Comodo’s Free Site Inspector –Malware and Blacklist Detection For Website Owners

Comodo recently released SiteInspector, a free service which has been designed to automatically check owner operated websites on a daily basis to ensure the sites remains malware free and, has not been captured by a blacklist. If the worst happens – Comodo will immediately notify the website owner by email, so that corrective action can be taken.

Despite the fact that the free service is restricted to checking 3 pages on a domain, it’s a tool worth considering if you are a webmaster. Any free service that can help web site owners keep the malware hounds at bay – is worth considering.

You certainly don’t want a prospective visitor to see this!

Signing up for the service is a simple process, as the following screen captures indicate.

Following initial sign up you will receive a receipt notice.

While on the SiteInspector screen, click on “Manage Subscriptions” ……..

to set up both the site you wish to cover, and the form of coverage.

Any after the fact changes, require a sign in to your account.

The first report from Comodo – click to expand.

Fast Facts:

Daily Malware Scanning – SiteInspector scans your website for potential malicious code injection on a daily basis and notifies you if any such event has occurred, so that you can take action against them in a timely fashion, before the injected code starts affecting your visitors’ computers.

Blacklist Monitoring – Comodo SiteInspector checks major blacklists such as Google Safe Browsing, PhishTank, Malwaredomainlist, Malcode, Clean MX every day to make sure your website is not listed. If it is, you will be immediately alerted so that you can take remedial action and remove your site from blacklist, minimizing the downtime.

Immediate notifications means you react faster – Immediately after a problem is discovered, we’ll dispatch an email notification alerting you. Your support technicians don’t have to wait for angry customers to complain that your site contains malicious content

Independent external testing from your customer’s perspective – SiteInspector connects to your website in the same way that a customer would. If it discovers any problems with your website, it is likely your customers will be affected too.

No software downloads. No complicated set up – SiteInspector is a website checking service that runs remotely from secure servers managed by Comodo, so the user is not required to install software on their machine or network. Account management is done via our 100% online interface. All you need to do to take advantage of this great service is sign up, configure your tests and let SiteInspector do the rest.

The Comodo sign up page is here.

Pssst – Let’s Talk About, Uh…. Porn

I’ll talk to you about porn. Your friends probably won’t – other than to deny that they watch it – or, perhaps to decry its prevalence on the Internet. If you want to see your friends scramble for cover –  if you want to see some terrific open field running  – ask them specifically, if they watch porn on the Internet.

Yes, I know, they don’t. But, someone’s watching. Run a Google search for “porn” and you might be surprised to see that there are considerably more than One Billion search results.

Click graphic to expand.

Despite its popularity and huge profitability – the pornography industry has revenues larger than the revenues of the top technology companies combined – that’s right, the combined revenues of Microsoft, Google, Amazon, eBay, Yahoo!, Apple, Netflix …. – it’s still seen, by many (at least publicly), as a back room activity.

Although porn has almost reached a level of respectability (I’ll focus on the almost), or perhaps because of it – there are those who would rather see porn back in the gutter, and dark alleys, where they think it belongs.

But not Kyle Richards. Richards is a 21 year old Michigan jail inmate who believes he’s being subjected to cruel and unusual punishment because he can’t access pornography. Alleging that denying his request for erotic material subjects him to a “poor standard of living” and “sexual and sensory deprivation”, he’s suing.

Macomb County Jail; Getty

Rather than referring to Kyle as an idiot, which he undoubtedly is – I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt (at least I’ll pretend I am). Could it be that he’s a porn expert – that he knows pornography has always been a force to be reckoned with. From prehistoric rock paintings depicting sex, through to the Greeks, Romans, the Renaissance period ( in which it flourished), and on to the mass production of pornography in the early 20th century. Yeah, sure!

Purveyors of pornography have always been quick to adapt to new technologies – especially mass production opportunities. No surprise then, to see the distributers of sexually explicit material almost immediately adopted the Internet as the preferred method of  mass distribution –  a technology which allows uncontrolled (by moralists, governments, and others), and anonymous access to explicit sexual content. Not a bad business model!

As an Internet security blogger, I have a certain level of concern with respect to pornographic Websites. Just to be clear – I’m not a member of the Morality Police, and I hold no religious, or political views, on the availability of pornography on the Internet; except of course, pornography which is clearly illegal, or morally reprehensible.

Instead, my main concern is focused on the primary/secondary use, that many of these sites are designed for – as a vehicle for the distribution of potentially harmful malware applications that can be surreptitiously dropped onto unwitting visitors computers.

With that in mind, over the years I’ve written a number of articles dealing with this issue  including – Dangerous Porn Sites – Tips on How to Avoid Them, Porn Surfing – Put a Software Condom on Your Computer!, Kate Middleton Nude – As If!, and Nude Pics Of Your Wife/Girlfriend Attached – Click Here.

I’ve no idea why precisely, but lately (the last 2/3 months), these articles have been getting an unusually high number of hits – generally from search engine referrals. Whatever the reason, it’s a good thing. Hopefully, it’s an indication that surfers are beginning to recognize at least one of the many potentially unsafe activities on the Internet. Hopefully!

A selection of  those search engine referrals  – most are multiples of 30/40 or more (sex, porn, nude, dangerous, safe ….), to this site on a typical day. Some of them are just a little strange – I think. But then, who am I to judge what’s strange?  

porn eskimo, safe porn sites, dangerous porn, dangerous porn sites, most dangerous porn sites, dangers of porn surfing, safe sites for porn, safe porn sites, are pornography websites safe, how can i protect my computer from porn, safest porn sites, porn sites safe, how many porn sites are dangerous, safe porn sites to visit, sex in malware, porn sites without malware, what is a safe porn site, visiting porn sites, pornsites, you porno, how common is illegal pornography, safe porn site recommendation, how to avoid seeing porn, what porn website are safe, porn eskimo (have to admit this one made me LMAO), cam 4 porno gratissurfing (no idea what this one means), 18 teens sex, upskirts webcams, sex with horse by girls, girls sex with horse, the free earlybird wake up local free sex web on one on one cam, nude photo revealing kate middleton, kate middletonnud, kate middletonnude, wife nude pics, share your wife nude pics, i saw your wife nude

I’ll admit that this post rambles a bit – but, I just had to reference the Kyle Richards (I need my porn) story, somehow. More and more often, I find myself shaking my head at just how eerily crazy this world really is. 

This article was originally posted July 5, 2011.

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Cyber Crooks Taking Another Crack At Yahoo Instant Messenger

I’ve been known to  stare at my monitor, humming a few bars of  – “IM malware go away, and come back another day”, from time to time. Doesn’t seem to work though.  🙂 IM malware never goes away – it just fades into the malware background chatter.

Despite the fact that Instant Messenger malware (which has been with us since 2005, or so), doesn’t create much of a fuss, and seems to prefer to stay just below the horizon, it’s as dangerous as it’s ever been.

In business, when something works, why bother to reinvent the wheel. A little nip here; a little tuck there and hey – you’re still in business! No surprise then, when we see that cybercriminals subscribe to this business philosophy.

–   Yahoo Instant Messenger Under Attack Again or Still? (May 4, 2010)

It’s easy to forget about the risks associated with Instant Messaging precisely because of this lack of profile. Until, that is, IM malware comes knocking – hard – like now!

BitDefender’s, Bogdan Botezatu, reports in a recent Blog post, that Yahoo Messenger is currently under attack – and, taking a hard knocking.

From the Blog:

New Yahoo Messenger 0-Day Exploit Hijacks User’s Status Update…and spreads malware, of course!

A newly discovered exploit in version 11.x of the Messenger client (including the freshly-released 11.5.0.152-us) allows a remote attacker to arbitrarily change the status message of virtually any Yahoo Messenger user that runs the vulnerable version.

Since you’re an astute and educated user, none of this comes as a surprise, I’m sure. But, what about a typical user – would he/she be surprised, do you suppose?

Let’s take a look –

In a recent Symantec survey, which questioned computer users on the most likely routes cybercriminals use to drop malware on unsuspecting users – just 3.9% of survey participants believed that Instant Messenger applications had a role in malware distribution.

Unfortunately, the only surprise here is – this is not a surprise.

The harsh reality is, from a security perspective, Instant Messaging applications can present considerable security risks. So naturally, cyber-criminals use Instant Messaging as a primary channel to distribute malware and scams.

We’ve talked about IM security a number of times here, but with this ongoing attack, a quick refresher might be in order.

As with any other application you use on the Internet, having the knowledge that allows you to use it safely, and being aware of current threats, will make for a more positive experience when using these wildly popular applications.

The following is a series of sensible tips for users to get the most out of these programs, securely and responsibly.

Don’t click on links, or download files from unknown sources. You need to be alert to the dangers in clicking on links, or downloading files from sources that are not known to you. Even if the files or links apparently come from someone you know, you have to be positive that it really was this person who has sent the message.

Check with your contact to be sure the files, or links are genuine. Remember, if you click on those links, or run those attachments without confirmation, you run the risk of letting malware into your computer.

Use only secure passwords, and be sure to change them regularly. The longer and more varied they are – using a variety of different characters and numbers – the more secure they will be.

Protect personal and confidential information when using IM. Revealing confidential or personal information in these types of conversations, can make you an easy target for Internet predators.

For added protection when using a public computer, ensure that you disable any features that retain login information to prevent other users from gaining access to your instant messaging once you leave.

It’s virtually impossible to avoid publishing your email address on the Internet, however do so only when absolutely necessary. Cyber criminals are always on the lookout for accounts to target.

Above all, if you are a parent, take exceptional care with the access that your children have to these programs.

The risk here goes beyond malware, as sadly, they could come into contact with undesirable individuals. The risk is low of course, but……..

Elsewhere in this Blog, you can read an article on protecting your children on the Internet and download free software, Parental Control Bar,  to help you do just that.

BTW, you can hum “IM malware go away, and come back another day”, to the new version of that old familiar tune – Rain Rain Go Away.   

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3..2..1 – UPS Malware Blasts Off!

My friends over at Commtouch, got me on the horn to advise me that the UPS email scam (with malware attached), has bounced up significantly. From what I can see, the malware is a Fake Alert Tojan which installs a rogue security application. So, be on your guard.

I’m on vacation this week, so I’ll post the Commtouch Café blog article verbatim.

A wild malware rollercoaster – over 500% increase

The UPS name is once again being used to spread vast amounts of email-attached malware.   The last week has seen an extraordinary increase – over 5.5 times the average level before the outbreak.  The attack closely resembles the large outbreak reported on at the end of March.  The graph below illustrates the increase:

There are numerous versions of the email text – some examples:

Good afternoon!

Dear Client , Recipient’s address is wrong

Please fill in attached file with right address and resend to your personal manager

With best regards , Your USPS .com Customer Services

Good afternoon!

Dear User , Delivery Confirmation: FAILED

Please print out the invoice copy attached and collect the package at our department

With respect to you , Your UPS Services

GOOD AFTERNOON!

Dear Client , We were not able to delivery the postal package

Please fill in attached file with right address and resend to your personal manager

With Respect , Your UPS .COM

ATTENTION!

DEAR CLIENT , RECIPIENT’S ADDRESS IS WRONG

PLEASE PRINT OUT THE INVOICE COPY ATTACHED AND COLLECT THE PACKAGE AT OUR DEPARTMENT

With best wishes , Your USPS .us Customer Services

These emails also come with a range of subjects such as:

• USPS Attention 060532
• USPS: DELIVER CONFIRMATION – FAILED 17592718
• USPS id. 182407
• USPS DELIVERY CONFIRMATION 7264145
• From USPS 4009717
• Your USPS id. 44531036
• USPS ATTENTION 44123265

In the previous attack the filenames were quite limited – unlike this attack – some examples:

• “ups_NR9Yl2673.zip”
• “Ups_NR5pY500268590.zip”
• “UPS_NR5Da3052.zip”
• “MyUps_NR9hN8574.zip”
• “MYUPS_NR5gX736615890.zip”

Reminder: In the last series of attacks the subjects were changed to use the DHL brand a few days after the initial attack.

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Gmail Scammers Still On The Make

Email spammers/scammers are masters of the well worn “carrot or stick” school of motivation. They seem to bounce from “this is what you’ll get” versus, “this is what you’ll lose” – with some regularity.

Some samples of each motivational technique taken from my spam honeypot Gmail account in the last few days.

The carrot:

Hi
It`s Kerri again. Will you ever contact me?
I made those nude pictures especially for you and I won’t write to you again!
If you wanna see them just drop me a line at – – – – – – –

and the following heavily edited example.

Robert S.Mueller
FBI Director

Check: To be deposited in your bank for it to be cleared within three working days. Your payment would be sent to you via any of your preferred option and would be mailed to you via UPS. Because we have signed a contract with UPS which should expire by August 20th you will only need to pay $150 instead of $420 saving you $270 So if you pay before August 20th, 2011 you save $270.

Oh yeah, don’t forget to send us your name/address; sex/age; cell number; and –  a scanned copy of your driver’s license.

Yes, I’ll get right on that  

Both of the above are just too preposterous to be taken seriously. Although, as difficult as it is to believe, there are those who are laughably loony enough to  respond.

The stick is a little different, and a good example of this is the various forms of the “Your Gmail account needs verification to avoid being shut down ” phishing attack.

Unaware webmail users are much more likely to respond to the threat of losing their email privileges than you might imagine. If the notice looks convincing enough (and, they often do), some Gmail users are bound to be taken in.

The stick:

If you expand this graphic to its original size, you’ll notice the sender is googleemail.com – close, but no cigar. As well, if you’re a WOT (Web of Trust) user, you’ll see that WOT has cleared the “Sign in” link as being safe.

A rather confusing mixed message. Googlee is not Google, but WOT marks the link as safe.

Unfortunately, this “green light” is a shortcoming in WOT’s reputation assessment since the rating reflects the reputation of the the principal domain, and not a subdomain – which, in this case, the link resolves to.

Sadly, average users are generally unaware that Gmail provides a simple tool to view message headers which contain tracking information for an individual email.

In this case, checking the headers (as shown in the following screen capture) reveals this email actually came from prajim.siaminterhost.com – obviously, not Google.

Of course, I didn’t response to this password phishing attempt and click on the enclosed link. But, those users who fall for this type of crafty scam, are often redirected to a forged version of Gmail’s login page where they can happily provided the requested information.

Advice worth repeating:

If you have any doubts about the legitimacy of any email message, or its attachment, delete it.

Better yet, take a look at the email’s headers. Check the initial “Received from” field in the header, since this field is difficult to forge. Additionally, the mail headers indicate the mail servers involved in transmitting the email – by name and by IP address.

It may take a little practice to realize the benefits in adding this precaution to your SOP, but it’s worth the extra effort if you have any concerns.

If you have a webmail account other than Gmail, check out this page for instructions on finding headers for your specific provider.

Google provides excellent advice on their page – Messages asking for personal information, from which the following has been taken.

Here’s what you can do to protect yourself and stop fraudsters:

Check the email address of the sender of the message by hovering your mouse cursor over the sender name and verifying that it matches the sender name.

Check whether the email was authenticated by the sending domain. Click on the ‘show details’ link in the right hand corner of the email, and make sure the domain you see next to the ‘mailed-by’ or ‘signed-by’ lines matches the sender’s email address.

Make sure the URL domain on the given page is correct, and click on any images and links to verify that you are directed to proper pages within the site. Although some links may appear to contain ‘gmail.com,’ you may be redirected to another site after entering such addresses into your browser.

Always look for the closed lock icon in the status bar at the bottom of your browser window whenever you enter any private information, including your password.

Check the message headers. The ‘From:’ field is easily manipulated to show a false sender name. Learn how to view headers.

If you’re still uncertain, contact the organization from which the message appears to be sent. Don’t use the reply address in the message, since it can be forged. Instead, visit the official website of the company in question, and find a different contact address.

If you enter your Google account or personal information as the result of a spoof or phishing message, take action quickly. Send a copy of the message header and the entire text of the message to the Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov. If you entered credit card or bank account numbers, contact your financial institution. If you think you may be the victim of identity theft, contact your local police.

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PC Tools Exposes “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” Cyber Threat

The waiting game is almost over for Harry Potter fans who are hungry to feast their eyes on the much-anticipated final chapter in the Harry Potter franchise – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

There are always those of course who won’t wait – in this case until July 15. You know the type – the buttinskis who push ahead of you in line, or cut you off on the expressway – the ones you’d like to clunk upside the head.

Unfortunately, the obnoxious dimwits who behave in this way, tend to repeat this behavior across a broad range of personal activity, and I suspect, that the niceties of copyright law is well below their personal radar horizon.

The reigning experts in social engineering – cybercriminals (who, in my view, could teach “legitimate social engineering experts” a thing or two), are well aware of the “can’t wait buttinskis”, and in a perfect replay of the old “there’s no honor amongst thieves”, have made available through free torrent downloads –Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, except…

Except – PC Tools, the company which brings you PC Tools Firewall Plus (free), ThreatFire (free), and of course a complete line of award-winning commercial grade security offerings, has discovered that these free torrent downloads are nothing more than a new online malicious scam. Gotta admit – I love Karma payback!

I’m posting the bulletin PC Tools sent me yesterday on this, since it’s very instructive in terms of just how much effort cybercriminals will go through, in order to penetrate a target’s computer.

It’s not often possible to capture an online attack as it occurs, but in this case, PC Tools managed to do just that – see images and links listed below.

Here’s how the malicious scam works:

• First, a user searches torrents for free downloads of the final Harry Potter movie
• Results claiming to offer a free download of the new movie appear
• Once users download the file, .RAR file and password.txt downloads appear
• Users receive a message saying, “This video is password protected to stop automated leeching and detection. To get your password, please visit:
• Here, users are taken through a series of instructions to obtain their password.

One of which is choosing a link for a special offer while the site “verifies” the password

• Once users click on an offer, a new tab and pop-up open, asking users to save what seems to be a legitimate file
• After saving the file, cybercriminals have access to your computer—and the movie, of course, never appears on the screen

Harry Potter Threat  Exposed

Here’s what victims find while searching for the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 movie or videos:

Users can discover apparently ripped versions of the new Harry Potter movie on file-sharing websites.

It looks like the movie is being downloaded on the victim’s computer.

The victim is instructed to decompress the archive.

RAR and password.txt files suddenly appear.

User is told to visit separate website by password.txt file.

The victim then sees this screenshot, claiming to be MovieYT.com.

User follows 3-step instructions, which takes them to a verification code check.

User clicks on VLC Player and a new tab is opened.

When hovering over the download button, the download executable file looks real.

Once the user clicks on the file, they are prompted to save it – this, of course, contains malware.

While all this is happening, the user is still waiting for the “Verification Check” from MovieYT – but the cybercriminals now have access to the victim’s computer. They have your password and other personal information that they can use to further attack you, your finances, your friends and social networks.

Worth repeating: Consider the trade-offs, and the very real risks involved with Peer to Peer and Torrent applications.

Privacy: When you are connected to file-sharing programs, you may unintentionally allow others to copy confidential files you did not intend to share. So be sure to setup the file-sharing software very carefully.

If you don’t check the proper settings when you install the software, you could allow access not just to the files you intend to share, but also to other information on your hard drive, such as your tax returns, email messages, medical records, photos, and other personal and financial documents.

It’s extremely important to be aware of the files that you place in, or download to, your shared folder. Don’t put information in your shared folder that you don’t want to share with others. Your shared folder is the folder that is shared automatically with others on peer to peer file sharing networks.

Copyright Issues: You may knowingly, or otherwise, download material that is protected by copyright laws and find yourself caught up in legal issues. Copyright infringement can result in significant monetary damages, fines, and even criminal penalties.

Some statistics suggest as many as 70% of young people between the ages of 9 – 14, regularly download copyrighted digital music. If you are a parent, you bear the ultimate responsibility for this illegal activity.

Adult Content: Again, if you are a parent you may not be aware that their children have downloaded file-sharing software on the family computer, and that they may have exchanged games, videos, music, pornography, or other material that may be unsuitable for them. It’s not unusual for other peoples’ files to be mislabeled and you or your children can unintentionally download these files.

Spyware: There’s a good chance that the file-sharing program you’re using has installed other software known as spyware to your computer’s operating system. Spyware monitors a user’s browsing habits and then sends that data to third parties. Frequently the user gets ads based on the information that the spyware has collected and forwarded to these third parties.

I can assure you that spyware can be difficult to detect and remove. Before you use any file-sharing program, you should buy, or download free software, that can help prevent the downloading or installation of spyware, or help to detect it on your hard drive if it has been installed.

Viruses: Use and update your anti-virus software regularly. Files you download could be mislabeled, hiding a virus or other unwanted content. Use anti-virus software to protect your computer from viruses you might pick up from other users through the file-sharing program.

Generally, your virus filter should prevent your computer from receiving possibly destructive files. While downloading, you should avoid files with extensions such as .exe, .scr, .lnk, .bat, .vbs, .dll, .bin, and .cmd.

Default Closing Behavior: It is critical that you close your connection after you have finished using the software. In some instances, closing the file-sharing program window does not actually close your connection to the network. That allows file-sharing to continue and will increase your security risk. Be sure to turn off this feature in the programs “preferences” setting.

What’s more, some file-sharing programs automatically run every time you turn on your computer. As a preventive measure, you should adjust the file-sharing program’s controls to prevent the file-sharing program from automatically starting.

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Let’s Talk About, Uh…. Porn

I’ll talk to you about porn. Your friends won’t – other than to deny that they watch it – or, perhaps to decry its prevalence on the Internet. If you want to see your friends scramble for cover –  if you want to see some terrific open field running  – ask them specifically, if they watch porn on the Internet.

Yes, I know, they don’t. But, someone’s watching. Run a Google search for “porn” and you might be surprised to see that there are considerably more than One Billion search results. Then again – maybe you wouldn’t be at all surprised.

Click graphic to expand.

Despite its popularity and huge profitability – the pornography industry has revenues larger than the revenues of the top technology companies combined – that’s right, the combined revenues of Microsoft, Google, Amazon, eBay, Yahoo!, Apple, Netflix …. – it’s still seen, by many (at least publicly), as a back room activity.

Although porn has almost reached a level of respectability (I’ll focus on the almost), or perhaps because of it – there are those who would rather see porn back in the gutter, and dark alleys, where they think it belongs.

But not Kyle Richards. Richards is a 21 year old Michigan jail inmate who believes he’s being subjected to cruel and unusual punishment because he can’t access pornography. Alleging that denying his request for erotic material subjects him to a “poor standard of living” and “sexual and sensory deprivation”, he’s suing.

Macomb County Jail; Getty

Rather than referring to Kyle as an idiot, which he undoubtedly is – I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt (at least I’ll pretend I am). Could it be that he’s a porn expert – that he knows pornography has always been a force to be reckoned with. From prehistoric rock paintings depicting sex, through to the Greeks, Romans, the Renaissance period ( in which it flourished), and on to the mass production of pornography in the early 20th century. Yeah, sure!

Purveyors of pornography have always been quick to adapt to new technologies – especially mass production opportunities. No surprise then, to see the distributers of sexually explicit material almost immediately adopted the Internet as the preferred method of  mass distribution –  a technology which allows uncontrolled (by moralists, governments, and others), and anonymous access to explicit sexual content. Not a bad business model!

As an Internet security blogger, I have a certain level of concern with respect to pornographic Websites. Just to be clear – I’m not a member of the Morality Police, and I hold no religious, or political views, on the availability of pornography on the Internet; except of course, pornography which is clearly illegal, or morally reprehensible.

Instead, my main concern is focused on the primary/secondary use, that many of these sites are designed for – as a vehicle for the distribution of potentially harmful malware applications that can be surreptitiously dropped onto unwitting visitors computers.

With that in mind, over the years I’ve written a number of articles dealing with this issue  including – Dangerous Porn Sites – Tips on How to Avoid Them, Porn Surfing – Put a Software Condom on Your Computer!, Kate Middleton Nude – As If!, and Nude Pics Of Your Wife/Girlfriend Attached – Click Here.

I’ve no idea why precisely, but lately (the last 2/3 months), these articles have been getting an unusually high number of hits – generally from search engine referrals. Whatever the reason, it’s a good thing. Hopefully, it’s an indication that surfers are beginning to recognize at least one of the many potentially unsafe activities on the Internet. Hopefully!

A selection of  those search engine referrals  – most are multiples of 30/40 or more (sex, porn, nude, dangerous, safe ….), to this site on a typical day – last Friday. Some of them are just a little strange – I think. But then, who am I to judge what’s strange.  

porn eskimo, safe porn sites, dangerous porn, dangerous porn sites, most dangerous porn sites, dangers of porn surfing, safe sites for porn, safe porn sites, are pornography websites safe, how can i protect my computer from porn, safest porn sites, porn sites safe, how many porn sites are dangerous, safe porn sites to visit, sex in malware, porn sites without malware, what is a safe porn site, visiting porn sites, pornsites, you porno, how common is illegal pornography, safe porn site recommendation, how to avoid seeing porn, what porn website are safe, porn eskimo (have to admit this one made me LMAO), cam 4 porno gratissurfing (no idea what this one means), 18 teens sex, upskirts webcams, sex with horse by girls, girls sex with horse, the free earlybird wake up local free sex web on one on one cam, nude photo revealing kate middleton, kate middletonnud, kate middletonnude, wife nude pics, share your wife nude pics, i saw your wife nude,

I’ll admit that this post rambles a bit – but, I just had to reference the Kyle Richards (I need my porn) story, somehow. More and more often, I find myself shaking my head at just how eerily crazy this world really is.   

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Bounced Email Malware On The Loose

I suspect that we’ve all sent emails that have been bounced back to us as “undeliverable” – for any one of hundreds of possible mail server errors (you might be surprised to learn that there are 850+ possible error messages). The most common error? We’ve used an incorrect email address.

In most circumstances (if you’re aware that you did send the bounced email), it’s safe to open the undeliverable notice. But, and this is a big BUT – if you didn’t sent it – DON”T click on it –DON”T open it! Especially if you’re required to open an attachment to view the details. An attachment virtually guaranteed to contain malware designed to hijack your email account.

You might think that this sort of thing couldn’t happen to you. But, don’t be so sure – a moments inattention can be all it takes.

Here’s an example forwarded to me, just a few days ago, by a regular reader who is a very astute user. A reader who’s extremely conscious of system security, and Internet safety. He and I correspond frequently on security related issues, and I can easily say – he knows his stuff.

Hi Bill:

I just had an email account hijacked because I sent an email to a legitimate web site and immediately received one of those undeliverable messages (Damein something?).  Anyway, I clicked on it to see if I sent the email to the correct address.  Shortly thereafter, someone took control of my contact list and sent emails out with a link on them.

Of course, I changed my password and deleted my contact’s list.  I am no longer keeping a contact list on my email programs, as the first thing they do is take control of one’s contact list.

I’ll point out, that the most common reason (but, not the only one), you’re likely to receive an infected bounce back is – your email address has been scooped from an infected machine’s contact list. In other words, someone you know and have exchanged emails with, is infected. The example above, is a perfect illustration of this.

Malware delivery methods are cyclical (everything old is new again), and we’ve seen this threat before. From what I can see, following some investigation – it appears to be making a resurgence. So, when dealing with bounce backs, it’s important that you have a heightened sense of awareness.

You may think that this is an overreaction but, if the bounced email is a personal email – pick up the phone and confirm the address. Having once been a victim of a cyber criminal who hijacked one of my email accounts, I can assure you – it’s a most unpleasant experience.

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Kate Middleton Scam – Working Like A Charm!

If you’re a regular reader here, I don’t have to belabor the point and remind you, that significant numbers of Internet users are often unaware of the very real dangers that search engine results hold for their safety, security and identity.    You’re well aware that many are blissfully unaware of the hidden dangers on the Internet, and seem to have a natural tendency to “just click”.

Here’s a perfect example.

Several days ago, I posted an article – Kate Middleton Nude – As If! – knowing full well, that the article would draw scores of careless users to it – all looking for a titillating experience. A perfect opportunity to teach an Internet safety lesson. I wasn’t disappointed, as the following screen shot of search engine stats from this site, illustrates.

Hundreds of additional search terms (too many to show), included – catherine middleton nude, kate middleton revealing pictures, william and kate nude, kate middleton naked, kate middleton naughty photos, a picture of kate meddliston naked, kate middleton sextape ……..”kate middleton” nude or breast or bikini – I think you get the picture.

By the end of the day, yesterday – 2,000+ potential victims visited this post…

and an additional 900+ so far, today.

All of this reminds me of an article I wrote in July 2009 – Hey Sucker – Read This! Michael Jackson’s Not Dead! – which drew 1,000s of visitors. Most of whom were unaware that the events surrounding Jackson’s death were being leveraged by cyber crooks to drop malware on unsuspecting surfers machines.

A similar scenario is being played out here. Cyber crooks are using, as they always have, a provocative and tempting attention grabber as a hook to reel in the unwary and undereducated Internet surfer.

Since this site has a high Google Page Rank rating, the search string “kate middleton nude”, is in second place in Google search results out of 3 Million plus. I’d like to think, that those lucky few, who clicked on – Kate Middleton Nude – As If! – have a developed a heightened sense of awareness of cyber criminal manipulation of current events.

I’d like to think that – but, I doubt it. I’m convinced that the potential victims who clicked on this article, went on clicking elsewhere in their hunt for the non-existent. Without a doubt, some are now dealing with malware infections.

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Ashampoo Database Hacked – What You Need To Know

I could spend all day, every day, reporting on nothing more than the latest cyber criminal targeted intrusions into enterprise IT systems.  Two reports from my today’s Tech Net News column illustrate that we are barely scratching the surface of this significant, continuous, and rapidly expanding problem:

European Space Agency website and FTP servers hacked

Dramatic increase in cyber attacks on critical infrastructure

If you’re an everyday reader here, then you may recall that I regularly recommend that you take advantage of the German software developer Ashampoo’s, occasionally offered free application multipacks.

The downside (for some) is, you must register and provide an email address. Additional benefits can be gained by registering as an  Ashampoo member, which includes creating a password.

Unfortunately, Ashampoo has become a victim of a cyber criminal targeted intrusion aimed at their customer database. According to the company:

“Hackers gained access to one of our servers. We discovered the break-in and interrupted it instantly. The security gap through which the hackers gained access was closed immediately.

The stolen pieces of information are data of addresses such as name and e-mail address. Billing information (e.g. credit card information or banking information) is definitely not affected … it is not stored on our system.”

If you have taken advantage of Ashampoo’s offers, then it’s important that you exercise extreme caution with any future emails sent by the company and, any unsolicited email sent by any company, for that matter.

As well, if you have registered as an Ashampoo member, it’s important that you change your account password. Additionally, if you have used the same password elsewhere (you’d be surprised how often this occurs), it’s imperative that you change these passwords immediately.

My thanks to my buddy John B. (a great Scot!), for bringing this unfortunate incident to my attention this morning.

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