January 2, 2009

When asked about what will happen in 2009, a rise in global epidemics was at the top of Kaspersky Lab’s prediction list.  Kaspersky Lab,  a leading developer of Internet threat management solutions that protect against all forms of malicious software, has seen that prediction to be true —  2009 was dominated by sophisticated malicious programs with rootkit functionality, Conficker, Web attacks and botnets, SMS fraud and attacks on social networks.

With the start of 2010, researchers and analysts from Kaspersky Lab have come up with a list of six predictions for what will be the New Year’s greatest threats and newest attack vectors.

1.       A rise in attacks originating from file sharing networks.
This year, we will see a shift in the types of attacks on users, from attacks via Web sites and applications toward attacks originating from file sharing networks.

2.       An increase in mass malware epidemics via P2P networks.
In 2009 a series of mass malware epidemics has been “supported” by malicious files that are spread via file sharing networks. This method has been used to spread notorious threats such as TDSS and Virut as well as the first backdoor for Mac OS X. In 2010, we expect to see a significant increase in these types of incidents on P2P networks.

3.       Continuous competition for traffic from cybercriminals.
The modern cybercriminal world is making more and more of an effort to legalize itself and there are lots of ways to earn money online using the huge amount of traffic that can be generated by botnets. In the future, we foresee the emergence of more “grey” schemes in the botnet services market. These so-called “partner programs” enable botnet owners to make a profit from activities such as sending spam, performing denial of service (DoS) attacks or distributing malware without committing an explicit crime.

4.       A decline in fake anti-virus programs.
The decline in gaming Trojans witnessed in 2009 is likely to be repeated for fake anti-virus programs in 2010. Conficker installed a rogue anti-virus program on infected computers. The fake anti-virus market has now been saturated and the profits for cybercriminals have fallen. Additionally, this kind of activity is now being closely monitored by both IT security companies and law enforcement agencies, making it increasingly difficult to distribute fake anti-virus programs.

5.       An interest in attacking Google Wave.
When it comes to attacks on Web services, Google Wave looks like it will be making all the headlines in 2010. Attacks on this new Google service will no doubt follow the usual pattern: first, the sending of spam, followed by phishing attacks, then the exploiting of vulnerabilities and the spreading of malware.

6.       An increase in attacks on iPhone and Android mobile platforms.
The year 2010 promises to be a difficult time for iPhone and Android users. The first malicious programs for these mobile platforms appeared in 2009, a sure sign that they have aroused the interest of cybercriminals. The only iPhone users currently at risk are those with compromised devices; however the same is not true for Android users who are all vulnerable to attack. The increasing popularity of mobile phones running the Android OS combined with a lack of effective checks to ensure third-party software applications are secure, will lead to a number of high-profile malware outbreaks.

“Malware will continue to further its sophistication in 2010 with specific malware families requiring significant resources from anti-malware companies to adequately fight them,” said Roel Schouwenberg, senior malware researcher at Kaspersky Lab. “Third party program vulnerabilities will continue to be the target of choice by cybercriminals with Adobe continuing to be the main target. And finally I believe that with the introduction of real-time search, black hat SEO and social networks will become an even bigger focus of cybercriminals.”

By JR Raphael
November 12, 2009

SAN FRANCISCO - Hot on the heels of a reported hijacking of hundreds of Facebook groups, a new variation on an old worm is crawling its way into the social network’s walls. Attackers have released an updated, more intelligent version of the notorious Koobface virus, security analysts say–and anyone could become its next victim.

The Facebook Hijack

First, the hijacking: An organization called “Control Your Info” apparently took control of as many as 300 Facebook groups over the past several days. Members added their own logo onto the pages, announcing they’d “hijacked” the groups and providing a link back to their own site.

(Facebook maintains no confidential information was ever exposed–the affected groups, representatives say, were abandoned and open for any member to take over.)

The “Control Your Info” Web site states that the organization’s mission was to expose security holes in social media–a fitting segue to today’s new threat.

Facebook’s New Concern

The new threat has a familiar name. Koobface–which, by the way, is an anagram of the word Facebook–first popped up in mid-2008 and has been pestering users ever since.
The worm typically works by taking over your PC, then sending messages or wall postings to your friends. The messages include links to what appear to be funny videos or risqué photos of people you and your friends know. Anyone who follows the links, however, will ultimately end up infected with the malware themselves–usually by way of a bogus software update that pops up on-screen.

The updated Koobface variation, according to the virus-fighting team at Trend Micro, takes things a step further by automating the entire process. Instead of depending solely upon real accounts to spread the malicious links, the attackers have found a way to have bots do their bidding.
Here’s how Trend Micro says it’s happening: Botnets are registering new Facebook accounts and confirming them via accompanying Gmail addresses, all without any human interaction. The zombie accounts are then joining Facebook groups, adding friends, and posting dangerous links onto those people’s walls.

“This new component behaves like a regular Internet user that starts to connect with friends in Facebook,” explains Jonell Baltazar, an advanced threats researcher with Trend Micro. “The details provided about the account are complete such as a photo, birth date, favorite music, and favorite books.”

The system is even advanced enough to monitor maximum friend levels allowed by Facebook, Baltazar says, to avoid drawing any attention to the ill-intended account.

Facebook Protection

So, what can you do to keep yourself safe from this Koob-faced villain? The steps are nothing you haven’t heard before: Keep your antivirus software up to date, and use some common sense.

Antivirus software will alert you if you click onto a site that’s known to host malware — and that’s exactly where these Koobface links want to take you. The easiest way to stay safe, then, is just to be cautious in choosing what you click.

If you see a link that looks questionable, even if it’s from someone whose name you know, don’t follow it. And if you find yourself on a Web page that’s asking you to download a software update, don’t do it. Instead, close the window and go directly to the software vendor’s own Web page to see if the update is the real deal.

Otherwise, you might end up with Koob smeared all over your face–and, suffice it to say, that’s one fate you’d be better off avoiding.