Archive for August, 2008

Report Slams U.S. Host as Major Source of Badware

Friday, August 29th, 2008

Last week, I examined a series of Web services that make profiting from cyber crime a point-and-click exercise that even the most novice hackers can master. Today, I’d like to highlight the activities of Atrivo, a Concord, Calif., based network provider that hosts some of these services. Several noted security researchers are releasing a report today that stems from many months of investigating malicious activity emanating from Atrivo’s customers. Security experts say that Atrivo, also known as “Intercage,” has long been a major source of spyware, adware, viruses and fake anti-virus products. The report is an exhaustive and well-researched analysis of Atrivo and its operations. Some of the statistics on active exploits cited in that report come from data sets I commissioned during my own investigation of Atrivo and later shared with Jart Armin, the principal author of the report and curator of the blog hostexploit.com. Looking back several [...]

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McAfee SiteAdvisor sued over ’spyware’ tag

Friday, August 29th, 2008

If 7Search wins, you lose
In a case that could tie the hands of companies trying to protect their customers from internet threats, a website owner with past ties to a notorious piece of spyware has filed a lawsuit claiming it is being unfairly maligned by warnings from McAfee that the site poses a risk to its customers.…

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French train tickets go USB

Thursday, August 28th, 2008

We don’t need no stinkin’ ISO7816
The French National Railway Company is trialling contactless tickets with USB connections, replacing the ubiquitous ISO7816 for online top-ups and data storage.…

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