Security: Windows Vista SP1 available for download…do you need it?
"PC World’s in-house tests with the RTM version of Vista SP1 have shown mixed results. In file copying tests, the service pack proved noticeably faster than the original Vista OS. Other tests, on the other hand, showed little improvement (or actually performed worse than Vista without the service pack). For instance, our preliminary file compression tests showed a decrease in performance with SP1 installed.
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Security: Apple releases massive security update
March 19, 2008 by Shanmuga
Filed under Recommended Reads, Vulnerabilities
"Known as APPLE-SA-2008-03-18 Security Update 2008-002, it contains more than 40 specific fixes for versions of Mac OS X. The most significant updates include Apache, ClamAV, Emacs, OpenSSH, PHP, and X11. To get the update, go to the Software Update pane in System Preferences, or Apple’s Software Downloads Web site. The update "is recommended for all users and improves the security of Mac OS X," according to the Apple Downloads page.
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Vulnerabilities: Malicious subtitle file could harm VLC media player
March 19, 2008 by Shanmuga
Filed under Software, Vulnerabilities
"A flaw in the widely-used open-source VLC media player could allow an attacker to execute harmful code on a PC. The problem stems from a buffer overflow that can occur when the player processes subtitle files used for movies, according to a security advisory.
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Hacking: Ongoing IFrame attack proving difficult to kill
March 19, 2008 by Shanmuga
Filed under Hacking, Recommended Reads
"One of the factors that make an ongoing malware attack so difficult to stop is the speed with which the assault can evolve. Over the past 12 days, an IFrame injection attack that originally focused on ZDNet Asia has been spreading across the ‘Net, changing targets and payloads on an almost daily basis. An iFrame (short for inline frame) is an element of HTML that’s used to embed HTML from another source into a webpage. The timeline of the attack is provided below, thanks in no small part to security consultant Dancho Danchev, who has kept a play-by-play account of the IFrame attack on his blog.
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Hacking: Second mass hack exposed
March 18, 2008 by Shanmuga
Filed under Hacking, Recommended Reads
"Researchers at McAfee estimated that the attack has been active for roughly one week, and in that time frame has managed to place itself on roughly 200,000 web pages.
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Encryption: TrueCrypt developers consider complaint against Microsoft
March 18, 2008 by Shanmuga
Filed under Recommended Reads, Security
"The developers of the TrueCrypt open source encryption tool are considering submitting a complaint against Microsoft to the EU Commission if Microsoft is not prepared to lay open the Windows hibernation API. From version 5.1 TrueCrypt supports hibernation for encrypted system partitions.
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Vishing: The Anatomy of a Vishing Scam
March 18, 2008 by Shanmuga
Filed under Recommended Reads, vishing
"A series of well-orchestrated wireless phone-based phishing attacks against several financial institutions last week illustrates how scam artists are growing more adept at fleecing consumers by exploiting security holes in seemingly unrelated Internet technologies.
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Hacking: Trend Micro Details Its Recent Failed Web Attack
March 18, 2008 by Shanmuga
Filed under Hacking, Recommended Reads
"The code inserted in some Web pages of the site was meant to redirect the visitor to a malicious server that would download malware capable of stealing passwords on an infected computer, Trend Micro spokesman Michael Sweeny said. The attempt, however, failed.
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Spam: Spam king pleads guilty to federal wire fraud
"A man once described as one of the world’s top e-mail spammers pleaded guilty Friday to federal charges of mail fraud, wire fraud and failure to file a tax return.
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Hacking: Cyber-attack launched from 10,000 web pages
"The web pages have been modified to silently redirect visitors to sites laden with malware that attempt to break into the user’s PC. McAfee Avert Labs described the assault as "one of the largest attacks to date of this kind".
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