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34 major tech companies are uniting to fight cyberattacks
Cyberattacks are a global issue that can cause havoc regardless of who's involved, and key members of the tech industry are uniting in a bid to fight these attacks. A group of 34 companies has signed the Cybersecurity Tech Accord, an agreement promising to defend customers around the world from hacks regardless of where they take place or who the perpetrator might be. They're promising to boost defenses for customers (including users' capacity to defend themselves), establish more partnerships to share threats and vulnerabilities, and -- importantly -- refuse to assist governments in launching cyberattacks.
When China hoards its hackers everyone loses
They say you don't notice something good until it's gone. With China's decision to restrict its information security researchers from participating in global hacking competitions, we're about to see what that looks like on the global "zero day" stage.
ASUS blew a hole in its newest wireless router
Wireless routers have for years taken the form of ugly black rectangles that we've habitually tried to bury behind our TVs and bookshelves. ASUS is hoping that you'll think differently about the Blue Cave, its new WiFi router that looks like an electric pencil sharpener on human growth hormone. The device with a hole is an AC2600 dual-band WiFi router that the company says can handle enough connections to cope with your growing home.
Homeland Security urges you to uninstall QuickTime on Windows
The Department of Homeland Security is echoing Trend Micro's advice to uninstall QuickTime if you have it on your Windows computer. While the multimedia program's working just fine, the security firm has discovered two new critical vulnerabilities lurking within it that could allow remote attackers to take over your system. Unfortunately, they might never be patched up: Trend Micro says Apple will no longer release security updates for the Windows version of the software, hence the call to jettison it completely.
Trend Micro anti-virus software leaves users open to attack
When they're not working on their own projects, Google engineers often focus on highlighting potential issues with software delivered by others. We've already seen bug hunter Tavis Ormandy expose a vulnerability in AVG's Chrome security add-on, but he's now also found an exploit in another popular virus scanner: Trend Micro. According to Ormandy's security disclosure, a weakness in Trend Micro's Password Manager, which is automatically installed alongside the main scanner on Windows machines, let attackers execute commands and launch programs on unsuspecting users' PCs. He also pointed out that all saved passwords on the machine could be read as a result.
Hackers are attacking US gas stations
After a gas station monitoring system was hacked earlier this year, Trend Micro researchers Kyle Wilhoit and Stephen Hilt decided to take a closer look. They set up fake internet-connected systems called "GasPots" -- honeypots that mimic the real ones -- in several countries to track hackers' movements. Turns out gas monitors are never safe: the researchers observed a number of attacks on their GasPots within a period of six months, with US-based ones being the most targeted. Some instances were clearly for reconnaissance purposes as they were merely automated scanners pinging the monitors. Others were more intrusive, with the hackers changing GasPot names to something else. Once, they changed it to "SEAcannngo," presumably to represent the Syrian Electronic Army, which denied any involvement to Motherboard.
BlackBerry gets help from Trend Micro in the fight against malware
In the race to the starting line, BlackBerry pulled out all the stops in order to deliver an app library that's 70,000 strong, but now the firm's looking to Trend Micro in an effort to keep malicious software at bay. Specifically, the phone maker will begin scanning all current and future BlackBerry World apps with the Trend Micro Mobile Application Reputation Service, a cloud-based solution that'll exist alongside BlackBerry's current security measures. In addition to scanning the code of an app, the service will watch for fishy behavior such as excess battery drain and abnormal resource consumption. Alongside this announcement, BlackBerry also hinted about a service from Trend Micro that scans URLs, emails and files for potential threats. It's currently unclear whether implementation of this service would require some form of software update, but given the privacy implications at play, it'll be interesting to learn whether end users can disable the feature. Power to the people, right?
Trend Micro says iOS a 'more secure platform' than Android
Verizon customers and others who are picking up iPhones and iPads can rest assured that their shiny new iOS devices are going to be less likely than Android smartphones and tablets to pick up viruses and malware. In a recent interview in Taipei, Trend Micro chairman Steve Chang said that Google's Android operating system is more susceptible to hacker attacks and viruses than iOS. Chang ought to know; his company is the leader in security software for corporate servers. Chang noted that Android, which is an open-source operating system, makes it easy for hackers to "understand the underlying architecture and source code." He went on to say that Apple's sandbox concept "isolates the platform, which prevents certain viruses that want to replicate themselves or decompose and recompose to avoid virus scanners." That doesn't mean that iOS devices won't get hit with viruses or other malware in the future. Chang commented that iOS devices could be compromised by social-engineering attacks, in which users are scammed into downloading or installing malicious software. Trend Micro makes security products for both the Android and iOS platforms. Their free Smart Surfing app for iPhone and iPad is a web browser that calls upon the company's Web Reputation technology to block users from visiting malicious web pages. [via Electronista]
Better safe than sorry? Trend Micro Smart Surfing for Mac
Earlier this week, PC security app vendor Trend Micro announced a new product aimed at Mac users. Smart Surfing for Mac (US$69.95 per user per year) provides antivirus, anti-spyware, anti-rootkit, and web threat protection, and also has a two-way firewall built in. This, of course, brings up the old debate for Mac users. On the one hand, our 10% of the personal computing market is virtually free of the virus and malware attacks that plague the Windows world. On the other hand, should you be concerned enough to consider purchasing protection that might be overkill?Some of the features of Smart Surfing for Mac could be very useful for users who might otherwise be in danger of certain nefarious schemes. For example, it blocks visits to dangerous websites and has anti-phishing capabilities. While I know enough to check the real URL of links in emails by simply hovering my cursor above them, there are a frightening number of people who don't do this and who are at real risk of phishing scams. Parents might like Smart Surfing for Mac for their kids, as it restricts access by content categories, controls IM access, and also lets you block certain websites.Are products like Smart Surfing for Mac expensive overkill, or are they cheap insurance against the remote chance of actually getting hit with a Mac virus, malware, or a scam? Let's hear your opinion in the comments section!
PSP firmware 5.50 arrives to fulfill your every subfolder exploration need
There's a new PSP update in town, so hold onto your calloused thumbs. Firmware 5.50 borrows the PS3's XMB "Information Board" (pictured) for getting PlayStation and PlayStation Store news wherever you've got WiFi and a yearning, and there's also a games information search that works straight from the XMB as well. The update also brings the incredibly tardy ability to browse Memory Stick sub-folders for media, and Trend Micro Security and Safety for protecting the browser from malicious sites and protecting kids from adult content. It's not a landmark update, but it's something.[Via PSP Fanboy; thanks Allan M.]
New Mac OS X malware - OSX_LAMZEV.A
Computer security company Trend Micro is reporting that a new Mac OS X malware application is making the rounds. The application, called OSX_LAMZEV.A, gives hackers a way to take control of infected Macs. This is the second report of Mac OS X malware this week.This is not a virus, and users must actually launch the app for it to install its payload. Once running, the app also asks which firewall port it can use. Trend Micro reports that "Mac users may be infected when they access remote websites hosting this backdoor. The backdoor may also be disguised as a legitimate application and may be installed and executed on systems."Many Mac OS X-based malware seems to be similar in nature, requiring users to actually launch the installer and give it permission to install the payload. Unlike Windows-based malware, you shouldn't need to install any anti-malware apps to annoy you and slow down your Mac. Just make sure to follow the basic rules of Internet safety -- don't install applications that aren't legitimate or visit Web sites that you don't trust.For more details, be sure to visit the Trend Micro Virus Encyclopedia.
