A new variant of Conficker worm (aka Downadup) is getting more aggressive.
Conficker.C shuts down security services, blocks computers from connecting to security Web sites, and downloads a Trojan. It also is programmed to begin connecting to 50,000 different domains on April 1 to receive updated copies or other malware, as opposed to connecting to 250 domains a day as previous versions are doing, Ben Greenbaum, senior research manager for Symantec Security Response, said on Friday.
And, watch out for emails promoting YouTube videos. YouTube and sites masquerating as YouTube are being used to spread malware according to F-Secure. They posted three blog entries this week about YouTube and malware here, here, and here.
Add to this news the fact that some viruses are being spread using more personalized emails. They are using a technique called geolocation to determine where your computer is located so they can personalize the email to look like it has something to do with your area.
For example, a user who lives in Fairfax, Va., might see this subject line in a missive sent by Waledac: “Powerful explosion burst in Fairfax this morning.” The message authors also append a Wikipedia link and a Google search link at the bottom to add to the fake alert’s legitimacy.
Small businesses are the new targets of cybercriminals, according to experts speaking at Visa’s Security Summit this week.
Hacking banks and large businesses? That’s sooo 2008.
“As the security becomes better at large companies, the small business begins to look more and more enticing to computer criminals,” said Charles Matthews, president of the International Council for Small Business, in a panel presentation here. “It’s the path of least resistance.”
On the good news front, more countries are joining a cybercrime police network.
Fifty-six nations are now part of the 24/7 Network, which means a country has a computer security official available at all times to help meet requests for data or preservation of data from another nation, said Christopher Painter, deputy assistant director of the FBI’s cyberdivision.
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