MALWARE

Twitter accounts have been hijacked to send out links directing to a fake anti-virus website without the account user's permission.

Sophos reported that cyber attacks on social networking sites nearly doubled in 2010, a clear sign that the threat continues to grow at an alarming rate. A study by the IT security and control firm reveals dramatic increase in malware, phishing and spam through social networks, most prominently Facebook.

Symantec's MessageLabs says Rustock, the largest of the spam botnets, is back with a bang since Monday, and appears set to continue where it left off on Dec. 25 as the biggest source of worldwide spam.

Android phones and other mobile devices are more vulnerable to hackers than Apple iPhones due to Google's open-source policy in apps development, according to the chief of a security firm.

California-based start up Lookout Mobile Security said a new Trojan - dubbed Geinimi' - affecting Android devices has recently emerged in China and displayed botnet-like capabilities.

McAfee expects Apple’s iPhone, geolocation services such as Foursquare, and mobile devices to be the target of malware attacks in 2011. The computer security company also predicts attackers targeting shortened URL services and internet TV platforms as well as a rise in politically motivated hacktivisim, as more groups are expected to repeat the WikiLeaks example.

Software maker Microsoft has warned users of an Internet Explorer (IE) bug that could hack into computers and take control of unprotected computers.

DoubleClick and Microsoft Networks were victims of a drive by download attack that infected thousands of people with malware that tries to get them to buy unnecessary software to fix their computers.

Researchers from NC State and IBM have discovered a way to patch a cloud-based computing system while it's offline.

A whopping 20 percent of all Facebook users are active targets of malware through malicious posts, a study has revealed.

Microsoft has announced that it has partnered with Symantec and retailer PC Mall to offer free software security package for small business until December 31.

McAfee Inc, the No. 2 security software maker, said production of software code known as malware, which can harm computers and steal user passwords, reached a new high in the first six months of 2010.

Citigroup Inc's mobile banking software for Apple Inc's iPhone improperly stored some users' sensitive data in hidden files on the popular devices, but the bank said it has fixed the glitch.

A contract has been awarded for research to help counter computer-based threats to national-security networks, the chief U.S. code-cracking and eavesdropping agency said, amid mounting concern over cyber vulnerabilities.

The company that oversees Web addresses ending in .org said on Wednesday it was introducing extra security measures to guard against identity theft.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has opened a probe into a security breach of Apple Inc's iPad that exposed personal information of AT&T Inc customers.

Hundreds of computer geeks, most of them students putting themselves through college, crammed into three floors of an office building in an industrial section of Ukraine's capital Kiev, churning out code at a frenzied pace. They were creating some of the world's most pernicious, and profitable, computer viruses.

Lawmakers would seek to end current ad hoc international efforts, echoing industry calls for worldwide rules.

A new version of a cybersecurity bill was introduced in the Senate on Tuesday that may eliminate some opposition to the measure from the tech industry.

A new type of computer virus is known to have breached almost 75,000 computers in 2,500 organizations around the world, including user accounts of popular social network websites, according Internet security firm NetWitness.

A new type of computer virus is known to have breached almost 75,000 computers in 2,500 organizations around the world, including user accounts of popular social network websites, according Internet security firm NetWitness.