A Penton Media Property
February 20, 2008
If you want to view this on the web go to:
http://ct.email.windowsitpro.com/rd/cts?d=33-2519-803-202-62923-213611-0-0-0-1-2-207
IN FOCUS
--Online Fraud Continues to Escalate
by Mark Joseph Edwards, News Editor
According to newly published data from Cyveillence, online fraud
continues escalate. I seriously doubt that comes as a shock to anyone
reading this newsletter. The world is chock-full of criminally insane
people, and the Internet has simply brought countless numbers of them
out of their closets. That sad reality aside, let's have a look at what
Cyveillance discovered.
First of all, I should point out that Cyveillance says its results are
based on actual collected numbers, not numbers extrapolated from a
sampling of data. The findings represent actual measurements based on
data gathered using the company's own monitoring software to inspect
roughly 150 million Web sites--and that number grows daily.
The data published by Cyveillance shows that phishing attacks continue
to be driven by the lure of easily stealing money from people's bank
accounts and other financial repositories; Web-based malware attacks are
on the rise; and criminals are turning more towards compromising
existing Web sites to host their malware instead of creating their own
Web sites. That last trend is a logical evolution. After all, tracking
down and blocking malware sites that use their own domains is relatively
easy. Filtering malware on sites that are typically trusted by end users
is much more difficult--no one expects his or her system to be
infiltrated by a Trojan while simply visiting the Major League Baseball
site.
The number of phishing attacks targeting new brands (those that weren't
ever targeted before) actually declined over the course of 2007.
However, 106 new brands were attacked in the Q4 2007 and the vast
majority of them were in some sort of financial business, such as
banking and credit unions.
Phishing scams require data drop points--after all, the bad guys need
somewhere to send the phished data. According to Cyveillance, Germany is
currently the hot spot for data drop points, with the United States
coming in a close second and France following in a very distant third
place. Cyveillance points out that the number of data drop points in
Russia has fallen to less than 1 percent of the total. The company
wonders if the disappearance of the Russian Business Network (RBN) might
have something to do with that small percentage. If you aren't familiar
with RBN, you can learn more about it in "What is the Russian Business
Network" at the URL below.
www.windowsitpro.com/Windows/Article/ArticleID/97664/97664.html
(http://ct.email.windowsitpro.com/rd/cts?d=33-2519-803-202-62923-213612-0-0-0-1-2-207)
Here's an eye-opening figure that many of you consultants and
administrators can use: Of all the phishing pages discovered in first
quarter 2007, 34 percent were hosted on compromised existing Web sites.
If that isn't bad enough, by fourth quarter 2007, that number rose to a
whopping 51 percent! Obviously companies aren't securing their Web sites
as well as they should.
I think it should also be pointed out here--although it's not part of
the data released by Cyveillance--that intruders are using advertising
networks to get their malicious code onto popular Web sites. Ad network
operators aren't screening content carefully, and as a result, they're
propagating dangerous code, which I believe makes then completely liable
for any damage that code causes. As a result of their lackadaisical
behavior, heavily trafficked sites such as NHL.com, MLB.com, and
Monster.com have been used to deliver malware.
Another factoid from the Cyveillance report is that the percentage of
malware distribution sites in the U.S. has fallen from 74 in first
quarter 2007 to 45 in fourth quarter 2007. Conversely, the percent of
malware sites hosted in France grew from 13 to 20 over the course of
2007. The number of malware sites in Japan grew even faster. In first
quarter 2007, less than 1 percent of malware sites were hosted in Japan.
By the end of the year, that figure had grown to 12 percent.
So that's it in a nutshell. If you're interested in learning more
details, you can download a copy of the full report in PDF format at the
Cyveillance Web site at the URL below.
www.cyveillance.com/fraudreport-Q407/media.asp
(http://ct.email.windowsitpro.com/rd/cts?d=33-2519-803-202-62923-213613-0-0-0-1-2-207)
----------------------------------------
ADVERTISEMENT
----------------------------------------
SECURITY NEWS AND FEATURES
--Surprise: Mobile Users Concerned About Security
According to a recent survey conducted by Datamonitor on behalf of
McAfee, 86 percent of mobile device users are concerned to some extent
or other about security risks.
To view the full article go to:
http://ct.email.windowsitpro.com/rd/cts?d=33-2519-803-202-62923-213614-0-0-0-1-2-207
--GFI Slashes Security Product Prices
GFI Software announced that it has reduced its prices by as much as 45
percent across various products, which the company hopes will attract
more small businesses to its solutions.
To view the full article go to:
http://ct.email.windowsitpro.com/rd/cts?d=33-2519-803-202-62923-213615-0-0-0-1-2-207
--Grisoft Changes Its Name
Grisoft, maker of a popular cross-platform security solution, announced
that it has changed its name to AVG Technologies. The name change also
applies to all its international subsidiaries.
To view the full article go to:
http://ct.email.windowsitpro.com/rd/cts?d=33-2519-803-202-62923-213616-0-0-0-1-2-207
--Trend Micro Posts Record Profits
Trend Micro said that it posted record profits for the fourth quarter of
2007 and that it is on track to post even bigger profits for first
quarter 2008.
To view the full article go to:
http://ct.email.windowsitpro.com/rd/cts?d=33-2519-803-202-62923-213617-0-0-0-1-2-207
--Recent Security Vulnerabilities
If you subscribe to this newsletter, you also receive Security Alerts,
which inform you about recently discovered security vulnerabilities. You
can also find information about these discoveries at
www.windowsitpro.com/departments/departmentid/752/752.html
(http://ct.email.windowsitpro.com/rd/cts?d=33-2519-803-202-62923-213618-0-0-0-1-2-207)
GIVE AND TAKE
--SECURITY MATTERS BLOG: Risks of Facebook and Other Social Networking
Sites
by Mark Joseph Edwards
Recently, some risks were discovered in an ActiveX control used by
Facebook and a few other sites. Now I've learned about a new and
potentially more dangerous risk at Facebook.
To view the full article go to:
http://ct.email.windowsitpro.com/rd/cts?d=33-2519-803-202-62923-213619-0-0-0-1-2-207
--FAQ: XP Network Access Protection Client
by John Savill
Q: Where do I get the Windows XP Network Access Protection (NAP) client?
Find the answer at
www.windowsitpro.com/Article/ArticleID/98185
(http://ct.email.windowsitpro.com/rd/cts?d=33-2519-803-202-62923-213620-0-0-0-1-2-207)
--SHARE YOUR SECURITY TIPS AND GET $100
Share your security-related tips, comments, or problems and solutions in
Security Pro VIP's Reader to Reader column. Email your contributions to
r2r@securityprovip.com (mailto:r2r@securityprovip.com). If we print your
submission, you'll get $100. We edit submissions for style, grammar, and
length.
PRODUCTS
--Know Who's Accessing Your Files and Folders
by Renee Munshi, products@windowsitpro.com
10-Strike Software released 10-Strike Connection Monitor 1.3, which
alerts users and administrators when someone attempts to access their
shared files and folders over the LAN. When Connection Monitor detects a
connection attempt, a window pops up showing the name of the person
making the access attempt, the files and folders accessed, and the
access date and type. Connection Monitor also adds that data to a log
file and sends an email notification. Connection Monitor 1.3 is the
first edition released to the public. It costs $39.95, and a free
evaluation version is available. For more information, go to
www.10-strike.com/connectionmonitor/
(http://ct.email.windowsitpro.com/rd/cts?d=33-2519-803-202-62923-213621-0-0-0-1-2-207)
RESOURCES AND EVENTS
How to Effectively Manage Group Policy
Join Group Policy guru Jeremy Moskowitz on Thursday, February 21 (12
P.M. EST), for a Web seminar detailing the limitations of native tools
for change management, best practices for Group Policy management, and
how you can facilitate an effective Group Policy change management
process. Don't miss it--register for this event today!
www.windowsitpro.com/go/seminars/netiq/gpo/?partnerref=021308er
(http://ct.email.windowsitpro.com/rd/cts?d=33-2519-803-202-62923-213622-0-0-0-1-2-207)
Compare Techniques for Detecting and Preventing Unauthorized Code
Allowing users to install or execute unauthorized software can expose an
organization to stability, security, and legal risks, not to mention
increasing the support burden. Read this complimentary white paper
today!
www.windowsitpro.com/go/Bit9/wp/lockdown/?code=021308er
(http://ct.email.windowsitpro.com/rd/cts?d=33-2519-803-202-62923-213623-0-0-0-1-2-207)
Data Protection and Disaster Recovery Tips
Regardless of the type of disaster that might befall your organization,
the response is usually similar. You can make a disaster-recovery plan
based on factors such as the expected duration of recovery and the
impact of the disaster on your facilities and the surrounding areas.
This eBook will help you prepare a disaster plan that works for your
organization.
www.windowsitpro.com/go/ebooks/ca/disaster/?code=021308er
(http://ct.email.windowsitpro.com/rd/cts?d=33-2519-803-202-62923-213624-0-0-0-1-2-207)
FEATURED WHITE PAPER
Learn how integrating technologies in a virtual infrastructure can solve
the unique challenges inherent with VMware ESX Server deployments with
regard to storage utilization and management, data protection, and
backups. This white paper explains how simplifying your hardware and
server applications with virtualization software provides key
improvements to your IT environment.
www.windowsitpro.com/go/wp/storevault/servervirtualization/?code=021308er
(http://ct.email.windowsitpro.com/rd/cts?d=33-2519-803-202-62923-213625-0-0-0-1-2-207)
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Check out all the info-packed publications offered by Windows IT Pro!
If you're receiving the HTML version of this email newsletter, click
"Our Publications" in the menu bar; otherwise, click the link below:
store.pentontech.com/index.cfm?s=1&cid=18000306&promotionid=18003253&code=
(http://ct.email.windowsitpro.com/rd/cts?d=33-2519-803-202-62923-213626-0-0-0-1-2-207)
CONTACT US
Security UDPATE is brought to you by the Windows IT Pro Web site's
Security page (first URL below) and Security Pro VIP (second URL
below).
http://ct.email.windowsitpro.com/rd/cts?d=33-2519-803-202-62923-213627-0-0-0-1-2-207
http://ct.email.windowsitpro.com/rd/cts?d=33-2519-803-202-62923-213628-0-0-0-1-2-207
You are subscribed to this newsletter as boy.blogger@gmail.com
Manage your Security UPDATE subscription at
http://ct.email.windowsitpro.com/rd/cts?d=33-2519-803-202-62923-213629-0-0-0-1-2-207.
Be sure to add Security_UPDATE@email.windowsitpro.com
to your spam filter's list of allowed senders.
To contact us:
About Security UPDATE content -- mailto:letters@windowsitpro.com
About technical questions -- http://ct.email.windowsitpro.com/rd/cts?d=33-2519-803-202-62923-213631-0-0-0-1-2-207
About your product news -- mailto:products@windowsitpro.com
About your subscription -- mailto:windowsitproupdate@windowsitpro.com
About sponsoring Security UPDATE -- mailto:salesopps@windowsitpro.com
View the Windows IT Pro privacy policy at
http://ct.email.windowsitpro.com/rd/cts?d=33-2519-803-202-62923-213632-0-0-0-1-2-207
Windows IT Pro, a division of Penton Media, Inc.
221 East 29th Street, Loveland, CO 80538
Attention: Customer Service Department
Copyright 2008, Penton Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment