Posted 10/13/09 at 09:06:29 PM by Ryan Whitwam

You probably encounter more shortened URLs these days. These links, while convenient, are also a great way to hide a link to a malicious site. You can blame Twitter for their proliferation. With only 140 characters, tweeting a full link is impractical. Now AVG is stepping up to the plate to offer a method of protection.

AVG’s LinkScanner security product now fully supports shortened URLs. AVG says the LinkScanner system is more reliable than other methods because it tests links in real time. Whether or not it's the best, it is free.

The free malware scanner, Ad-Aware, has also added new features. The new enhancements are aimed at detecting and removing rootkits. A rootkit is a piece of malware that specializes in getting deep into the operating system to avoid detection. Ad-Aware uses heuristic detection to search for these nasty bits of software. It is also able to stop certain types of malware from restoring themselves after a reboot. Ad-Aware is a free download [warning, attempted upsell],  and well worth having a look at.

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Posted 04/02/09 at 11:21:18 AM by Mark Edward Soper

The Conficker worm has been generating the big security headlines, but what The New York Times calls a "vast electronic spying operation" reveals an ongoing, very sophisticated cyberespionage campaign that may well represent an even more important threat than Conficker - especially to the Dalai Lama's Tibetan freedom movement.

Researchers at the University of Toronto Munk Center's Citizen Lab summarize GhostNet thus:

Documented evidence of a cyber espionage network— GhostNet—infecting at least 1,295 computers in 103 countries, of which close to 30% can be considered as high-value diplomatic, political, economic, and military targets.

Documented evidence of GhostNet penetration of computer systems containing sensitive and secret information at the private offces of the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan targets.

Documentation and reverse engineering of the modus operandi of the GhostNet system—including vectors, targeting, delivery mechanisms, data retrieval and control systems—reveals a covert, diffcult-to-detect and elaborate cyber-espionage system capable of taking full control of affected systems.

To find out more about how GhostNet works, join us after the jump.

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Posted 05/26/08 at 10:01:06 PM by Mark 'Marcus_Soperus' Soper

Discover how to make IE8 act like IE7, discover which platform renders rich internet frameworks faster, find out what Vista's User Account Control is good for, and how GPS technology is helping make smarter-than-laser-guided weapons possible.

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Posted 09/05/07 at 10:59:48 PM by Mark Soper

Every PC and Internet user should be glad that August 2007 is now history: here's why, what we've learned (and have yet to learn) about what went wrong and how to fix it.

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Posted 08/29/07 at 12:40:00 PM by By Mark Soper

Apparently unfazed by its 2005 music CD rootkit fiasco, Sony's MicroVault USM-F fingerprint reader/USB drives install a rootkit on your PC. Should you worry?

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