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First of all, since I am asking for help with viruses, let me say that I am posting this from my husband's computer! My IP uses McAfee, I have Microsoft Security Essentials and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware in my PC. So I felt pretty safe. Fri morning, I was reading Jewish World Review when a pop-up claiming to be MSE claimed my PC was infected. It was not one of those pop-ups you can X out from. In my panic, I could not remember what someone here, at FR, had told me in the past that I could do. So I turned...

When the Conficker computer “worm” was unleashed on the world in November 2008, cyber-security experts didn’t know what to make of it. It infiltrated millions of computers around the globe. It constantly checks in with its unknown creators. It uses an encryption code so sophisticated that only a very few people could have deployed it. For the first time ever, the cyber-security elites of the world have joined forces in a high-tech game of cops and robbers, trying to find Conficker’s creators and defeat them. The cops are failing. And now the worm lies there, waiting … The first surprising...

It was only a matter of time: the weakest link in the otherwise awesome idea that is a remote-controlled military, represented by the thousands of Predator and Reaper drones, has always been its biggest strength: the fact that it is remote-controlled. Which means that with no person on location, the system has always been susceptible to infiltration in the form of intermediation between the offsite pilot and the actual equipment. Such as a virus. And as Wired reports, a viral infestation, the biggest nightmare for the the US drone fleet, has just struck. "A computer virus has infected the cockpits...

After Stuxnet Computer Virus: Iran Says It's Discovered 2nd Cyber Attack Official says new virus, "Stars," is being investigated; virus' target isn't revealed; official warns that Stuxnet still poses a risk; urges legal action in "cyber wars." TEHRAN - Iran has been targeted by a second computer virus in a "cyber war" waged by its enemies, its commander of civil defense said on Monday. Gholamreza Jalali told the semi-official Mehr news agency that the new virus, called "Stars", was being investigated by experts. Last year, Iran revealed that its computers were attacked by the Stuxnet worm, which attack the Bushehr...

Malicious computer virus accelerated, wrecked motors and may have decommissioned uranium enrichment centrifuges, think tank concludes. Talkbacks (10) The Stuxnet virus that has infected Iran’s nuclear installations may have been behind the decommissioning of 1,000 centrifuges at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility earlier this year, according to a new analysis of the malicious software. Prepared by the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security, the paper raised the possibility that the reported breakage of 1,000 centrifuges was caused by the virus. According to the paper, the timing of the removal of 1,000 centrifuges was consistent with a statement made last...

NEW YORK — Computer hackers in eastern Europe who used computer viruses to steal usernames and passwords teamed up with associates who opened bank accounts in the U.S. to snatch at least $3 million from American bank accounts, authorities said Thursday in announcing charges against more than 60 people.Some of the defendants were charged in court papers unsealed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan with conspiracy to commit bank fraud for the invasion of dozens of victims' accounts, according to federal and state prosecutors in New York.In a series of criminal complaints filed in the case, the FBI said the...

The person responsible for the "Here you have" email worm, which wreaked havoc last week on businesses across the United States, may be part of a cyber-jihad group upset over American military presence in Iraq. The malware author, who uses the handle "iraq_resistance," is believed to be part of the cyber-jihad organization "Brigades of Tariq ibn Ziyad," whose goal is to digitally infiltrate U.S. Army agencies, Joe Stewart, director of malware research at SecureWorks, a network security company, told SCMagazineUS.com on Monday. Researchers concluded this after determining that a worm launched last month, but on a much smaller scale, was...

SNIPPET: "Thousands of online banking customers have had their accounts drained by a sophisticated new computer virus, internet security experts say. Around £675,000 was taken from a "large UK financial institution" over the last month with 3,000 customers hit - and the attacks are ongoing. Online security firm M86 Security Labs said the customers were infected with a Trojan virus - which cannot be detected by traditional anti-virus software - while browsing the internet. The Trojan, known as a Zeus v3, copies the passwords and usernames of customers' online details and transfers their funds to a different account. It then...

On the heels of a warning that malicious executables can be embedded into PDF files and launched with minimal user interaction, Adobe is suggesting that users configure its PDF Reader product to limit the damage from an attack. Here are the instructions for mitigating a potential attack: Users can also turn off this functionality in the Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat Preferences by selecting > Edit > Preferences > Categories > Trust Manager > PDF File Attachments and clearing (unchecking) the box “Allow opening of non-PDF file attachments with external applications” This is what it looks like:

Of all the sinister things that Internet viruses do, this might be the worst: They can make you an unsuspecting collector of child pornography. Heinous pictures and videos can be deposited on computers by viruses — the malicious programs better known for swiping your credit card numbers. In this twist, it's your reputation that's stolen. Pedophiles can exploit virus-infected PCs to remotely store and view their stash without fear they'll get caught. Pranksters or someone trying to frame you can tap viruses to make it appear that you surf illegal Web sites. Whatever the motivation, you get child porn on...

Had a virus alert yesterday from AVAST. As usually, it allowed me to abort connection and proceed. Cyber Security popups came up on my sceen and thinking it was AVAST prompting me, I ran a program. Turns out it was a fake site trying to get info and now it's embedded in my system. CAN ANYONE HELP? It's trying to block FR as a malicious website.

SNIPPET: "After the 4 July DDoS attacks, wrongly attributed to North Korea, it’s wise to treat reports of DPRK security hacks with some caution. Nevertheless, The Korea Times reports the following: Classified Info on Dangerous Chemicals Hacked Hackers stole classified information on dangerous chemicals in their raid on the South Korean army computer network in what was believed to be an attack by North Korea, Yonhap News Agency reported Saturday, quoting government officials." SNIPPET: "The Sydney Morning Herald adds more information: A North Korea cyber warfare unit hacked into a South Korean military command earlier this year and stole some...

Yesterday I got a notice that my computer was infected with a worm that gathers email addresses from a compromised computer, also a trojan. I started getting a critical warning on the desktop. I have long been a customer of McAfee and thought that McAfee would keep these kind of vermin off my computer. However, now it appears that problems are getting through. Need any suggestions you may have. My field is analytical chemistry, not computer science. Does anyone have a better source than McAfee. I'm willing to change -- especially if I can get a vendor that provides a...

BOSTON (Reuters) - A malicious software program known as Conficker that many feared would wreak havoc on April 1 is slowly being activated, weeks after being dismissed as a false alarm, security experts said. Conficker, also known as Downadup or Kido, is quietly turning thousands of personal computers into servers of e-mail spam and installing spyware, they said. The worm started spreading late last year, infecting millions of computers and turning them into "slaves" that respond to commands sent from a remote server that effectively controls an army of computers known as a botnet. Its unidentified creators started using those...

Can any freepers give me some advice on how to get rid of the Rapid Antivirus that appartently has infected my laptop? I am desperate. I have some deadlines and even my Internet Explorer, Firefox won't operate. FRUSTRATING!! Thanks in advance for any advice.

The Conficker worm has started to update infected machines with a mystery package of data. Computer security firms watching the malicious program noticed that it sprang into life late on 8 April. The activity on its update system delivered encrypted software to compromised machines. It is not yet clear what the payload contains. The Conficker virus variants are thought to be present on millions of PCs around the world. Spam connection The updating activity has begun about a week later than expected. Analysis of the "C" variant of Conficker (aka Downadup) revealed that its updating mechanism was due to go...

A fired Fannie Mae contract employee allegedly placed a virus in the mortgage giant’s software that could have shut the company down for at least a week and caused millions of dollars in damage, prosecutors say.

Sorry for the vanity but it's part warning/part SOS. My computer has been infected with a rather nasty virus and I'm wondering if anyone else has faced it. I was watching the bowl game last night about 9 when my wife called me. She was doing some research on vacations and she got a warning about a virus. I go up there and it's a pop-up for some spy-ware download. Warnings that my computer may be infected, down load the software and save my system, the usual stuff. My wife is pretty savy and knows better than to respond to...

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Pentagon Makes Fighting Extremism Top Priority Seven years after the Sept. 11 attacks, the Pentagon on Thursday officially named "the long war" against global extremism as its top priority and pledged to avert any conventional military threat from China or Russia through dialogue. The Defense Department, in a new national defense strategy, also emphasized the need to subordinate military operations to "soft power" initiatives to undermine Islamist militancy by promoting economic, political and social development in vulnerable corners of the world. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he hoped the change would help establish permanent institutional support for counterinsurgency skills...