Donald Sears

17 Million Do Not Have Antivirus in China

The percentage of Internet users in China with no security software was 4.4% last year,a up from 3.9% the previous year, according to recent survey results by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) and China’s National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team (CNCERT). Read the full article. [Comptuerworld]

Researchers Do Deep Dive on SEO Poison Kits

The techniques used by unloveable rogues who automate search engine
manipulation attacks themed around breaking news to sling scareware
have been unpicked by new research. Read the full article. [The Register]

PHP Session IDs Can Be Guessed

Security expert Andreas Bogk warns that, despite recent PHP
improvements, the session IDs of users who are logged into PHP
applications remain guessable. Upon close examination, the alleged
improvements display frightening weaknesses. Read the full article. [The H Security]


Organized computer criminals yanked more than $200,000 out of the
online bank accounts of a Missouri dental practice this month, in yet
another attack that exposes the financial risks that small- to
mid-sized organizations face when banking online. Read the full article. [KrebsonSecurity]

Miscreants have begun creating malware that overwrites software update applications from Adobe and others. Email malware that poses as security updates from trusted companies
is a frequently used hacker ruse. Malware posing as update utilities,
rather than individual updates, represents a new take on the ruse. Read the full article. [The Register]

Researchers are reporting on an ongoing targeted malware campaign using a FIFA World Cup 2010 theme, in an attempt to trick end users into executing a malicious PDF file, exploiting a recently patched flaw in Adobe Reader. Read the full article. [ZDNet]

Data on 3.3 million borrowers was stolen from a nonprofit company that helps with student loan financing. The
theft occurred on March 20 or 21 from the headquarters of Educational
Credit Management Corp. (ECMC), which services loans when student
borrowers enter bankruptcy. Read the full article. [Computerworld]