Category Archives: Latest Warnings

Millions of Passwords, Credit Card Numbers at Risk in Breach of Sony Playstation Network

April 26, 2011
59 Comments

Sony warned today that intruders had broken into its PlayStation online game network, a breach that may have jeopardized the user names, addresses, passwords and credit card information on more than 70 million customers.

In a post to the company’s PlayStation blog, Sony spokesman Patrick Seybold said the breach occurred between April 17 and April 19, and that user information on some PlayStation Network and Qriocity music streaming accounts was compromised. The company said it had engaged an outside security firm to investigate what happened, that it was rebuilding its system to better secure account information, and that it would soon begin notifying customers about the incident by email.

SpyEye Targets Opera, Google Chrome Users

April 26, 2011
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The latest version of the SpyEye trojan includes new capability specifically designed to steal sensitive data from Windows users surfing the Internet with the Google Chrome and Opera Web browsers.

The author of the SpyEye trojan formerly sold the crimeware kit on a number of online cybercrime forums, but has recently limited his showroom displays to a handful of highly vetted underground communities. KrebsOnSecurity.com recently chatted with a member of one of these communities who has purchased a new version of SpyEye. Screenshots from the package show that the latest rendition includes new “form grabbing” capabilities targeting Chrome and Opera users.

Where Did That Scammer Get Your Email Address?

April 25, 2011
53 Comments

You’ve seen the emails: They purport to have been sent by some dethroned prince in a faraway land, or from a corrupt bureaucrat in an equally corrupt government. Whatever the ruse, they always claim to need your help in spiriting away millions of dollars. These schemes, known as “419,” “advance fee” and “Nigerian letter” scams, have been around forever and are surprisingly effective at duping people. But where in the world do these scammers get their distribution lists, and how did you become a target?

Some of the bigger spammers rely on bots that crawl millions of Web sites and “scrape” addresses from pages. Others instead turn to sellers on underground cybercrime forums. But as it turns out, there are still a handful of open-air markets where lists of emails are sold by the millions. If you buy in bulk, some you can expect to pay about a penny per 1,000 addresses.

One long-running, open air bazaar for email addresses is LeadsAndMails.com, which also goes by the name BuyEmails.org. This enterprise is based out of New Delhi, India, and advertises its email lists as “100% optin and 100 percent legal to use.” I can’t vouch for the company’s claims, but one thing seems clear: A good number of its clients are from Nigeria, and many of them are fraudsters.

Time to Patch Your Flash

April 15, 2011
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If it seems like you just updated your Flash Player software to plug a security hole that attackers were using to break into computers, you’re not probably not imagining things: Three weeks ago, Adobe rushed out a new version to sew up a critical new security flaw. Today, Adobe issued a critical Flash update to eliminate another dangerous security hole that criminals are actively exploiting.

This new update addresses a vulnerability first detailed here at KrebsOnSecurity.com on Tuesday, and Adobe deserves credit for responding quickly with a patch. But there are few things that are simple about updating Flash, which ships in a dizzying array of version numbers and for many users must be deployed at least twice to cover all browsers. In addition, users may have to uninstall the existing version before updating to guarantee a trouble-free install. Also, Adobe Air will need to be updated if that software also is already installed. Finally, fixing this same vulnerability in Adobe Reader and Acrobat will require installing another patch, which won’t be out for at least another 10 days.

IRS Scam: Phishing by Fax

March 29, 2011
12 Comments

Scammers typically kick into high gear during tax season in the United States, which tends to bring with it a spike in phishing attacks that spoof the Internal Revenue Service. Take, for example, a new scam making the rounds via email, which warns of discrepancies on the recipient’s income tax return and requests that personal information be sent via fax to a toll-free number.

Microsoft Hunting Rustock Controllers

March 28, 2011
22 Comments

Who controlled the Rustock botnet? The question remains unanswered: Microsoft’s recent takedown of the world’s largest spam engine offered tantalizing new clues to the identity and earnings of the Rustock botmasters. The data shows that Rustock’s curators made millions by pimping rogue Internet pharmacies, but also highlights the challenges that investigators still face in tracking down those responsible for building and profiting from this complex crime machine.