Hiding In Plain Sight
Security Fix pop quiz, here. Is the document pictured in the image to the right the depiction of a text document, or is it an executable malicious program disguised as a harmless text file? It’s actually an executable file (one that installs programs) made to look like a text file. But if you’re a Microsoft Windows user and this were a file you downloaded off of the Web or from an e-mail, you may not be able to tell. Making this judgment hinges on whether or not you’ve changed the default behavior of Windows (more on that in a bit). If you haven’t, be careful. This is one way attackers are manipulating Windows settings to slip malicious files past unsuspecting users. What’s going on here, you ask? By default, Windows hides file extensions for known file types. Your average Windows user when he or she opens up their “My [...]