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Hackers today released data they said was from the governments of Zimbabwe and Brazil, entertainment giants Universal Music Group and Viacom, and a municipal government in Australia.

Meanwhile, the Anonymous group also reportedly temporarily shut down a tourism Web site for Orlando, Fla., with a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack today to protest the arrest of Food not Bombs volunteers for serving food in public in Orlando without a permit.

Later in the day the data dump, which the hackers said was the first official release from the AntiSec campaign launched by Anonymous and LulzSec last week, appeared on The Pirate Bay … Read more

Is malware really a problem on Android smartphones? It might just be, as evidenced by the rash of malicious apps that recently appeared in the Android Market.

As much as I dislike the idea of needing antivirus and antispyware software for my phone, better safe than sorry. And if I'm going to run such an app, it might as well kill multiple security birds with one stone.

ESET Mobile Security for Android offers malware protection, an antitheft system, call blocking, SMS blacklisting, and more. It's currently in beta, and currently free.

When you first install it, ESET Mobile Security identifies any immediate threats, which on my new Nexus S 4G included disabled SIM matching, an undefined "trusted" SIM, and an undefined password (for the app itself; it's there to prevent unauthorized attempts to uninstall it).

From there it's not immediately clear what you're supposed to do, if anything, but each of EMS' primary modules--Antivirus, Antispam, Anti-Theft, and Security Audit--comes with extensive built-in help.… Read more

A new version of rogue antivirus malware that targets the Macintosh operating system does not need victims to type in their administrator passwords to install and infect the machine, a security company said today.

The latest version of the malware has been overhauled to look like a native Mac OS X application and is using the application name MacGuard, according to an Intego blog post. But particularly concerning is the fact that unlike previous versions, which were dubbed Mac Defender, MacProtector, and MacSecurity, MacGuard installs itself without prompting for the admin password.

"If Safari's 'Open safe files after … Read more

A new malware infection has apparently been spreading relatively rapidly among Mac users, and it's unclear both how pervasive the infection is and whether Apple is addressing the problem. What is known, however, is how to get rid of it.

What is it? Most often called MacDefender, but also known as MacProtector and MacSecurity, this bit of malware is a socially engineered threat of a type that's more familiar to Windows users. It often starts with a Web advertisement that suckers you into downloading a rogue antivirus program, which purports to protect you. In fact, once installed it … Read more

New Norton betas include the ability to rate a download's stability based on the file behavior on the computers of other Norton users and full Google Chrome support, setting the tone for the premium security suite updates due later this year.

Released today by Symantec, Norton Internet Security 2012 beta (download) and Norton AntiVirus 2012 beta (download) also include a new start-up manager that debuted earlier this year in Norton 360, changes to Symantec's SONAR technology, and a new autofix feature for curing installation woes quickly.

The changes are not ground-breaking, but do appear to be able to … Read more

There's a new twist with some fake antivirus scareware that has cropped up. It accepts payment via SMS, according to antivirus firm CyberDefender.

Typical rogue security programs infect the system first, then display pop ups warning that the computer is infected, and request payment to clean it up. The new programs are seemingly more genteel, asking for the money before the program is installed and infects the system, said Achal Khetarpal, threat research director at CyberDefender. Of course, a payment does nothing to "fix" a system and means criminals now have your money and possibly your credit … Read more

A Facebook page called the Third Palestinian Intifada has been removed from the site following a request from the Israeli government.

Yuli Edelstein, Israel's minister of public diplomacy and diaspora affairs, sent a letter directly to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on March 23. In the letter, which has been posted on the Web site The Jerusalem Gift Shop, Edelstein asked the company to take down the page calling for a third intifada, translated by some as violent uprising, to begin against Israel on May 15.

Pointing to remarks and movie clips on the page calling for the killing of … Read more

With Avast 6 fresh out of the gate and CNET's opinion on record, it's time to ask you which of the many free security suites available is your favorite. The big three on Download.com are AVG, Avast, and Avira, although it will be interesting to see if the download counts are reflected in popularity. We aimed to have all the major players represented here, although we left out certain choices like ClamWin Antivirus, technically still in beta.

The poll will remain open until 11 p.m. PT March 3, and we'll look at the results March … Read more

Smartphones and tablets are often thought of as driver distractions in cars, but could a new application actually help prevent accidents and save lives?

Anti Sleep Pilot, an automotive technology company in Denmark, released an app for iPhones and iPads that monitors driver alertness and calculates when a driver is too drowsy to drive. Its goal is to keep drivers alert by breaking the monotony of driving and encouraging drivers to pull the car over when the app determines that it's time to take a break.

The app works by establishing your driving risk profile based on a series of 12 questions about yourself and your work and sleep schedule. Before each trip, you use the app to calculate your alertness through a questionnaire. The trip destination is also entered so the safety tool can factor driving duration into the equation.

Anti Sleep Pilot measures driver alertness through a series of interactive light and sound tests based on how quickly you can tap the screen when prompted. Using the risk profile, trip duration, and response time information, the app calculates when you should pull over and take a break.… Read more