Archive for May, 2011

Apple fights fake anti-virus software vendors

May 26th, 2011

The company has issued a security advisory warning to customers about a recent scam that infects Macs with malicious software that wrongly tells them their computer is infected with a virus. The ultimate goal is to get credit card numbers and other valuable personal information.

It is one of the first major campaigns that cyber crooks have launched against Mac users. To date, criminals have focused on writing malicious software for machines running Microsoft Corp’s (MSFT.O) Windows operating system, which inhabits more than nine of every 10 personal computers.

But as Macs have grown in number, they have become more attractive targets.

The fake anti-virus malware is downloaded when people click on links from tainted search engine results for popular queries, according to anti-virus software maker McAfee Inc. It also spreads when users click on links to malicious sites that might be included in emails, Tweets or Facebook messages.

Apple said it will issue an update for its Mac operating system “in the coming days” that will automatically find and remove malicious fake anti-virus software. It will also warn Mac users when they download such programs.

Source:http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/26/uk-apple-security-idUSLNE74P01620110526

Running Out of Software Excuses

May 26th, 2011

Every IT organization generally suspects that there is probably something amiss with the custom software they develop, but figuring out exactly what that might be is often problematic. And not because the right tools to accomplish that task are lacking; it’s just that the cost of acquiring those tools, developing the expertise to master them and paying for the associated IT infrastructure often proves daunting.

Of course, many IT organizations have taken to moving application testing into the cloud to help reduce IT infrastructure costs. But a lot of companies are wary of moving the intellectual property often associated with custom application development projects into the cloud.

Given those concerns, it’s interesting to see CAST Software today roll out CAST Highlight, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) offering that remotely analyzes the quality of an application without requiring the IT organization to upload code to a cloud computing platform.

According to Jitendra Subramanyam, director of strategy and research for CAST Software, there are major structural issues in most large-scale applications, which results in post-deployment adjustments to applications that can wind up costing companies millions of dollars. This so-called “technical debt” has become a major issue as IT organizations look to rein in application development costs by focusing more on quality assurance issues, which include potential security vulnerabilities that should be addressed before the application is deployed.

CAST Highlight doesn’t do everything that CAST’s flagship Application Intelligence Platform is capable of, but Subramanyam notes that by using CAST Highlight to identify problematic areas first, the time it takes to identify and remediate potential software quality issues is sharply reduced.

As businesses everywhere become more dependent on software, it’s obvious that almost any issue with the quality of that software can bring about a major disruption to the business. What’s changing, thanks to the advent of automated software testing, is that IT organizations are rapidly running out of excuses for deploying software that later on is discovered to be deeply flawed.

Source:http://www.itbusinessedge.com/cm/blogs/vizard/running-out-of-software-excuses/?cs=47151

‘Wiping’ software found on accused cop Izzett’s computer: expert

May 26th, 2011

Steve Izzett had a thing for watches.

But that was among the limited information recovered from the IBM ThinkPad Izzett turned over to police after he was suspended in Sept. 2008, said Steve Rogers, president of Digital Evidence International.

Rogers was testifying at the former Toronto police staff inspector’s disciplinary hearing Wednesday.

As part of the internal investigation into allegations Izzett sexually harassed an officer, Rogers, a computer forensic analyst, said he examined Izzett’s work laptop and found three watch websites bookmarked. Twenty different watch websites turned up in the Internet history.

By his calculation, some 29,000 files were deleted from the hard drive, nearly all after Sept. 20, 2008, a day after Izzett was suspended as unit commander of the Intelligence bureau.

In addition, the laptop’s Internet history indicated the user had searched for file wiping software, Rogers testified.

He also found evidence that five different types of “wiping” software were used to erase files a minimum of seven times between Sept. 20 and Oct. 14, Rogers said.

Wiping software leaves little evidence of the type of data that existed.

Defence lawyer Leo Kinahan challenged the accuracy of how many files were actually deleted, suggesting the number had been grossly inflated.

His client has acknowledged deleting data relating to family matters.

Izzett, 47, is charged with nine counts of misconduct under the Police Services Act. He has pleaded not guilty.

Some of the charges relate to two Toronto Police Service laptops Izzett had in his possession after allegedly claiming he did not. Izzett has said there was a misunderstanding.

Rogers also Wednesday confirmed the existence of a document on the laptop central to the prosecution’s case. It was contained in a “work” folder found under Izzett’s name.

“It could be considered hiding in plain sight,” Rogers said. The female complainant says Izzett copied the document about the origins of homosexuality, called The Great Nature Nurture Debate, onto her USB drive after she disclosed to him she was in a same-sex relationship. She turned it over to investigators after launching her complaint.

Most of the document’s contents are found on a website belonging to Messiah Christian college in the United States, Rogers said.

He also testified he could not say conclusively if Izzett had searched the home address of the female complainant, as had been alleged in previous testimony.

Kinahan asked if there wasn’t a more “really obvious” conclusion.

“It was never searched at all,” Rogers replied.

“Bingo,” Kinahan said.

The hearing continues Thursday.

Source:http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/article/997051–wiping-software-found-on-accused-cop-s-computer-says-expert

Apple fights fake anti-virus software vendors

May 26th, 2011

Apple Inc is fighting what security experts say may be the most pernicious types of computer virus to ever target its line of Mac computers.

The company has issued a security advisory warning to customers about a recent scam that infects Macs with malicious software that wrongly tells them their computer is infected with a virus. The ultimate goal is to get credit card numbers and other valuable personal information.

It is one of the first major campaigns that cyber crooks have launched against Mac users. To date, criminals have focused on writing malicious software for machines running Microsoft Corp’s Windows operating system, which inhabits more than nine of every 10 personal computers.

But as Macs have grown in number, they have become more attractive targets.

The fake anti-virus malware is downloaded when people click on links from tainted search engine results for popular queries, according to anti-virus software maker McAfee Inc. It also spreads when users click on links to malicious sites that might be included in emails, Tweets or Facebook messages.

Apple said it will issue an update for its Mac operating system “in the coming days” that will automatically find and remove malicious fake anti-virus software. It will also warn Mac users when they download such programs.

In the meantime, Apple has issued advice on how users can clean up machines that have been infected by the malicious software, which goes by names including MacDefender, MacProtector and MacSecurity.

Source:http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/25/us-apple-security-idUSTRE74O7MA20110525

Bharti Airtel Signs 5-Yr Deal With Mobile Software Creator Comviva

May 25th, 2011

Telecom giant Bharti Airtel has inked a 5-year deal with the creator of mobile software Comviva.

Under the deal, Comviva will manage Bharti Airtel’s value-added services across 16 African nations.

Mr. Manoj Kohli, Airtel Africa CEO (International) and Joint Managing Director, stated, “By handing over the management of operations to Comviva, we can enhance efficiencies in our operations and bring a closer focus on marketing initiatives that will help drive usage and engagement levels across our customer base.”

Besides handling all the VAS nodes, Comviva will also administer the complications linked with the emergence of several technologies, various standards, countless applications as well as content.

But, the financial details regarding the agreement were not revealed yet.

While commenting on the contract, the Comviva CEO, Mr. Manoranjan Mohapatra, said, “This is a landmark deal for Comviva, as we will manage all VAS nodes across Airtel operations in 16 countries in Africa.”

In the meantime, Airtel Africa has also outsourced its core client service procedures, which comprise call centres and back office functionings, to Tech Mahindra, IBM and Spanco.

During September last year, Bharti Airtel also picked out IBM to direct its IT systems to power the mobile communications system across Africa.

At 03:03 p. m., the stock of the company stood at Rs 369.10, down 0.1%, on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

The share price has seen a 52-week high of Rs 400.10 and a low of Rs 257 on BSE.

Source:http://newstonight.net/content/bharti-airtel-signs-5-yr-deal-mobile-software-creator-comviva

Service level agreement manager launched by UC4 Software

May 25th, 2011

UC4 Software has announced the launch of an automation tool designed to help businesses manage and ensure that service level agreements (SLAs) for cloud-based and virtual architectures are met.

According to the company, its UC4 Service Level Governor automates decisions and enables the operation of dynamic cloud and virtual architectures. Also, by tracking multiple tasks, evaluating and applying policies and rules to identify event patterns that could impact service delivery, it automatically orchestrates immediate remedial action to resolve issues, before they become critical, ensuring all SLAs are prioritised and met.

Jason Liu, CEO of UC4 Software, said: “UC4 Service Level Governor takes us one step closer to completing our One Automation vision by providing tools to automate both tasks and decisions throughout the complex event process.”

Source:http://www.scmagazineuk.com/service-level-agreement-manager-launched-by-uc4-software/article/203641/

Major Vulnerability Found in Leaked Anti-Piracy Software

May 25th, 2011

Trident Media Guard, the company entrusted by the French government to monitor file-sharing networks for copyright infringement, recently had some of their tools leaked onto the Internet following a security breach. Now researchers have published an analysis, with claims that an auto-update feature makes TMG’s servers vulnerable to remote code injection and execution.

As detailed in our earlier reports, anti-piracy company Trident Media Guard (TMG) recently failed to secure some of their systems. Blogger and security researcher Olivier Laurelli, aka Bluetouff, originally reported the breach which included a wide open virtual ‘test’ machine containing various tools. These, of course, spilled into the wild.

From the various files made available, some were easily viewable with a standard text editor, others – such as an executable called server_interface.exe – were more tricky. Thanks to a admittedly fairly hostile Full Disclosure security report we now have a clearer idea of what the package is capable of.

Penned by ‘CULT OF THE DEAD HADOPI’, the report refers to TMG as “Too Many Gremlins” along with reports not to expose them to bright lights. In it the server_interface.exe code is described as a Delphi service to which anyone can connect and start sending commands, no authentication (username/password) required. Perhaps even more worrying is a script which accepts auto-updates.

“An attacker can use the ‘Auto Update’ feature (\x82) to force the server to download updates from an evil FTP server he controls. Of course, a downloaded file is executed
just after the download,” write the researchers.

“Hence, anyone who wants to raise an army against Too Many Gremlins, look for an open port on TCP 8500,” they add.

The implication here is that if this software was present on all TMG servers, in addition to being able to turn them on and off at will a hacker could take them over with custom code of his own choosing, potentially creating “an army” which could be used to attack TMG or indeed, anyone else.

Commenting on the research, Bluetouff told TorrentFreak that the discovery of the vulnerabilities mean that the French 3 strikes program might already have been compromised.

“If TMG is vulnerable to injectioning on the system used to provide IP addresses to the HADOPI, the whole process is fu**** up,” he explained.

“Someone could for example inject the Culture Ministry’s IP range, or worse, gain access between TMG and HADOPI’s VPN by stealing certificates… then gain access to a huge amount of personal data,” he added.

“For instance we don’t know if this new ‘test server’ leak can compromise the LAN(S) of TMG with this exploit. Opacity is even for HADOPI. That’s why they went to audit TMG’s infrastructure with the CNIL [French Data Protection Office].”

“Anyway, this new episode shows that HADOPI was right to close their access,” he concludes.

That closure of access is a reference to Hadopi severing their Internet links to TMG once they found out about the leak and resorting to shifting IP addresses around by DVD and the postal system instead. That is hardly efficient and undoubtedly TMG will be working hard to get back into the 21st century.

Source:http://torrentfreak.com/major-vulnerability-found-in-leaked-anti-piracy-software-110525/

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