Online Video Emerges as PC Security Hole

Hackers are always trying to find different avenues into your PC and it looks like they found a new way in which to worm themselves in: online videos. Most computer users, by now, have been warned about (and infected by) malicious code sent to them via e-mail that hackers need to find an easier path to deliver their code. Most people are unaware of the risks and dangers of viewing videos online (YouTube) and hackers are starting to take advantage of the situation. According to Chris Rouland, the chief technology officer for IBM Corp.'s Internet Security Systems unit, "As companies have gotten better blocking e-mails, we see people move to more creative techniques. The next logical step seems to be the media players." Malicious code isn’t just popping up in videos, but it is also being embedded in pictures and PDFs as well. Just when you thought it was safe to view videos and pictures online, well, you thought wrong.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21095733/

Yahoo, eBay try to block phishing

Today’s emerging DomainKeys standard is taking a new form in hope to block phishing attacks. Yahoo is working with eBay and PayPal to help block fake emails that look to be from a legitimate user, but in reality are not. This new standard is going to help fight ongoing phishing attacks that have become more relevant in today’s computing world. EBay and PayPal have done upgrades to their systems to support this new DomainKeys standard. This procedure of authentication was developed by Yahoo and allows email senders to say who they are, allowing Yahoo to block emails that are imposing as someone else. DomainKeys is anti-spam application that uses a form of public key cryptography. This system will use the header of the message and use the DNS information and be compared to see if this was really coming from an actual user. The upgrade will be available to Yahoo mail users worldwide in the upcoming weeks. Other companies have been looking at ways to block phishing email but there have been multiple fears of blocking legitimate emails. Yahoo’s system is superior because it provides a way of automatically detecting the phished email without any consumer interaction. EBay and PayPal are the first to actively block unauthorized emails. This method is going to be emerging in the industry today because of the security it offers. Many consumers that are worried about the protection of the information they are getting from websites will be reassured when this new DomainKey standard is put into worldwide use.

"Death and Taxes"

As every Security Professional knows, phishing is a problem. Let's first take a step back. Phishing is the act of sending an email or placing a phone where the attacker pretends to be a legitimate company to get your information. You generally see emails like "Your Ebay account has been disabled. Click here and enter your account info to reactivate".When you click on it, it takes you to the attacker's site and he/she has your account info.

Well, those dirty attackers are at it again. This time they are posing as the IRS. here is a sample of an email you may receive:

After the last annual calculations of your fiscal activity we have determined that
you are eligible to receive a tax refund of $268.32.
Please submit the tax refund request and allow us 3-6 days in order to
process it.

A refund can be delayed for a variety of reasons.
For example submitting invalid records or applying after the deadline.

To access the form for your tax refund, please click here

Note: For security reasons, we will record your ip-address, the date and time.
Deliberate wrong inputs are criminally pursued and indicated.

Regards,
Internal Revenue Service

© Copyright 2007, Internal Revenue Service U.S.A. All rights reserved.

________________________________________________

Turns out, when you click on that link. It takes you to a Russian site. Last time i checked the IRS didn't have a Russian Branch.

Click here for the article.

Newsmaker: Don't be so quick to click that Web page

In this article, Joris Evers, a staff writer for CNET News.com, interviews Trend Micro Chief Technology Officer Raimund Genes about the changing environment of cyber attacks. The interview is done in classic Q&A style. In this interview, Raimund Genes talks about how Web threats are starting to out weigh E-mail threats. “…the number of worms has increased by 22 percent since first-quarter 2005, while Web threats have increased by 540 percent.” “If Trend Micro's predictions hold up, more cyber attacks will originate from the Web than they do from e-mail.” They also talk about exactly what is considered a Web threat and what consumers, and corporations alike, can do to mitigate the risks of Web attacks and protect themselves from experiencing these types of attacks.