Android users should beware. Developer “thasnimola” has uploaded over 15 fake AV and ‘free SMS’ apps to Google Play. This is the same developer who back in April was flagged for flogging fake NQ Mobile security apps. What is surprising is that Google Bouncer didn’t pick these fake apps up – it was a third-party research [...]

A recent US study has found that nearly 13 million US users of Facebook are either simply unaware of, or simply don’t use privacy settings. The study found that 4.8 million people have shared details about their plans for a certain day and 4.7 million have ‘liked’ a Facebook page related to heath issues or treatments. The [...]

Yesterday (May 9th) Apple released two major updates for Mac OS X. The first being a software update from 10.7.3 to 10.7.4 which includes Safari 5.1.6. After installing this software update you will then be prompted to install Safari 5.1.7. Mac OS X 10.7.4 fixes the Mac OS 10.7.3 Lion login password debug file vulnerability. This exposed [...]

The Mac OS X Lion 10.7.3 update turns on a system-wide debug log file which contains the login passwords of every user who has logged in since this update was applied. You are only vulnerable if you upgraded to Lion and kept your folders encrypted using FileVault 1. If you use FileVault 2, you will not [...]

Julian’s security vendor friends at Bitdefender have reported that 12 percent of global Microsoft Windows infections in the first quarter of 2012 were Autorun-based threats. This doesn’t come as a surprise as most Windows users don’t understand the security implications of using the Windows Autorun feature. Most users also don’t know how to disable it, [...]

  There has been quite a bit written by security researchers and media about Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) over the past few years. Some complimentary and others not so. My personal opinion has always been that MSE is actually quite a good product, especially given it has always been 100% free. If you are wondering [...]

Yesterday (April 25th) Facebook announced the launch of Anti-Virus Marketplace. This Facebook page will allow users to download a six-month full version anti-virus software license from McAfee, Norton, Sophos for Macs and Trend Micro for PCs and Macs. Microsoft is free anyway, which strikes me as rather odd, that this was included. Did Microsoft offer Facebook [...]

If you use a Mac and you want to manage and control the flow of data that leaves your computer, then I suggest you might want to use Little Snitch. Tech geeks will know about this clever privacy tool, but the masses of my readers aren’t technical. So, I thought I would explain further why [...]

A team of researchers have devised an experimental Android-based Trojan called TapLogger that can manipulate the mobile onboard motion and orientation sensors to crack stored passwords. Motion and orientation sensors can also utilise the vibration sensor of a mobile device, which could then activate a Trojan to capture keyboard inputs using a malicious keylogger. TapLogger exploits [...]

The Mac OS X platform has now been targeted for a second time by a Trojan called SabPub (Backdoor.OSX.SabPub.a). Several in the media are misreporting this latest Mac OS X Trojan as a Java exploit. Let me tell you, this isn’t a Java exploit. SabPub is actually exploiting malformed Word documents. SabPub is a typical backdoor [...]

The more apps and websites we register with, the more usernames and passwords we need to remember. You might end up managing hundreds which as you know means you have to find somewhere to store them as well as avoiding using the same password for more than one website. Your digital identity is your offline [...]

  The PLF and Anonymous have recently launched the AnonPaste service for the uploading and sharing of data. Paste services have been used by hackers for years to paste controversial data including data breaches, coding and website hacks. The motivation is based around ‘Information Activism’. Both groups are plugging AnonPaste as a ‘secure alternative’ but [...]

Compromised Twitter accounts spammed up to eight messages per second with links redirecting users to the infamous BlackHole exploit kit. The rogue tweet contained messages such as ‘online virus check, ‘proven anti-virus’, ‘excellent anti-virus’ and links to websites with .TK and .TW.SU domain names. The BlackHole exploit kit is a vicious exploit, so much so [...]

On the 26th May* the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)) will impose an EU directive designed to protect Internet users’ privacy.  As I saidlast year, European websites will have to police their own cookies but what about third-party cookies from advertisers? This will be more problematic to regulate under the European privacy law. The EU Internet Advertising [...]

Earlier this week I reported on the Java Flashback malware that has been targeting Mac OS X users. Apple has in the last few days developed a Flashback malware Java removal tool for those who might have been infected with this malware. I suggest you download* and install this Java software update immediately. This update also configures the Java web [...]

Anonymous is informing businesses that it opposes CISPA and has posted a video of a downed web site – US Telecom, as part of its ongoing anti-CISPA campaign. It has also recently downed the Boeing website. Both these companies have publicly supported CISPA. April 11th, 2012 CISPA (Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act) promises to raise lots [...]

Over 600,000 Macs globally were reported last week by a leading security vendor to be infected with a Mac botnet. A couple of hundred of these infected Mac systems ironically were found to be based in Cupertino, California – I didn’t say Apple Inc here. So how does the Flashback infection work? The Mac system gets infected [...]

Microsoft Office 2007 Service Pack (SP) 3 like all SP releases is an optional update. If you use Microsoft Office 2007, then it’s important you make sure that you have the latest service pack release. For Office 2007, that means you should have installed SP3. These service pack releases are NOT security updates, so there isn’t an immediate [...]

The UK is about to introduce a new law (late 2013 I suspect) that allows police and the intelligence community increased powers to monitor email and social media communications. The new surveillance system will involve Internet Service Providers (ISPs) collating and providing the intelligence community and Police with email and web browsing behaviour on every UK [...]

Adobe has this week updated Adobe Flash Player to version 11.2.202.228 which is only available for Windows users. Along with the customary security tweaks, it comes with a much needed background updater. The background updater (by stealth or silent – the same way that Firefox and Chrome update these days) will allow you to choose an automatic [...]