WARNING! Watch out for an email from this Nigerian scammer which I was most unfortunate to recieve in my Spam box. I'm sure none of you will be fooled as it is very stupid.
FROM THE DESK OF :MR BUDA POOJA,AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING SECTION,BANK OF AFRICAN ( B.O.A )OUAGADOUGOU BURKINA-FASO,WEST AFRICA. Attention Please, This message might meet you in utmost surprise, however,it's just my urgent need for foreign partner that made me to contact you for this transaction. I am a banker by profession from Burkina faso in west Africa and currently holding the post of Director Auditing and Accounting unit of the bank.I have the opportunity of transfering the left over funds ($11.6million) of one of my bank clients who died along with his entire family on 31 july 2000 in a plane crash.You can confirm the genuiness of the deceased death by clicking on this web sitehttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stmHence,i am inviting you for a business deal where this money can be shared between us in the ratio of 60/30 while 10% will be mapped out for expenses.If you agree to my business proposal.further details of the transfer will be forwarded to you as soon as i receive your return mail,have a great day.Make sure you keep this transaction as your top secret and make it confidential till we receives the fund into the account that you will provide to the bank. don¢t disclose it to any body, because the secrecy of this transaction is as well as the success of it. Yours faithfully,Mr Buda Pooja.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
HARRY POTTER SCAM
I don't know if it's a rumour but...Yikes! Watch out for this one:
A NASTY computer worm is taking advantage of the worldwide Harry Potter mania to infect PCs around the globe.
With the release of the last ever Potter book and the sixth movie underway, the W32/Hairy-A worm is disguising itself as a copy of the eagerly-anticipated novel Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which has recently been released.
Once in the user’s system, the worm copies itself onto attached USB memory drives so it can spread to any other PCs it is connected to.
A file called “HarryPotter-TheDeathlyHallows.doc” can be found on infected PCs and once opened the only words inside are: Harry Potter is dead.
But it doesn’t end there.
The worm also creates a number of new Windows users on the computer which are named after the main characters in JK Rowling’s popular books including Harry Potter, Hermione Grainger and Ron Weasley.
Logging in to any of these new users and a message which sounds like it appeared from the evil Lord Voldemort himself can be seen: “Read and repent, the end is near, repent from your evil ways O Ye folks lest you burn in hell . . . JK Rowling especially”.
In addition whenever infected users open Internet Explorer they will find their home page has been re-directed to an Amazon.com web page selling the spoof book Harry Putter and the Chamber of Cheesecakes.
“Much of the world is waiting with bated breath for the final Harry Potter novel, and the premiere of the new movie is looming too so there is a real danger that muggles will blindly allow their USB flash drives to auto-run and become infected by this worm,” says Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for internet security company Sophos.
“The fact that this worm has been inspired by the tales of a fictional schoolboy wizard doesn’t make it a harmless prank.
“A worm like this which infects and tampers with users’ computers without their permission is committing a criminal act.
“Someone needs to get a little more sunshine in their diet and put their energies into a more positive pursuit than writing malicious code like this.”
Sophos has noticed an increasing global trend for malware authors to spread their destructive code via popular USB memory drives which are used to easily transport digital files.
Users are advised to check the root directory of their USB drives for the suspect Potter files before running their applications or using the drive on another computer.
A NASTY computer worm is taking advantage of the worldwide Harry Potter mania to infect PCs around the globe.
With the release of the last ever Potter book and the sixth movie underway, the W32/Hairy-A worm is disguising itself as a copy of the eagerly-anticipated novel Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which has recently been released.
Once in the user’s system, the worm copies itself onto attached USB memory drives so it can spread to any other PCs it is connected to.
A file called “HarryPotter-TheDeathlyHallows.doc” can be found on infected PCs and once opened the only words inside are: Harry Potter is dead.
But it doesn’t end there.
The worm also creates a number of new Windows users on the computer which are named after the main characters in JK Rowling’s popular books including Harry Potter, Hermione Grainger and Ron Weasley.
Logging in to any of these new users and a message which sounds like it appeared from the evil Lord Voldemort himself can be seen: “Read and repent, the end is near, repent from your evil ways O Ye folks lest you burn in hell . . . JK Rowling especially”.
In addition whenever infected users open Internet Explorer they will find their home page has been re-directed to an Amazon.com web page selling the spoof book Harry Putter and the Chamber of Cheesecakes.
“Much of the world is waiting with bated breath for the final Harry Potter novel, and the premiere of the new movie is looming too so there is a real danger that muggles will blindly allow their USB flash drives to auto-run and become infected by this worm,” says Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for internet security company Sophos.
“The fact that this worm has been inspired by the tales of a fictional schoolboy wizard doesn’t make it a harmless prank.
“A worm like this which infects and tampers with users’ computers without their permission is committing a criminal act.
“Someone needs to get a little more sunshine in their diet and put their energies into a more positive pursuit than writing malicious code like this.”
Sophos has noticed an increasing global trend for malware authors to spread their destructive code via popular USB memory drives which are used to easily transport digital files.
Users are advised to check the root directory of their USB drives for the suspect Potter files before running their applications or using the drive on another computer.
COMPUTER VIRUS MAGNAFIED 1000x
A very clever computer expert has managed to find a computer virus and magnify it 1000 times with the end result being this... 
MALWARE NEWS
Friday 15th August
Cyber warfare has launched another attack at over 250 US websites this week, replacing them with pictures of Adolf Hitler. Max Pedersen investigates.
Yes, yes, it's finally back whether you like it or not- cyber warfare has launched a massive counterattack at over 250 US websites that were stupid enough to leave themselves signed in, resulting with replacements of warning signs and pictures of Adolf Hitler.
Just when it was on the brink, it got worse, with Georgia and Russia seizing some of the hacking tools, using them to attack United Nations and other anti-war websites unless America stopped trying to make a truce.
More info will be available shortly.
Cyber warfare has launched another attack at over 250 US websites this week, replacing them with pictures of Adolf Hitler. Max Pedersen investigates.
Yes, yes, it's finally back whether you like it or not- cyber warfare has launched a massive counterattack at over 250 US websites that were stupid enough to leave themselves signed in, resulting with replacements of warning signs and pictures of Adolf Hitler.
Just when it was on the brink, it got worse, with Georgia and Russia seizing some of the hacking tools, using them to attack United Nations and other anti-war websites unless America stopped trying to make a truce.
More info will be available shortly.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
MALWARE NEWS
Saturday, 9th August
Search giant Google has catapulted itself to the top in the ranks of web hosts with the most malware, courtesy of its blogging website Blogger, according to security vendor Sophos.
"During June two per cent of all the web-hosted malware we found was on that site," Sophos security researcher Paul Ducklin said.
However Ducklin defended the search giant, saying that the amount of malware present on Blogger was due to the popularity of the site. "If a particular internet service provider has the most customers, they would probably, by de facto, have the most computers on their network which are zombies," he said.
"With Google there is so much space in there ... but it is surprising, two percent is enormous," Ducklin said. The report said the most common form of malware was SQL injection attacks, with one new infected web page discovered every five seconds.
Ducklin said sites like Blogger and others were also a prime target. "The cyber criminals are actively targeting sites that not only permit, but actively encourage people to upload external content, including links to stuff of interest."
A spokeperson for Google told ZDNet.com.au's sister site CNET News.com: "Google takes the security of our users very seriously, and we work hard to protect them from malware. Using Blogger, or any Google product, to serve or host malware is a violation of our product policies. We actively work to detect and remove sites that serve malware from our network."
Other ground-breaking malware news:
Search giant Google has catapulted itself to the top in the ranks of web hosts with the most malware, courtesy of its blogging website Blogger, according to security vendor Sophos.
"During June two per cent of all the web-hosted malware we found was on that site," Sophos security researcher Paul Ducklin said.
However Ducklin defended the search giant, saying that the amount of malware present on Blogger was due to the popularity of the site. "If a particular internet service provider has the most customers, they would probably, by de facto, have the most computers on their network which are zombies," he said.
"With Google there is so much space in there ... but it is surprising, two percent is enormous," Ducklin said. The report said the most common form of malware was SQL injection attacks, with one new infected web page discovered every five seconds.
Ducklin said sites like Blogger and others were also a prime target. "The cyber criminals are actively targeting sites that not only permit, but actively encourage people to upload external content, including links to stuff of interest."
A spokeperson for Google told ZDNet.com.au's sister site CNET News.com: "Google takes the security of our users very seriously, and we work hard to protect them from malware. Using Blogger, or any Google product, to serve or host malware is a violation of our product policies. We actively work to detect and remove sites that serve malware from our network."
Other ground-breaking malware news:
- Hacker HD Moore has been attacked by his own malware hacking kit over the week, with amazing results.
- And, finally, an email virus sent out 2 months ago saying that the Beijing Olympics Stadium had collapsed has been deleted from all systems.
MASSIVE US CREDIT CARD SCAM
US Government charges 11 in massive credit card fraud case 
The US government has charged 11 people with stealing tens of millions of credit and debit card details as part of an operation that targeted numerous retailers, including those of TJX, parent company of the UK's TK Maxx chain. In March 2007 TJX admitted that 45.7 million customers' card details had been compromised, the largest such theft to date.
The US Attorney in Boston charged three people from the US, three from the Ukraine, two from China, one from Estonia and one from Belarus. The ring was headed by Miami resident Albert Gonzalez, currently being held by New York authorities on another charge of computer crime. Gonzalez was charged with computer fraud, wire fraud, access-device fraud, aggravated identity theft and conspiracy, and authorities say that, if convicted, he faces life in prison.
Retailers targeted by the ring included BJ's Wholesale Club, OfficeMax, Boston Market, Barnes & Noble, Sports Authority, Forever 21 and DSW Inc. Authorities said the data was stolen from retailers' computer networks, in the case of TJX using compromised wireless connections, and the captured card numbers were stored on servers in the US and Eastern Europe. The numbers were allegedly sold to people in the US and Europe who used them to withdraw large amounts of cash from teller machines.
Michael Sullivan, US Attorney in Boston, said in a statement "This case clearly shows how strokes on a keyboard with a criminal purpose can have costly results," – "Consumers, companies and governments from around the world must further develop ways to protect our sensitive personal and business information."
The TJX theft affected customers of the UK's TK Maxx chain, but the breach was disclosed only because of US laws requiring disclosure in such cases, a situation that has touched off a debate about disclosure laws in Europe.
Last month Cotton Traders confirmed that on-line attackers had stolen thousands of credit card details from its web site. The details had been accessed in January, but the breach was not disclosed at the time due to the lack of regulations requiring the company to do so. (Matthew Broersma)
The US Attorney in Boston charged three people from the US, three from the Ukraine, two from China, one from Estonia and one from Belarus. The ring was headed by Miami resident Albert Gonzalez, currently being held by New York authorities on another charge of computer crime. Gonzalez was charged with computer fraud, wire fraud, access-device fraud, aggravated identity theft and conspiracy, and authorities say that, if convicted, he faces life in prison.
Retailers targeted by the ring included BJ's Wholesale Club, OfficeMax, Boston Market, Barnes & Noble, Sports Authority, Forever 21 and DSW Inc. Authorities said the data was stolen from retailers' computer networks, in the case of TJX using compromised wireless connections, and the captured card numbers were stored on servers in the US and Eastern Europe. The numbers were allegedly sold to people in the US and Europe who used them to withdraw large amounts of cash from teller machines.
Michael Sullivan, US Attorney in Boston, said in a statement "This case clearly shows how strokes on a keyboard with a criminal purpose can have costly results," – "Consumers, companies and governments from around the world must further develop ways to protect our sensitive personal and business information."
The TJX theft affected customers of the UK's TK Maxx chain, but the breach was disclosed only because of US laws requiring disclosure in such cases, a situation that has touched off a debate about disclosure laws in Europe.
Last month Cotton Traders confirmed that on-line attackers had stolen thousands of credit card details from its web site. The details had been accessed in January, but the breach was not disclosed at the time due to the lack of regulations requiring the company to do so. (Matthew Broersma)
Friday, August 8, 2008
ATM SCAN
High tech PIN thieves-How skimmers are milking your money
Friday 8th August
An international gang of fraudsters is ripping off bank customers at ATMs across Sydney, using high-tech devices to copy card details and access their accounts.
More than 100 customers of one bank lost money after their cards were "skimmed" at ATMs.
The crooks place dummy card scanners over the slot where cards go into the ATM to read the card's magnetic strip. Tiny cameras are hidden above the ATM to record the secret pin number being punched in.
St George Bank had to call up to 100 customers last week to tell them their cards had been cancelled as they had probably been skimmed.
More than 100 customers of one bank lost money after their cards were "skimmed" at ATMs.
The crooks place dummy card scanners over the slot where cards go into the ATM to read the card's magnetic strip. Tiny cameras are hidden above the ATM to record the secret pin number being punched in.
St George Bank had to call up to 100 customers last week to tell them their cards had been cancelled as they had probably been skimmed.
Fraud squad head Detective Superintendent Col Dyson said his squad busted an international skimming gang of Bulgarians two years ago who had plundered $1.6 million from 600 accounts, but he could not say if the same gang was back.
Seven gang leaders escaped the police net and fled to Canada where they raided Australian accounts at ATMs around Toronto using cards copied from the Sydney operation.
Superintendent Dyson said even more high-tech skimming devices were appearing overseas which use a touch sensitive cover over the keypad to record the pin numbers, transmitting the code to a laptop computer up to 100 metres away.
Detective Sergeant Peter Meagher said the skimming devices were cleverly disguised.
But all the experts agree there is a perfect low-tech solution to the high-tech crime: shield your hand typing in the pin code so the hidden camera can't see it.
Seven gang leaders escaped the police net and fled to Canada where they raided Australian accounts at ATMs around Toronto using cards copied from the Sydney operation.
Superintendent Dyson said even more high-tech skimming devices were appearing overseas which use a touch sensitive cover over the keypad to record the pin numbers, transmitting the code to a laptop computer up to 100 metres away.
Detective Sergeant Peter Meagher said the skimming devices were cleverly disguised.
But all the experts agree there is a perfect low-tech solution to the high-tech crime: shield your hand typing in the pin code so the hidden camera can't see it.
Monday, August 4, 2008
MALWARE GROWTH BY YEAR
Just to show you how much malware is growing each day, here's a tally of how it's increased (Click on it for a better view).
Thanks,
Mariomax (The Verve)
Sunday, August 3, 2008
WHY TO CHOOSE YAHOO MAIL
Hi!
I thought I might just tell you why to choose Yahoo! 7 Mail.
I know it has less smileys, but it's spam protection is fantastic.
For example, say you get and email from someone you don't know, it will go straight to the Spam folder without you knowing it and it will block any attachments. The Spam folder does not display anything if you have spam in it, so the file will be left in there and after a month deleted.
Thanks,
Mariomax (The Verve)
I thought I might just tell you why to choose Yahoo! 7 Mail.
I know it has less smileys, but it's spam protection is fantastic.
For example, say you get and email from someone you don't know, it will go straight to the Spam folder without you knowing it and it will block any attachments. The Spam folder does not display anything if you have spam in it, so the file will be left in there and after a month deleted.
Thanks,
Mariomax (The Verve)
THE LATEST MALWARE NEWS
Sunday, August 3rd
More studies have said there are operating systems which are resistant to viruses, Linux, openBSD, OS X. People are poorly informed because when they buy a PC from a shop it comes with the insecure 'Windows' operating system by default. People have choice and should ask for a more secure operating system. Some big PC vendors such as Dell are offering Linux instead of Windows now for consumers.
Habbo is now on the brink of disaster. 50% has been hacked and every day, more Trojan Horse infringements are being downloaded. The biggest hack ever was on 14 November 2007, when a 17-year-old was arrested by police for allegedly stealing virtual furniture bought with real money worth up to €4000. Five 15-year-olds were brought in for questioning and followed with charges of theft.
And finally, China has let go of blocking websites form the public and agreed they will able to access it. The websites should be accessible in the next few hours.
For more info on malware, go to http://www.abc.net.au/news/btn/story/s2316644.htm.
Thanks,
Mariomax (The Verve)
More studies have said there are operating systems which are resistant to viruses, Linux, openBSD, OS X. People are poorly informed because when they buy a PC from a shop it comes with the insecure 'Windows' operating system by default. People have choice and should ask for a more secure operating system. Some big PC vendors such as Dell are offering Linux instead of Windows now for consumers.
Habbo is now on the brink of disaster. 50% has been hacked and every day, more Trojan Horse infringements are being downloaded. The biggest hack ever was on 14 November 2007, when a 17-year-old was arrested by police for allegedly stealing virtual furniture bought with real money worth up to €4000. Five 15-year-olds were brought in for questioning and followed with charges of theft.
And finally, China has let go of blocking websites form the public and agreed they will able to access it. The websites should be accessible in the next few hours.
For more info on malware, go to http://www.abc.net.au/news/btn/story/s2316644.htm.
Thanks,
Mariomax (The Verve)
Friday, August 1, 2008
THE LATEST MALWARE NEWS
You can rely on me for the latest malware news. Here's today.
Friday August 1st
Reports this morning reveal that companies are encouraging hotels to install spyware on their computers so they can check on which websites they're visiting, so keep an eye out.
China has still banned journalists from accessing websites like www.bbc.co.uk until the end of the Olympic Games (see picture). It was also revealed that 7 years ago, 4 unknown countries said to China that they could ban certain websites from public access.
That's it for the day.
Thanks,
Mariomax (The Verve).
Friday August 1st
Reports this morning reveal that companies are encouraging hotels to install spyware on their computers so they can check on which websites they're visiting, so keep an eye out.
China has still banned journalists from accessing websites like www.bbc.co.uk until the end of the Olympic Games (see picture). It was also revealed that 7 years ago, 4 unknown countries said to China that they could ban certain websites from public access.
That's it for the day.
Thanks,
Mariomax (The Verve).
HABBO'S SECRET SCAM
There's one thing about Habbo I must tell you. A nasty little secret.
Over 25% of Habbo users are Trojan Horse scammers. I had one very close encounter the other day and as a result am now banned from Habbo.
I was playing Habbo as usual. I went out into the kitchen to have lunch. I forgot to sign out, so someone downloaded the illegal Trojan Horse software into my computer without us knowing it.
Luckily we had Norton 360 on. My parents went on the computer and noticed a little sign saying:
Habbo has downloaded 3 illegal programs.
Immediately my parents deleted them and banned me from Habbo. I'm surprised that Norton 360 didn't stop it.
Oh, and one more thing. I send an email to a moderator about the scam and he said that there was no such thing. He was obviously a scammer as well.
SO, WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T GO ON HABBO!!
If you do end up going on, here's a great little hack to get 1000 coins in Habbo. (And no, he's not a scammer!)
Thanks,
Mariomax (The Verve)
Over 25% of Habbo users are Trojan Horse scammers. I had one very close encounter the other day and as a result am now banned from Habbo.
I was playing Habbo as usual. I went out into the kitchen to have lunch. I forgot to sign out, so someone downloaded the illegal Trojan Horse software into my computer without us knowing it.
Luckily we had Norton 360 on. My parents went on the computer and noticed a little sign saying:
Habbo has downloaded 3 illegal programs.
Immediately my parents deleted them and banned me from Habbo. I'm surprised that Norton 360 didn't stop it.
Oh, and one more thing. I send an email to a moderator about the scam and he said that there was no such thing. He was obviously a scammer as well.
SO, WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T GO ON HABBO!!
If you do end up going on, here's a great little hack to get 1000 coins in Habbo. (And no, he's not a scammer!)
Thanks,
Mariomax (The Verve)
WELCOME!
Hi!
This is a blog dedicated to stopping malware and how to protect your computer. I decided to create this blog after I was almost scammed by Trojan Horse software (See post HABBO).
Thanks,
Mariomax (The Verve).
This is a blog dedicated to stopping malware and how to protect your computer. I decided to create this blog after I was almost scammed by Trojan Horse software (See post HABBO).
Thanks,
Mariomax (The Verve).
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