Posted 09/09/08 at 09:45:27 AM by Paul Lilly

Business executives will soon be able to view porn without fear of mucking up their system with malware, and they'll have HP, Mozilla, and Symantec to thank for it. The three-pronged team has set out to create what HP calls the Firefox Virtual Browser, which will appear on the upcoming HP Compaq dc7900 business desktop.

If the concept of a virtual browser sounds familiar, it's because these solutions already exist outside of the OEM realm, some of which have been covered in your favorite computer magazine (assuming Maximum PC is your favorite rag). Like Trustware's BufferZone, the Firefox Virtual Browser consists of a virtual layer independent from the operating system. This sandbox approach means that any downloaded cruft that manages to spread its contaminates stays contained and can easily be undone by simply emptying the virtual environment..

"What we have created is a virtual layer where your browser runs and all the downloads, all the clicks, all the cookies and everything is placed within...a virtualized run-time environment," explains Kirk Godkin, HP senior product manager for business PCs. "With the browser, the user only has to click the mouse and it will reset the browser to its original state and all their favorites will remain the same."

Godkin went on to say that the virtual browser will eventually spread to all of HP's corporate desktops by the end of November, but didn't say whether not HP is also working with Microsoft on a similar option for Internet Explorer.

Is this the beginning of a new trend among OEMs?

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Software, Security, hp, firefox, browser, Mozilla, compaq, symantec, cd7900

Posted 08/06/08 at 09:55:14 AM by Pulkit Chandna

Symantec has issued yet another warning related to a vulnerability in MS Access that was acknowledged by Microsoft last month. Symantec has warned that Internet Explorer 6 is more vulnerable to this threat than subsequent versions. It had earlier unearthed an update to the diabolical Neosploit kit that has made it easier for even neophyte hackers to exploit the chink in the MS Access armor.

There is still no news of a patch to fix the Snapshot Viewer ActiveX control that comes bundled with MS Access. This ActiveX control is being exploited by cyber interlopers to wrest control of computers. Symantec has advised users to set three kill bits for the Snapshot Viewer ActiveX control to prevent it from being activated.

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microsoft, Software, Security, ms access, warning, symantec, snapshot viewer active x control, neosploit

Posted 08/04/08 at 03:07:27 PM by Mark Edward Soper

MySpace and Facebook users now have bigger worries than whether Wordscraper will stay online: two new worms, known as the Koobface family, are attacking Windows users of these popular social networking (or "Notworking" sites, as our friends at The Inquirer call them). These new worms pose a threat to the peace of mind of people like Zac Koobface (a real Facebook user, by the way).

Kapersky Labs was the first to detect these worms: Net-Worm.Win32.Koobface.a (targets MySpace) and Net-Worm.Win32.Koobface.b (targets Facebook). McAfee refers to both worms as W32/Koobface.worm, while Symantec uses the terms W32.Koobface.A and W32.Koobface.B.

Both worms send comments or messages to other users of the service. The messages or comments contain alleged links to humorous YouTube files (such as "Paris Hilton Tosses Dwarf On The Street"). When the user clicks on the link, the link redirects to a website that displays an error message claiming the user needs an updated codec to enable the Adobe Flash player to play the video. The alleged Flash player update (codecsetup.exe) contain the worm.

When the Koobface.A worm runs, it configures itself to run automatically when the system starts, checks for MySpace cookies, and if it finds them, modifies the user's profile by adding links to malicious sites that contain the worm. To learn more about Koobface.A and Koobface.B, check the McAfee and Symantec links earlier in this article.

If you use Kapersky, McAfee, or Symantec antivirus, the latest virus definitions will detect and stop these worms. If you use other antivirus or anti-malware programs, check for updates daily - and don't click on funny video links from other MySpace or Facebook users. The results just aren't very funny.

Been bugged by these or other social-networking worms? Tell us your story after the jump!

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windows, Software, Security, malware, facebook, myspace, web 2.0, antivirus, worm, Social Networking, Mcafee, symantec, Kapersky

Posted 07/21/08 at 04:29:49 PM by The Maximum PC Staff

I was a victim of the Symantec triple-license AV software whose timer started ticking with the first installation (March 2008). I called Symantec’s customer service number and complained, and the company fixed it for me by resetting the timer to start with the third installation. This rectified the situation to my satisfaction, and I learned a lesson.

Fast forward a year to a similar three-pack from Computer Associates. Being careful, I installed all three licenses on the same day to make sure there wouldn’t be any issues with the expiration date. As soon as the software ran an update cycle with the home server, it took three weeks off my license! I called CA and the company fixed the problem. The culprit? It seems the clock started ticking when I bought the package (or so I was told). But how did they know when I bought it?

Customer service didn’t say, but I bet it’s from the rebate form I sent in after buying the software. I had purchased the software locally prior to the expiration date of the current antivirus software on the systems I was using and waited a few weeks until the current licenses expired before installing the new copy—a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

This strikes me as an extremely deceptive practice. I wonder if anyone else has been bitten by this?

Answers for Louis (and the rest of us) after the jump.

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Watchdog, license, customer service, symantec

Posted 07/14/08 at 06:19:31 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Last week, Microsoft had warned that hackers were exploiting a flaw in the Snapshot Viewer ActiveX control which comes bundled with all versions of Microsoft Access save for MS Acess 2007. Now Symantec has uncovered an update to the malicious Neosploit Toolkit that will allow even fledgling hackers to exploit the abovementioned loophole in MS Access making attacks more rampant.

Attackers are exploiting the threat using specially designed websites that hideously download malicious code. Since the ActiveX control bears Microsoft's digital signature, those users who have rated MS to be a trustworthy software publisher in their IE settings might very quietly have their systems compromised

Microsoft hasn’t come up with a fix for this bug yet. Though Microsoft says that attacks are targeted and not widespread, you are advised to breeze through the terse list of suggested actions posted by Microsoft and mitigate the risk.

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microsoft, Software, Security, ms access, warning, symantec, snapshot viewer active x control, neosploit