What’s going on with Macintosh security?
The latest figures I’ve read say there are perhaps a half-million infected Macintoshes still floating around out there, an improvement from the high of 600,000 that I was seeing a few weeks ago, but...
View ArticleA reasonable explanation for why religious sites are more likely to be...
Last week, Symantec issued a surprising report stating that religious web sites are more likely to harbor malware than sites that offer dirty pictures and videos. I’m pretty sure there’s a reasonable...
View ArticleCleaning USB drives with Linux
A longtime reader sent me a really good question today. If I had a USB flash drive and I didn’t know where it’s been or what it’s done, how would I clean it to make it safe to use? He said using Linux...
View ArticleI hope BYOD 2.0 goes better than BYOD 1.0 did
BYOD is “bring your own device.” It’s the hot new trend in IT, except it’s nothing new. But it was bound to happen, I guess. Companies are tired of buying computer equipment, so they want employees to...
View ArticleScratch one fake antivirus vendor
The FTC appears to have sued the makers of XP Antivirus, among others, out of business–to the tune of $163 million. There will be no tears from me. I dealt with this thing about a year ago, when a...
View ArticleMobile malware is coming. Get prepared.
One thing I’m seeing in the predictions-for-2013 columns is that mobile malware is going to increase this year. While I can’t be certain it’s going to happen, all of the ingredients are there. The only...
View ArticleJava is patched now, but still not very safe
Rapid7′s Chief Security Officer, HD Moore, estimated it will take two years for Oracle to fix all of the current issues with Java, not counting anything new that happens in that timeframe. Futhermore,...
View ArticleWindows Medkit cleans up the damage after removing malware infestations
I’ve written before about cleaning up Windows boxes using a Bitdefender Live CD, but the live CDs often don’t clean up all of the collateral damage that the malware does to try to keep you from...
View ArticleAdvice on dealing with ransomware
PC Mag has some advice about ransomware. The most important bit of advice is to have a secondary machine that you can use to go get help. It doesn’t have to be elaborate. When you upgrade, keep one old...
View ArticleAvast 8 is out and already well-regarded
Avast 8 is out, and the initial reviews are positive. If you use Avast, either as your primary or as your secondary AV, updating it is a good idea. One critical improvement is that virus database...
View ArticleThe men (boys) who spy on women through webcams
Ars Technica made a bit of a splash this week with this provocative headline. This is real. The article gives the usual advice, like not opening e-mail from strangers, not clicking attachments from...
View ArticleBitdefender 60-second virus scan: a review
I mentioned Bitdefender 60-second virus scan the other day, but didn’t give it a proper review. It’s time I remedy that. It’s a small 160K stub that downloads a few more megabytes worth of stuff after...
View ArticleThe ethics of writing nefarious security instructions
This week I posted a link to a video showing how to crack a WPS-enabled wifi network, and this week, Ars Technica wrote a firsthand account of cracking a password list. I’m sure this raises questions...
View ArticleA dark day for security
A security professional’s nightmare happened to AMI this week. Tons of confidential data, including the source code for the UEFI BIOS for Intel Ivy Bridge-based systems and an AMI-owned private key for...
View ArticleThe ACLU has a point about smartphone security
The ACLU complained to the FTC that carriers aren’t patching vulnerable Android phones. They have a point. Phones are profitable, and the carriers are trying to have it both ways. They lock down the...
View Article“They were bored and wished they had a job.”
I was catching up on security podcasts this week, and a brief statement in one of them really grabbed me. The panel was talking about people who steal online gaming accounts, I think. The exact content...
View ArticleLivingsocial got breached. Change your password, of course
Livingsocial got breached. You need to change your password, if you have a Livingsocial account. There are two questions worth asking: How do you protect yourself, and how does this happen? Easy...
View Article“Computer Maintenance Department” called me again from India
So, “Peggy” from “Computer Maintenance Department” called me again last night. This time I decided to mess with him a bit more. This is the second time. (No, “Peggy” wasn’t his real name, nor did he...
View ArticleHow I accidentally found a way to mess with “Peggy”
“Peggy” from “Computer Support Department” just won’t give up. He called me again at about 8 PM this evening. This time, I played along. I had a thrift-store junker PC for him to infect with his...
View ArticleCyanogenmod 10.1 runs surprisingly well on a Nook Color
Cyanogenmod–the open-source distribution of Android for undersupported/abandoned devices–went to version 10.1 this week. Version 10.1 is based on Android 4.2.2, so it matches what’s in stores right...
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