PCS Security News

Google's 'Me on the Web' Tool Alerts You to Personal Data Leaks

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 13:01:00 GMT

Google has launched Me on the Web, a new tool allowing anyone with a Google account to monitor what personal information about them appears online.

Source: PC World

What's new in Forefront Online Protection for Exchange

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Earlier this year, I wrote about the value of Office 365 when combined with Forefront Online Protection for Exchange (FOPE) in "Delving into Office 365's email security." But FOPE is not used solely for Office 365. In fact, there are a variety of email scenarios where you might consider FOPE to stand watch between your online or on-premise mail flow. Let me review what FOPE is all about and what new features are available in version 11.1.

Source: Info World

Adobe patches second Flash zero-day in 9 days

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 05:00:00 GMT

For the second time in nine days, Adobe on Tuesday patched a critical vulnerability in Flash Player that hackers were already exploiting.

Source: Info World

Android is a malware cesspool -- and users don't care

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Android smartphones are expected to reach about half the market by year's end, surpassing iOS as the market leader in such devices. Android smartphones (and tablets) are also among the least secure ones available, thanks mainly to the Android Market being full of Trojan horses and other malware masquerading as legitimate apps. Just this week, Google was revealed to have removed another dozen or so of such malware apps, months after they entered the uncurated Android Market.

Source: Info World

Microsoft slates hefty Patch Tuesday, to fix 34 flaws next week

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 19:50:00 GMT

Microsoft today said it will issue 16 security updates next week to patch 34 vulnerabilities in Windows, Internet Explorer (IE), Office, SQL Server and other products.

Source: Computer World

Spear Phishing: More than Spam, it's Espionage

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 14:23:00 GMT

The most frequent comment I see on stories reporting some new dramatically successful phishing attack is from an overly nearly well-informed technophile who thinks people who fall for phishing schemes are just stupid.

Source: PC World

New Malware Targets 64-Bit Windows

Sun, 05 Jun 2011 16:07:00 GMT

Rootkit writers have started exploiting a loophole that lets them write malware able to bypass the PatchGuard driver signing protection built into 64-bit versions of Windows, Kaspersky Lab has reported.

Source: PC World

Windows is tougher to hack than you think

Tue, 31 May 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Over the past few weeks, I've been putting together test hacking scenarios for a customer. They wanted to see copies of the RSA attack, the Google attack, advanced persistent threat (APT) simulations, social engineered Trojans, worms, remote buffer overflows, and more. The objective: to test what they could do to prevent all of those assaults on their predominately Microsoft Windows environment.

Source: Info World

Windows 7's malware infection rate climbs, XP's falls

Thu, 12 May 2011 18:21:00 GMT

Data released today by Microsoft showed that Windows 7's malware infection rate climbed by more than 30% during the second half of 2010, even as the infection rate of the 10-year-old Windows XP fell by more than 20%.

Source: Computer World

Microsoft plans critical update to Windows Server next week

Thu, 05 May 2011 20:01:00 GMT

Microsoft today said it will patch a critical bug in its Windows server software and two other vulnerabilities in PowerPoint, the presentation maker bundled with Office.

Source: Computer World

How to be an effective security buyer

Mon, 02 May 2011 11:45:00 GMT

In previous columns I have repeatedly emphasized the importance of interoperability and the danger of security fragmentation. Security is so fragmented that it is often hard to discern between hype and reality. Large security vendors try to draw you into a single-vendor closed integration package. Small vendors try to sell you the latest magic bullet, presenting what should be a feature as a whole new industry. Inevitably, you are left to cobble together disparate systems in order to get the depth of defense and layering of controls that you need.

Source: Computer World

Cybercriminals Using Osama Bin Laden's Death to Spread Malware

Mon, 02 May 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Today, we have another major news event for cybercriminals to take advantage of. Following the successful operation by U.S. forces to kill Osama bin Laden, Internet users are searching in the masses for any details about the incident they can find. Cybercriminals know this and have already been at work to "poison" common search results hoping to gain access to people's computers and infect them with malware.

Source: Security Week

Avast finds PDF exploit invisible to antivirus programs

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Criminals have started using an obscure image filter to make malicious PDF files all but invisible to many antivirus programs, Czech security firm Avast Software said.

Source: Info World

Mobile location services: Don't ruin the pending revolution

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 05:00:00 GMT

In all the hullaballoo about what the next iPhone may bring, whether RIM has lost its mind with the PlayBook tablet, and how Google plans to herd the many Android cats into a cohesive platform -- plus, all the FUD on mobile security and management promulgated by dozens of vendors -- lost is the notion of location-based services. Known by the acronym LBS, such services hold amazing potential for newfound utility from mobile computing -- if the industry doesn't kill it off first.

Source: Info World

NSS Labs Finds Most Firewalls Vulnerable to Attack

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 14:14:00 GMT

The firewall is the line of defense separating the internal network or endpoint PC from all of the malicious bad stuff "out there". A new report from NSS Labs, though, finds that a majority of network firewalls are susceptible to attack or compromise.

Source: PC World