Malware

Malware, a portmanteau from the words malicious and software, is software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's informed consent. The expression is a general term used by computer professionals to mean a variety of forms of hostile, intrusive, or annoying software or program code. Many computer users are unfamiliar with the term, and often use "computer virus" for all types of malware, including true viruses. Software is considered malware based on the perceived intent of the creator rather than any particular features. Malware includes computer viruses, worms, trojan horses, most rootkits, spyware, dishonest adware, crimeware and other malicious and unwanted software. Read the full background at Malware Wikipedia

Featured Blogs

Canadian Spam Law Update

As you may know, there are two laws currently being discussed in Canadian legislative assemblies: Senate Bill S-220, a private member’s bill with private right of action and criminal remedies; Parliamentary Bill C-27, tabled by the government, with private right of action, coordination between various enforcement agencies... more»

A Few More Thoughts on Email Authentication… errr… Trust

Mike Hammer's thoughtful article, A Few Thoughts on the Future of Email Authentication, should trigger thoughtfulness in the rest of us. Email abuse has been around a long time. Anti-abuse efforts have too. Yet global abuse traffic has grown into the 90+% range, with no hint of trending downward. The best we hear about current effectiveness is for last-hop filtering, if you have the money, staff and skills to apply to the problem... more»

Is It Time to Supplement Desktop Security Protections?

Internet users are acutely aware of their exposure on the Internet and clearly concerned about their safety. Increased downloads of scareware as Conficker made headlines in the mainstream media are only the latest evidence. Desktop software is often viewed as a one-stop shop for fighting Internet threats such as viruses, worms and other forms of malware and phishing. These solutions have served us well but more protections are needed to address the dynamic and increasingly sophisticated web based exploits being launched... more»

A Few Thoughts on the Future of Email Authentication

With the Online Trust Alliance Town Hall Meeting and Email Authentication Roundtable next week as well as the RSA Conference, I decided to pause and think about where we are and where we might be headed with regard to email authentication. Over the years, many of us have collectively worked to provide a framework for authenticating email... more»

Project GhostNet: Canada (and Google) Save the World from Cyber-Spying - Again!

While most people I know are at either VoiceCon or CTIA this week, this one is worth staying home for. Also, I'm sure all the Skype followers are focused today on the news about working with the iPhone -- and that IS a big story. However -- for very different reasons -- I'm sure you'll find this one of interest too. This was a front page story in today's Globe and Mail, and no doubt many other Canadian dailies... more»

Worming Our Way Out of Trouble

The Conficker worm will be active again on April 1st, according to an analysis of its most recent variant, Conficker.C, by the net security firm CA. This malicious piece of software, also known as Downup, Downadup and Kido, spreads among computers running most variants of the Windows operating system and turns them into nodes on a multi-million member ‘botnet’ of zombie computers that can be controlled remotely by the worm’s as yet unidentified authors. more»

Should We Make the Possession of Malware a Crime?

In the U.S., it is a federal crime to use malware to intentionally cause "damage without authorization" to a computer that is used in a manner that affects interstate or foreign commerce. Most, if not all, U.S. states outlaw the use of malware to cause damage, as do many countries. The Council of Europe's Convention on Cybercrime, which the United States ratified a few years ago, has a provision concerning the possession of malware. Article 6(1)(b) of the Convention requires parties to the treaty to criminalize the possession of malware "with intent that it be used for the purpose of committing" a crime involving damage to a computer or data... more»

A Noteworthy Report on Fast Flux Hosting

This very interesting document was released by ICANN's Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) for public comment yesterday. And it asks some fundamental questions while at the same time pointing to sources such as the Honeynet Alliance's reports on fast flux. more»

Tough Economy Requires Knowledge and Vigilance Online

If current predictions are correct, 2009 will be a tougher year than 2008 in terms of the economy. In tough economic times such as these it becomes increasingly important for us to follow recommended safety practices when going online. As the numbers of Internet-related fraud and financial scams continue to increase we should expect the current economic situation to produce more victims of cybercrime. Knowledge and vigilance are the keys to remaining safe while online. more»

Internet Population Passes 1 Billion, and We're Still Afraid

We're learning this week that we have officially passed the one billion number in terms of people using the Internet. Eric Schonfeld writes in his article on TechCrunch that the number is probably higher than that. One billion is a staggering number, even though it makes up only 15 to 22 percent of the world's population. Nevertheless, those one billion Internet users give us a lot to deal with on their own in terms of social and security issues on the web. more»

News Briefs

Trojans Fastest Growing Category of Data-Stealing Malware

Gary Warner: We Are Well Past Time to Declare a Spam Crisis in China

FTC Shuts Down US Web Hosting Firm Involved in Massive Global Spam Operation

Google Reveals Top 10 Malware Sites From Its Index

Mass Hacker Attack Reported on 40,000 Legitimate Websites

Obama: From Now On Digital Infrastructure Treated As Strategic National Asset

Kaspersky Impressed with Overall Conficker Botnet Operation

Cybersecurity Groups Start New Initiative to Combat Malware

Most Websites Harbor at Least One Major Vulnerability, Says Report

US Military Shopping for Email Defense System to Scan 50 Million Inbound Messages a Day

One in Five Online Consumers Victims of Cybercrime Past Two Years, Estimated at $8B, Survey Says

Cyber Breaches Even Worse Than You Think

Rustock, Xarvester Spambots Capable of Sending 25,000 Messages Per Hour, Says New Study

Malware Found on US Electrical Grid Installed by Chinese and Russian Spies, Say Reports

Asia, Europe Top the Charts on Conficker Worm Infections

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Industry Updates

Facebook Selects MarkMonitor Antifraud Solutions to Combat Malware

MarkMonitor, the global leader in enterprise brand protection, today announced Facebook has selected MarkMonitor AntiFraud Solutions to supplement its own in-house security efforts in protecting users against malware attacks. ›››

MarkMonitor AntiFraud Solutions, Combining Proven Antiphishing and Expert Antimalware Capabilities

MarkMonitor announces AntiFraud Solutions, offering patented technology to enable brand owners to prevent, detect and respond to phishing and malware attacks. Service leverages the extensive MarkMonitor network of relationships and technology designed to thwart phishing attacks in order to combat the rapidly expanding problem of malware targeting brands. ›››

MarkMonitor AntiFraud Solutions Combine Proven Antiphishing and Expert Antimalware Capabalities

MarkMonitor has announced AntiFraud Solutions, offering patented technology to enable brand owners to prevent, detect and respond to phishing and malware attacks. MarkMonitor AntiFraud Solutions leverage the extensive MarkMonitor network of relationships and technology designed to thwart phishing attacks in order to combat the rapidly expanding problem of malware targeting brands.
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Committed to Keeping the Internet a Safe Place

.ORG, The Public Interest Registry (PIR) is committed to providing a model for exemplary Registry practices. In furtherance of this goal, PIR has been working proactively to address domain name abuses including phishing, malware, child pornography, and spam distribution. ›››

Industry Coalition Announced to Increase Adoption of DNSSEC

The DNSSEC Industry Coalition is a global group of registries and industry experts whose mission is to work collaboratively to facilitate adoption of Domain Name Security Extensions (DNSSEC) and streamline the implementations across Domain Name Registries. ›››

.ORG CEO Honored by The Washington Business Journal

Alexa Raad, CEO of .ORG, The Public Interest Registry, has been chosen as one of the leading women in Washington business by The Washington Business Journal's fifth-annual Women Who Mean Business Awards›››

NeuStar Launches Advanced Recursive DNS Service Brings, Enhancing Security and Performance

Developed by one of the world's leading providers of managed Domain Name System (DNS) services, DNS Advantage is an advanced managed recursive DNS service. This is a free service which enables connectivity providers, enterprises, and other organizations to offer their end users a safer, faster, and more reliable Internet experience. ›››