An Anti-virus can Also be Vulnerable to Hackers

iViZ, an information security company that offers "Green Cloud Security", has discovered new classes of vulnerabilities in many popular commercial and open source anti-virus software. The company states that these vulnerabilities can potentially allow attackers to gain access to systems using such antivirus software.

According to iViZ, an attacker can craft an e-mail with malicious code that can crash the vulnerable anti-virus and bypass the computer's local security solution.

The iViZ "Green Cloud Security" Vulnerability Research team , using a variety of "file fuzzing" techniques discovered abnormal behavior in several security tools -- especially when handling complex or unusual executable header data. Multiple bugs were found in antivirus software while processing malformed packed executables as well.
Some of these bugs proved to be security vulnerabilities, which could make the antivirus itself a back door for hackers.

The affected software included popular commercial and open source anti-virus software such as AVG, F-Secure (F-Prot), Sophos, ClamAV, BitDefender and Avast. It stated that the list could include other security-based software as well.

iViZ experts advised businesses to perform regular and periodic penetration testing as it can help them combat constantly evolving vulnerabilities and threats.

Warning Spyware Detected on Your Computer - The Fix

If you have started to receive messages stating ” Warning spyware detected on your computer ” then it should be quite obvious that your operating system has become infected with spyware. Spyware infections pose great threats to your computer system in that they can harvest personal data and manipulate system settings with the aim of causing instability and stealing information. So the question at this point is what to do when you get a message saying ” Warning spyware detected on your computer “.

When it comes to spyware removal you will find that the only safe and reliable way of removing these infections is to make use of spyware removal applications. If you attempt to uninstall or delete a particular piece of software which has an infection manually you could end up saving money but you will NEVER get rid of the infection completely. This is because infections like spyware and viruses are designed to spread, duplicate and infect other targeted files and configurations within the windows registry which can only be correctly removed with a spyware removal application. So this is why you should never ignore messages that say ” Warning spyware detected on your computer ” which is a common mistake that most people make thinking that it will go away.

Furthermore, pc security tools like these are capable of detecting infection signatures within the contents on your hard drive and will be able to show you what type of risk levels the infections possess as well as their names. So basically any website that offers information or cures on how to get rid of messages like ” Warning spyware detected on your computer ” will direct you towards some form of infection removal application. It is best to avoid free spyware removal tools as many of them are notorious for containing malicious infections themselves and could end up corrupting your system if you use them.

When it comes to using infection removal applications I can highly recommend Xoftspyse which continues to gain huge popularity and respect as the most effective spyware and virus remover on the web today. If you would like to scan your computer with the latest version you can download it directly at the link below.

In Midst of Economic Meltdown, Malware Business is Booming

1.9 million job losses, a dollar worth less than the Canadian and Australian dollar, the collapse of the auto industry, the complete meltdown of credit. What a year it’s been for we working stiffs!

If you, as many ‘mericans already have, find yourself on the job hunt in the near future, forget about real estate, investment, Avon sales or tool and die work. Apparently, the boom industry in 2009 will be in the crimeware sector. Hopefully, with corresponding spikes in the antivirus industry (please don’t leave me to the spammers!).

According to industry insiders, 2008 saw a 258% spike in the URLs spreading contagions via phishing tactics. Classic scams like emulating login portals to harvest valuable personal data, passwords and usernames are becoming more common as cyber criminals perfect their craft. Malicious tapeworms, retroviruses, MoBo-VD, circuitry eating zombie nets and Trojan donkey-kits are proliferating rapidly.

If you do a lot online banking, social networking, or even MMORPGing think twice before throwing your social security number, birthday, maiden name and blood type around the internet. Phishing tactics are no longer as transparent as the koobface worm we’re still seeing on Facebook.

These dweeb and nerd criminals manage to make some convincing mimic logon pages and tricky programs. Red flags to look for include any obviously ex-Soviet URLs (.ru, .az, .kz, .by .cz, .tm et al), key misspellings (think Homtail, hotmale, or hottamale instead of hotmail), and anything that has a .exe within a hundred feet of it.

If, on the other hand, you’re looking to get involved in the profitable crimeware industry, there are great opportunities out there. Why not work as the overlord of a zombie botnet? Trading in stolen credit card numbers would be a refreshing career change, no? Just be prepared to feel my wrath, and the wrath of anyone else who has ever lost personal information!

If you’re not feeling ambitious enough for a fast track career in malware development, you’re probably going to want arm yourself with up-to-date antivirus and antispyware software. Check out our software reviews to keep your identity secure.