Facebook users spread "virus" to fellow users

Online security firm Sophos is advising Facebook users against passing on a virus warning that is rapidly spreading across the social network.  

A large number of users are currently forwarding inaccurate advice, warning others to beware of a ‘virus’ that claims a girl killed herself over a post her father made on her Facebook wall.

The text of the warning reads as follows:

"WARNING: THERE IS A VIRUS GOING AROUND AGAIN, IF YOU SEE A GIRL WHO KILLED HERSELF OVER SOMETHING HER FATHER WROTE ON HER WALL DO NOT OPEN IT, IT IS A VIRUS AND IT WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO DELETE IT, PLEASE PASS THIS ON BEFORE SOMEONE OPENS IT. (IT IS A SELF REPLICATING TROJAN)"

However, the alerts are inaccurate, and members of the public are inadvertently spreading the hoax in the belief that they are helping Facebook friends to avoid the threat from a non-existent virus infection.

"The bogus warning about the virus is spreading faster and wider, and is probably more of a nuisance than a genuine malware outbreak," says Brett Myroff, CEO of regional Sophos distributor, Sophos South Africa.  "The situation has been complicated by cyber criminals creating Facebook pages that pretend to offer pictures of the girl's Facebook wall, but are really designed to generate money by sending unsuspecting users to online surveys."

Facebook users should always check their facts with a reputable source before sharing a virus warning with their online friends, Myroff says. "Scares like this can cause users to panic unnecessarily, and may mean that the public takes genuine virus outbreaks less seriously."

Origially posted on techsmart

Windows 7 operating system is vulnerable to a new zero-day vulnerability

Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system is vulnerable to a new zero-day vulnerability that exposes users to blue-screen crashes or code execution attacks.

The flaw could be exploited by local attackers to cause a denial-of-service or potentially gain elevated privileges, according to an advisory from VUPEN, a French security research outfit.From VUPEN’s advisory:

This issue is caused by a buffer overflow error in the “CreateDIBPalette()” function within the kernel-mode device driver “Win32k.sys” when using the “biClrUsed” member value of a “BITMAPINFOHEADER” structure as a counter while retrieving Bitmap data from the clipboard, which could be exploited by malicious users to crash an affected system or potentially execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.

The flaw is confirmed on fully patched Microsoft Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 SP2, Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Vista SP2, and Microsoft Windows XP SP3.

Microsoft is investigating.

Originally posted at zdnet

Make Your Browser Secure

Web browsers are the key to the internet. Without them the internet is an impenetrable black box.

Browsers may be among the most commonly used applications, but they also offer the greatest number of attack options for dangerous content on the net. To keep viruses, worms and other malware away from your computer when surfing, it's crucial to configure your browser for security.

The firewall on a DSL router is a good first step for protecting the computer during surfing, says Marco Rinne from the computer portal chip.de. But that doesn't hold true if your browser is out of date: “Internet Explorer 6 and 7 or Firefox 2 no longer satisfy current security standards,” he says. For optimal protection, he therefore urges users to keep their browsers updated.

There are numerous security tools already present in Firefox and Internet Explorer. The pop-up blocker, for example, prevents more than just annoying ads. It also throttles other windows that can be used to sneak malicious software onto computers. Phishing filters protect personal data against theft.

Firefox offers additional configuration options under the Settings item in the Security tab of the Options dialog box: this includes the ability to block risky or forged websites. It's also a good idea to prohibit websites from installing add-ons on their own. Similar settings are possible under Internet Explorer in the Security tab of the Internet Options dialog box, accessible from the Tools menu.

Computer owners should also activate all options for warning against attacks, advises Markus Linnemann, managing director of the Institute for Internet Security (ifis) at the Polytechnic University of Gelsenkirchen in Germany. This applies in particular to warnings about suspicious content to be displayed using ActiveX, Flash, or JavaScript.

Yet the warning mechanism on most browsers alone isn't usually enough, Linnemann says. Those who wish to be especially careful can, for example, use the Firefox add-on 'No Script,' which blocks all active content of a website by default and allows the user to decide which should be permitted. The problem is that most users are unable to determine which content represents a threat to their computer

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Windows 7 Duplicate Program Files

Many users after installing the new Windows 7 on their computers end with a Program Files folder and a Program Files (x86) folder after installing some software programs. The files inside these two folders seems duplicates of the other and users think they can delete Program Files (x86) or merge these two folders.

The 64bit version of Windows includes a 32bit emulator that allows 32bit software programs to install and run on the system.

The Program Files (x86) and Windows\SysWOW64 folders contain all of the 32bit versions of the system files that makes this possible.

The corresponding Program Files and Windows\System32 folders contain all of the 64bit versions of these same system files.

If you were successful in removing and of these these folders/files, you would completely corrupt the operating system which would require a reinstall.

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Adobe Reader, IE most targeted for exploits

The most exploited vulnerabilities tend to be Adobe Reader and Internet Explorer, but a rising target for exploits is Java, according to a report to be released on Wednesday by M86 Security Labs.

Of the 15 most exploited vulnerabilities observed by M86 Security Labs during the first half of this year, four involved Adobe Reader and five in Internet Explorer, the lab wrote in its latest security report for January through June 2010.

Also on the Top 15 list were vulnerabilities affecting Microsoft Access Snapshot Viewer, Real Player, Microsoft DirectShow, SSreader, and AOL SuperBuddy. Most of the exploits observed had been first reported more than a year earlier and were addressed by vendors, "highlighting the need to keep software updated with the latest versions and patches," the report said.

Originally posted on ZDnet.com

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