Nov 24, 2009:

F-Secure Health Check examines if your computer is secure and
up-to-date for Internet use – and explains what to do if it isn’t.

Highlights Advantages of Cloud Computing, Points Out Areas to Watch

BitDefender®,
an award-winning provider of innovative anti-malware security
solutions, recently posted the latest installment of its Total Security
Podcast Series - a podcast series designed to provide users with
helpful and up-to-date information on security challenges faced by
businesses and consumers. This installment of BitDefender's Total
Security Podcast Series focuses on the increasingly popular "In the
Cloud" technology.

Catalin Cosoi, senior anti-spam researcher for BitDefender, explains
what "cloud computing" really means, the advantages for businesses
using this strategy, key terms to check out before using any cloud
service as well as the security components of operating in the cloud
that need to be considered.

One topic covered in the podcast is on key terms that should be
researched in detail before a business or consumer considers using any
cloud service:

User access - who has access to data, under what form and how is the hiring of such personnel performed?

Trend Micro threat analysts recently unearthed spammed messages that purported to have come from Trend Micro. Targeting trusted organizations is not an uncommon technique, used by cyber criminals when carrying out spam campaigns.  In this case, the phishing URL and domain are already inaccessible.

The emails bear the subject, “Malware Blocking Tests put Trend Micro on Top” and inform users about the recent NSS Labs tests. They also describe how NSS Labs conducted the test, which was based on “socially engineered malware.” Ironically, however, the emails were themselves a good example of socially engineered malware.

Updated the contents of the "Antivirus software websites" in the section "Website Hyperlinks".

hack-o-rama by Al Corr

Back in February of this year, the Romanian hacker Unu found a SQL injection vulnerability in a Kaspersky tech
support portal server based in the USA. That vulnerability when
exploited allowed full access to all the database tables, exposing
things such as usernames and activation codes.