We’re seeing lots of people warning about — or at least apologizing for - chat hijackings.The latest one says “Hey, check out this girl, lol, she must be out of her mind for making that video!” and includes a shortened bit.ly web address.That URL leads to a Facebook page running an application called Congood. Clicking “allow” on the permission box…
Posted by Benjamin at 12:33 pm Tagged with: ALERT, application, video
Mar 042011
Avast anti-virus is one of the most trusted free anti-virus that is available in the market. Other few security softwares that come to mind are AVG. Avast 6 is the latest version of anti-virus. It is available for Free Download.The Avast 6 includes scan engine which is lighter and takes…
Posted by Benjamin at 5:57 am Tagged with: AVG, Free Download, version, virus
Funny how Windows Registry errors can be caused by a Macintosh software package…. I was doing a google search for information on a macintosh product, and funny how their site reports:
What is Mac2TiVo (Mac).exe error?
Mac2TiVo (Mac).exe error is one of the most common system errors that many PC users will come across when while using the computer. Mac2TiVo (Mac).exe error always happens when the related Mac2TiVo (Mac).exe file in the operating system is deleted, corrupted or infected by virus. When you try to open files or applications which are related to Mac2TiVo (Mac).exe file, you will be likely to receive the pop-up Mac2TiVo (Mac).exe error. Mac2TiVo (Mac).exeerror will stop some certain programs in your comouter from correctly running as well as slow down the entire system performance. So to it is necessary for you to thoroughly scan your computer and get rid of the annoying Mac2TiVo (Mac).exe error as soon as possible.
Funny how a Macintosh product can cause Windows registry problems…
I tried a simple substitute in the URL, and I was not able to force a substitution, but it certainly looks like a fake report to me.
Google pulled an app from the Android marketplace that was created to illustrate a flaw in the mobile framework that allowed apps to be installed without a user’s knowledge. It then issued a fix for bug.
Jon Oberheide, chief technology officer of Scio Security, created a proof-of-concept app disguised as an expansion for the popular Angry Birds game. After the app was downloaded, three additional apps were installed without the user’s knowledge that had permission to perform malicious activities but were benign, he told CNET in an interview.
Oberheide and Zach Lanier, a senior consultant at Intrepidus Group, were scheduled to present their research on the Android vulnerability at Intel’s annual internal security conference in Hillsboro, Ore., today.
Before they got a chance to give their presentation, Google pulled the app, according to Oberheide. The company also began rolling out a fix for the issue, which applies to all Android devices, a Google spokesperson said in an e-mail late yesterday.
Read more about it here – Google pulls app that revealed Android flaw, issues fix
Sophos is now offering free copies of it’s anti-virus software, to Macintosh users…
Technical Specifications are as follows:
- Mac with Intel or PowerPC processor
- 256 MB of memory
- 150 MB of available disk space
- Mac with OSX 10.4 (Tiger), 10.5 (Leopard) or 10.6 (Snow Leopard)
- Supports All Apple Mac hardware including iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro and the new MacBook Air
The set-up process is simple:
- Visit the website cited above.
- Click on the download button.
- Accept the terms of the EULA license during the installation.
After that is complete, you can use the tool for as long as you like.
According to Sophos, this is the same version as the Enterprise edition, just with a different “home” license.
One major issue that I have seen is that Norton Antivirus & Security Products don’t always uninstall cleanly. Often, in the past, they have left the computer unable to connect properly to the internet, or having odd symptoms…
What I have found is using the custom Norton Uninstall Utility, works cleanly, and is often faster then using the Add/Remove Programs control panel.
The removal tool will remove the following software products from your computer.
- Norton AntiSpam 2004 – 2005
- Norton Antivirus 2003 – 2007.2
- Norton Ghost 2003, 9.0, and 10.0
- Norton GoBack 3.1 – 4.2
- Norton Internet Security 2003 – 2007.2
- Norton Password Manager
- Norton Personal Firewall 2003 – 2006
- Norton SystemWorks 2003 – 2007
- Norton Confidential Online 2007
- Norton Internet Security 2007 Add-on Pack
- Norton Save and Restore 1.0 – 2.0
- Norton 360
Follow these directions to download the Norton Removal Tool and run it to remove the above programs. Click on the following link to download the Norton removal tool
ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/english_us_canada/removal_tools/Norton_Removal_Tool.exe
- Click Save and save the file to your desktop
- Close all Norton Application windows you may have open, and double-click on Norton_Removal_Tool.exe to start the removal tool. Windows Vista users will have to right-click on the file and select “Run as Administrator”
- After the removal tool finishes, you should be prompted to restart your computer. Once the computer restarts, your Norton product should be uninstalled.
I just did something that I never have done in the past…. And I shouldn’t be surprised at the results…
I just read the “What’s the risk” help screen for the ActiveX installer prompt. You know the annoying prompt, where it asks “do you want to install this ActiveX control” or “What’s the risk?”.
You know what I learned? Nothing. Sure, there are some sweeping statements, like:
- You should always be cautious about allowing Web sites to run ActiveX controls on your computer. If an ActiveX control is not essential to your computer activity, try to avoid installing it.
- You should be certain that you trust the publisher of the ActiveX control before you decide to install the control on your computer.
- Because ActiveX controls are potentially hazardous to your computer, you should be certain that you trust the publisher of the ActiveX control before you decide to install the control on your computer.
- The Web site should tell you what this ActiveX control is for and any special details you need to know before you install it. If this information is not available, you should not install the control.
- Don’t install an ActiveX control unless you absolutely trust the Web site that is giving you the control.
Oh, but so clever, at least my copy of the Microsoft Help, has “What are ActiveX controls” shrunk down, it’s not expanded by default. And here is some meat and potatoes….
These programs can, however, malfunction or give you content you don’t want. In some cases, these programs might be used to collect information from your computer in ways you might not approve of, possibly damage data on your computer, install software on your computer without your consent, or allow someone else to control your computer remotely. Given these risks, you should only install these programs if you completely trust the publisher.
Right… The section on risks appears to be hidden by default, and everything else basically says “Do you trust the provider”. First, the documentation appears to be trying to hide the risk factors, and presenting us with very little useful information. At least no useful information from a security prespective.
Is this truly useful to the customer? I’ll leave that for you to decide….
Short Sharp Science: PC giant warns of hardware trojan: “News that Dell may have a hardware trojan problem emerged on a support forum after a user was warned by a Dell call centre that the firm’s PowerEdge R410 server motherboard contains spyware of unspecified function that a Dell engineer needed to come and remove.
Dell confirms on the same forum: ‘The potential issue involves a small number of PowerEdge server motherboards sent out through service dispatches that may contain malware. This malware code has been detected on the embedded server management firmware.’”
(View the rest of the article at Short Sharp Science: PC giant warns of hardware trojan)