Malware News

Mozilla Firefox is prone to a remote code-execution vulnerability. Successful exploits may allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the user running the affected application. Failed attempts will likely result in denial-of-service conditions. The issue affects Firefox 3.5; other versions may also be vulnerable. NOTE: Remote code execution was confirmed in Firefox 3.5 running on Microsoft Windows XP SP2.

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Common Threats

iTunes Hacking

Microsoft launches online security patch

Microsoft has released an emergency online security patch following the discovery of a potential glitch in its technology. The software giant announced that the online security update will automatically be installed for Internet Explorer customers. Microsoft released the patch after a vulnerability in the company's Active Template Library was discovered. The software is used to build ActiveX controls and other web application components.

Web users should be cautious of fake anti-virus programs

A new report has highlighted that malware posing as anti-virus software is spreading across tens of millions of computers each month. According to research by PandaLabs, over 1,000 examples of fake anti-virus software were found in the first quarter of 2008 alone. The program works by issuing false warnings of infections, persuading web users to buy software they do not need, and can also download Trojans or malware.

Spammers translating messages cause global security issues

Spam email is becoming a growing threat in non-English speaking nations, according to a new study. Research by MessageLabs highlights that spammers are now using free online translation sites to write messages in a variety of languages and target a greater number of people across the globe. As a result, some nations which previously enjoyed a high level of internet security are now falling victim to rising levels of spam.

Malware 'the greatest threat'

The greatest threat to computer networks is malware, meaning people should be wary of introducing unnecessary software to their machines, an expert has stated. Writing for his risk management blog hosted by online publication ComputerWeekly.com, Stuart King warned that some people are reporting that their new digital picture frames and gadgets such as MP3 players are infected with viruses.

Sun Java Runtime Environment Vulnerabilities

Sun Java Runtime Environment and Java Development Kit are prone to multiple security vulnerabilities. Successful exploits may allow attackers to violate the same-origin policy, obtain sensitive information, bypass security restrictions, run untrusted applets with elevated privileges, and cause denial-of-service conditions. This may result in a compromise of affected computers.

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Conficker Worm

W32/Conficker.worm.gen.d is a worm, which exploits the MS08-067 vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Server Service which may allow for remote code execution. This flaw lies in the improper handling of specially-crafted (malicious) RPC requests and was patched on October 23, 2008.

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PCWorld
  • Smartphone chips could replace server processors in HPC, researchers say

    Looking at historical trends and performance benchmarks, a team of researchers in Spain have concluded that smartphone chips could one day replace the more expensive and power-hungry x86 processors used in most of the world's top supercomputers.

    "History may be about to repeat itself," researchers at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center wrote in a paper titled "Are mobile processors ready for HPC?" The paper was presented at the EDAworkshop13 in Dresden, Germany, this month.

    The researchers point to the history of less expensive chips bumping out faster but higher-priced processors in high-performance systems. In 1993, the list of the world's fastest supercomputers, known as the Top500, was dominated by systems based on vector processors. They were nudged out by less expensive RISC processors like IBM's Power chip, whose use in supercomputers peaked early in the past decade. The RISC chips in turn were eventually replaced by cheaper commodity processors like Intel's Xeon and Advanced Micro Devices' Opteron, which today are used in more than 400 supercomputers on the Top500 list.

    The transitions had a common thread, the researchers wrote: Microprocessors killed the vector supercomputers because they were "significantly cheaper and greener," they said.

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