anti-virus
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Is the background downloader a virus?
According to MVP Schwick on the EU forums, several different anti-virus scanners have started detecting the Blizzard background downloader and some patch files as malware. With as much trouble as you can get into with certain kinds of malware, this sort of alert would be bound to panic anyone. However, this one has been confirmed by Blizzard as a false alarm. For now, be sure to download the latest updates to your anti-virus scanner, and if it detects any of the following, it's likely a false positive: Trojan-PSW.Win32.WOW R/PSW.WOW.RG.3 Trojan horse PSW.Generic4.TUV However, if, after upgrading your anti-virus software, you're still getting virus messages? Report it on the tech support forums. As Blizzard EU rep Torzelyn says:Updating the Virus Scanners is removing the Trojan alert, but if your particular scanner is still flagging it as a trojan, please don't patch the game just yet. I'm sorry but I'm just wanting to be cautious. Although it appears to be a false positive, as with Kaspersky, AntiVir etc.. updating the definitions is solving the problem, I don't want to just say 'use the files' because there could still be a problem somewhere.[Via BlizzPlanet]
Danger Will Robinson!
I saw this screen shot last night on the WoW LJ community, and I have to admit, it took me by surprise. This is the first time I've ever actually seen the World of Warcraft launcher/load screen come out and point-blank warn people about the presence of Trojans on their machines. As there are a lot of variants of this particular Trojan out in the wild, that specific name doesn't surprise me.Considering the fact that two Blue accounts were recently compromised, it looks like it's a good time to once again make sure your systems are patched, your virus scanners are up to date, and that you've got some good lines of defense against these Trojans. (Personally, I'm a huge fan of FireFox and some of the browser extensions that have come out for it.) Or, as some of my friends have told me, I could just get a Mac, and not have to worry so much about these kinds of things either. I keep telling them I'll happily switch when they buy me one.
How to protect your system from keyloggers [Updated]
It's raid night. You've farmed your mats, topped off your repair fun and loaded up on pizza and cola. But for some reason you can't log on. You're sure you typed in the right password, but no go. You IM you guildie: "Are the servers down? I can't get in." His reply sends chills down your spine: "We just saw you at the bank. Why was your toon naked?"Years of hard work gone. Someone else accessed your account and stripped your main of all his gold, bank items and tradable equipment. "But I don't give my password to anyone!" you wail. You don't have to, the keylogger program knows it anyway.What's a keylogger? It's a small, virus-type program that can accidentally be installed on your computer. How might a keylogger be installed on your system? Visiting an untrustworthy web site. Some sites may have code in them that exploit your web browser and cause it to quietly install a keylogging application without your permission. (Note: even turstworthy sites can be hacked! The same hackers who are after your information can hack what you think of as trustworthy sites and add exploit code to them which could give you a keylogger.) Downloading addons (or other files) from an untrustworthy site. Any executable file you download could contain a keylogger or virus, so before you download a file, be sure you're downloading it from a source you trust! Once a keylogger gets installed, it starts recording every keystroke you make. And when you type in your account name and password for your WoW account, it captures that, too. The next time you access the Internet, it sends your private information to the hackers who use it to log into WoW and strip all your characters of everything valuable leaving you with a penniless toon wearing nothing but his trousers.This all sounds pretty scary, but don't worry -- there are ways to protect yourself from keylogging programs!
Kaspersky Anti-Virus Mobile 2.0 arrives in beta
If you haven't found an anti-virus solution yet for your Symbian phone, and the mere thought of a piece of malicious code wreaking havoc on your contact list or private pics sends you spiraling into despair, then you might want to give the new Kaspersky Anti-Virus Mobile 2.0 a look-see. Along with your everyday virus blocking, the software works to stop SMS and MMS spam, and can receive regular updates via WAP or HTTP. Currently in beta, the software runs on S60 phones with 6.1, 7.0, 8.0, or 8.1 versions of the OS, but UIQ and Windows Mobile versions should be out for the second beta.
Symantec responds to security issue
Symantec is aware of the flaw that is in almost all of their software (that's gotta hurt) and the most recent virus definitions include a 'heuristic detection for potential exploits of the Symantec decomposer RAR archive vulnerability.'What the heck does that mean? The vulnerability can only be exploited if your copy of Norton scans a RAR file that has been crafted in such a way as to trigger a buffer overload. The update makes sure that your copy of Norton can detect these naughty files without falling prey to their naughtiness, for lack of a better word.They have also posted instructions on how to setup your anti-virus software to skip over scanning .rar files. Definitely worth checking out if you are running any Symantec anti-virus products.
Norton AV for OS X makes a Mac less secure
Ah the beautiful irony: last Tuesday, as many of us were getting ready for family and the holidays, Symantec admitted that a serious security flaw has affected about 40 of their products, including all versions of Norton Anti-Virus (NAV) for OS X. Symantec calls this a 'high risk' vulnerability that could allow a remote user to gain control of a computer, even a Mac, that's running any of their affected software. I haven't seen anything about a solution for either side of the fence yet, so if you're crazy for security I don't envy the dilemma a situation like this might put you in. An up-to-date and patched copy of OS X is widely hailed to be pretty secure these days (so run Software Update - regularly!), but the ZDNet Australia article that we found this in poses the important security question pretty well: "As the owner of a Powerbook I am faced with a dilemma. Do I pay AU$118.15 for a flawed 'security' application that is designed to protect me from threats that do not seem to exist; or do I take sensible precautions like keeping my computer behind a firewall and staying up to date with OS X patches?"No matter which side of the OS X security/virus/malware debate you stand on, a situation like this undeniably brings these topics back into light with a new perspective. Feel free to discuss in the comments, but keep it clean; don't make me come in there and separate you.
