Be Safe on the Internet

[Mistery]

Unfortunately spam and malware (viruses, worms, trojans, adware, spyware) are spreading more than ever. Reports of security companies and malware researchers show a rising tendency.

Due to the boom of social platforms like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter etc., these have become a huge target for cyber criminals, too.

In this thread, you will find some general advice for safer browsing.


1. General Guidelines:

Here you can find some general advice how to make your computer safer:

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic2520.html

http://www.malwareremoval.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=4959

http://temerc.com/rulsprtctn.html

If you like, you can do an online scan with Secunia Online Software Inspector from time to time to see if your most common/popular programs are up to date:

http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/online/

2. Beware of Rogue Antivirus and Antimalware Products!

These are programs that are advertised as antivirus, antispyware, antiadware etc. products, which are dubious or even dangerous. Either they do not offer real protection, or even may infect your computer.
Before you download any security software, make sure it's not a rogue. Also only download legit and safe security software from trusted websites.

Reading tipps:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogue_security_software

http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm#products

3. Be Careful on Social Platforms (MySpace, Facebook, Twitter etc.) and Other Websites!

Here are just some examples how your computer could be infected, and how to prevent this.

General: 9 Dirty Tricks

http://www.csoonline.com/article/480589/_Dirty_Tricks_Social_Engineers_Favorite_Pick_Up_Lines

(note, this article has 4 pages)

Problem of shortened URLs on social platforms:

http://security.thejoshmeister.com/2009/04/how-to-preview-shortened-urls-tinyurl.html

http://security.thejoshmeister.com/2009/05/longurl-preview-shortened-urls-no.html

Problem of receiving messages with links, and problem of fake malicious video or music files:

http://blog.trendmicro.com/new-variant-of-koobface-worm-spreading-on-facebook/

http://www.csoonline.com/article/474868/LinkedIn_Facebook_Twitter_Users_Beware

Problem of malicious ads on websites and social platforms:

http://msmvps.com/blogs/spywaresucks/archive/2009/08/03/1712174.aspx

[Mistery]

Dangerous Facebook Password-reset Spam

Virus hunters are raising the alarm for a large-scale spam attack that uses fake Facebook password-reset messages to trick PC users into downloading a dangerous piece of malware.

Please read further details here:

http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=4724

Don't get fooled by this malicious trick! Happy and safe surfing

[Mistery]

Email scam

A member of our forums has received a fake email that was meant to spy out their username and password, and to spam their friends:

Hiya : )
Damn : ()
Long time ....
Hi o_o

Lavasoft, a security company has released a warning concerning such emails:

http://www.lavasoft.com/mylavasoft/securitycenter/blog/new-wave-of-fake-msn-emails

If you have been victim of such an attack, immediately change your password!

[Mistery]

Dangerous Facebook "New Login System" Spam

We received new spammed emails disguised as a legitimate email from “Facebook”. This spammed email contains the email subject “New login system” and requests the user to update their account by clicking on the “here” or the “Update” button.

Read the details here:

http://community.ca.com/blogs/securityadvisor/archive/2009/10/28/zbot-goes-facebooking.aspx

Don't be fooled by this scam, it downloads a password stealing trojan!

[Mistery]

Dangerous "Myspace Password Reset Confirmation" spam

Similar emails that have been mentioned in the previous posts are now sent around, but this time it's not about Facebook but about Myspace.
However it's the same scheme, and the senders want you to download malicious content.

They claim that for your security the passwords have been reset, and that they are sending you your new password in the attachment.
The attachment however is malicious, and has nothing to do with your Myspace account.

Do not open the attachment, delete such emails immediately!

If you are interested, read more details here:

http://community.ca.com/blogs/securityadvisor/archive/2009/11/04/same-old-schemes.aspx

[Mistery]

Malicious Trick: "your mailbox has been deactivated"

There is currently a widespread malware attack, being spammed out to innocent internet users under the disguise of a mailbox deactivation notice.

Be careful, and don't fall into this trap! Do not click links, or open attachments of such emails!


Read details here:

http://www.sophos.com/blogs/gc/g/2009/11/17/mailbox-deactivated/

http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/utility-has-zero-business-your-mailbox

[Mistery]

Malicious emails targeting Facebook users

Spam emails claiming to inform about a new login system at Facebook come with links to malicious websites.

Do not click any links or open/install any attachments!

Read details here:

http://hphosts.blogspot.com/2009/11/facebook-botnet-is-your-computer.html

[Mistery]

Flash Player Update

It's time to update your Flash Player to the latest version, in which several security issues have been addressed.

The new version, which has been released on December 8, is 10.0.42.34.
You can do a version detection test here to find out which version you have:

http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/155/tn_15507.html

If you wish to check if your most common software is up to date, do an online scan here: http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/online/

To update your Flash Player, use the official Adobe site:

http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/

[EscapeGirl]

Beware of Trojans in Well Known Companies' Ecards

Internet scams are multiplying as people send more holiday e-cards. An internet security company discovered an e-mail virus this week disguised as an e-card from American Greetings’ BlueMountain.com. This virus will search for bank accounts and log keystrokes to access personal banking information. (Some of this information came from my local newspaper as well.)

Read more here:

http://unified-communications.tmcnet.com/topics/business-email/articles/70677-holiday-e-card-scam-may-end-up-your.htm

[EscapeGirl]

Facebook Scam Group Leads to Malware

Be careful what groups you join on Facebook! Social Networking sites continue to be targets of viruses and malware.

http://www.geek.com/articles/news/fraudulent-facebook-group-leads-to-malware-scam-20091229/

[Mistery]

Latest News & Warnings:

Updates:

• The latest Windows updates have been released December 14. Be sure to keep your Windows up-to-date
• However, malware targets also software that are installed on most computers. It's important to keep these programs up-to-date as well. You can check if your most common programs are up-to-date here: http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/online/

Gawker Media Hack

Hackers on Sunday night broke into Gawker Media's servers and grabbed the login credentials for millions of the company's readers who leave comments on sites such as Gawker, Lifehacker, Jezebel, and Kotaku.
The company is advising anyone who has a commenting account at any of the following sites to change their passwords as soon as possible: all Gawker Media sites including Deadspin, Fleshbot, Gawker, Gizmodo, Jezebel, io9, Jalopnik, Kotaku, and Lifehacker.

Read full article here: http://www.pcworld.com/article/21343...d_to_know.html



It's Christmas Time For Hackers

With the endless list of things to do during the holidays, double checking a URL or calling the Better Business Bureau probably isn't high on your list. And hackers count on that.
Hackers typically take advantage of users' lack of time and money during the holiday season to unleash a slew of malware and phishing attacks.

See a compilation of tricks used by attackers:

http://www.crn.com/slide-shows/security/228600102/holiday-scams-15-malware-attacks-to-watch.htm

[Mistery]

BitDefender Study Finds Majority of Social Network Users Do Not Check Shared Links for Malware

Study conducted on Facebook® and Twitter® reveals ninety-seven percent of respondents will click any link shared on their social platform without first checking it for malware. (...)

Facebook users can stay safe with the free BitDefender safego application designed to keep social network accounts from being exposed to malware and spam.

Read about the study here



The top 50 passwords you should never use

http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2010/12/15/the-top-50-passwords-you-should-never-use/

[Mistery]

A currently ongoing spamvertised campaign, attempts to impersonate the most popular social networking site, Facebook.
Using a well proven "Your password has been stolen!" theme, the campaign entices the end user into downloading and executing the malware.

Sample message:

Subject: Facebook Support. Your password has been stolen! ID50888
Message: Good afternoon.

A Spam is sent from your FaceBook account.

Your password has been changed for safety. Information regarding your account and a new password is attached to the letter. Read this information thoroughly and change the password to complicated one. Please do not reply to this email, it's automatic mail notification! Thank you for your attention. Your Facebook!

Source: http://ddanchev.blogspot.com/2011/01...-has-been.html

[Mistery]

Flash Player 10.2.152.32 was released end of February - time to update if you haven't yet.

To check if your most common applications/programs are up to date, use the Secunia vulnerability scanner, which just takes a minute:
http://secunia.com/vulnerability_scanning/online/ (needs Java to run)