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I recently highlighted a study which showed that most of the top software applications failed to take advantage of two major lines of defense built into Microsoft Windows that can help block attacks from hackers and viruses. As it turns out, a majority of anti-virus and security products made for Windows users also forgo these useful security protections.
Posts Tagged: bitdefender
14
Jun 10
Cloud Keyloggers?
Keystroke-logging computer viruses let crooks steal your passwords, and sometimes even read your e-mails and online chats. Recently, however, anonymous criminals have added insult to injury, releasing a keylogger strain that publishes stolen information for all the world to see at online notepad sharing sites such as pastebin.com.
Last week, security experts at BitDefender discovered a continuing stream of new entries at pastebin.com and pastebin.ca that included text files laid out in the format typically used by keystroke-logging malware. For example, each keypress in the log posted to pastebin.com is preceded by a listing of the program currently in focus on the victim’s screen, and each function key pressed is spelled out, so that when the victim hits the backspace or down arrow key, for instance, the keystroke log will show a “[back]” or “[down]” entry in place of each corresponding keypress (see the screenshot to the right).
Typically, keystroke logging malware will submit stolen data to a Web server specified in the malware that the attacker controls. BitDefender theorizes that those responsible for creating this keylogger variant may have chosen pastebin.com because it is unlikely to be blocked by Web filters or malware blacklists.
I kept the pastebin.com home page open most of the weekend and refreshed it periodically, and confirmed that a relatively large number of keylogger records were being uploaded in real time to the free service. To the right is one of many screenshots I took of the files I found on Pastebin.com.
Pastebin owner Jeroen said Pastebin is aware of the problem and is working on a new version of the site that should block these automated keyloggers from posting their content there.
29
Mar 10
Removing Viruses from a PC That Won’t Boot
One of the more common questions I hear from readers with computer virus infections is, “How do I get rid of a virus if I can’t even boot up into Windows to run an anti-virus scan?” Fortunately, there are a number of free, relatively easy-to-use tools that can help on this front.
The tools in this review are known as a “rescue CDs.” These are all free, Linux-based operating systems that one can download and burn to a CD-Rom. Once you’ve configured your PC to boot from the CD you’ve just burned, you can use the CD to scan your hard drive, and — depending on the type of rescue CD you choose — even copy files to a removable drive.
20
Mar 10
Bad BitDefender Antivirus Update Hobbles Windows PCs
A faulty update is being blamed for incapacitating an untold number of Microsoft Windows systems running anti-virus software from BitDefender.
BitDefender says the problem occurred Saturday morning with a faulty update for 64-bit Windows systems that caused multiple Windows and BitDefender files to be quarantined. The bad update causes the anti-virus program to flag thousands of legitimate Windows and BitDefender program files as a threat called “”FakeAlert.5″.
The Romanian software firm said the glitchy update has been removed and that the company is working on a fix for the problem. BitDefender’s user forum has lit up with complaints from customers, and the company appears to be fielding quite a number of inquiries on the problem via its Twitter page.
“We are creating a patch that will restore all quarantined files,” the company said in a statement on its site. “The patch will be available shortly. We apologize for this error and we will work to prevent this from occurring again in the future.”
BitDefender has posted partial recovery instructions for users who are having trouble booting up Windows after this bad update, although several apparent users commenting on the company’s Twitter feed indicated they were still unable to boot after following the instructions.
Meanwhile, Bitdefender representatives on Twitter are warning users that malware writers already are taking advantage of the situation, and urging users to download the fix — whenever it is made available — only from BitDefender’s Web site.
