250K Devices Infected By Cryptolocker Ransomeware in UK Alone

BE AWARE !!!

250K Devices Infected By Cryptolocker Ransomeware in UK Alone

A research team specialising in security has revealed that the form of Ransomeware, Cryptolocker, could have managed to infect anywhere between 200,000 to 250,000 devices and could also have collected over £600,000 ($980,000, AU$1,000,000) in the virtual currency Bitcoin.

Dell’s SecureWork’s specialist counter-threat unit has scrutinised the infection rates of Cryptolocker and claims that the malware has been developed in either Russia or Eastern Europe. The earliest infection this year would have happened around 4 months ago (September 5) this year. But just how the malware is distributed is still unclear.

Ransomware is a successful new variety of malware and virus that finds and locks away system/essential files on a victim’s computer. The encrypted files are held locked away until the user meets the demands of payment within 72 hours – displayed ominously in the form of an on-screen timer. What is more worrying is that, it targets, mapped drives and all locally connected, network attached or cloud-based storage such as Dropbox.

Unlike traditional malware, which can be removed with the use of antivirus software, Cryptolocker cannot currently be removed. If a user can root out the virus, there is still no way to access the files, which it encrypts. All decryption keys are located on one of Cryptolocker servers; the files are only released again, if the user pays the ransom.

“By using a sound implementation and following best practices, the authors of Cryptolocker have created a robust program that is difficult to circumvent,” SecureWorks notes in a blog post. “Instead of using a custom, cryptographic implementation like many other malware families, Cryptolocker uses strong third-party certified cryptography offered by Microsoft’s CryptoAPI.”

Audaciously, Cryptolocker also has its own dedicated support system for people who pay their ransom but miss the deadline! There have been reports of the author of the program actively answering help question on online forums.

Dell’s SecureWorks estimates that the Ransomware has infected 250,000 systems in the first 100 days of its active lifecycle.

SOURCE:    SOURCE: http://www.techradar.com/

Protecting your BRAND from a global spyware provider

A recent report by Citizen Lab uncovered that commercial spyware produced by Gamma International is designed to trick people into thinking it’s Mozilla Firefox. We've sent Gamma a cease and desist letter today demanding that these illegal practices stop immediately.
As an open source project trusted by hundreds of millions of people around the world, defending Mozilla’s trademarks from this type of abuse is vital to our brand, our users and the continued success of our mission. Mozilla has a longstanding history of protecting users online and was named the Most Trusted Internet Company for Privacy in 2012 by the Ponemon Institute. We cannot abide a software company using our name to disguise online surveillance tools that can be – and in several cases actually have been – used by Gamma’s customers to violate citizens’ human rights and online privacy.
It’s important to note that the spyware does not affect Firefox itself, either during the installation process or when it is operating covertly on a person’s computer or mobile device. Gamma’s software is entirely separate, and only uses our brand and trademarks to lie and mislead as one of its methods for avoiding detection and deletion.
Through the work of the Citizen Lab research team, we believe Gamma’s spyware tries to give users the false impression that, as a program installed on their computer or mobile device, it’s related to Mozilla and Firefox, and is thus trustworthy both technically and in its content. This is accomplished in two ways:

1. When a user examines the installed spyware on his/her machine by viewing its properties, Gamma misrepresents its program as “Firefox.exe” and includes the properties associated with Firefox along with a version number and copyright and trademark claims attributed to “Firefox and Mozilla Developers.”
2. For an expert user who examines the underlying code of the installed spyware, Gamma includes verbatim the assembly manifest from Firefox software.

The Citizen Lab research team has provided us with samples from the following three instances that demonstrate how this misuse of our brand, trademarks and public trust is a designed feature of Gamma’s spyware products and not unique to a single customer’s deployment:

• A spyware attack in Bahrain aimed at pro-democracy activists;
• The recent discovery of Gamma’s spyware apparently in use amidst Malaysia’s upcoming General Elections; and
• A promotional demo produced by Gamma.

Each sample demonstrates the exact same pattern of falsely designating the installed spyware as originating from Mozilla. Gamma’s own brochures and promotional videos tout one of the essential features of its surveillance software is that it can be covertly deployed on the person’s system and remain undetected.
Unfortunately, Mozilla is no stranger to the misuse of our brand. We've fought against companies that use our trademarks to deceive users into downloading malware, providing personal information or paying for Firefox, sometimes in a highly organized and syndicated fashion. Not only are these activities illegal, but we take them seriously because they are deceptive, harm users, cause consumer confusion, and jeopardize Mozilla’s reputation.
We’re grateful for the important work of groups such as Citizen Lab, Privacy International, European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights and Reporters without Borders, and encourage anyone interested in the growing prevalence and societal implications of online surveillance to support their efforts.

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John McAfee, Software Pioneer, Is Arrested in Guatemala

By ELISABETH MALKIN

Published: December 5, 2012

 

MEXICO CITY — The antivirus software pioneer John McAfee was arrested in Guatemala City on Wednesday after he slipped over the border from his home in Belize where police want to question him in their investigation of the murder of his neighbor.

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Jorge Dan Lopez/Reuters

John McAfee spoke during an interview in Guatemala City on Wednesday.

Related

• John McAfee Plays Hide-and-Seek in Belize(December 2, 2012)

The interior minister, Mauricio Lopez Bonilla, told The Associated Press that Mr. McAfee, 67, had been arrested on charges of entering Guatemala illegally. He said that Mr. McAfee had been arrested at a hotel in the capital and taken to a detention center for migrants who are in the nation illegally.

Mr. McAfee had been on the run for almost a month since his neighbor, Gregory Faull, on the Belizean island of Ambergris Caye was found dead at his home on Nov. 11. Police there cited Mr. McAfee as a “person of interest” in their investigation, but Mr. McAfee disapppeared.

But he did not disappear from the Internet. He kept up a continuous stream of comment on his blog and on Twitter, accusing the Belizean authorities of persecuting him.

On Tuesday, he resurfaced in Guatemala, dressed in a suit, his blond curls dyed dark brown.

Accompanied by his 20-year-old Belizean girlfriend, Samantha Venagas, and his Guatemalan lawyer, Telésforo Guerra, Mr. McAfee said that he would seek political asylum in Guatemala. Mr. Guerra, a former Guatemalan attorney general, told reporters at a chaotic news conference outside the Supreme Court that his client was being persecuted because he refused to pay Belizean authorities off any longer.

Mr. McAfee has not been associated with the software company that bears his name since 1994, when he sold it and began to pursue his other interests. He ran a yoga retreat and then built a complex in New Mexico to indulge his hobby of flying motorized ultralight airplanes.

He moved to Belize about four years ago, buying properties on the mainland and on Ambergris Caye. It was there that he clashed with Mr. Faull, who complained about the unleashed dogs that Mr. McAfee kept on his property.

On Nov. 9, several of the dogs were found dead. They had been poisoned.

During his time in Belize, Mr. McAfee had apparently become interested in developing a designer drug called MDPV. He posted extensively about his experiments on a Web site.

But he attracted the attention of Belizean authorities, who raided one of his properties in April. He spent a night in jail, but law enforcement officials found no evidence that he was producing methamphetamine and dropped the charges.

After that experience, though, Mr. McAfee appeared to become increasingly convinced that he was being persecuted by the Belizean government. Officials deny that they are persecuting him.

Mr. Guerra told Guatemalan reporters late Wednesday that since there was no warrant for Mr. McAfee’s arrest and since his client was not a fugitive, he would seek to have his client released and returned to the hotel where he would remain under guard.

 

www.nytimes.com

 

Swan-Tech Sound

Anti-virus software on the increase Top ten virus threats reported

Fake antivirus applications are on the increase according to a report from GFI Software. In its top ten collection of the 10 most prevalent threat detections encountered during the month, the insecurity experts found that there was a new wave of or rogue AVS.

Growing since the start of the year, last month brought a significant spike in new variations of rogue AV, the report said. Christopher Boyd, senior threat researcher at GFI Software said that while the velocity at which rogues were successfully propagating may have slowed toward the end of last year, they are certainly back now, and they remain a popular tactic among cyber criminals.

Many rogue AV programs are being distributed via spam containing malicious links to the Black-hole exploit, a tool used by cyber criminals to target unpatched vulnerabilities in software applications from industry leaders like Microsoft and Adobe. Users infected by rogue AV may be redirected to fraudulent websites, have their systems hijacked by software appearing to scan their PCs or plagued by messages warning of viruses and other PC security risk. These scareware tactics trick users into providing credit card data to purchase non-existent protection.

To make matters worse rogue AV utilities are continually tweaked in an attempt to avoid detection, with newer variants of these malicious applications propagating every 12 to 24 hours.

The outfits 10 Threat Detections for February are:

Detection Type Percent

Trojan.Win32.Generic Trojan 35.63

GamePlayLabs Browser Plug-in 3.66

Yontoo Adware 2.79

INF.Autorun (v) Trojan 1.41

Trojan.Win32.Ramnit.c (v) Trojan 1.02

Trojan-Spy.Win32.Zbot.gen Trojan 0.94

Virus.Win32.Sality.at (v) Virus.W32 0.94

Worm.Win32.Downad.Gen (v) Worm.W32 0.92

Trojan.Win32.Jpgiframe (v) Trojan 0.87

GameVance Adware (General) 0.87

The common sense guide to working on the go

It’s a plain and simple fact, working on the
go can involve a lot of technology. Every
application (or “app”) these days seems
to have migrated to a mobile version of
software that used to be confined to the
desktop PC arena as recently as a decade
ago.
Today we are never much more than
a short skip away from a keyboard or
touchscreen of one form or another,
so the question of how we stay secure
while working on the move has become a
popular talking point.

Staying secure – and of course we mean keeping your ‘data’
secure – is not just about protecting your files and folders
from malicious hackers; staying secure is also about securing
your computer, tablet PC and smartphone’s defenses against
identity theft, phishing scams and the many methods that
purveyors of malware will typically use to take up residency on
an unsuspecting user’s computer.

Anti-virus protection
should be a prerequisite for
every user, whether they
predominantly use their
machine for business or
personal use. But technology
without common sense is like
a car without petrol -- and
there is plenty you can do
to protect yourself just by
being aware of the risks of
“computing in public” so to
speak.
Computing in public
So many people cause
themselves unnecessary
amounts of stress while
working on the go, but there
are simple ways to make your
life easier and safer. AVG’s ten
top tips for effective mobile
working should be learned by
heart, or bookmarked at the
very least!
1.Count the items you take
out of your bag out and
count them back in if you
are working while on public
transport -- don’t forget your
power cable or any other
important item!
2.Think about where you
are sitting and whether
anyone can look over at your
screen -- this might sound
like an obvious thing to point
out, but thieves steal credit
card PIN numbers by looking
over peoples’ shoulders all the
time, so what details do you
have on your screen?
3.As use of personal
mobile Wi-Fi hotspots
grows, users should not be
tempted to connect with
an apparently free wireless
connection in a public place
unless it is advertised by
the web café owner etc. If
you don’t know where your
connection comes from, then
you don’t know what you are
connecting to.
4.Shut down your
Bluetooth connection
(unless you need it) when
working in a public place.
So-called ‘Bluejacking’ and
‘Bluesnarfing’ attacks are
not the biggest information
security risk around, but they
are a consideration to be
aware of.

5.If you have to use a
“public” (or kiosk)
computer then make sure
that you never access your
online banking details, make
electronic purchases or enter
ANY personally identifiable
information (including your
address) on the machine. Be
equally careful on your own
laptop if using public Wi-Fi.
6.If your smartphone has
Internet access, have
you enabled filters and other
on board protection barriers?
Similarly, turning off GPS
capabilities can also limit
location-trackers attempting
to connect with your phone.
7.Don’t ask a stranger to
“look after” your laptop
while you use the restroom
or go to the bar in a web café.
Similarly, keep your laptop
bag close to you throughout
an evening event if you have to
keep all your equipment with
you.
8.Password protection
should be enabled on
your laptop and smartphone
-- and 12345678 or password
or admin are not sensible
passwords. Opt for an
alphanumeric mix with
special characters in upper
and lower cases such as
“puppyLove567$”.
9.Make a note of
your smartphone
manufacturer’s emergency
phone line so you can call
them to have your phone
immobilized in the event of a
loss.
10.Most important of
all, make sure that
you have a fully updated
anti-virus suite installed
and fully operational on your
PC at all times. Protection
should cover not only Internet
security for web browsing, but
also firewall technology, email
defences and shields to guard
against threats carried via
Instant Messenger services.
At work
The common sense guide
to working on the go
All of this advice should take you no more than a few
minutes to think about and no more than a couple of clicks
to bring into action. We’ve called it our common sense guide
because these actions should become as natural as closing
the lid on your laptop once you have finished working. Why not
share them with a colleague and keep a friend safe too?

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