Spyware Weekly Newsletter - Dec 30, 2005
Spyware Weekly Newsletter - Dec 24, 2005
Spyware Weekly Newsletter - Dec 10, 2005
Andrew R. Hickey of SearchMobileComputing.com writes: "Protecting a wireless network from attack may have just gotten a little easier. Network Chemistry Inc., a Redwood City, Calif.-based wireless security vendor today will launch Wireless Vulnerabilities & Exploits (WVe), a public Web site listing risks and threats that could strike wireless networks and ways to fix and avoid them.
Understanding wireless threats and vulnerabilities has become a concern for many companies and IT managers, but there has been no single resource they could rely on for up-to-date information and risk assessments. But through the site, www.wirelessVE.org, Network Chemistry and a host of wireless and security experts hope to change that.
Lisa Phifer, vice president of Core Competence Inc., a network and security consulting firm, said WVe fills a void for administrators who, until now, didn't have access to a one-stop shop that focused solely on wireless security threats."* Read More...
New Sony CD Security Risk Found - by John Borland, CNET News.com - Sony BMG Music Entertainment and the Electronic Frontier Foundation digital rights group jointly announced Tuesday that they had found, and fixed, a new computer security risk associated with some of the record label's CDs.
The danger is associated with copy-protection software included on some Sony discs created by a company called SunnComm Technologies. The vulnerability could allow malicious programmers to gain control of computers that have run the software, which is typically installed automatically when a disc is put in a computer's CD drive.
The issue affects a different set of CDs than the ones involved in the copy-protection gaffe that led Sony to recall 4.7 million CDs last month, and which has triggered several lawsuits against the record label.* Read More...
Sony apologizes for MediaMax - by Frank Washkuch Jr. - The company had been under fire from bloggers, who, while not gathering the same momentum as they did criticizing Extended Copy Protection (XCP) technology on Sony CDs, pointed out vulnerabilities created by the similar MediaMax application. The program could open up PCs to malicious code, bloggers have said.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation and Sony had released a joint statement announcing a software update for the SunnComm's MediaMax.
"We're pleased that Sony responded quickly and responsibly when we drew their attention to this security problem," said Kurt Opsahl, staff attorney for the advocacy organization. "Consumers should take immediate steps to protect their computers."
"We're grateful to EFF and iSEC Partners for bringing this to our attention," said Thomas Hesse, president of global digital business for Sony. "We believe that the availability of the update, coupled with our campaign to notify customers, will appropriately address the CDs with MediaMax version 5 in the market."
A statement on the recording industry giant's website said it "regrets" inconveniencing customers. A link to an uninstall for MediaMax is listed, as well.
...SNIP...
The EFF also warned that millions of CDs contain the MediaMax technology.
"There are over 20 million Sony CDs with some version of the SunnComm MediaMax software," the group warned. "Sony says that about six million have the MediaMax version 5 that is subject to this vulnerability, and has provided a list of affected titles."* Read the Whole Article...
Anti-spyware zealot rants about 180solutions - Just when 180solutions’ CEO Keith Smith is whining about anti-spyware companies, or to use his words “scanning applications”, Spyware Warrior has captured another 180solutions installation with no notice and no consent through a security exploit. From a crack site, too. Nice. Way. To. Go.* Read More...
Spyware Weekly Newsletter - Dec 2, 2005
Botnet operation ruled 1.5 million zombie PCs - Largest zombie army surpasses the worst of expectations - A recently foiled botnet operation has turned out to be fifteen times larger that police initially thought.
Upon further investigation, authorities found that the operation had illegally put about 1.5 million computers and servers under their control. The crime ring was initially thought to have created a 100,000 system strong botnet, which they claimed was the largest botnet ever detected.* 10/20/2005
Spyware Weekly Newsletter - October 20, 2005
Spyware Problems Cost Enterprises Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars Each Month - FaceTime Communications and NewDiligence, a market research company, today released data that show enterprises spending on average $130,000 per month in IT time fighting spyware related issues. The data were collected in a survey of more than 1000 end users and IT managers to determine the impact that the growth of unsanctioned applications have on enterprises. The survey specifically highlights the fact that reports of spyware are occurring at twice the rate of virus infections. In addition to the IT costs associated with remedying infected machines, these incidents have led to thousands of dollars in productivity loss. Further exacerbating the issue, the survey also shows a growing end user adoption rate of unsanctioned network applications on enterprise PCs.*Continued...
Are you aware of spyware on your home computer? By Rep. Mary Bono (R-Calif.) - Imagine leaving the door to your home open, allowing intruders to enter secretly and record your personal information, such as your bank account and Social Security number, and then sell that information to a stranger.
Certainly most people lock their doors to prevent this from taking place; however, virtually anyone who has logged on to the Internet is unknowingly allowing this intrusion to take place on their computer. Daily Web activities by consumers have become stalking grounds for computer hackers through “spyware” programs, placing a user’s personal information and computer stability at risk. Over the past three years, spyware has gone from an unknown “techie” term to a household name synonymous with identity theft, frustration and computer meltdowns. Concealed on a computer’s hard drive, spyware is a software application that allows outside third parties to monitor a user’s Web-surfing habits, often using that information for marketing purposes.
Once installed on computers, some spyware programs, like viruses, become buried among code for other programs, affect the normal functioning of the user’s computer and are difficult to detect and remove. Along with threatening the stability of a hard drive, spyware programs often compromise personally identifiable information ranging from passwords and credit-card account information to tax identification numbers and Social Security numbers.
In short, spyware compromises a user’s personal information and can physically damage the user’s computer.* Continued...
Claria Shows Ads Through Exploit-Delivered Popups - Seeking to clean up its image, Claria has tried to distance itself from competing "adware" vendors -- hiring a privacy officer, filing comments with the FTC, even setting up an. It's no surprise that Claria wants little to do with other vendors in this space: Other vendors' entirely nonconsensual installations are a magnet for criticism. These vendors even undercut Claria's pricing -- showing ads for as little as $0.015 per display, where Claria demands a minimum payment of $25,000 per ad campaign.
But despite Claria's dislike of "spyware" vendors who install advertising software without any notion of user consent, Claria funds and supports such vendors in at least two distinct ways. First, Claria pays spyware vendors to show Claria's own ads through their popups -- thereby recruiting more users to install Claria's advertising software. Second, Claria buys traffic from spyware vendors and uses this traffic to show ads for Claria's advertiser clients -- including merchants as reputable as Amazon.
So even as Claria reforms its own practices -- improving its installation methods and scaling back its controversial popups -- Claria is buying ads from others whose practices are far inferior.* Read the full article here...
Spyware Weekly Newsletter - Oct 13, 2005
Spyware Weekly Newsletter - Oct 5, 2005
Spyware Weekly Newsletter - Oct 1, 2005
Americans' Health Privacy Violated by Sue Blevins - State governments nationwide soon plan to electronically track Americans' use of commonly prescribed medications for pain, anxiety, attention-deficit disorder and sleep disorders.* WTF!!?? This is outrageous!!!
How Affiliate Programs Fund Spyware by Ben Edelman.
Spyware Weekly Newsletter - Sept 23, 2005
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