Google hit by data stealing worm

SAO PAULO: A new Internet worm capable of stealing bank details and other personal data from users is circulating via Orkut, Google Inc's social networking service, a computer security company warned on Monday.


Instant-messaging service provider FaceTime Communications said its software security lab had detected the spread of the electronic virus, the third such threat to disseminate itself via messages posted on Orkut users personal Web pages.

Google's service, while available globally, is wildly popular among Brazilians which make up the bulk of its users.

The malicious programme, dubbed as "MW.Orc," works its way on to users' personal computers when they click on infected links on Orkut scrapbook pages. The link is followed by a message in Portuguese that entices the user to click.

Once the link is activated, a file is uploaded to the PC, according to a description of how the worm works contained in a statement by the Foster City, California-based company.

When infected Orkut users use Microsoft Corp.'s widely used Windows XP operating system to find personal files on their PCs through their "My Computer" icon, an e-mail is sent back to the creator of MW.Orc creator filled with personal information stored on the PC, FaceTime said.

The new threat to Orkut follows an earlier worm, Banker-BWD, which was uncovered by Sophos, an anti-virus company.

Orkut has around 21.1 million users, 68.56 per cent of whom identify themselves as Brazilians, 12.26 per cent as living in the United States and 5.32, who say they live in India.

Yahoo e-mail under worm attack

Symantec warns of mass-mail worm that exploits a vulnerability in Yahoo's Web e-mail

By Jeremy Kirk, IDG News Service
June 12, 2006
A mass-mail worm that exploits a vulnerability in Yahoo's Web e-mail is making the rounds but the impact appears to be low, security vendor Symantec said Monday.

The worm, which Symantec calls JS.Yamanner@m, is different from others in that a user merely has to open the e-mail to cause it to run, said Kevin Hogan, senior manager for Symantec Security Response. Mass-mail worms have usually been contained in an attachment with an e-mail note encouraging a user to open it.

The worm, written in JavaScript, takes advantage of a vulnerability that allows scripts embedded in HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) e-mail to run in the users' browsers. Yahoo users should be able to modify their settings to block the zero-day exploit, Hogan said.

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Microsoft: Vista Most Secure OS Ever

Microsoft senior vice president Bob Muglia opened up TechEd 2006 in Boston Sunday evening by proclaiming that Windows Vista was the most secure operating system in the industry. But a bold statement can only go so far, and much of this week's conference has been spent reinforcing that point.

From the network perimeter to deep inside the Windows client, the significance of security has permeated into every facet of technology. Norman Mailer said that 20th century man's default status was anxiety. We have barely dipped our toes into the 21st, and our default status has already been elevated to outright fear.


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Is your computer a zombie?

While it may be tempting to think your PC is safe and that computer nasties are a thing of the past, think again. Malicious attacks have evolved beyond previous attacks from virus writers who wanted to show off their skills and get caught for self publicity.

According to Raimund Genes, CTO of Trend Micro, the threat landscape has changed to more targeted, varied threats developed mainly for commercial reasons. "Professional malware writers today don't want to make a big fuss. The worst that could happen to them is for their malware to get noticed and for people to then update their systems and protect themselves", Raimund points out.

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