If you have a MySpace or Facebook account, you may be a prime target of cyberattackers. They usually do this by sending Trojans through apps or widgets that your friends sent you. According to researchers at Finjan, cyberattackers are now going to these social networking sites such to get more victims.

“Attacks will become more sophisticated by combining several services in order to heighten infection ratios and decrease the detection rate, while providing more robust and scalable attack frameworks,” Yuval Ben-Itzhak, chief technology officer, Finjan, said in a news release. “The focus will be on trojan technology as it enables maximum flexibility in terms of command and control. This adds another potentially malicious element to the ‘legitimate’ web traffic that needs to be examined by security solutions.”

In short, before installing the app or widget that your friend sent you, confirm if it came from them. If it didn’t, kindly delete it immediately. If it did come from them, research on the app or widget from previous users.

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The IT industry hailed the coming of the social network as the next step in the evolution of the internet, and it truly is. But as much as we spend more time on our computers in the office and even when we get home, we expose ourselves to more and more threats, more than we could handle. In Europe, the trend in crime has moved into the mainstream internet with many crime organizations shifting from risky manual labor to safer online communications and operations. The various security leaks that resulted in millions of personal records being either lost or stolen have mounted to immeasurable levels the British government had to enforce stiffer data management protocol.

It would also speed up booking and flight scheduling for if use din conjunction with their automated booking and ticketing system it would indeed lessen the length of lines at airports. The most significant problem with RFID is that it is an active system that can be accessed, re-programmed and cloned into a number of identical copies, defeating the security purpose it was said to defeat. RFID tags unlike passive tags are easier to re-program for a user with the right tool can detect the needed information from a passport, encode it onto a new one and then be off on his way without anybody knowing about it. Tools and methods are widely available to programmers and hackers so the high-tech passport is truly just another waste of taxpayer money.

Europe has started to issue RFID passports that have unique codes that identify it as a fingerprint. The only problem is that the technology also opens a whole new avenue for hackers for a well-equipped person can remotely detect a passport with the right equipment from a distance without that person even knowing the data exchange. The move by the UK to move into high-tech passports was to lessen eh time it took to verify the true identity of the holders and of the passport itself. Fake passports would have none of the pre-set information encoded from the issuing office so they can easily be detected and security does the rest.

There has been much talk about the problem associated with the so-called Pandora’s box that is Microsoft’s UAC or User Account Control. This is one of the most unforgettable features of Vista where it first appeared as the ever present annoying pop-up window that asked for permission on almost each and every mouse click (exaggerated). The danger is that the said control feature seems to fail to revert to default security settings after a user has signed into the system as the systems administrator. After this event, use of all applications thereafter have been found to have default settings of the admin without reverting to previously set security settings that can be a wide open door for hackers to exploit. (Read the rest of this story.)

In the never ending battle to tame the many arising security holes that just seem to come as they are plugged, Mozilla has released several (eleven actually) patches to address security flaws, of which six are very critical ones that can open a computer to malware. Security is still the main problem with the internet and with evolving threats, developers have to keep pace with these threats as they arise. FireFox, being one of the most used web browsers has been alive and kicking in the patches arena that is necessary to keep their millions of users secure and safe from evolving threats. These security flaws are part of life on the internet as the myriad of developers who deploy software on the net are being targeted by malware. (Read the rest of this story.)

In a first, the FTC has taken a move to bolster their powers on the internet with them ordering the closure of a so-called determined malware ISP that they say has been determined and documented to host several illegal activities such as malware, viruses, pornographic sites and many others. The ISP of course denies all accusations and say they will be fighting the FTC on the matter, claiming they are innocent of all charges. The ISP, PriceWert LLC, has denied all the FTC’s accusations yet the FTC says it has a well documented and solid case. (Read the rest of this story.)

In a move that signifies that the US government may finally be taking cyber-security seriously, they have enlisted the help of the black hat/hacker aka. Dark Tangent, that has been responsible for some of the world’s most prolific viruses a few years back. Hiring a hacker to counter hackers may be the best way to go as there are not many options in the world of hackers where anybody can be anybody. These people are considered to be the scourge of the internet, responsible for some of the most damaging viruses, worms and other forms of attacks that exacts millions of dollars of economic damage each and every year. (Read the rest of this story.)

Image source: www.filesharefreak.com

The word “proxy” means “to go between.” Proxy servers act as a filter between your computer and the Internet. The most popular use of this technology is to provide anonymous web surfing from any location in the world.

When using a web proxy server, you are technically not connecting to the Internet; instead, you are connecting to a remote computer or server which is connected to the Internet. Therefore, you are able to surf the Internet “by proxy.”

When surfing the net on a free web proxy server, your Internet browser history will reveal only that you have connected to the proxy site, not the actual web sites you have visited. Using a proxy server will also eliminate the problem of web sites depositing so-called “cookies” on your computer.

by Andrea Mella

In California, a man was accused in federal court in Sacramento with numerous counts of computer deception and trickery, wire fraud and even mail fraud for reportedly breaching 58,000 fake brokerage accounts. Michael Largent, 22, of Plumas Lake, was charged in using countless bogus identifications such as Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers and even used the names of caricature and comic book characters in opening the accounts. He then used the financial statement to take a alleged micro-deposits of a few cents to a few dollars set down by brokerage firms into new accounts to bear out so that users can contact them.