Security Shorts

Scareware App Aims for Mac Users
Windows users are not the only ones that need to fear rogue security software. MacSweeper is the first phony anti-malware software, according to Finnish security company F-Secure. True to form, the bogus application attempts to scare the user into purchasing unnecessary and deceptive anti-malware services.
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New Trojan Targets Online Banking
A new Trojan horse, capable of intercepting online banking transactions, is preying on unsuspecting computer users in order to steal sensitive financial information. According to reports, the malware is able to interrupt online banking transactions, even ones well-guarded by two-way authentication procedures, in order to change the user’s bank account details. While researchers contend that the threat is not widespread, it is particularly worrisome due it its ability to remain undetected by the victim.
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Malware Writers Exploit Pakistani Leader’s Murder
Malware writers took advantage of former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s assassination to entice users to malicious websites. Web searches for news on the tragedy yielded sites promising a video, researchers say. In order to view the clip, users were then prompted to install a video codec; in reality, they installed a variant of the Zlob Trojan. Other sites, reports say, relied on drive-by-downloads to exploit news of the tragedy.
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Sears, Kmart Accused of Spreading Spyware
Sears Holding Corporation, owners of Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Kmart, have been accused of purveying spyware and badware after installing tracking software from ComScore on customers’ computers. Critics of Sears’ community software argue that customers were subject to the installation of marketing software without adequate notice, failing to meet U.S. Federal Trade Commission guidelines. In response, Sears maintains it clearly notified customers before they accepted the software installation.
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Cyber Crime Flourishes on Social Sites
Social networking sites, like MySpace, Facebook and Orkut, will become an attack vector of choice for cyber thieves in 2008, industry analysts predict. January saw the spread of a worm masquerading as a “Secret Crush” on Facebook, as well as warnings of a MySpace profile mimicking a Microsoft security update to infect visitors with malware.
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Dutch Media Player Shipped with Worm
Some shoppers may have received more than they bargained for after purchasing digital media players from a Dutch importer during the holidays. According to reports, a batch of MP3 players sold by Victory Nederland was found to be infected with the “Fujack worm.” The worm may have spread through an infected PC used to scan the media players for errors prior to shipping.
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