Spyware is a type of malware that can be installed on computers, and which collects small pieces of information about users without their knowledge. The presence of spyware is typically hidden from the user, and can be difficult to detect. Tipically, spyware is secretly installed on the user's personal computer. Sometimes, however, spyware such as keyloggers are installed by the owner of a share, corporate, or public computer on purpose in order to secretly monitor other users.
While the term spyware suggests software that secretly monitors the user's computing, the functions of spyware extend well beyond simple monitoring.
Spyware programs can collect various types of personal information, such as Internet surfing habits and sites that have been visited, but can also interfere with user control of the computer in other ways, such as installing additional software and redirecting Web browser activity.
Spyware is known to change computer settings, resulting in slow connection speeds, different home pages, and/or loss of internet connection or functionality of other programs. In an attempt to increase the understanding of spyware, a more formal classification of its included software types is provided by the term privacy invasive sofware.
In response to the emergence of spyware, a small industry has sprung up dealing in anti-spyware software. Running anti-spyware software has become a widely recognized element of computer security practices for computers, especially those running Microsoft Windows.
A number of jurisdictions have passed anti-spyware laws, which usually target any software that is surreptitiously installed to control a user's computer.
Showing posts with label malware. Show all posts
Showing posts with label malware. Show all posts
Monday, August 25, 2014
Antivirus Software
Antivirus software is a computer program that detects, prevents, and takes action to disarm or remove malicious software programs, such as viruses and worms. You can help protect your computer against viruses by using antivirus software.
Computer viruses are software programs that are deliberately designed to interfere with computer operation; record, corrupt, or delete data; or spread themselves to other computers and throughout the internet.
To help prevent the most current viruses, you most update your antivirus software regularly. You can set up most types of antivirus software to update automatically.
Bellow is a link to some commonly used antivirus siftware (emphasis on AVG antivirus free download 2014, and Microsoft Security Essentials is an Anti-virus, 2014 free download, it provides real time protection for your home and small business PCs).
http://download.cnet.com/windows/antivirus-software/?tag=Itcol;nav
Trojan horse, or Trojan, is software that appears to perform a desirable function for the user prior to run or install, but (perhaps in addition to the expected function) steals information or harms the system.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Computer Virus.
A computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer. The term "virus" is also commonly but erroneously used to refer to other types of malware, including but not limited to adware and spyware programs that do not have the reproductive ability.
A true virus can spread from one computer to another (in some form of executable code) when its host is taken to the target computer; for instance because a user sent it over a network or internet, or carried it on a removable medium such as floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB drive.
Viruses can increase their chances of spreading to other computers by infecting files on a network file system or a file system that is accessed by another computer.
A computer virus is a malware program that, when executed, replicates by inserting copies of itself (possibly modified) into other computer programs, data files, or the boot sector of the hard drive; when this replication succeeds, the affected areas are then said to be "infected".[1][2][3][4] Viruses often perform some type of harmful activity on infected hosts, such as stealing hard disk space or CPU time, accessing private information, corrupting data, displaying political or humorous messages on the user's screen, spamming their contacts, or logging their keystrokes. However, not all viruses carry a destructive payload or attempt to hide themselves—the defining characteristic of viruses is that they are self-replicating computer programs which install themselves without the user's consent.
Virus writers use social engineering and exploit detailed knowledge of security vulnerabilities to gain access to their hosts' computing resources. The vast majority of viruses target systems running Microsoft Windows,[5][6][7] employing a variety of mechanisms to infect new hosts,[8] and often using complex anti-detection/stealth strategies to evade antivirus software.[9][10][11][12] Motives for creating viruses can include seeking profit, desire to send a political message, personal amusement, to demonstrate that a vulnerability exists in software, for sabotage and denial of service, or simply because they wish to explore artificial life and evolutionary algorithms.[13]
Un virus informático es un programa de malware que, al ejecutarse, se replica mediante la inserción de copias de sí mismo (posiblemente modificado) en otros programas de ordenador, archivos de datos, o el sector de arranque del disco duro; cuando esta replicación tiene éxito, las áreas afectadas son entonces dice que están "infectados". [1] [2] [3] [4] Los virus suelen realizar algún tipo de actividad nociva en los hosts infectados, tales como el robo de espacio en el disco duro o el tiempo de CPU , acceso a la información privada, corrompiendo los datos, mostrar mensajes políticos o humorísticos en la pantalla del usuario, envío de correo basura a sus contactos, o ingresar sus pulsaciones. Sin embargo, no todos los virus tienen una carga destructiva o intento de ocultar a sí mismos-la característica definitoria de los virus es que son programas de computación auto-replicantes que se instalan sin el consentimiento del usuario.
Los creadores de virus utilizan la ingeniería social y aprovechan el conocimiento detallado de las vulnerabilidades de seguridad para acceder a los recursos de computación de sus anfitriones. La gran mayoría de los virus atacan los sistemas que ejecutan Microsoft Windows, [5] [6] [7] el empleo de una variedad de mecanismos para infectar a nuevos huéspedes, [8] y, a menudo el uso de anti-detección de sigilo / estrategias complejas para eludir el software antivirus. [9 ] [10] [11] [12] Los motivos para la creación de virus pueden incluir la búsqueda de lucro, el deseo de enviar un mensaje político, diversión personal, para demostrar que existe una vulnerabilidad en el software, para el sabotaje y la denegación de servicio, o simplemente porque desean de explorar la vida artificial y algoritmos evolutivos. [13]
A true virus can spread from one computer to another (in some form of executable code) when its host is taken to the target computer; for instance because a user sent it over a network or internet, or carried it on a removable medium such as floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB drive.
Viruses can increase their chances of spreading to other computers by infecting files on a network file system or a file system that is accessed by another computer.
A computer virus is a malware program that, when executed, replicates by inserting copies of itself (possibly modified) into other computer programs, data files, or the boot sector of the hard drive; when this replication succeeds, the affected areas are then said to be "infected".[1][2][3][4] Viruses often perform some type of harmful activity on infected hosts, such as stealing hard disk space or CPU time, accessing private information, corrupting data, displaying political or humorous messages on the user's screen, spamming their contacts, or logging their keystrokes. However, not all viruses carry a destructive payload or attempt to hide themselves—the defining characteristic of viruses is that they are self-replicating computer programs which install themselves without the user's consent.
Virus writers use social engineering and exploit detailed knowledge of security vulnerabilities to gain access to their hosts' computing resources. The vast majority of viruses target systems running Microsoft Windows,[5][6][7] employing a variety of mechanisms to infect new hosts,[8] and often using complex anti-detection/stealth strategies to evade antivirus software.[9][10][11][12] Motives for creating viruses can include seeking profit, desire to send a political message, personal amusement, to demonstrate that a vulnerability exists in software, for sabotage and denial of service, or simply because they wish to explore artificial life and evolutionary algorithms.[13]
Un virus informático es un programa de malware que, al ejecutarse, se replica mediante la inserción de copias de sí mismo (posiblemente modificado) en otros programas de ordenador, archivos de datos, o el sector de arranque del disco duro; cuando esta replicación tiene éxito, las áreas afectadas son entonces dice que están "infectados". [1] [2] [3] [4] Los virus suelen realizar algún tipo de actividad nociva en los hosts infectados, tales como el robo de espacio en el disco duro o el tiempo de CPU , acceso a la información privada, corrompiendo los datos, mostrar mensajes políticos o humorísticos en la pantalla del usuario, envío de correo basura a sus contactos, o ingresar sus pulsaciones. Sin embargo, no todos los virus tienen una carga destructiva o intento de ocultar a sí mismos-la característica definitoria de los virus es que son programas de computación auto-replicantes que se instalan sin el consentimiento del usuario.
Los creadores de virus utilizan la ingeniería social y aprovechan el conocimiento detallado de las vulnerabilidades de seguridad para acceder a los recursos de computación de sus anfitriones. La gran mayoría de los virus atacan los sistemas que ejecutan Microsoft Windows, [5] [6] [7] el empleo de una variedad de mecanismos para infectar a nuevos huéspedes, [8] y, a menudo el uso de anti-detección de sigilo / estrategias complejas para eludir el software antivirus. [9 ] [10] [11] [12] Los motivos para la creación de virus pueden incluir la búsqueda de lucro, el deseo de enviar un mensaje político, diversión personal, para demostrar que existe una vulnerabilidad en el software, para el sabotaje y la denegación de servicio, o simplemente porque desean de explorar la vida artificial y algoritmos evolutivos. [13]
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Better Safe Than Sorry: Tips to Protect Your Mobile Device at Sochi.
February 7, 2014
Better Safe Than Sorry: Tips to Protect Your Mobile Device at Sochi
By Marc Rogers
0 Comments
It has taken 7 years and an unprecedented $51 billion
dollars to prepare Sochi, Russia’s traditional summertime seaside resort
for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Russia is deploying the biggest security
force in the games’ history and the U.S. and other countries are also
sending security teams of their own. Despite these precautions, Russia’s
cybercriminals are already preparing for the Sochi Olympics.
Cybercriminals have a history of exploiting global high profile events. The Beijing Olympics
is a great example where cybercriminals created fake websites that
mimicked the legitimate event. Russian cybercriminals, in particular,
are known to be highly experienced at this, and consequently US CERT is already issuing warnings about what to expect.
NBC’s news investigation
into Russian malware at Sochi claimed that Sochi visitors would be
targeted and their devices would likely be compromised within a matter
of hours. Our perspective is slightly different. While it’s true Russia
is a high risk environment, this doesn’t mean that you will be hacked
the moment you step off the plane. In fact by just following a few
common sense recommendations we believe that everything will be OK.
In 2013, we found that 62.91% of Lookout devices in Russia encountered mobile malware. That’s double China’s encounter rate of 28.45% and an almost 15 times greater chance of encountering malware than in the US (4.22%).
People are much more likely to consume what they feel is relevant to them, therefore Russian malware writers use advertisements dressed to match current events to lure victims. As a result, Russian malware authors rapidly adapt to major events that are likely to have a large audience, dressing their malware with images and text to make it appear relevant to that event. Finally, they use search engine optimization (SEO) tricks to ensure their malware comes back in the top results on any query for the targeted event.
How to Stay Safe?
Thankfully, this means there is an easy way to stay safe. Remember
that malware encounter rate of 4.22% for the US? The single biggest
factor behind this is that U.S. device owners predominantly download
their apps from the Google Play store, while Russian users commonly
sideload their apps from forums such as “4pda.ru” after allowing
untrusted sources on their devices. So if you are going to the Sochi
games, try not to worry too much, and instead make sure you follow these
simple steps in order to stay safe.- Prevent unauthorized third parties from tampering with your device. Don’t leave your device unattended, and ensure you have a strong PIN code on your device’s lock screen. A passcode is your first line of defense against unauthorized parties should your device fall into the wrong hands. Consider enabling “Device Encryption” as an additional layer of defense for your data.
- Download a mobile security app. Ensure you use a security application such as Lookout Mobile Security. Lookout will protect against mobile threats, such as malware and spyware, and help you recover your device if lost or stolen.
- Don’t download and install applications from untrusted sites. Make sure the “Unknown Sources” setting remains unchecked to block any attempts to do so.
- Don’t open suspicious attachments or install suspicious files. If you see a strange file appear on your device or an application prompts you to install it, delete it and don’t install. Likewise, do not open attachments in suspicious emails. If in doubt, check with the person that sent the attachment to ensure it is genuine.
- Only use Wi-Fi that you trust. If there is any doubt use 3G/4G Internet instead.
- Don’t connect your device to unknown computers. Only use your own charger or a charger that you trust to prevent a fake charger from attacking your device or attempting to steal your data.
- Only unlock your bootloader and jailbreak your device if you fully understand the risks. Take extra precaution when taking a device with an unlocked bootloader to a high risk country.
How to Tell if Your Phone Has Been Hacked.
December 27, 2012
How to Tell if Your Phone Has Been Hacked
By natalie
7 Comments
We all know that smart devices are pretty clever these days, but
does your smartphone or tablet seem to have a mind of its own? If you
suspect that it does, it may be infected with malware
that can access your private information, secretly control your device
and even steal your money through unauthorized charges to your phone
bill.
1. Notice unfamiliar charges on your phone bill? A lot of us ask this question anyway, but it’s a good idea to regularly check the charges on your phone bill. Are there small but significant charges on it that you don’t recognize? Some malware is programmed to send paid SMS messages that get charged to your phone bill and deposited into the bank account of the malware writer.
2. Is your phone acting cray-cray? If your phone starts acting crazy, strangely opening and closing apps, or sending text messages by itself, your phone might be compromised. Malware is written to secretly control your device, and malicious apps have loose permissions that allow them to control more aspects of your device than it seems.
3. Is your battery draining extremely fast? Battery drain can be exacerbated by different factors like network settings or even a totally innocent app that’s just poorly coded. But because malware apps can run constantly in the background, it is inevitable that they will run down your battery much faster than normal.
Keeping your phone safe from malware is easy if you take the right precautions when downloading apps. Follow these simple tips to keep your mobile experiences safe and sound:
1. Keep the software on your device up to date. Malware writers design their malicious apps to take advantage of weaknesses in smart devices’ operating systems. By keeping the software on your phone or tablet current, you minimize your risk of being a victim of malware.
2. Be careful around third-party app stores. In the case of mobile apps, its always best to shop the big name brands, and stick with the Google Play Store, Apple App Store, and the Amazon.com app store. If you want to minimize risk of encountering malware, don’t download from random download sites you haven’t heard of before.
3. Be careful where you click. Some malware comes embedded in drive-by-download website links that automatically download a malicious app to your device without your prior approval. Safe Browsing in Lookout Premium will warn you of malicious sites.
4. Download a mobile security app to protect you. Downloading a security app, like Lookout, that has app and link scanning capabilities will help you be safer and better protected on your mobile device.
Friday, August 30, 2013
"Android está lleno de virus", indica gobierno de EE.UU.
•
• actualizado a las 11:25
"Android está lleno de virus", indica gobierno de EE.UU.
Foto: Ubergizmo.com / Reproducción
Según un documento
redactado por diferentes agencias estadounidenses de seguridad, los
dispositivos Android son los más vulnerables ante los ataques e
infiltración de programas maliciosos debido al gran número de versiones
con las que cuenta este sistema operativo.
En la investigación llevada a cabo por el Departamendo
de Seguridad Nacional de EE.UU. y el FBI, se evaluó a varios sistemas
operativos móviles como iOS, Symbian y BlackBerry OS para encontrar su
nivel de vulnerabilidad al software maligno conocido como malware.
Los resultados del estudio encontraron que un 79% del
software malicioso impactó en dispositivos Android, mientras que un 19%
atacó al sistema operativo Symbian, un 0.7% a tabletas y teléfonos de
Apple, 0.3% a teléfonos inteligentes con Windows Mobile y un 0.3% a
móviles BlackBerry.
Según el estudio titulado "Amenazas a dispositivos
móviles que usan el sistema operativo Android", gran parte del malware
va dirigido al 44% de los usuarios Android que siguen usando la versión
Gingerbread (2.3.3/ 2.3.4/ 2.3.5/ 2.3.6 y 2.3.7), que desde su lanzamiento en 2011
sufrió de diferentes brechas de seguridad que fueron corregidas en
versiones posteriores.
Uno de los objetivos de la investigación es encontrar
que tan desprotegidos se encuentran los dispositivos móviles que usan
sus empleados debido a que estos manejan datos sensibles de seguridad
nacional. Asímismo, el informe recomienda actualizar el sistema
operativo de sus tabletas y teléfonos inteligentes, además de descargar software antivirus y verificar el origen de las aplicaciones que se descargan para protegerse de probables amenazas.
En resumen
El problema con el sistema operativo Android, mismo que se encuentra en una gran parte de los dispositivos móviles de gama baja, media y alta, es su gran fragmentación o número de versiones que complican la tarea de establecer una plataforma uniforme que garantice seguridad ante el gran número de ataques de software malicioso.
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