Neowin News Feed for: Viruses

Office Depot allegedly falsely diagnosing computers as malware-infested to meet sales

Justin Luna — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 09:34:01 +0000

Office supply store Office Depot has been allegedly swindling its customers, by saying that there are malware and viruses on their computer. This, according to an employee, is done to meet quotas. Read more...

Don't be surprised, but some popular Grand Theft Auto V mods carry viruses

Timi Cantisano — Fri, 15 May 2015 21:22:01 +0000

Grand Theft Auto V was released for the PC last month and with that came a flurry of third party mods. Unfortunately, it looks as though some of those popular mods are carrying viruses. Read more...

Shanghai could be home to secretive Chinese hackers

Paul Ferson — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 20:35:28 +0000

Unit 61938, a group of Chinese governmental hackers responsible for more than 100 documented attacks since 2006, might have been nailed on the outskirts of the world's biggest city - Shanghai. Read more...

USA Today publishes misleading editorial on Windows 8 security

Anthony Tosie — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 02:58:49 +0000

A major news outlet has yet again posted a misleading article about the security of Windows 8, suggesting apps in the Windows Store will lead to new security issues for Windows 8 users. Read more...

FBI announces arrest of 10 people over Butterfly Botnet

Paul Ferson — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 09:13:10 +0000

The FBI has confirmed the arrest of 10 people over the Butterfly Botnet; a botnet that, peaking at more than 11 million machines infected, harvesting details on bank accounts and passwords. Read more...

Old malware on Google Docs updated to mess with Windows 8

Paul Ferson — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 19:28:54 +0000

Malware known to pre-date Windows 8 has seemingly been updated to identify Microsoft's newest operating systems. It is currently spreading through Google Docs, with an apparent focus on Brazil. Read more...

A history of viruses on Linux

Brandon Boyce — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 17:44:21 +0000

We recently gave you a brief history of viruses on the Mac and as requested by a user we wanted to give you a history of viruses on Linux. Given the tight security integrated into... Read more...

Windows 7 beta affected by Vista viruses

Brad Sams — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 13:49:09 +0000

As Microsoft diligently prepares to launch Windows 7 it will be working hard to fix all the holes in the OS before its launch; one hole that has yet to be fixed is an exploit... Read more...

Microsoft plans to divorce viruses for free!

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 22:00:06 +0000

Ever heard of "Morro"? Neither had I until today. It appears the boys and girls at Microsoft have been planning a nice surprise for consumers. Focused on "core anti-malware protection", Morro is a streamlined solution... Read more...

Computer viruses as they look in 3D

Steven Parker — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:29:21 +0000

Ever wondered what computer viruses might look like? Probably not, but that hasn't stopped conceptual artist Alex Dragulescu creating a set of 3D images. He was given the programming code for the most common... Read more...

Online Videos May Be Conduits for Viruses

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 15:44:11 +0000

Online videos aren't just for bloopers and rants - some might also be conduits for malicious code that can infect your computer. As anti-spam technology improves, hackers are finding new vehicles to deliver their malicious... Read more...

China To Use Computer Viruses As Cyberwarfare First Strike

Wed, 30 May 2007 02:16:59 +0000

The People's Liberation Army in China is building up its cyberwarfare capabilities according to a report from the Department of Defense. DoD has found that the PLA, the largest standing army in the world, has... Read more...

Kaspersky: Mac and Linux viruses to rise 'significantly'

Tue, 24 Apr 2007 18:36:53 +0000

Eugene Kaspersky, co-founder and head of anti-virus research at Kaspersky Labs, claims that because Vista hasn't entered the market with a bang, some customers will start moving towards both the Mac and open-source platforms, making... Read more...

Chip Can Stop PC Viruses, But Cost is a Hurdle

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 04:24:09 +0000

Researchers in Japan have developed a microchip that blocks computer viruses before they enter PCs, an advance that could change how security software is used. Chips in routers can stop viruses without slowing down programmes... Read more...

Intel: Viruses to be a thing of the Past

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 15:14:13 +0000

Intel believes that malacious codes, viruses and other security threats may become a worry of the past. Inte's R&D team is currently working on Trusted Execution Technlogy, previously known as LaGrande. Trusted Execution Technology or... Read more...

Double the Number of Wild Viruses in Two Years

Fri, 07 Jul 2006 01:20:08 +0000

Although widespread virus outbreaks may be a thing of the past, the total amount of malicious software being written is on the rise, according to McAfee. On Tuesday, McAfee vendor added the 200,000th definition to... Read more...

Email Viruses Reach New Low While Spam Reaches New High

Christopher Vendemio — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 21:04:20 +0000

May of 2006 gave us not one, but two new email records. The first record may surprise you a bit. Emails containing malicious programs (viruses) reached an all time low, accounting for a minute 0.73%... Read more...

Viruses catch up to the Mac

Steven Parker — Mon, 01 May 2006 12:56:51 +0000

Benjamin Daines was browsing the Web when he clicked on a series of links that promised pictures of an unreleased update to his computer's operating system. Instead, a window opened on the screen and strange... Read more...

Viruses Still Major Problem for UK Business

Howard Thomson — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 13:16:18 +0000

A recent survey from the Department of Trade and Industry has suggested that viruses are the single biggest security threat for UK businesses. Despite the number of business PCs falling victim to viruses falling by... Read more...

Window of exposure lets viruses run rampant

Daniel Fleshbourne — Thu, 02 Jun 2005 16:43:18 +0000

More than 295,000 virus-infected emails were sent to companies in the UK in May before anti-virus vendors could issue signature updates, according to email filtering firm BlackSpider Technologies. It's long been known that there is... Read more...

Half of viruses written for criminal gain

Daniel Fleshbourne — Mon, 21 Mar 2005 10:43:56 +0000

Over half of all computer viruses, trojans and malicious code are created to steal sensitive information and make money, according to research released today. A report by IT security firm Symantec shows that 54 per... Read more...

100,000+ Viruses in 2004

Wed, 29 Dec 2004 18:15:29 +0000

The BBC is reporting that there has been a 50% increase in the number of viruses released in 2004; as many as 100,000 viruses were seen 'in the wild', many of them doing serious damage... Read more...

PDA Viruses Could Get Nasty

Fri, 30 Jul 2004 03:42:31 +0000

Viruses that target handhelds can be even more dangerous than their cousins that attack PCs, spawning self-replicating programs that hide easily, a security researcher told an audience of security professionals at the Black Hat Briefings... Read more...

Fear of viruses and poor protection grows

Daniel Fleshbourne — Tue, 06 Jul 2004 18:56:17 +0000

Three-quarters of European businesses surveyed said they believe viruses will become more dangerous, while two-thirds believe the frequency of attacks will increase, according to e-mail security firm MessageLabs. Natasha Staley, information security analyst at MessageLabs,... Read more...

Microsoft good at fighting viruses (?)

Daniel Fleshbourne — Tue, 29 Jun 2004 09:33:23 +0000

SOFTWARE FIRM Microsoft is jolly good at fighting viruses but only if users remember to switch on their Update function, claimed chief software architect Bill Gates, yesterday. Gates, who made the claim while in Australia... Read more...

New Zone Alarm to warn of viruses

Mon, 24 May 2004 05:59:48 +0000

Security software maker Zone Labs updated its desktop firewall on Monday, adding new features that aim to put the kibosh on viruses, the company said. The antivirus features will be offered in... Read more...

Macs and viruses -- are we as safe as we think?

Wed, 18 Feb 2004 19:52:35 +0000

Windows users live under a constant threat of attacks from writers of viruses or worms that exploit security flaws in their system. Outside of the annoyance of receiving infected e-mails, however, Mac users are immune... Read more...

Agriculture epidemics may hold clues to Net viruses

Fri, 16 Jan 2004 20:00:07 +0000

In studying the effects of last summer's MSBlast worm, some security experts turned to an unlikely source in search of clues to the prevention of computer epidemics: plants. Their idea was inspired... Read more...

PC viruses spawn $55 billion loss in 2003

Fri, 16 Jan 2004 18:53:31 +0000

Trend Micro, the world's third-largest antivirus software maker, said Friday that computer virus attacks cost global businesses an estimated $55 billion in damages in 2003, a sum that is expected to increase this year. ... Read more...

Linux vs. Windows Viruses

Wed, 15 Oct 2003 07:38:58 +0000

Thanks MxxCon. The single biggest security issue facing Linux users at the moment is the misconception perpetuated by highly vocal advocates that Linux is somehow impenetrable to security-based attacks, and in particular, viruses and other... Read more...

Viruses a blessing in disguise, says Open University

Tom Warren — Thu, 18 Sep 2003 10:45:37 +0000

Tell that to the IT managers ... The SoBig and Blaster viruses could be a "blessing in disguise" as they can help IT departments apply a security policy to home users, according... Read more...

Spam viruses, worms and worse

Daniel Fleshbourne — Sun, 31 Aug 2003 10:12:53 +0000

THE LESSON of the SoBig.F emal virus is that we're already in the opening stages of a war. (No, that's not a typo -- "emal" was coined by Mike Magee just the other day to... Read more...

Windows gets tough on spam, viruses

Mon, 14 Apr 2003 14:21:41 +0000

Microsoft on Monday will detail a future version of Windows that will make it easier to detect and isolate viruses. Additionally, the Redmond, Wash.-based developer will show off new features in Microsoft Word... Read more...

Macro and script viruses dying off

Daniel Fleshbourne — Fri, 03 Jan 2003 09:00:43 +0000

The end of standard mass mailing worms is nigh - maybe as soon as before the end of 2003. But there replacements - Trojans and Spyware - are much, much worse. Or so Roger Thompson,... Read more...

Email viruses soar by 80 per cent

Darren Bolton — Tue, 17 Dec 2002 22:23:42 +0000

The proportion of email messages infected with a computer virus increased by over 80 per cent in 2002. Experts blame the surge on a new trend involving email address forgery, which is designed to frustrate... Read more...

E-mail viruses double in 2002

Daniel Fleshbourne — Mon, 16 Dec 2002 15:13:13 +0000

E-mail viruses are now twice as prevalent as they were in 2001, with one e-mail in every 200 containing a virus. Virus-scanning company MessageLabs said it stopped 9.3 million viruses in 2 billion e-mails this... Read more...

Nokia appliance attacks spam, viruses

Daniel Fleshbourne — Thu, 07 Nov 2002 10:16:12 +0000

Nokia and Trend Micro are to launch an e-mail scanning system to defend networks against viruses and spam attacks. Nokia Internet Communications, a unit of the world's largest mobile phone maker, will provide network hardware... Read more...

Viruses are dead. Long live viruses!

Daniel Fleshbourne — Fri, 27 Sep 2002 16:55:17 +0000

This year has been mercifully quiet on the virus front but anyone who reckons the virus problem has finally been beaten is failing to learn the lessons of history. The problem of... Read more...

Hidden viruses can circumvent server-based protection

Tue, 19 Feb 2002 10:00:00 +0000

E-mail viruses can circumvent server-based antivirus protection and attack users of certain Microsoft Corp. e-mail clients when part of the malicious code is hidden in the header of an e-mail message, a Dutch expert said... Read more...

Beware of Vicious Valentine Viruses

Thu, 14 Feb 2002 15:59:40 +0000

Virus-writers love to target the holidays, so here's what to watch for in electronic greetings. Last Valentine's Day some people received an unwanted gift in their e-mail in-box: The VBS.Valentine.A worm. And... Read more...