Graham Cluley Quotations

People who buy medicines marketed via spam messages are not only encouraging the spammers to send more of their nuisance emails, but are also potentially putting their lives at risk. Daniel Lin is unlikely to be sending any more spam, but there are plenty of other spammers out there prepared to make a quick buck with their unwanted marketing messages. All computer users should defend their email addresses with up-to-date anti-spam software, and remember to never buy goods marketed via spam.

Newspapers and internet message boards are full of conspiracy theories as to how Slobodan Milosevic may have met his end, and this Trojan horse exploits interest in the breaking news story in an attempt to fool people into infection.

If we joined, we couldn't share any identifying information about MARA members, so if we found someone in the group publishing virus source code, or co-authoring articles with known virus writers, we couldn't divulge that information.

Many users will be used to receiving dodgy sounding business propositions in their inbox, promising them a fortune. These schemes, however, only make money for the criminals behind them.

Sick criminals are deliberately using the mining disaster in an attempt to steal from others, without a thought for the families of the victims, who have surely been through enough anguish. Everyone should be wary of emails such as these, as it is a common trick used by fraudsters to steal money and bank account information.

Given more time, Sober.z would have dominated the chart, but its emergence in late November prevented it from taking pole position.

I am also curious to see whether Microsoft will release its own anti-virus software with the service pack.

Globally, we have a grand total of zero reports of damage.

Fortunately, you don't need special antivirus or security software for MP3s. If your antivirus is current, there won't be any damage, because the scanner will catch it.

But there are still a lot escaping justice.

Hackers are in a race against time to infect as many computers as possible through the WMF security hole before companies have a chance to put the patch in place. Everyone should apply the patch as soon as possible, and defend their networks with up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spam software.

There is going to be a real growth in 'pump and dump' spam.

Receiving or reading the emails themselves does not mean you are infected.

People who receive this viral email won't necessarily believe that it was intended for them or their company, of course, but they may wish to advise the apparent sender that they have sent the message to the wrong person. If anyone opens the attached file, however, they risk infecting their computer and passing on the pox to others.

It is certainly something that we thought has been happening for some time. What you are likely to see here over the next few days is the unraveling of an entire identity fraud gang.

It has obviously taken longer for Microsoft to release a patch for the WMF flaw on the Vista platform than current versions of Windows, but that's because Vista isn't yet released and it was a higher priority to protect the shipping versions of Windows.

I won't be surprised if Europe overtakes North America next month.

It is probably the biggest virus since the Love Bug. It went quiet overnight but took off again this morning when people started opening their e-mails.

It appears that whoever wrote Zotob had access to the Mytob source code, ripped out the email-spreading section, and plugged in the Microsoft exploit. It's possible that several people have access to the Mytob source code - so it may not be the last we see of this Internet scourge.

It appears whoever wrote Zotob had access to the Mytob source code, ripped out the email-spreading section and plugged in the Microsoft exploit.

It could be that more people are using broadband, and that home users are worse at updating their antivirus software,

Trojans are different from viruses because they can lurk in PCs without anyone noticing and can spy on the computer user's activities then send this information back anywhere in the world.

Two years ago, the US accounted for over half of all spam sent to the world - now it is less than a quarter, evidence which confirms that more Americans are waking up to the need to protect their home computers from malicious hackers. More and more viruses, worms and Trojan horses are being designed to take over innocent users' computers with the intention of stealing information and sending out junk email campaigns.

Two years on, Gates' famous prediction now looks extraordinarily optimistic.

Viruses emerging for the Mac OS X platform is headline news for Apple fans, but they are currently posing far from the level of threat that Windows users face every day. No-one should panic, but this is an indication that hackers are showing an increased interest in targeting the platform.

Most businesses have been protecting against this for a couple of weeks. Home users who have not updated their software may be at risk if they open unsolicited subject lines.

When I first entered the antivirus industry, updates were sent out on a 5.25-inch floppy disk. A lot has changed in that time.

Microsoft's credibility will have been damaged by this hack. How can the biggest software company in the world not employ the simple safe-computing practices which could have protected it from this sort of attack?

There are fortunes to be made from the dark side of the internet, and spammers who are finding it harder to sell goods via bulk email are likely to turn to other criminal activities, ... What the chart reveals is that spammers and virus writers can exploit unprotected computers anywhere in the world to send out their unwanted messages - everyone has a part to play in the fight against spam.

There are fortunes to be made from the dark side of the Internet and spammers who are finding it harder to sell goods via bulk email are likely to turn to other criminal activities,

This worm feeds on people's willingness to receive salacious content on their desktop computer, but they could be putting their entire company's data at risk.

This worm is over a year old, so anyone that's updated their virus protections in the last year will be protected.

There are a tiny number of mobile-phone viruses compared to the threat on the Windows platform.

To the untrained eye Mytob and Zotob can appear quite different: one group of viruses travels via email, the other primarily by exploiting a Microsoft security hole.

We have seen a large increase in these types of Trojans targeting online gamers, as role-playing games have become a big business.

Worms and viruses are increasingly being written to steal confidential data from innocent people's computers, to hijack resources, or launch spam or denial-of-service attacks,

We would still love to see a sample of this and determine if this is a potential threat to our customers. It's a little bit disappointing that they are not sharing the sample.

Unlike worms, it doesn't have a capability to replicate itself and so has to be manually spread by being spammed out deliberately, or people downloading it from a Web site.

Criminals are becoming increasingly canny at finding ways of exploiting vulnerable users and pilfering funds. Some employees are practically handing their private information over on a plate.

There have been many more arrests in 2005 and 2004 than in years prior,

You imagine that it would be used by jealous boyfriends, but it may also be used inside business. However, businesses themselves already employ a number of tools to monitor end user behavior on the desktop, so it could also be something that companies potentially use themselves.

Every month Microsoft releases security patches for its software - and it's often a race against time for companies to roll these patches out across their business before a hacker takes advantage of the vulnerability. A security hole which allows hackers with malicious intentions to run code on Windows or Apple Mac computers is very serious, and all affected users should ensure they have defended their systems.

Every law-abiding citizen wants to help the police with their enquiries, and some will panic that they might be being falsely accused of visiting illegal websites and want to click on the unsolicited e-mail attachment.

It wouldn't surprise me if this didn't get the interest of the hacker community.

The worry is that the problems with the patch may have prevented it from being successfully rolled out onto some vulnerable computers.

ISPs have gotten better at blocking spam, they've gotten together to form anti-spam associations and task forces, and they've done a better job of educating their users about spam,

These emails do not really come from Amazon, and clicking on the attached file will install a malicious Trojan horse on your computer. Once it has slipped under your radar, this Trojan is capable of downloading further malicious code from the internet, giving hackers access to your PC. A real message from Amazon would never contain an attached executable file, and people should always think carefully before running unsolicited code on their computer.

The question on everyone's lips is - when will we see the next one, and will it have a more malicious payload. Apple Mac users need to be just as careful about protecting their computers with anti-virus software, firewalls and security patches as their friends and colleagues using Windows.

There are legitimate Web-filtering programs that let you control which sites your employees or your kids visit. The idea of putting controls into the hands of a Trojan is a bad one.

And Windows XP SP2 is having an effect, what with its primitive firewall and its status center that tells users if their anti-virus signatures are out of date.

What they did was not intentionally malicious. If anything, it was slightly inept.

We don't want to touch that with a bargepole. What kind of message would that send to our customers?

This one's not the smartest tool in the box. We've passed the details on and the police are looking into this one.

Some owners of Mac computers have held the belief that Mac OS X is incapable of harboring computer viruses, but Leap-A will leave them shell-shocked.

Firm action is required by the authorities to send a strong message to spammers that their activities are unacceptable. The U.S. computer crime forces should be congratulated for catching someone else who was contributing to the menace of spam email.

Compare what those viruses did to what happens today: If a worm steals your bank information or hacks into your accounts, that is it. You have been robbed.

Companies should educate their users to practice safe computing.

Companies should educate their users to practice safe computing - that includes never opening unsolicited email attachments and discouraging the sending and receiving of joke files, pornography and screensavers. This worm feeds on people's willingness to receive salacious content on their desktop computer, but they could be putting their entire company's data at risk.

That points to the guy in Turkey, who is alleged to have paid the worm author for writing Zotob.

Although the CAN-SPAM Act has helped catch some spammers, and driven some to base their operations overseas, it has an obvious flaw: it relies on people to 'opt-out' of receiving spam rather than 'opt-in' in the first place.

A lot of people are stuck in the 1990s, with their image of a virus writer as a kid eating pizza in their bedroom. In fact they are now much more serious, and much nastier.

Sadly for the family, getting a court order against http://www.wikipedia.de will not be the solution they are looking for. I find it unlikely that they will ever be satisfied in this issue, and disrupting http://www.wikipedia.de has only probably drawn more attention to the hacker's short life.

Sadly for the family, getting a court order against will not be the solution they are looking for. I find it unlikely that they will ever be satisfied in this issue, and disrupting has only probably drawn more attention to the hacker's short life.

Email scammers are attempting to fleece the innocent out of money, and it is the naive who are most at risk of ending up penniless. This scam contains spelling mistakes and typos, but even if the scammer had done a better job at presenting himself professionally people need to learn that there is no such thing as a free lunch. If an unsolicited email makes extravagant promises then computer users should be extremely wary.

Europe is in danger of overtaking North America as the second-worst spam-relaying part of the world. This continental shift is inevitable because as North America's percentage continues to fall, the rest of the world is witnessing a rise.

There should be no excuse for any data being lost on February 3 by this worm, but there is always the danger that some home users will not have heard that warning.

There should be no need for anyone to pay the reward. It looks like this password was deliberately chosen by the author in an attempt to fool analysts into thinking it was a directory path instead.

This Trojan horse has been aggressively seeded, using spam technology, to distribute malicious code to as many vulnerable computers as possible, in the shortest amount of time.

This Trojan isn't trying to steal money or confidential information, but acting as a moral guardian instead, blocking viewing of sites it determines are unsavory,

This Trojan writer just wants to clean up the Internet, which is unique for a worm creator. But despite what they might see as the best of intentions, this isn't the way to do it.

You need to decide yourself on this one. The vulnerability is a serious problem -- we've seen over 200 different exploits -- but I don't think this is a time to panic.

This is really a warning shot across the bow. It's not something that going to cause serious problems to anyone.

This is the first real virus for the Mac OS X platform. Apple Mac users need to be just as careful running unknown or unsolicited code on their computers as their friends and colleagues running Windows.

This is the first real virus to infect the Mac OS X. It's always been presented and marketed as a much safer operating system.

Individuals have to reply to the unsolicited e-mail and unsubscribe, which gives the green light to spammers as long as they provide that option.

In some ways it makes sense, since it isn't really distinct from other types of crime.

In taking aim at the music pirates, Sony succeeded only in shooting itself in the foot. What they did was not intentionally malicious. If anything, it was slightly inept.

In this case it appears that they were being used primarily for displaying unwanted pop-up advertisements, filling the hacker's pockets with cash.

If users and businesses take proper care over their computers, and act sensibly, then they should be able to reap the advantages of online banking without compromising their security,

The bad news is that most people think the situation is going to get worse for Macintosh users, and more threats will be targeted against the Apple community. The good news is that most don't believe it will ever be as big a problem as the one Microsoft Windows faces. What's perhaps surprising is that there is a hardcore element of 21% who believe that threat attempts against Mac users will not grow.

the average fantasy of the guy who sits in front of the computer terminal.

That isn't Sophos. I cannot imagine anyone here being so rude. I know the guy who dealt with this at Sophos, and he's very polite.

This is clearly a growing problem with serious consequences. They are used to deliver spam, Trojan horses, and other malicious code very quickly.

It's quirky and very different from what we usually see. It's certainly a change from the monotony of worms designed to steal from you.

It's important that businesses and home users ensure they are properly protected with automatically updated anti-virus software, and never open unsolicited email attachments. The criminals behind these viruses and Trojan horses don't stop just because it's the holiday season. They are counting on people returning in the New Year and not thinking before opening their email.

It's important to consider the amount of hacker activity associated with a particular flaw. And let's not forget that the vast majority of computer viruses are written for Windows computers.

It's disturbing to see a second worm for Mac OS X so soon after the first, but it should be remembered that this is only two compared to well over 100,000 viruses for Microsoft operating systems.

It will be interesting to see if they decide to break the cycle and release a patch earlier in response to the increasing number of exploits of this problem.

In 20 years, viruses have moved from floppy disks to file viruses, to e-mail viruses, to Internet worms, to targeted Trojan-horse attacks.

It has been lowering for awhile for a number of reasons,

If you were planning a romantic date with someone from your IT department on Tuesday night, think again. Companies have been hanging on, waiting for the official fix from Microsoft for this serious security problem. Businesses will be eager to roll out these security patches as soon as possible to ensure their networks are properly defended. Any vulnerable computer user should update their systems at the earliest opportunity following the release of the patches on Tuesday.

Chain letters like this are too easily forwarded to friends, family and colleagues without people using their common sense. Stories like this become urban legends, constantly being repeated without anyone bothering to check the facts. Hoaxes and chain letters like this are not harmless - they waste time and bandwidth, and can be a genuine headache for support departments. Users need to be more skeptical, and ask themselves whether everything they are told by email can be believed.

By taking control of unprotected PCs, hackers can relay spam, launch denial-of-service attacks, or steal user information, without computer owners being any the wiser.

The warning is clearly nonsense and no such virus exists. However, hoaxes and chain letters like this are not harmless - they waste time and bandwidth, and can be a genuine headache for support departments. Users need to think ask themselves whether everything they are told can be believed.

It was never meant to be the final answer to all security problems.

Apple Macs have been in the news for the last few weeks regarding a number of security issues. It's important that all computer users are protected against the latest attacks, and have their computers properly patched against vulnerabilities in the operating system. It would be a mistake to think that security flaws are only found in Microsoft's products.

The Mytob worms have made a significant impact on the virus outbreak charts this year, so anything which may prevent future variants from being developed and released must be welcomed.

A vulnerability like this opens the door for hackers to spy on your sensitive information. Users running the affected software should upgrade as soon as possible.

A vulnerability like this opens the door for hackers to spy upon your sensitive information. Not protecting yourself against this problem is like leaving your front door open when you pop down the shops, and expecting to find that no-one has stolen your belongings.

The German police should be applauded for arresting these men before the alleged criminal plot was put into action. The potential rewards for internet crime are high, and we are seeing organized international gangs becoming more sophisticated in the ways in which they attempt to steal information from online banking users. Computer crime authorities around the world need to work closely with each other to break apart these criminal gangs and bring them to justice.