bites

Malwarebytes remains simple, effective

The bottom line: A lack of recent substantive updates haven't prevented Malwarebytes Anti-Malware from staying on top of the on-demand malware-killing mountain.

Review: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is a surprisingly effective anti-malware tool given that it hasn't received any major updates in the past few years. Sure, the scans are a bit faster and the installation is definitely smoother, but overall the product remains unaltered.

Installation Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, or MBAM as it's often abbreviated, has a rapid installation process that simultaneously loads the program onto your computer and updates its detection engine when you run the installer. The whole … Read more

The 404 875: Where we jump the Shark Week (podcast)

It's Shark Week on the Discovery Channel, so The 404 wants to remind everyone to stay safe when you're playing in open waters. Joey returns as a substitute for Jeff, and today we're chatting about a kid who changed his name to Emperor Spiderman Gandalf Wolverine Skywalker Optimus Prime Goku Sonic Xavier Ryu Cloud Superman HeMan Batman Thrash.

In other news, Boston schools are testing a class on Facebook breakup etiquette, GQ's list of the worst-dressed nerds, a pregnancy status addition to Facebook, and a bite counter that has a lot in common with the Shake Weight.

The 404 Digest for Episode 875

Dynamic duo take superhero names. Boston-area schools teach 200 teenagers Facebook breakup etiquette. Bite Counter helps you lose weight by keeping track of every bite you take. Mark Zuckerberg beats Steve Jobs for worst-dressed geek. Facebook adds pregnancy status.

Episode 875 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

The Dripstik: Foe to dripping ice cream cones

I don't have much of a sweet tooth, so it goes to follow that I don't crave ice cream very often. Upon a bit of introspection, perhaps it all started at an early age with the terrifying prospect of melting ice cream running down my hand. Like many other adults, I like to keep my hands clean. Perhaps it all goes together and I am who I am today due to this simple fact.

In which I now present The Dripstik. Designed for holding an ice cream cone, the gadget acts as a plastic barrier between sticky-sweet-melty ice … Read more

Security Bites 121: What Microsoft's Geneva means for online IDs

In this week's Security Bites podcast, CNET's Robert Vamosi talks about user authentication with Kim Cameron, chief architect with the Identity and Security group at Microsoft.

At this year's PDC and again at WinHec, Microsoft certainly talked up its new Windows Azure cloud-based services, along with Windows 7. It has also been talking about Geneva, the code name for the next version of CardSpace, the Microsoft user authentication system. One goal of Geneva is to extend the reach of its predecessor, Active Directory Federation Services.

To help developers, Microsoft unveiled at PDC and WinHec the Geneva Server … Read more

Security Bites 119: Does the Internet need its own Interpol?

In this week's Security Bites podcast, Robert Vamosi spoke with Patrik Runald, chief security adviser at F-Secure, about the need for a new international agency to handle cybercrime. Although there have been several high-profile arrests--such as that of "Chao," an alleged Turkish ATM skimmer-- Runald said, "the message we're sending today is not enough."

With a budget of only about $90 million (U.S.), Interpol was created, in part, to fight drug trafficking and human trafficking worldwide, and now it has taken on Internet crimes without any direct increase in funding. Runald concludes, &… Read more

Security Bites 117: How 'Clickjacking' attacks hide behind the mouse

Criminals may have found a way to get you to click on malware without you even knowing. Worse, they might also be able to open the microphone or Webcam on your PC to eavesdrop.

Called Clickjacking, the process allows the attacker to trick you the user into clicking on something only briefly visible on the screen. While it's mostly a problem for the browser makers, it also affects Adobe Flash, Microsoft Silverlight, and Sun's Java.

Although clickjacking, which may contain up to half dozen specific vulnerabilities, has been around for years, it has recently come to the attention … Read more

Security Bites 114: Desktop application risk

It may seem trivial to you what applications are on your desktop, but from a business or organization's perspective, it can be a serious matter. If an application provides unfiltered access to the outside world, this could create regulatory issues. Certain desktop applications can also indirectly or directly introduce malware inside the perimeter through file sharing. At the very least, some applications simply take away bandwidth (for example, streaming audio or video).

In its second report on Application Usage and Risk, Palo Alto Networks finds that 56 percent of the desktop applications surveyed use HTTP. Use of port 80, … Read more

Security Bites 113: The security of Chrome

Google has entered the browser space. Chrome, its browser still in beta, is based on the open source Webkit project. Some will recognize Webkit as the foundation for another browser, Apple Safari. But Chrome also borrows heavily from Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Internet Explorer, giving this new browser an old and familiar feel.

There is, however, innovation.

Tabs are arrayed atop the browser instead of in the traditional toolbar. And users can drag and drop the tabs on the desktop outside the browser. There is also a way to make an icon for GMail and Google Calendar on your desktop. … Read more

Security Bites 112: Out of the shadows

A few weeks ago, the Dutch High Tech Crime Unit identified and arrested a 19-year-old Dutch man who allegedly was operating a botnet known as Shadow. This botnet, unlike more recent examples, used IRC, meaning its traffic was easier to trace than the Web-based command and control traffic used today by most new botnets. Shadow would infect users via Windows Live Messenger or MSN Messenger.

What's unusual here is that the crime unit then asked Kaspersky Lab to provide the identified victims, people who had unknowingly allowed their computers to become compromised, with instructions on how to neutralize the malware … Read more