We have actually seen a deep dip in spam and phishing attacks through the new year, however it is on the rise again. Insustry trackers seem to agree with these findings. This edition of Net Safety Infomanager includes: * Spam returns to business as usual * The Waledac botnet has made a return to spamming after an unexplained hiatus. * AOL Customers Under Attack From Latest Phishing * Phone Gangster, “Spoofing” * Tips for ensuring email privacy, deliverability * Safer web browsing in four steps * Kama Sutra Malware Puts You in Position for Hack Attack * TSA data contractor gets prison for planting malware
Spam returns to business as usual
Spam levels have resumed after a precipitous drop in December, but without the innovations security specialists had feared might be imminent.
In December, spam levels declined dramatically and continued at relatively minuscule levels from 25 December 2010 to 9 January 2011. The security community speculated that this might be because the criminal gangs behind the botnets and the spammers who are their clients were thinking up new schemes.
Full story : www.computing.co.uk
The Waledac botnet has made a return to spamming after an unexplained hiatus.
The Waledac botnet made a massive comeback in the past week, having stopped spamming altogether on 4 January.
Various mega-botnets appeared to take a break from their spamming duties over the past month, leaving security researchers at a loss as to why, but this week a big resurgence was recorded. Full story : www.itpro.co.uk
AOL Customers Under Attack From Latest Phishing
The headers of the contented emails with subject line bearing the title “Billing update on file must be performedz” are spoofed off, so that they appear to be sent from the original AOL Member Billing. The mails are sent from the internet address
An AOL template is used for writing the main message along with an AOL Member Services banner. According to the enclosed message, the victim is reminded to update his/her bank account for attaining better and secured banking services. For adding values in the message, the contender claims this action to be a part of a regular verification activity materialized by the latest developed SSL servers on behalf of AOL. Full story : www.spamfighter.com/
Phone Gangster, “Spoofing”
A cell phone application is causing concern for local officials. The app is marketed as tool to keep caller’s information private, but it may actually help some criminals steal personal information.
State Police and the Better Business Bureau say the “Phone Gangster” app is being used by criminals to gain personal information. It’s called “spoofing” which officials say is similar to “phishing” for information through emails. Full story : www.katc.com
Tips for ensuring email privacy, deliverability
The U.S. Commerce Department in coming months is expected to lead a project to create an Internet identification for Americans. Called the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace, the first draft was released last June and calls for an — identity ecosystem’ where all things digital would be authenticated, including emails received and sent in the business world.
Until such authentication is in place, however, it’s up to individual companies to help keep customers and prospects safe and ensure their privacy. Full story : www.btobonline.com
Safer web browsing in four steps
The web is now the cybercriminal’s favored means of attack, with a newly infected website discovered every few seconds. Hijacked trusted sites, poisoned search results, fake anti-virus software and phishing websites are a sample of the exploits that hit users’ browsers every day. That leaves your business in a bind: Accessing the web poses enormous risks, yet you can’t afford to be isolated from the internet and its resources.
This white paper examines the latest web threats, and recommends four best practices and a layered approach that enables your users while also protecting your organization’s endpoints, network and data. Full story : www.infoworld.com
Kama Sutra Malware Puts You in Position for Hack Attack
The Kama Sutra may help you score points in the bedroom, but a new PowerPoint file on the ancient guide to sex will only raise your chances of scoring something else: a rendezvous with computer hackers.
According to the security research firm Sophos, an illustration-heavy PowerPoint presentation demonstrating more than a dozen different sexual positions is actually a vicious piece of malware in disguise. Full story : abcnews.go.com
TSA data contractor gets prison for planting malware
A former TSA worker convicted of planting a logic bomb on a system used to screen airline passengers was sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay about $60,000 in restitution to the TSA.
Douglas Duchak, 46, had worked as a data analyst at the TSA’s Colorado Springs Operations Center, or CSOC, since 2004. He planted the malware in late 2009, after the agency gave him two weeks’ notice that he was being terminated from the job he’d held for five years. Full story : www.wired.com
Thanks for reading…
You can also keep up with the efforts to curb spam and cybercrime by reading the news at Knujon and HostExploit.com. And, you should switch to SpamCop and take a stand against spam.
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