In this edition we have another mixed-up bag of news, there’s really too much to report on in a single column, suggesting we break out the malware news into its own column! Here are the headlines …
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Spammers turn to Yahoo, Google Picasa groups
* IBM X-Force Trends Report: Year of the Security Breach
* Feds Ban Spammer Who Sent ‘Mind-Boggling’ Number of Messages
* First-ever text message spammer nabbed
* Microsoft Security Tool IDs Chrome Browser as Malware
* Mobile Security Exploits To Double
* Wells Fargo customers warned of phishing scam
* City students targeted by phishing scammers
* Clever phisher almost tricks PhishTank
* Are Cybercriminals Getting Weaker, or Just Smarter?
. . . and more
Spammers turn to Yahoo, Google Picasa groups
In what appears to be the latest twist in their cat-and-mouse game with authorities, spammers are now turning to Yahoo and Google Picasa groups to spread their messages.
Computer security firm Sophos said that while anti-spam products and services filter out suspicious messages, spammers managed to get a legitimate mail provider to deliver their unwanted mail.
Full story : GMANews.TV
IBM X-Force Trends Report: Year of the Security Breach
The X-Force Mid-Year Trend and Risk Report is based on intelligence gathered through IBM’s research of public vulnerability disclosures as well as the monitoring and analysis of an average of 12 billion security events daily since the beginning of 2011.
IBM X-Force has documented a steady rise in the disclosure of security vulnerabilities affecting these devices. X-Force research recommends that IT teams consistently employ anti-malware and patch management software for phones in enterprise environments. Full story : Internet Evolution
Feds Ban Spammer Who Sent ‘Mind-Boggling’ Number of Messages
An enterprising individual who allegedly sent millions of illegal spam text messages to consumers is banned from sending any unsolicited text messages, under a settlement agreement with the Federal Trade Commission entered by a federal court.
According to the FTC complaint filed in February 2011, the marketer sent a ‘mind-boggling’ number of unsolicited commercial text messages pitching mortgage modification services to consumers, and misrepresented that he was affiliated with a government agency. Full story : Consumer Affairs
First-ever text message spammer nabbed
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has settled its first-ever case against a text message spammer.
The agency announced Thursday that the settlement with the defendant, Phil Flora, bans him from sending or aiding others in the delivery of unsolicited text messages that promote a commercial product. In addition, he must pay $32,000 to satisfy a judgment. Full story : SC Magazine US
Microsoft Security Tool IDs Chrome Browser as Malware
Microsoft Security Essentials is identifying Chrome as malware. Google is rolling out a fix for its browser, but in the meantime Google is providing instructions for people whose Chrome instantiation won’t run.
Affected users won’t be able to launch Chrome or load new Web pages with the browser. Microsoft said on its malware protection Facebook page that it has already fixed the issue, but approximately 3,000 customers were impacted. Full story : eWeek
Mobile Security Exploits To Double
Many of the threats involve mobile operating systems with easy-to-exploit vulnerabilities that can lead to arbitrary code execution.
Expect the number of mobile device exploits to double by year’s end. That prediction comes from a new report released by IBM’s X-Force research group, which examined attack trends for the first half of 2011. Full story : InformationWeek
Wells Fargo customers warned of phishing scam
Wells Fargo Bank is warning its customers of phishing phone calls they may have received regarding their accounts.
Wells Fargo spokesperson Cristie Drumm tells 9NEWS that these scams have been happening all over the country Full story : 9NEWS.com
City students targeted by phishing scammers
SHEFFIELD University students have been warned to be on their guard after fraudsters sent out emails trying to con victims into handing over their bank details.
At least two members of staff have received the emails – but it is not known how many students are affected. Full story : The Star
Clever phisher almost tricks PhishTank
PhishTank is an anti-phishing site run by the OpenDNS team and offers the possibility of submitting suspected phishing sites for community-based review. In short, other users cast their vote on whether a submission is likely a phishing scheme or not.
Most of them are very easy to detect, but every now and then scams with an unusual twist will make “voters” pause and analyze them more deeply. Full story : Help Net Security
Are Cybercriminals Getting Weaker – or Just Smarter?
Have cybercriminals gone weak? To the average security-minded computer user, things might seem that way, as the amount of spam and malware sent to our email inboxes has dropped dramatically.
In the media, politically motivated “hacktivists” hog the headlines, while traditional cybercriminals – those who steal credit-card numbers or sell identities – don’t get as much air time. Yet that doesn’t mean that mean cybercriminals have gone soft and less aggressive Full story : SecurityNewsDaily
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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.
