Symantec Warns of New Malware Targeting SQL Databases
Symantec is warning of a new bit of malware that appears to be modifying corporate databases, particularly in the Middle East, though its showing up elsewhere in the world too.
Malware
PASSTEAL Malware Lurking on File Sharing Sites
Variants of the PASSTEAL malware are propagating by masquerading as key generators for paid applications, popular e-books, and other software on file sharing services, according Alvin John Nieto, a threat response engineer at TrendMicro’s TrendLabs.PASSTEAL, as its name suggests, is a piece of malware that uses various password recovery tools to steal passwords stored in the browsers of its victims. Nieto claims PASSTEAL is novel in its deviation from keyloggers that simply log keystrokes.
Attackers Had Access for Months in South Carolina Data Breach
Attackers had two months of unfettered access to South Carolina’s Department of Revenue systems in a classic targeted attack that began with a phishing email and ended with the loss of electronic tax return data, and payment card and personal information on 3.8 million filers, possibly dating back to 1998.
The French government has accused the United States of using Flame malware to break into the computer networks inside France’s presidential palace, the Elysee.
A Luxembourg-based group of researchers has generated a proof-of-concept that could give attackers the ability to remotely seize control of USB smart cards through Windows machines infected with a piece of malware they developed, according to a PCWorld report.
The criminals behind Operation High Roller, a complex wire-fraud scheme that has scammed high-end banking customers out of millions, have added a new dimension of automation to their attacks and expanded their efforts beyond Europe and have targeted a major U.S. bank.
Don’t expect any relief from the current assault on Java. A new sandbox-escape exploit targeting a vulnerability in the Java Runtime Environment has been integrated into both the Black Hole and Gong Da exploit kits, setting the stage for additional attacks, researchers said.
A new Linux rootkit has emerged and researchers who have analyzed its code and operation say that the malware appears to be a custom-written tool designed to inject iframes into Web sites and drive traffic to malicious sites for drive-by download attacks. The rootkit is designed specifically for 64-bit Linux systems, and while it has some interesting features, it does not appear to be the work of high-level programmer or be meant for use in targeted attacks.
BOSTON – While some industry groups such as the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC) and cross-industry groups such as the Advanced Cyber Security Center (ACSC) facilitate the exchange of threat information, for the most part organizations are still hamstrung by legal constraints and other business factors that prevent an adequate flow of actionable information.
Google has divulged more information about its forthcoming application verifier for the Android operating system. The feature is being rolled out over the air alongside the latest build of the OS, Jelly Bean 4.2, on Nexus 7 and Galaxy Nexus devices as of yesterday.While it can be disabled, the app verifier feature is turned on by default according to a new description from Google/Nexus that describes the process as follows:
