The insecurity paradox
2011-08-29
The formula here attempts to explain a paradox in security analysis:
If it is true that security is only as strong as its weakest link, why are not those who use insecur...
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Nyeste artikler - Spreading mechanisms
An approach to an organization's risk factors (part 3)
In this third and final part of our article series about risk factors, we will examine Human attack factors and Physical factors.
An approach to an organization's risk factors (part 2)
The previous article discussed different procedures and systems that could be invoked in order to mitigate risk. In subsequent parts we will examine areas at risk, starting with Electronic factors.
An approach to an organization's risk factors (part 1)
The aim of this type of initial risk analysis is to identify potentially vulnerable points that may be exploited if they are not sufficiently secured.
Malicious images (codes)
The ease involved in creating QR codes that links to web pages implies that this will be a popular way to facilitate the propagation of malware for mobile devices.
The importance of typing correctly
Computers do what they are told. This may result in consequences that are funny as well as dangerous.
Secure browsing turns insecure (again)
It seems obvious that the current certificate security model needs to be replaced by something that is less vulnerable for attacks from dedicated persons, organizations or governments.
Circumventing malware detection
Malware authors continue to pursue delivery mechanisms that can confuse different malware detection systems.
Combating fake antimalware
Coordinated efforts between experts/authorities against cybercriminals seem like the most efficient method for combating cybercriminals. Different experts and authorities are then able to focus on the part of the criminal chain that corresponds to their ability and expertise.
Diversification of attack vectors
Computer systems are becoming increasingly sophisticated and complex with components that are individually computerized. This increases the attack surface for cybercriminals, and represents a challenge for users and the security industry.
Mobile (in)security
The steps that private users and organizations can take to protect themselves, are quite similar in character to protection of traditional computers.
Targeted attacks: More "Bang for the Buck"
Since the cybercriminals seem to shift from randomly directed mass attacks to more focused attacks, the total volume of spam will decrease.
Plug mouse into the computer - be compromised
It is almost impossible to protect completely against a targeted cyberattack against an organization.
The profitable Pay-per-Install ecosystem
We shall in this article focus on the PPI ecosystem and how this is used for malware distribution.
Secure tokens turn insecure
Even organizations, which presumably are more security conscious than most, have vulnerabilities that may be exploited by an attacker who has sufficient resources and determination at her disposal.
The old dogs are still in learning mode
The web site (usually an infected site) that displays the message checks the browser visiting the site, and displays a warning message similar to the browser's real warning.
Dangerous images
Recent weeks have shown that images are used as a malware spreading technique; particularly images that appear after performing a Google image search.
The RTLO unicode hole - sequence manipulation as an attack vector
Do not rely on any file attachment or file on any device to be safe based on its file name.
Cybercriminals focus on new targets
Users of the operating system Mac OS X have so far been quite safe from malware infections compared to those who have chosen Windows as the operating system platform.
Free music with an unwanted tune
Whenever malware authors find new vehicles to spread their malware, the probability for success increases immensely.
Spam botnet Rustock beheaded
Bots and botnets comprise one of the biggest threats to the Internet and its users. However, recent news report of a success story: beheading the spam botnet Rustock.
Shamelessly exploiting disasters
In previous security articles, we discussed the fact that cybercriminals use big events to spread malware. Not surprisingly - nevertheless disgusting - the recent events in Japan have inspired shameless exploitations by cybercriminals.
PlayStation 3 security fully compromised
Sony's PlayStation 3 (PS3) has been viewed as one of the most secure gaming devices. Applications and games from other sources than Sony could not be installed and run on PS3, and a firmware update early in 2010 disallowed using other operating systems than the one set up by Sony. All this is now changed.
Holiday - relax, have fun, meet family and friends... and be vigilant
Major events, happenings and in general all kind of things that create much notice, also leave in their wake a stream of malicious software.
The ultimate surfing challenge: Avoiding web sites with malicious content
Some years ago it was an established "fact" that a computer could not be infected by malicious software by visiting a web page. But technology evolves quickly and some facts may change when new technology emerges. These days web pages are perhaps the most used propagation vector for malware.
Malicous cold calls with high success probability
According to a posting 15 November on the blog belonging to the UK based organization Get Safe Online, one in four UK web users have been targeted by so-called cold calls.
Communication consolidation or security nightmare
In recent months there have been lots of rumors about the upcoming email system closely integrated with Facebook. More detaileds about this have recently been disclosed by Facebook, and we will examine some aspects of the new offerings.
Safe crime
We have previously advocated the view that endpoint security is just one of several tools needed to accomplish secure environments. This article will examine one particular threat against the Internet community and discuss how it may be overcome.
Man-in-the-middle goes Mobile
The term Man-in-the-middle in a security context refers to an attack where someone/-thing is inserted between two endpoints and intercepts the communication between those. The intent is usually to obtain information and use this for illegitimate purposes. Recently the term Man-in-the-mobile, abbreviated as Mitmo, emerged.
A new generation of malware
Computer software evolves, and popular interpretation is to introduce new generations whenever fundamental changes arrive. If one looks at malware in the same manner, one may also classify different types into various generations.
Old dogs learn new tricks
Fake antimalware software has become an increasing problem for end users and corporations. The creators of these rogue applications are able to earn easy money and are constantly searching for new ways to exploit their victims. A new technique has recently been seen. We shall look at this in more detail in this security article, and attempt to point to some general considerations regarding this type of software and malware in general.
Number of vulnerabilities on the rise
In August IBM Security X-Force published its Mid-Year Trend and Risk Report. The X-Force reports are always interesting reading, and this latest addition maintains the high standards. Lots of topics are discussed in the report. In our security article, we shall however focus on one particular finding.
Self-protection from malware - part II
In the previous article in this series about self-protection, we discussed examples of attempts to trick you to expose yourself for malicious software. Infected web sites are currently the most used technique for propagation of malware. By increasing your own awareness of the techniques the cyber criminals use, you can avoid this exposure.
Self-protection from malware - part I
There are several levels where you can set up protection mechanisms in order to minimize the risk of falling victim to malware. Different protection mechanisms are needed depending on which danger situation we are discussing.
Malware infections by telephone
An interesting news item has appeared in several UK-based media lately. Several end users have received phone calls from someone who present themselves as security personnel. The caller informs that the computer is infected by malware and offers to help. Varying social engineering techniques are used to persuade the recipient to allow the use of remote access software in order to "fix the problem".
Første halvår 2010 - oversikt over sikkerhetshendelser
Vi vil i denne rapporten om sikkerhetshendelser i første halvår 2010, gå gjennom en del forskjellige saker og trender. Vi vil fokusere på dem Norman ser som mest betydningsfulle i de siste seks måneder.
Utlevere informasjon om sårbarheter? Ja/Nei/Når?
Forrige uke offentliggjorde en forsker fra Google, Tavis Ormandy, informasjon om og utnyttelselsekode for en ny sårbarhet i Microsofts kundestøttesenter.
Upcoming? The age of the cyborgs
We should have been expecting it - some did. Late May this year a researcher in the U.K. claims to be the first person in the world infected by a computer virus.
Reflections on the PDF vulnerability
Earlier this month we wrote about a vulnerability in the PDF specification that could be utilized to run malicious programs embedded in a PDF file. Proof-of-concept code was published, and it was expected that real-life malware that used this technique might appear soon.
Dangerous device diversification
Most organizations have been experiencing an explosion in the number and types of devices that are in use in their networks. Gone are the days when traditional desktop computers, servers and printers, hard-wired together, were the available hardware in the network.
Scary technique utilizing functionality in the PDF specification
Exploitation of how applications handle files in the Portable Document Format (PDF) is one of the most used techniques to successfully create malicious software. Usually this is accomplished by utilizing vulnerabilities in the applications used to read PDF documents, like the very popular free program, Adobe Reader.
Domain name registrants - who? where?
Domain names are a crucial part of the Internet's infrastructure. However, as we have shown in previous security articles, registration of special domain names may be used as an attack vector for spreading malware.
Handling an infected computer as an infected human being
The RSA Conferences are among of the most important annual security conferences. This year's US conference was held in San Francisco 1 - 5 March. One of the speakers was Microsoft's Scott Charney, Corporate Vice President Trustworthy Computing. His speech covered several interesting topics, of which we will discuss one: the ability, usefulness and implications of treating infected computers in a similar manner as infected human beings.
Oppsummering av 2009 - spådommer for det kommende året
Desember er måneden for å se tilbake på året som nærmer seg slutt, og vi vil forsøke å oppsummere situasjonen sett fra et sikkerhetsselskaps perspektiv. Den mest betydningsfulle observasjonen hva gjelder aktivitetene til ondsinnet programvare (malware), er at forskjellige typer sosiale nettverk ble et hovedmål for forfatterne av ondsinnet programvare.
Holidays - preferred season for children and ...criminals
Major events, happenings and in general all kind of things that create much notice, also leave in their wake a stream of malicious software.
Plug-ins to applications - a ripened target for malware
In several security articles we have discussed the fact that new media and communication devices are successful vehicles for malware propagation. This time we will examine a type of application, which has not been focused upon - (presumably) neither by the malware authors yet, nor by commentators.
Malicious identity production
Identity theft is a term, which has become familiar during the latest years. More exotic - until recently - has been identity production with malicious intent. A new version of Koobface does exactly that - automatically.
Web advertisements - a significant spreading vector for malware
Website advertising is an expanding industry. Several of the websites, which we visit each and every day - for leisure or as part of our work - have advertisements as a major part of their owner's income. Suffice to mention online newspapers and other magazines, search engines, information resources of other kinds and more. Unfortunately website advertising is also a substantial spreading vector for malicious software.
Dedicated servers as parts of a botnet
In the security article this week we will discuss using a particular type of computers - dedicated servers - as part of a botnet.
Software most susceptible to successful attacks
A new report about security risks was published this week. This report - "The Top Cyber Security Risks" - is a joint effort from the security organizations TippingPoint, Qualys, and SANS. In this week's security article we shall discuss one particular issue in the report - patching software.
Malware in applications - a special problem
Recently Norman's senior virus analyst Snorre Fagerland wrote about the malware W32/Induc.A in our security blog. This is a virus which infects the programming language Delphi. The result is that applications that are created with an infected Delphi environment are infected themselves. This has interesting implications as we shall see.
The first part of 2009 as seen through secure glasses
The time has arrived when it is useful to look back on the first half of this year, and attempt to sum up the situation seen from Norman as a security company's point of view.
Easy URLs - a good or bad system
The short URL functionality obviously has its merits. However, there are shortcomings and security issues that make the system in itself less secure than desired.
Your PC as an Internet server with a few clicks
Software to set up any computer as an Internet resource has been freely available for a long time. However, the threshold to do so has been so high that not everyone has felt that this can be accomplished without some special skills. This situation may now change with a new initiative.
Unlimited supply of money...
This security article's title may look like the intro to a fairytale told to by a criminal to her child. However, a family of malicious software (malware) that has appeared this year seems to make this fairytale come true for some…
You're bad. No, I'm not!
The vendors of security software have the following simple task: Detect and remove as much malicious software as possible without erroneously defining benign software as malware. Unfortunately, this is not as simple as it seems.
Domain name registration - a malware spreading vector
Another use of web servers has been on the rise as malware spreaders. This approach exploits popular terms to trick users to visit web sites that are by intent malicious.
GhostNet - a real espionage network
This week started with significant media attention about a report, which showed that several computers owned by governments and international organizations were compromized. This includes several embassies world-wide and a NATO computer.
Hot stuff: Exploitable routers - a flash of the whole iceberg
A new type of malicious software has recently been getting some media attention. The most interesting part of this is the fact that the malware's targets are not traditional computers. Rather does this malware attack different types of devices, namely routers and modems.
Social engineering with a virtual twist
Social engineering in several forms has been discussed in numerous of our security articles. This time, we shall discuss it from a different angle - the traditional one, with a quite clever new twist.
"We told you so" - hindsight is usually correct
The need to apply security patches to operating systems and applications has been discussed several times in our security articles. Recent events show that this is a caution that cannot be repeated too often.
Program downloads from the Internet - a risky activity
The Internet offers a cornucopia of applications, movies, pictures, text - everything digital that can be imagined (and some not!). Navigating this is difficult and can even be hazardous in several ways.
Internet gaming - new opportunities for the (shady) visionary
The use of money involved in online gaming has traditionally been only as an entrance fee to buy the game itself (if it is not free). This no longer holds true.
Ghosts from the past resurface through USB sticks
The increasing use of USB sticks and their storage capacity constitute major security issues. Problems that were dominant with floppy disks resurface.
Security patches - an additional security issue
There are some issues with security patches that in fact may render certain users more vulnerable. This apparent contradiction will be examined in this article.
Facebook - an increasingly popular spreading vector for malware
Customized malware, which utilizes and targets the Facebook community, is emerging. Several reports about different types of malware are appearing, and more are certain to come.
Clickjacking - a new danger or an innovational new name?
A few weeks ago a new name started circulating in security writings - "clickjacking". Security organizations as well as web-based news agencies reported this as a major, new threat.
Slurping – et sikkerhetsproblem som ofte blir oversett
Slurping er ikke bare en metode for å slukke tørsten. Det er også brukt som en betegnelse for en type sikkerhetsproblemer, som ofte blir oversett.
Ikke ALLE julepresanger er like velkomne
Julen er en høytid som mange benytter for å gi og motta presanger. Det er imidlertid ikke sikkert at du faktisk er interessert i å motta alle disse "gavene".
Usikre webservere – et økende sikkerhetsproblem
En ny retning innen skadevarespredning har fått økende popularitet blant de onde jentene: Ondsinnede nettsteder
Offentlige trådløse aksesspunkter – verden gjennom fingertuppene eller risikabelt foretak
Forestill deg en person med skumle hensikter sittende på en kafé med en cappuccino. Hun later som om hun surfer på Internett, men det hun egentlig gjør, er å samle inn brukernavn og passord fra hennes medgjester. Et usannsynlig scenario eller enkelt-å-sette-opp-system? Dessverre det siste.
Smishing – nok en oppfinnsom vri på phiskebegrepet
De fleste som jobber med sikkerhet, og mest sannsynlig større deler av allmennheten, har hørt om begrepet phisking (phishing) og betydningen av det. Du finner ...
Pass opp for Stration-ormen!
Epostormen forårsaker forsinkelser i epostsystemet for mange brukere. Ormen sprer seg selv gjennom vedlegg som blir spammet ut, og flere hundre versjoner av ormen ble spammet ut bare i løpet av oktober måned.
A changed approach from the authors of malware defines new challenges for protection software
During the latest couple of years we have seen a significant shift in malicious software. This enforces new requirements to software that is supposed to protect against malware.
Syv IT-synder under solen
Sommeren er tiden da folk søker fred og ro ved fjellet, sjøen eller andre steder utenfor sitt vanlige område. Mange tar med seg laptopen med seg enten for sporadisk jobbing eller for moro. Og mange slurver med IT-sikkerheten.
Zombier og målrettede angrep – en overkommelig utfordring?
En av de mest aktuelle og raskest voksende trusler mot IT-sikkerhet i dag er fremveksten av zombiemaskiner og såkalte robotnettverk (bottnettverk). Ikke bare spres nettverkene raskt, de er også i stand til å gjøre stor skade som lett kan føre til høye kostnader.
ContextPlus RootKit bytes the dust
ContextPlus has stopped their activities. This company most known programs are PeopleOnPage and Apropos. Once installed, they will monitor the browsing behavior and send the obtained information to the ContextPlus servers.
The usage of child porn: a sad but true story…
Where in the past malware file names would have ‘interesting’ names such as “Anna Kournikova" or “Britney Spears Naked", many things happened but seeing a picture of the two aforementioned idols was not one of them.
Folk er lettlurte – årsaker til at phisking virker
Phisking er en av de raskest voksende truslene mot IT-sikkerheten. Til tross for at sikkerhetsleverandørene jobber kontinuerlig med å utvikle effektive beskyttelsesprodukter, øker denne formen for svindel. Årsaken er enkel: folk er lettlurte.
Your pet can be infected by a computer virus!
Researchers of the University of Amsterdam in The Netherlands have succeeded to successfully infect a RFID-chip (Radio Frequency Identification Device) with a computer virus.
Proof of concept virus targeting InfoPath
A new proof of concept virus has been discovered infecting yet another application of the Microsoft Office Suite.
Ny orm spres via epost og delte nettverksmapper
Ormen W32/Small.KI.@mm har spredd seg raskt siden begynnelsen av denne uken. Denne ondsinnede koden infiserer maskiner gjennom epost og delte nettverksmapper.
En verden befolket med zombier
Dagens IT trusler domineres ikke lenger av virus, ormer og trojanere. Til tross for at trusselen om phishing-angrep, såkalte identitetstyverier, har fått mye omtale den siste tiden, må man ikke se bort fra den høyst aktuelle trusselen fra zombier.
Program flaws as malware propagation technique
During the latest years the tendency for malware to exploit flaws in computer programs seems to have increased.
Cyberkrigen fortsetter – zombieslaget
Hackerkontrollerte datamaskiner - såkalte zombier - er på rask fremmarsj og antallet øker dag for dag.
The malware situation - a rapid change
In April 2005 we saw a rapid change in the malware situation. There was an explosion of different kinds of malware.
Informasjon om Sasser-ormene
Her vil du finne generell informasjon om Sasser-ormene - Ofte Stilte Spørsmål og svar på disse.
"You ain't seen nothing yet" - or - The Warhol worm and worse
It is hardly controversial to claim that the end of February and beginning of March 2004 was the worst period ever regarding the sheer number of new mailicious programs threatening the Internet community. New variants of Bagle, MyDoom and Netsky were spread daily - sometimes even more than once per day.
An analysis of Sobig.F and its ability to harm Internet users around the world
In September 2003 Internet users and organizations experienced the most severe attack on the Internet infrastructure since the "Morris worm" in November 1988. The outbreak of W32/Sobig.F caused major problems because of the huge amount of emails flooding the infrastructure.
Infections from opening e-mails and browsing the web
Security Information Week 45, 1999 The Security Information for week 43 discussed several vulnerabilities which were possible to exploit due to problems with the functionality in ...
PrettyPark is still alive and active
Security Information Week 40, 1999 There have been several reports about the PrettyPark.Worm program recently. This worm was first reported to be in the wild early ...
Deceitful patch to Internet Explorer
Security Information Week 7, 1999Since January this year several users have received an e-mail apparently from Microsoft. The mail informs the receipient that the attachment ...
Risk assessment with Mass Mailers
Security Information Week 50, 1999IntroductionDuring the latest months viruses have been using e-mail clients to spread themselves. The most famous one is of course W97M/Melissa.A ...
Internet Explorer 5 and Active Scripting
Security Information Week 43, 1999During the last weeks different security issues which involves Internet Explorer version 5 has been discovered. These have to do with ...
The worm ExploreZip is in the wild
Security Information Week 23, 1999 A new, malicious worm is reported in the wild. So far reports has come from France, Germany, Israel, Czechia and the ...
Exploiting security issues in known applications - a new trend in malicious programs?
Security Information Week 32, 2003
Documents with RTF extensions - are you safe from virus infections?
Security Information Week 21, 1999 Documents saved as RTF files are not dangerous with respect to macro virus infections. This fact has been stressed from the ...
The dilemmas of publishing information about vulnerabilities in software
Security Information Week 40, 2002IntroductionOne of the ongoing discussions regarding security is about informing the public about new security risks. The two extremes are on ...
PCs at home - a safe haven for malicious programs?
Security Information Week 26, 2002 Introduction Several previous Security Informations have discussed topics related to PCs at home. E.g. one issue in 1999 examined Attacks from the ...
Malicious programs in the Klez family
Security Information Week 25, 2002 Introduction The Security Information for week 20 discussed in general terms why some malicious programs succeed in becoming widespread while other do ...
Malicious programs - why do they never end
Security Information Week 20, 2002 Introduction During the latest 10 months the "top three" malicious programs ("malware") with respect to spreadig have made havoc on networks and ...
The so-called HTML viruses
Security Information Week 1, 1999 The computer magazines as well as other papers have recently published articles about a "new" kind of viruses - the so-called ...
The worm JS/Kak and a security patch from Microsoft
Security Information Week 9, 2000 In our Security Information for week 45 last year, we discussed a security problem with Internet Explorer which had as a ...
Computer viruses in non-Microsoft products
Security Information Week 8, 2000Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is Microsoft's programming language used to enhance the functionality of some of its programs, particularly the ...
What to learn from visits by Melissa and her siblings
In April 1999 a lot of people and organizations were paid a visit by the computer virus Melissa. This virus propagated so quickly and extensively that many compared it to the legendary "Morris worm."
Nyeste blogg-innlegg [EN]
The 10 most insecure passcodes
2011-06-16
Earlier this week I read an extremely interesting and impressing blog item by Daniel Amitay: Most Common iPhone Passcodes.
Amitay has analyzed more than 200 000 passcodes used in an app with a similar...
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Purchasing and downloading outdated software
2011-05-23
Last week in the "JoshMeister On Security" blog, the topic was about Apple's Mac App Store, and the fact that software available from this store may not be the latest version.
The blog's aut...
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