Security Shorts

Security Bill Takes on Botnet Battle
A new bill introduced in the United States Congress, the Cyber Security Enhancement Act, is aiming to widen penalties for cyber crime, including creating criminal penalties for botnet attacks used to aid in identity theft, denial-of-service attacks, and the spread of spam and spyware. The legislation would also allow prosecutors to pursue racketeering charges against cyber criminal groups, expand sentencing guidelines for cyber crime, and add $30 million U.S. a year to the budgets of federal agencies combating cyber crime.

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Google Warns of Web Malware
The sheer volume of malware being hosted on websites was revealed through a Google study based on a year-long scan of over 4.5 million sites. “The Ghost in the Browser” study reports that one in 10 web pages are laced with malicious code. Of the sites the Google research team analyzed, 450,000 were capable of launching drive-by-downloads to install malicious code, like spyware and Trojans, onto users’ computers. Another 700,000 web pages were found to contain code that could compromise PCs.

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Mobile Phone Threats Continue to Climb
By the end of 2007, the number of mobile phone viruses is expected to double, a McAfee official recently told Reuters. Spyware and virus threats on phones have risen as mobile malware writers find new ways to break into the cell phone software market. Security firm F-Secure reported that two new spying tools are now facing mobile devices running Windows Mobile and Symbian S60 3 rd edition operating systems.

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Hacking Through Windows Update
A component of Windows Update is being used to stealthily get malicious code downloads past firewalls, researchers at Symantec have reported. Hackers are taking advantage of the Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS), a Windows component that allows files to be transferred between machines, to bypass local firewalls in order to sneak in malicious downloads.

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Top Threat: Memory Stick Security
Removable media devices are viewed as the top security concern for corporations, according to a new study from Centennial Software. Nearly 40 percent of IT managers surveyed responded that removable media devices like USB memory sticks and MP3 players are the biggest security threat for their companies. While recognizing the risk, according to the report, 80 percent of firms do not have protection measures in place.

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