Security – Page 11

.com.au.com

Any web address that ends with .com.au.com should be treated with caution. At the moment these pages are redirecting to a fake anti spyware page, tricking people into downloading malicious software.

For example an address such as importantcompany.com.au.com

is not the same as importantcompany.com.au
is not the same as importantcompany.com

Because the last few letters are different it takes users to a completely different site. Even having one different letter or the dot in a slightly different position is enough for your computer to go to a different site, one owned and operated by an individual with questionable intentions.

In this example importantcompany could be any company or web site you’re familiar with (eg Google).

This is a problem because people are good at recognising patterns and the addresses look similar. However they are in fact different. Care should always be taken with deceptive addresses.

HP Laptop Support Software

HP laptops come with some software to keep them updated and to help HP provide support. Lately there have been a couple of vulnerabilities discovered in these tools.

A support feature on HP computers is something called HP Virtual Rooms, an online collaboration suite. There’s a flaw in the ActiveX control that it uses and it’s possible to create a web page that lets someone install programs on your computer.

The file at risk is called HPVirtualRooms14.dll. If you have an HP computer you can check the properties of this file (do a search for the file), if it’s version 1.0.0.100 then it’s at risk.

The best defence is to have a good anti virus package, and to update this tool when HP get around to releasing an update.

notebook computer The second HP vulnerability is with HP’s Software Update utility. This utility keeps the computer patched, which is always a good thing to do. Except that it also has a vulnerability and the computer can be compromised by visiting a web page with malicious code.

The program affected is called HP Software Update Client, version 3.0.8.4.

Again, use a good anti virus program and update the update tool when HP releases a fix.

MSN Worm

There’s another bit of malware spreading through MSN’s messaging network (MSN Messenger and Live Messenger), known as the IRCBOT-RB Trojan, also called a worm because of how it spreads.

trees and a worm It works by showing people a message with links to pictures on MySpace and Facebook. It includes messages such as "Wanna see my pictures before i send em to facebook?". Clicking on the link takes the user to a web page with malicious code.

This particular worm/trojan changes the message into different languages, depending where the user is located.

Once infected a user’s machine waits for instructions from the malware author and will let them control the machine at will.

Symbian Phones

Nokia N95 There’s a new worm (malicious code) going around infecting mobile phones that use the Symbian system (see below for a list of phones). There are two variants called the Beselo.A and Beselo.B worms.

It gets transmitted by Bluetooth or by MMS so you can’t really avoid receiving it. It consists of two parts:

An attachment with an interesting name, such as beauty.jpg, sex.mp3, or love.rm
A text message asking you to “install” the attachment to view it

With MMS messages it’s not necessary to “install” anything to view a picture or to play an audio attachment. What’s really happening is there’s no picture or audio file attached, it’s a malicious program. The wording of the message is just a trick to install the worm (a technique known as social engineering). If it were really a picture you’d be able to see it without installing anything, and likewise for audio attachments.

If you receive a message asking you to install something and it promises to show you a picture or play an audio file, say no. Delete the message.

F-Secure make an antivirus package specifically for phones that use Symbian, and that would detect the file. But common sense and the explanation above should be sufficient to avoid it.

Below are some of today’s popular phones that use Symbian S60. If your phone is on this list then it’s vulnerable to this attack.

LG – JoY
Nokia – 3250, 5500 Sport, 5700, 6110 Navigator, 6260, 6290, 6600, 6630, 6680, 6682, E50, E51, E60, E61, E61i, E65, E70, E90, N70, N72, N73, N75, N76, N80, N81, N90, N91, N92, N93i, N93, N95, N95 8GB, N82, N81 8GB, 6120, N77
Nokia (discontinued) – 6681, 6670, 3230, 7610, 3650, 3600, 3660, 3620, 7650, N-Gage, 6620
Panasonic – X800, X700
Samsung – SGH-D720, SGH-D730, SGH-i450, SGH-i520, SGH-i550, SGH-i560
Sendo – X
Siemens – SX1

Digital Picture Frames with malware

Now you also have to be careful when you buy digital picture frames. There have been numerous reports of some of these devices being infected with a virus. When you put in a photo memory card it installs a trojan onto the card. Then later, if you put the card into your computer it can install the trojan onto the computer.

old photo It then tries to stop any anti-virus system the computer may have and then starts stealing passwords. Pretty serious stuff.

And it seems the digital picture frames came from the factory with this already installed. No one had tampered with the devices beforehand. This has been happening to quite a few digital gadgets such as MP3 players.

A good anti-virus system will detect this and prevent itself to be disabled, so if you haven’t already done so invest in one. And if you come across such a device have a chat to the store you bought it from, it’s possible they have no idea it’s happening.

Update (26 Jan 08): Best Buy were selling these devices with the brand name Insignia. They’ve just realised and have taken the off the shelf and are trying to contact customers who bought them.

Is it safe to give out your bank account number?

No, it’s not safe to give everyone your bank account details.

Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear fame believed that all people could do with his bank account number is put money into his account. He was so sure he published the details in a newspaper.

atm Soon after he found £500 missing from his bank account, someone had set up a direct debit from his account and donated it to a charity called Diabetes UK.

Lesson? Don’t give out your bank account details to just anyone. In fact, give out as little personal details as possible. There are so many people in the world looking for opportunities to commit fraud and to take your money, usually using what’s called identity theft.

Sometimes you have no choice, e.g. you want to sell someone an item and you want them to deposit money in your account. It’s difficult to completely avoid these situations, but keep the information as private as possible.

Read about the incident here, it’s amusing.

Valentine’s Day Malware Reminder

heart

As with every festive event Valentine’s Day brings a whole new wave of malware. Emails are already being sent around the internet carrying dangerous attachments. While the subject keeps changing, the more common attachments seen so far are:

withlove.exe
with_love.exe
Greeting card.exe
love_me.exe
porno_03.exe
valsday.exe

Never open attachments that end with .exe. Unless you’ve specifically asked someone to send you a file with that exact name, it’s almost certainly malware. Delete it.

False Malware Cleaners

There are some programs that claim to test your computer for malware, then it will always tell you it found something bad. After that it either asks you for money to clean it or does some other misleading action.

tempted by a poison apple Based on some security company’s research there are now 500 of these programs, including some for Mac as well as for Windows.

They look like serious programs, have interesting names, and are complete with websites. Below are some of the more recent ones:

AVSystemCare
DriveCleaner
MalwareAlarm
AntiSpywareSheild
MacSweeper (written for the Mac)

Avoid all of these programs (don’t download or install them).

Unfortunately this is a growing trend with new products popping up all the time. Use a trusted antivirus package such as the kind that can be purchased from shops.

Don’t trust public computers in hotels

hotel If you use public computers in hotels and similar environments (e.g. internet cafes) you need to keep in mind that the computer could be capturing your passwords. You can’t just assume it’s a safe computer.

This week a man was sentenced for installing key-logging programs on hotel computers in Miami, Las Vegas, and other US cities. Customers used these computers and whenever they entered a credit card number, the number was captured and used to buy over US$400,000 worth of products and services.

Mario Alberto Simbaqueba Bonilla, a 40 year old engineer, was arrested in Miami International Airport last year and has just pleaded guilty. He installed the key-logging software onto hotel computers and watched as hotel guests used the computers.

This isn’t a once off incident. If the computer isn’t yours then you just have to assume someone can capture your passwords or credit card numbers. If you need to use these computers to log into a corporate network or some other secure service (such as online banking) then think twice. Is it really that important? If so, then change the password as soon as you get onto a different computer.