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Symantec antivirus security flaw exposes Linux, Mac and Windows
Security holes in antivirus software are nothing new, but holes that exist across multiple platforms? That's rare... but it just happened. Google's Tavis Ormandy has discovered a vulnerability in Symantec's antivirus engine (used in both Symantec- and Norton-branded suites) that compromises Linux, Mac and Windows computers. If you use an early version of a compression tool to squeeze executables, you can trigger a memory buffer overflow that gives you root-level control over a system.
Google's VirusTotal can tell if your firmware is infected
BIOS firmware is the root of your electronic devices, dictating communication between a computer's hardware and operating system from the boot-up process. It's an insulated layer in most devices, and organizations including the National Security Agency have focused on infecting firmware because it's not covered in standard virus-detection scans. Google's latest VirusTotal tool changes that -- in a blog post, VirusTotal security engineer Francisco Santos outlines the dangers of firmware malware and how the company can now pinpoint that bad code.
You might not have to update next-gen antivirus software
Antivirus and malware protection programs are great, but they have a fatal flaw: they can only protect your PC from threats they know about. It's not a terrible problem, but it gives attackers a brief window of opportunity to harm your computer every time they tweak their code. If a PC hasn't nabbed the latest update to its protection suite, it's vulnerable -- but it doesn't have to be that way. Researchers are using deep learning algorithms that can spot new malicious code naturally, without database updates.
Engadget giveaway: win a Samsung Galaxy Note 5 courtesy of Bitdefender!
As major corporations continue to succumb to hacks and the government's prying eyes are still relatively unchecked, it's always a good idea to bulk up your personal security. Bitdefender has been in the business of just that for years and now its new Mobile Security and Antivirus is available to secure your mobile Android devices. The app stays lean by using in-the-cloud antivirus services which are continually updated. On your device, it offers malware scanning, device tracking in the case of possible theft, App Lock to secure individual apps with a pin and Privacy Advisor to help keep your private data safe from snooping apps. There's even Android Wear integration to alert you if you step too far away from your smartphone. If you enter this week, that handset could be a new Samsung Galaxy Note 5 (32GB, Black Sapphire), along with a year's subscription to Bitdefender's service. Just head down to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning this security app and Android smartphone package. Winner: Congratulations to Vincent T. of Los Angeles, CA!
US and UK spy agencies are exploiting flaws in security software
Those worries that governments are trying to undermine security software? They're well-founded. The Intercept has learned that both the US' National Security Agency and the UK's Government Communications Headquarters have been reverse engineering security software, such as antivirus tools and encryption programs, to look for flaws that can be used in surveillance hacks. Some of the targets in recent years include Kaspersky Lab's security suite (sound familiar?), Acer's eDataSecurity and Exlade's CrypticDisk. GCHQ also deconstructed numerous other commonly available programs, including vBulletin's forum software and popular server management tools.
Panda's antivirus software accidentally tried to eat itself
It wasn't just Apple that had a day to forget yesterday -- Spanish antivirus outfit Panda Security managed to give its products the digital equivalent of lupus. An update to the company's various tools caused the software to think that parts of its own technology was a nefarious attacker. According to users on Reddit, Panda also (incorrectly) put Office, Chrome, Firefox and even Windows Updates on the hit list, wreaking havoc with people's computers.
New Lenovo PCs shipped with factory-installed adware
Buy a new Lenovo computer recently? Well, it looks like it could be infected with some factory-installed adware. Users on the official Lenovo forums started noticing that search results were being injected with sponsored links (like what happens when a machine is infected with typical adware or spyware) as far back as last September, and some even report that sites including Kelley Blue Book and JetBlue wouldn't render properly at all. This apparently isn't the only problem, however. As Facebook engineer Mike Shaver recently discovered, the program at fault, Superfish, appears to install a man-in-the-middle certificate that allows outside parties to take a peek at secure websites you might be visiting, too. Like your bank's, for example.
Chinese government drops foreign security software (update: with limits)
China's government isn't just giving the boot to foreign operating systems; it's doing the same for security software, too. A national procurement agency has dropped Kaspersky and Symantec from its antivirus supplier list, leaving only Chinese companies as options. It's not clear that the move is directly linked to the country's concerns about foreign software being used for espionage. Kaspersky tells Reuters that it's in "conversations with authorities" about the move, but there isn't an official statement on the subject just yet. It wouldn't be shocking if there was a connection, however, since security tools are at the very heart of China's fears. The real surprise is the nature of the targets -- while many would expect China to distrust an American outfit like Symantec, it may be treating a Russian developer (Kaspersky) with a similar level of suspicion. Update: Symantec says the list only applies to "certain types of procurement," and that it's not an out-and-out ban. Still, the company is looking into the report -- and any significant contract losses still represent significant problems.
Symantec declares antivirus 'dead' as it focuses on damage control
Given how hard antivirus software makers push you to sign up, you'd think that business was booming. Far from it, according to Symantec's Brian Dye. He tells the Wall Street Journal that antivirus tools like his company's Norton suite are effectively "dead." The utilities now catch less than half of all attacks, according to the executive -- to him, the focus is on minimizing the damage whenever there's a successful hack or infection.
Blizzard offers WoW and antivirus combo ... in South Africa
Good news! Antivirus maker Kapersky Lab teamed up with Blizzard Entertainment to offer bundle that includes WoW, Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, and Kaspersky Internet Security 2013. Basically, the package is a World of Warcraft Battle Chest plus antivirus package. We think this would be a great package for friends who haven't yet gotten into the game because computer security is awfully important to keeping your WoW account in your hands. Kapersky in particular is designed with gamers in mind with a "game mode" that postpones processor-gobbling scans to free up power for gameplay. The only thing that would make this package better would be if it also included an authenticator, so you really wouldn't have to worry about account security. The only downside to this package? Currently it's only available in South Africa, where it sells for 399 Rand (or about $44). Perhaps if it's successful there, Blizzard will offer similar packages elsewhere, but for now, new players will need to purchase their game of choice and their antivirus software separately. And don't forget your authenticator!
New adware trojan targets OS X users
Adware attacks against OS X are on the rise this year, says a report by anti-virus company Doctor Web. The Russian firm recently discovered another threat, Trojan.Yontoo.1, which has quickly become the most prominent adware trojan attacking Apple desktops and laptops. The trojan worms its way onto your computer through websites that require you to install a plugin to view the content of the site. The most common vector are movie trailer websites that prompt you to install an HD Video player or similar plugin. Instead of a media plugin, unsuspecting users will download the trojan. Trojan.Yontoo.1 then prompts you to install Twit Tube, which is a front for the Yontoo plugin. This plugin is installed as an extension for Firefox, Chrome and Safari browsers. It tracks your browsing and serves up ads on all the websites that you visit. The above image from Doctor Web shows how Apple.com would look when the adware plugin injects its ad into your browser. The best way to avoid this type of infection is to install only known and trusted plugins from reputable sites. If you are not familiar with the plugin, take a few minutes to do a Google search and see what other people have to say about the extension you are prompted to install. If you can't find any details on the plugin, it is best to just avoid it.
Securing Your Mac: A Guide for Reasonable People, Version 1.0
"How do I protect my Mac online? Should I run any 'security' applications on my Mac?" That question arrived several weeks ago via the contact form here at TUAW, and I have been trying to come up with a reasonable answer to it ever since. That question, or a variation of it, comes fairly regularly. Usually the person asking it has switched from Windows to Mac, and has brought with them an expectation that they should run some sort of anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-malware programs. It's easy to be glib and say that the only really safe computer is one that is turned off and locked away. Conventional wisdom would have you believe that Mac users don't care about security, or think they are immune to security problems. That is a myth for everyone except Artie MacStrawman. On the other side, you have tech pundits who have been predicting the "downfall" of Mac security since 2004, and every time there is even the slightest bit of security news, there are plenty who want to jump and point and say "See! We told you Macs were no better than Windows!" Many of those articles and much of the hype about protecting your Mac comes from companies which also happen to sell you protection against these potential harms. The argument generally goes like this: "It is inevitable that Mac OS X will eventually have problems like Windows has, so you should buy one of our programs to protect yourself for when that inevitable day arrives." Ironically, one of the biggest security problems that Mac OS X has faced was the Flashback Trojan in April 2012, and none of the Mac anti-virus companies made much of a big deal about it at the time because none of them caught it before it was already identified as a problem. So What Is a Reasonable Person Supposed to Do? I have spent some time gathering information on what I believe are reasonable steps which will allow you to continue to use your Mac on a regular basis, and which will also protect you in case something does happen of any sort of "malware" whether that is a trojan horse, a virus, spyware, or any such thing. This advice comes to you from a neutral party. I do not have any financial stake in selling you software or services, nor do I believe the myth of the impenetrable computer, no matter what operating system you use. You will notice that many of the suggestions that I make are not specifically about protecting yourself from malware, in fact, a lot of it would apply if all you were worried about was what might happen if your computer was ever lost, stolen, or destroyed in a fire or other disaster. (Oh, and one last bit of prologue: while I did decide to number these so they could be easily referred to, I did not try to come up with a certain number of steps that you should take.) Step 1) Make Backups: Use Time Machine. Telling people to make backups is like telling people to eat better and get more exercise. Almost everyone knows that they should do it, almost everyone believes that they should do it, but far too many people still don't do it. But if you ignore everything else I say, please listen to this: Make backups. There's really no excuse not to make backups on your Mac. Every Mac comes with Time Machine, a built-in backup solution which is as easy as buying a second hard drive and plugging it into your Mac. Time Machine will prompt you to start using it, and will automatically keep things backed up. Using Time Machine is like wearing your seat belt in a car. Just do it, no excuses. Step 2) Make Backups: A Bootable Clone. Time Machine is great, but don't stop there. If you really want to be safe, you should have a clone if your hard drive. A clone is an exact copy of your drive which you can use to boot your computer in case the hard drive dies. You can make one of these using Disk Utility, but I suggest SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner. Using Time Machine and bootable clone is like wearing your seat belt and having insurance. It's just a good idea. Extra Credit: If your house or apartment burned down tomorrow while you were away, would it take out your computer and your backup? What if someone broke it and stole your computer and backup drive? For these reasons, people often suggest having an off-site backup. There are several ways you can do this. The simplest path to offsite backup is making two clones of your drive, and bringing one somewhere like your office or a friend's house. OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion also makes it easier to alternate drives for Time Machine, allowing you to rotate drives in and out at will. Either way, you'd have a copy of your data locally and one someplace else. But both of those approaches require you to update those backups periodically and physically move the drives around. A more hands-off solution would be something like BackBlaze or CrashPlan or Mozy or Carbonite or JungleDisk or another app that does real-time, off-site backups. CrashPlan actually allows you to "buddy up" with a friend or family member who has a high-speed Internet connection; you back up to a spare drive at their house, and they can do the same at your place. Step 3) Use Dropbox for your most important files. Dropbox isn't a backup system per se, but it does have a few things to offer that can be quite helpful when dealing with computer security. The first is that as soon as you save a document to your Dropbox folder (or any of its sub-folders) it is immediately copied to the Dropbox website. That means that in a matter of seconds, there is an off-site backup copy. If you are working on a file at 10:15 a.m. and spill your coffee on your laptop at 10:20 a.m. Dropbox is the best chance you have of getting an up-to-date copy of that file. Likewise, if some sort of a security breach affected your computer and corrupted or deleted your files, Dropbox can help here too. First of all, Dropbox keeps all revisions of a file going back 30 days. Using the Dropbox web interface, you can go back and compare versions, and find the last safe, clean copy of an infected file. Dropbox will also let you restore files which have been deleted in the past 30 days as well. (There's an add-on service called pack-rat which will let you recover files beyond 30 days -- indefinitely, in fact.) File corruption can be a much more difficult problem to solve than file deletion. Being able to easily compare versions is a significant feature. Apple's Time Machine can do that as well, but by default it only runs once per hour, and a file you are actively working on may have been changed many times during that hour. Dropbox and Security: Some people might object to recommending Dropbox as a security feature because what you are doing is copying a file to a 3rd party where it could (theoretically) be compromised by a security leak at Dropbox. To me, it comes down to a matter of trade-offs. First of all, I don't have anything that would quality as "state secrets" in my Dropbox. My most important confidential information is stored in 1Password, which is encrypted on disk before being sent to Dropbox and is protected by what I consider to be a very secure master password (based on the information I learned by reading Toward Better Master Passwords and Better Master Passwords: The geek edition). Secondly, I consider accidental deletion or data corruption (or a hard drive crash) as much more likely than someone breaking into Dropbox to get at my files. Dropbox works for me because I don't have to think about it, it just runs, automatically, all of the time, on all of my computers. A reasonable person might decide to encrypt sensitive files locally before saving them to Dropbox. (You can do this for free with Disk Utility and an encrypted disk image, or use something like Knox.) You can also achieve similar sync-to-the-cloud results with Google Drive, SkyDrive, SugarSync or Dolly Drive. Step 4) Be Careful Where You Get Your Software. Now we are moving beyond the realm of backups and multiple copies of files and getting into computer security from malware. The most likely way that some sort of malware will get installed on your computer is by someone (or you) installing it, thinking that they are installing something else. If I can write a program and convince you to run it and enter your password when prompted, I can do pretty much anything to your computer. If you find a program through BitTorrent which claims to be some high-end software for OS X that you want but don't want to buy (or can't afford), you might be tempted to download and install it. You might tell yourself that you aren't going to use it often enough to justify buying it, or maybe you want to try it out before you decide to buy it. Whatever the reason, the problem is that you don't really know what you're installing. It might be a "safe" version of a cracked program, or it might be a program that will also install some other kind of malware on your computer alongside of the program that you think you are getting. Once you start installing software from an untrustworthy source, you're setting yourself up for trouble. So what is a reasonable person to do? Use the Mac App Store Apple promotes the Mac App Store as a safe place to buy and install software. Many applications are available for free, and overall the price of software these days is incredibly low for what you get. While no system is 100% foolproof, the odds of downloading some sort of malware from the Mac App Store are extremely remote. Use trusted third-party software. The downside to the Mac App Store is that Apple has placed so many restrictions on what apps can do, that many excellent, useful, trustworthy applications just are not available on the Mac App Store. I download and install third-party software all of the time, and I do so with confidence because I take what I consider to be reasonable precautions. Starting in OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion), Apple introduced Gatekeeper which is designed to be another layer of protection against malware. By default, Gatekeeper will only allow you to run applications from the Mac App Store or from "identified developers" who have paid US$100 for a developer license and cryptographically signed their software to make sure that it hasn't been tampered with. Macworld has a good article explaining what Gatekeeper is and isn't. It is possible for a malicious developer to develop a malicious program, sign up for Apple's developer program and distribute that program on their website. However, the chances of that seem relatively slim. What is much more likely is that you might find a piece of software that you want to run, and see a warning that it is from an unknown developer. You might choose to open it anyway. This is where things start to get more difficult because there are legitimate apps out there which are made by legitimate developers who have not cryptographically signed their software. It may be that the software is a few years old and was developed before Gatekeeper was introduced. It may be that the developer made the app in his/her spare time and didn't feel like paying Apple for a developer certificate. A reasonable person has to weigh the potential consequences and likelihood of this application being some sort of malware. Has the app been reviewed by a reputable Mac-related website? Is it a well-known app? Be careful of any software which arrives via email or on some random tucked-away page on a web forum, etc. Step 5) Read first, install last. Perhaps the most important thing you can do to protect yourself is to stay up-to-date on Mac news. A story about an actual Mac malware problem is going to be very widely-reported. This does not mean that you need to refresh your browser or RSS feeds every 15 minutes, or that you need to read every Mac-related site out there. But take a quick glance through the headlines each day to stay informed. This goes along with checking for reviews of software that you are considering installing. Or try a simple search for the application and look for reviews from sites you've heard of before, like TUAW. As a corollary to that point: don't be the first one to try every new app that comes out. Let tech writers risk their computers. If you find something brand new, bookmark it and make yourself some reminder to check it out in a day or two. 999,999 times out of 1,000,000 it's going to be just fine, but Not Being First might be your best chance of not being that unlucky "one in the million." Do You Need Anti-Malware Software for Mac today? My answer is no. Is it possible that at some point in the future, Mac OS X users will need to run real-time anti-virus and/or anti-spyware software? Yes. It is likely? No. Mac security software has not shown itself capable of catching new attacks in real-time, and there are not many attacks to be protected against. If you insist on running anti-malware software for Mac, try either ClamXav or Sophos. Pick one but not both. Running two of these kinds of programs will cause far more problems than either one will solve. Just remember, whenever you read a claim that Mac malware is either an unavoidable inevitability (or a current reality), check to see if the person who wrote the article sells Mac security software. Use the tools Apple provides. Apple gained a reputation for not being overly concerned with security, but that seems to be slowly changing. They have published a page of security features in Mac OS X 10.8 called Safety. Built right in. There are several built-in features that you can control as well: Mac OS X has a firewall built-in. Go to System Preferences » Security & Privacy and see if it is enabled. (Your router may also have a firewall built-in.) While you are in System Preferences, look under "Sharing" and turn off anything that doesn't need to be on. Safer Safari There are several changes that you can make to Safari to make it safer. First, go to Preferences » General and uncheck the box next to "Open 'Safe' files after downloading." You may remember that browser security has most often been compromised through Adobe Flash, such that a security contest winner gave this advice: "The main thing is not to install Flash!". Java was also a recent security hole on OS X. It is possible to disable both Plugins and Java by going into the Safari Security Preferences, and unchecking the boxes shown here: I don't find myself needing Java in Safari all that often, so I find it simple to disable that altogether. I also regularly disable plugins, but I'm not sure I would go so far as to say that is a reasonable step for most people. Many would probably find it frustrating and annoying. Instead, I would encourage you to consider using the ClickToPlugin & ClickToFlash Safari extensions which will prevent plugins from running automatically but which let you run them when you want. That seems to be a much more reasonable and balanced approach. A Reasonable Protection If you made it to the end, I have a bonus suggestion which I think offers the best balance between practicality and security in protecting yourself from future malware threats. To understand how this tool works, you have to understand the system that Apple uses to launch programs (either visible apps or background daemons) whenever you reboot your computer and/or log into your computer. For example, when I log in, several applications start right away. I can see some of these by going to System Preferences » Users & Groups and then selecting my user account and 'Login Items' as shown here: But those are only some of the applications and daemons that run automatically. OS X has several different folders which can be used to auto-launch programs via the launchd system: ~/Library/LaunchAgents /Library/StartupItems /Library/LaunchAgents /Library/LaunchDaemons /System/Library/LaunchAgents /System/Library/LaunchDaemons /System/Library/StartupItems I checked those folders on my computer and found there were over 400 entries. That does not concern me at all, because not all of those programs are running, and the ones that are running provide some kind of service or benefit. However, this is also the most likely place that a piece of malware would try to hide. What do most people do if their computer starts acting strangely? Chances are good that they will reboot it. So if you were trying to get some kind of malicious software on someone's computer, the first thing you would try to do is make sure that if someone reboots their computer, your software will start up again. In fact, to avoid detection you might not want your program to do anything at first except make sure that it will start up when the computer is rebooted. Therefore, a good way to protect yourself is to keep an eye on these various auto-launch tools, and be notified whenever something is added to them. The tricky part is making sure that you don't overreact just because something happens in one of those folders. Chances are good that you had no idea those 400+ things existed, and none of them were malicious. Computers do a lot of good things in the background that we don't want to be constantly bothered with knowing about. Think about this sort of like you think about your basement or storage area in your house: you might have a lot of stuff in there, and you might not even need to care about most of it, but you would want to know if someone put something in your basement without your knowledge. The folks at CIRCL (Computer Incident Response Center Luxembourg) created a free tool to detect when something has been added to the automatic launch settings for OS X. You can download it at http://www.circl.lu/pub/tr-08/ and it will give you an alert whenever something is added to one of those folders. More detailed information about using that tool is available at MacFixIt. As long as you remember that this system is detecting all activity not just malicious activity then this could be a very powerful "early warning" tool. Because it is only checking a few, very specific places, it should not add any noticeable performance drain on your computer, unlike many other anti-malware tools. It is not a 100% guarantee of protection, but it is a very good reasonable precaution to make. Don't Panic, Do Plan Despite warnings of the "inevitability" of malware on the Mac, the reality has been a very limited sphere of trouble. That doesn't mean that you should ignore the possibility of there ever being problems, but right now there just is not much that I can recommend for proactive protection beyond backups, caution, and common sense. I have labeled this guide "Version 1.0" because it may need to be updated in the future, but this represent the most reasonable balance, in my opinion, for the reality of today's Mac user. Version history: 2012/12/01 -- Minor typographical edits. Amended backup section to note multi-volume Time Machine, CrashPlan buddy backup. Amended sync section (Dropbox) to cite other sync vendors.
Verizon intros Mobile Security app for Android, wants to keep you safe
McAfee's been offering mobile protection services on Android for a while now, but Verizon's taking it a step further and bringing an application tailored specifically for its own customers with help from the Intel-owned outfit. The Mobile Security app -- which is also powered by Asurion -- aims to assist the Big Red crowd by protecting their devices from many "digital and physical threats," giving Android (2.1 or later) users the ability to lock, set up alarms, wipe data and locate handsets remotely. As it stands, Verizon's splitting the Mobile Security utility into three different setups, including a free-of-charge Basic, the Premium for $2 per month and, for those who want to be extra careful, a Premium with Total Equipment Coverage that adds a $1 monthly charge to the current TEC fees. We'll let your levels of paranoia decide whether or not you actually need any of these -- but alas, the link is down below for folks interested in checking out the shielding app.
Malware invades Apple's App Store for iOS, only harasses Windows users
Windows users can't catch a break with viruses, even when they're getting software for their Apple device. An app called "Instaquotes Quotes Cards for Instagram" was found to contain a worm called "Worm.VB-900," which isn't a threat to iOS itself or any other MacOS platform. However, users who tend to their apps with a Windows machine are susceptible to the baddie -- also known affectionately as Mal/CoiDung-A. Any antimalware should detect it since it's been up to no good since 2009, but Cupertino has already pulled the app and the vendor is working on a virus-free version. Just goes to show -- if you're on a PC, it pays to watch out for worms when you bite into a strange Apple.
Kapersky "disappointed" he can't sell AV software on iOS
Security wonk Eugene Kaspersky is not happy with Apple, since the company won't let his eponymous antivirus firm develop antivirus software for iOS devices. Speaking to The Register, Kaspersky went so far as to say "That will mean disaster for Apple," since malware targeting the mobile operating system will "inevitably" strike iOS at some point in time. Kaspersky admits that iOS is "by design ... more secure" than other operating systems. His infection vector of choice is to place the malware into the source code of legal software that has to be downloaded from the App Store, as it is "almost impossible to develop malware which does not use vulnerabilities." Kaspersky goes on to say that an infection of this sort will "be the worst-case scenario because there will be no protection. The Apple SDK won't let us do it." That will, in the Russian's opinion, result in a loss of market share for Apple and a huge boost for Android -- an operating system he's happy with since it is less secure and he can develop security software for. He's so sure of the demise of iOS because of malware that he's made bets with friends stating that Android will have an 80% market share by 2015. That's one bet we hope he loses.
Kaspersky Lab: Apple is '10 years behind Microsoft' on security
Kaspersky founder and CEO Eugene Kaspersky told Computer Business Review that malware targeting the Mac is beginning to grow and Apple needs to take notice. The CEO said Apple is "ten years behind Microsoft in terms of security," and asserts that Apple must change its approach towards security soon. He said, Apple "will have to make changes in terms of the cycle of updates and so on and will be forced to invest more into their security audits for the software." I don't have any doubt that Apple will be able to plug holes that may be discovered in OS X or third-party software, just like it did with the latest Flashback exploit that targeted a Java vulnerability.
Kaspersky Lab: Macs not invulnerable to malware
The writing is on the wall. Our time of innocence is gone. Researchers from Kaspersky Labs claim Mac market share has finally reached the critical point, and the platform is now an attractive target for online criminals. Kaspersky told Ars Technica and other press on Thursday that, "Mac users can expect "more drive-by downloads, more Mac OS X mass-malware, and more cross-platform exploit kits with Mac-specific exploits." It's not all doom and gloom. Infections in the wild are still sparse, and Apple may slow the spread of future threats with the introduction of Gatekeeper in Mac OS X Mountain Lion. Among other things, Gatekeeper will prevent users from "unknowingly downloading and installing malicious software." If you don't want to wait for Gatekeeper, there's also several good antivirus solutions like Avast and Sophos that are available now for Mac users to download.
McAfee updates Mobile Security to 2.0, keeps you protected on the go (video)
If you tend to exercise a bit more caution when using your mobile machine, we imagine you'll welcome McAfee's Mobile Security 2.0 with open arms. The Intel-owned security connoisseur has just introduced its refreshed apps, designed to protect Android handsets and slates, along with BlackBerry and Symbian smartphones. All users can take advantage of features such as Complete Anti-virus, Anti-spyware, Anti-phishing Protection, Call and SMS Filtering, while Android owners can also try out App Protection, which is said to interpret "how apps are accessing and possibly transmitting personal data," in order to keep your privacy under control. If you've been a paranoid -- or smart -- user since the first release, then the update will come at no cost, while those of you looking to jump aboard the secured ship for the first time will need to fork over the $29.99 subscription fee. You'll find all the details you need in the press release just past the break.
Windows Defender beta gains 'offline' functionality, can run sans-OS
PC users have been using Windows Defender to free themselves from the bane of viruses, malware and spyware for quite a while, but until now, you've needed Microsoft's OS running for it to do its work. That changes with a new beta, which creates bootable CDs or USB sticks that can run the utility. Those interested can begin by downloading the Windows Defender Offline Tool, which'll prompt you for either of those mediums and then install around 300MB of virus hating bits. And remember, because you're statically downloading an almanac of today's viruses, doesn't mean you'll be ready for those tomorrow, so those taking the plunge better remember to stay up to date.
DevilRobber now "improved", still nasty malware threat
We previously told you about DevilRobber and what sort of unsavory things it can do to (and with) your Mac. (In case you don't click over to read the article, here's the scoop: it's bad. Real bad.) Back in the day (November 1st), it was a Trojan horse and sent a little of your personal info off to some far flung servers. But CNet is reporting the new version has mutated, and now it tries to grab your Terminal history and system logs. This new "improved" version can be picked up by downloading Pixelmator from someplace that is not the Mac App Store (currently the only place to legitimately get a copy). But the fun doesn't end there! It also tries (but does not succeed at) making off with information stored in your 1Password data file. CNet's story makes it sound like DevilRobber can actually do something with that file, but in reality that data is safe, as confirmed by Agile themselves. They have a nice writeup on their site about all of this and the steps you can take to make extra super sure your data is safe. This is also another of those opportunities we here at TUAW occasionally take to remind you that malware is bad but real, and you DO need to protect yourself. Remember "Macs don't get viruses" is just as accurate as "Macs don't have any good games" (which is to say not accurate at all), and protection is ridiculously easy. Get yourself a nice antivirus utility and spend a little time with Little Snitch to make sure nothing suspicious is being sent from your machine, and that should help you avoid a lot of problems.
