evidence of it going into attack mode or dropping any particular payload on April 1st,” Ferguson said in an interview.

[…]

It can infect machines from the Internet or by hiding on USB memory sticks carrying data from one computer to another. Once in a computer it digs deep, setting up defenses that make it hard to extract.

[…]

A troubling aspect of Conficker is that it harnesses computing power of a botnet to crack passwords.

Microsoft has modified its free Malicious Software Removal Tool to detect and get rid of Conficker.

[…]

Computer users are advised to stay current on anti-virus tools and Windows updates, and to protect computers and files with strong passwords.

Conficker is programmed to reach out to 250 websites daily to download commands from its masters.

On Wednesday, the worm will begin connecting with 50,000 websites daily to better hide where orders originate….

[…]

Among the ways one can tell if their machine is infected is that the worm will block efforts to connect with websites of security firms such as Trend Micro or Symantec where there are online tools for removing the virus.

[…]

Hackers have taken advantage of Conficker hype by using promises of information or cures to lure Internet users to websites booby trapped with malicious software, according to security specialists.

Get a FREE malware scan now (from Trend Micro)

Possibly the Biggest Virus

Nasty worm wriggles…into your computer?

A nasty worm has wriggled into millions of computers and continues to spread, leaving security experts wondering whether the attack is a harbinger of evil deeds to come.

US software protection firm F-Secure says a computer worm known as “Conficker” or “Downadup” had infected more than nine million computers by Tuesday and was spreading at a rate of one million machines daily.

The malicious software had yet to do any noticeable damage, prompting debate as to whether it is impotent, waiting to detonate, or a test run by cybercriminals intent on profiting from the weakness in the future.

“This is enormous; possibly the biggest virus we have ever seen,” said software security specialist David Perry of Trend Micro.

[…]

Perry urges people to harden passwords by mixing in numbers, punctuation marks, and upper-case letters. Doing so makes it millions of times harder for passwords to be deduced, according to Perry.

OK, it’s time for me to start methodically (or is it methodicly?) changing and hardening more of my passwords…starting the with the one in my browser.

You should, too!