Tag: malware
Tech Time Warp: Torpig malware collects stolen financial data
Once upon a time, you could avoid malware by staying away from “seedy” websites. But the Torpig botnet—aka Sinowal, aka Mebroot—proved that even reputable business websites could be compromised and refer traffic to malicious download sites. First spotted in late...
Tech Time Warp: The brothers behind the “Brain” PC virus
Over the years, the motives for malware creation have ranged from simple curiosity to monetary gain. In the case of the Alvi brothers from Pakistan, it was revenge, dished up on a floppy disk.
Tech Time Warp: Regin malware opens eyes
One of the first Google results for “Regin malware” is from the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. It’s a Nov. 25, 2014, alert about the malware, providing an overview of Regin’s multi-stage structure. The alert notes that the “sophisticated...
Email threat types: Malware
Email attacks often come in the form of a harmless-looking email with malware attached as a .zip file or embedded in an email attachment. This malware could install ransomware, spyware, and other damaging programs. Malware is short for ‘malicious software’ and...
Malware targeted Windows users in Q1 2020
A new security report released by AV-Test showed some startling, but not surprising, malware statistics. The key takeaway from the study: Computers that run Windows are most prone to attacks by hackers. The AV-Test report discovered that 114 million new pieces of...
Malware resurges with an advertising disguise
Online advertisements can be irresistible. With a TV ad, you have to endure a 30-second spot pushing Corn Flakes or denture cream, whether you have any interest in those items or not. Online ads, however, are targeted to your interests....
Tech Time Warp: First mobile malware makes its debut
Back in the pre-smartphone days, an international group of hackers set out to prove no technology was safe from malware. In June 2004, the group 29A — 29A being the hexadecimal version of “666” — released the first virus targeting...
Time to appreciate the thin line of cybersecurity defense maintained by MSPs
One of the toughest, and often thankless, roles in all of IT is that of the managed security services provider (MSSP). Most MSSPs know cyberattacks tend to come in waves. Cybercriminals like to mix up their attack vectors to avoid...
The rise of malspam
If you are like me, you are probably finding it hard to believe that the first quarter of 2019 is almost over. It seems like a good time to stop and take a breath and look at what some of this...
Malicious memes?
We’ve all seen them and laughed at them. There’s “Grumpy Cat” or “Be Like Bill.” In some cases, these memes have racked up over a billion views. That’s almost 20 percent of the world’s population who have been “dancing like the...
