Brace for email-attachment malware spree
Malicious email attackers are fine tuning their methods between assaults, security vendor says.

Network World - A sizeable spike in malicious email attachments is just subsiding, but if history is any indicator, several smaller spikes are about to follow that use even more deceptive means than their predecessors.

The recent surge, fueled in large part by a flood of phony messages from UPS, is similar to one observed at the end of March in that the messages urge recipients to open an attachment that releases the malware on victims' machines, according to Internet security firm Commtouch.

The earlier wave used a wider variety of package-delivery services as senders, including FedEx and DHL, but the latest outbreak employs a wider variety of messages such as, "Dear client, recipient's address is wrong", "Dear User, Delivery Confirmation: FAILED", and "Dear Client, We are not able to delivery [sic] the postal package", according to the Commtouch blog.

All the messages then instruct the recipient to open the attachment that contains the malware, claiming it is an invoice or a form that needs to be filled out. "This time we see differences in the style of the emails - there is far more variation in the automatically-generated subjects, body and attachment names. Last time all the attachments were "UPS.exe" - this time there are many variations," says Avi Turiel, director of product marketing at Commtouch in an email.

The attackers will evaluate the success of the attack by finding out how many recipients activated the malware, "Based on the infections vs. malware sent out they will probably try and figure out what they could improve in the next attack," he says.

The most recent spike saw malicious-attachment email jump from 814 million on Aug. 6 to 15.2 billion on Aug. 12, Turiel says. He says that after the March assault, his company observed a rollercoaster pattern of several, gradually decreasing spikes. "The fading effect is basically a reflection of global email systems learning to reject the emails. The malware writers will perceive this since they will gradually see fewer infections," he says.

Helpful tips to avoid fraud in the real and cyber worlds.

1.Do not sign the back of yourcredit cards. Instead, put 'PHOTO ID REQUIRED.'

2. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts,DO NOT put the complete account numberon the 'For' line. Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number, and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check processing channels won't have access to it.

3. Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a PO Box use that instead of your home address. If you do not have a PO Box, use your work address.Never have your SS# printed on your checks. You can add it if it is necessary. But if you have it printed, anyone can get it.

4. Place the contents of your wallet on photocopy machine. Do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place.

5. We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately. But the key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them.

6. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc., were stolen. This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation.

7.Call the 3 national credit reporting organizationsimmediately to place a fraud alert on your name and also call the Social Security fraud line number.


1.) Equifax: 1-800-525-6285 1-800-525-6285

2.) Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742 1-888-397-3742

3.) Trans Union : 1-800-680 7289 1-800-680 7289

4.) Social Security Administration (fraud line):

1-800-269-0271 1-800-269-0271

How to Stop Cybercrooks: Take Their Pals to Court

By Noah Shachtman Wired Magazine July 26, 2011 Excerpts:

The best way to stop the tide of global cybercrime may be to sue the pants off of the hosting companies and Internet Service Providers Online that are backing the crooks.

Top U.S. officials keep bleating about a digital “Pearl Harbor.” But if we’re not careful, the internet could be in danger of looking like the South Bronx, circa 1989 – a place where crooks hold such sway that honest people find it hard to live or work there.

But there are ways to begin sidelining these crooks. First and foremost: Target the relatively small number of companies that support this massive criminal underground. There are more than 5,000 Internet service providers around the globe; according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, half the world’s spam traffic comes from just 50 ISPs. A recent study of mass e-mail campaigns showed that three payment companies processed 95 percent of the money those scams generated. When the Silicon Valley-based McColo hosting company was taken down, worldwide spam dropped 65 percent overnight.

These companies facilitate criminal enterprises, whether knowingly or not. And, unlike the criminals themselves — who hide behind disposable e-mail addresses and encrypted communications — it’s no mystery who these firms are. The independent research group HostExploit, for example, publishes a list of the worst of the worst hosting companies and networks.

Yet Internet Service Providers and carrier networks that move data across the globe continue to do business with these crooked firms. There’s no economic incentive to do otherwise. After all, the hosting company that caters to crooks also has legitimate customers, and both pay for internet access.

So here’s my idea for providing that incentive — turn the criminal ecosystem on the scammers and thieves. We should enable victims of cybercrime to sue the worst of the worst hosting companies for the damage their crooked customers cause. Here’s how it might work:

Take an independent list of bad hosts, like HostExploit’s.

Once the roster is published, a listed company would have some time (two weeks, say) to either drop their illicit customers — or explain why it doesn’t belong in the rogues gallery.

If the company complies (or explains itself sufficiently), then it is granted safe harbor from any lawsuit that might arise from the harm generated by the spammers, phishers, or botnet herders it once helped.

If the hosting company fails to comply, however, it becomes open to liability lawsuits. The company has already been warned that it’s facilitating harmful activities and given a chance to correct its negligent behavior.

If that same company ignores the warnings and appears on the worst-of-the-worst list again, the firm’s ISP should also be liable. (Of course, the provider should be given at least as much time and opportunity to address the problem.)

There is a new website that can help you opt-out of targeted advertising. Very easy to use. The tool will automatically scan your browser for advertising cookies and then allow you to opt-out of some or all. Its FREE.

From their website:

"Welcome to the consumer opt out page for the Self-Regulatory Program for Online Behavioral Advertising. Our participating companies are committed to transparency and choice.

Some of the ads you receive on Web pages are customized based on predictions about your interests generated from your visits over time and across different Web sites. This type of ad customization — sometimes called "online behavioral" or "interest-based" advertising — is enabled through your computer browser and browser cookies. Such online advertising helps support the free content, products and services you get online.

Using the tools on this page, you can opt out from receiving interest-based advertising from some or all of our participating companies.

Find out which participating companies have currently enabled customized ads for your browser;
See all the participating companies on this site and learn more about their advertising and privacy practices;
Check whether you've already opted out from participating companies;
Opt out of browser-enabled interest-based advertising by some or all participating companies, using opt-out cookies to store your preferences in your browser; or
Use the "Choose All Companies" feature to opt out from all currently participating companies in one step. GO"


http://www.aboutads.info/choices/

Free tools eveyone should have and use are:

Revo Uninstaller:
Where the built-in and sluggish Windows Add or Remove Programs option fails, freeware Revo picks up the slack. It builds out a useful feature set on top of a fairly light, 1.5MB installation.

CCleaner:
Will clean up all the unnecessary files Windows software accumulates and slows down your computer. Just download, install, and click analyze.

CNET downloads provides a safe place to download software programs.

the Erie County District Attorney High Tech Crime Unit will be offering tips to keep home computer users safe while travelling the Internet.