Panda Internet Security 2007 receives 5 stars and the Recommended Product seal from PC World
The new solution from Panda Software, Panda Internet Security 2007, has been given a five-star rating from the Spanish edition of PC World magazine. The publication also awarded the product its ??Recommended Product seal of approval. The magazine highlighted how ??Panda engineers have made a huge effort in terms of process automation and ease of use ?.
The article describes the Panda Internet Security 2007 interface as easy-to-use and intuitive. ??We discovered that the virus detection tools are both rapid and intuitive. It is easy to understand both the mechanism and structure of its interface for detecting and eliminating malicious programs?. The magazine also highlighted the importance of updates against the propagation of new malicious code. ??Panda offers daily updates which can be downloaded from the Web or directly from the application?.
??We also saw that the level of precision of its antispyware has been enhanced, as has the solution??s personal firewall, ? explains the magazine. ??From this tool, port management can be configured simply and clearly to provide secure Internet use and prevent intrusions ?.
The article underlines the importance of the ant-phishing features, i.e, the protection of personal data. ??What most concerns Panda when it comes to making computers secure is protecting, to the highest level, users personal data. To achieve this they have developed a complete tool focused exclusively on this function and which is included in the suite. Panda Identity Protect is a technology designed to counter personal data theft, which is one of the main fears of users when making Internet transactions ?.
Panda Internet Security 2007 is a complete security suite for protecting computers against all Internet threats. It not only incorporates technologies to combat all types of viruses and spyware, but also includes anti-spam, anti-phishing, parental control, firewall and specific technology to prevent online identity theft: Identity Protect. This technology is especially designed to prevent personal and confidential data theft, giving users maximum security in Internet transactions.
The new security suite from Panda Software combines and integrates both proactive and reactive technologies, and includes the award-winning TruPreventTM Technologies, which act automatically against new, previously unknown threats, blocking them without the need for user intervention. Panda Internet Security 2007 has also been designed especially to avoid impact on the normal operation of the computer. It is not only optimized to reduce system resource consumption, but also to adapt to the characteristics of the PC on which it is installed and to the specific security requirements of the user.
Panda Internet Security 2007 has already received certification from the most widely respected organizations in the sector, such as ICSA Labs or West Coast Labs.
More information about Panda Internet Security 2007 is available at http://www.pandasoftware.com/products/antivirus2007.htm.
About Panda Software
Make sure your computer is free from viruses, spyware and other Internet threats using the free online solution Panda ActiveScan http://www.activescan.com http://www.activescan.com/.
Panda Software (www.pandasoftware.com) is a leading developer and provider of integrated security solutions to combat viruses, hackers, Trojans, spyware, phishing, spam and other Internet-borne threats. With the revolutionary TruPreventTM Technologies, Panda Software??s innovative solutions offer a greater return on investment, keeping clients protected even against new threats that have yet to be identified. PandaLabs, the fastest laboratory in the industry to provide complete updates to users, offers a worldwide response to malware 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year round.
Panda Software??s centrally-managed security solutions protect servers, and gateways and all network entry points, ensuring a straightforward and highly effective line of defense against Internet threats for large organizations, SMBs and consumers. Panda solutions are backed by a team of expert support technicians in all countries where the company is present. Tech support services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
For more information and evaluation versions of all Panda Software solutions, visit our website at: http://www.pandasoftware.com/
For more information:
Yolanda Ruiz
communication@pandasoftware.com
Tel. +34 91 806 37 00
Panda Software Announces the Compatibility of Its Products With Windows Vista
GLENDALE, Calif., Dec. 14 /PRNewswire/ — Panda Software has announced the compatibility of its product line with the new Microsoft Windows Vista operating system. It has launched the “Windows Vista Information Center” where users will find information about the compatibility of Panda Software products with the new operating system.
New users will be able to download beta versions and final versions of Panda Software products that support Windows Vista. Existing users of Panda Software’s 2007 consumer line will automatically get the new versions compatible with Windows Vista for free as soon as the final release versions are available.
Currently, users can download Windows Vista-compatible beta versions of Panda Antivirus 2007, the fast and light antivirus for home users, and Panda ClientShield, Panda Software’s solution for protecting corporate workstations.
Panda Antivirus 2007 is the lightest antivirus in Panda Software’s consumer product line. This new easy-to-use solution offers complete protection against known and unknown Internet threats, with a minimal use of system resources. The new Panda Antivirus 2007 is aimed at home-users whose use of the Internet does not require a complete security suite. It has been designed to install and forget, protecting the system automatically from the moment it is installed.
Panda ClientShield with TruPrevent(TM) Technologies is a global protection solution for workstations in corporate environments. With its high- performance, low-consumption solution, it protects against viruses, worms, Trojans and all types of malware. It can also filter spam and block the use of spyware, dialers and other hacking tools. Administration is quick and simple due to the integration with the AdminSecure console, considerably reducing update time and therefore the risk of infection for corporate workstations. It also includes TruPrevent(TM) Technologies to protect workstations from unknown viruses and threats.
About Panda Software, USA
Panda Software (www.pandasoftware.com) is a world-class developer and provider of integrated security solutions designed to neutralize viruses, hackers, Trojans, spyware, phishing, spam and other pervasive Internet threats. With Panda Software’s revolutionary TruPrevent(TM) Technologies, the company’s innovative products are on the leading-edge of intelligent security solutions, ensuring clients are protected even against new threats that have yet to be identified. PandaLabs, the most rapid response laboratory in the industry, delivers comprehensive updates to users, providing a worldwide response to malware 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year round.
For further information, please visit www.pandasoftware.com.
Record number of phishing sites in October
First it was spam, now it is phishing. Following months of reports about rocketing levels of junk emails, the Anti-Phishing Working Group has revealed that the number of phishing sites has also demonstrated well beyond average growth this autumn. The APWG released a combined September-October report this month, which shows that there has been a 757% increase in the number of active phishing sites between October 2005 and 2006.
The US continues to be the top phishing site hosting country with 28.78%. The top three are, as usual, also made up of China and the Republic of Korea. Australia also maintains its presence in top ten list, where it has been since July this year, while India makes its first return since June. Despite the record number of phishing sites, however, the total number of phishing reports received in the first two autumn months has not reached the peak numbers that were set earlier in the year. June??s record of 28,571 attacks have not been surpassed so far, although October??s figure is the second highest of all times.
At the same time, a Microsoft representative has recently claimed that phishing may not be at the cutting edge of cybercrime for much longer, with organised crime groups now more interested in mass attacks against businesses rather than private individuals. In an interview given to ZDNet, Ed Gibson, chief security advisor to Microsoft UK, has said that cybercrime syndicates now prefer to use large botnets for launching DoS attacks and then blackmail their victims. Extortion can definitely be big business at the moment: earlier this autumn a gang of cybercriminals has been jailed in Saratov, Russia for extorting more than $4 million out of British and Irish online bookmakers and casinos between 2003 and 2004.
Experts: Hackers planning cyberwar on social networking sites
Hackers are planning to target social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook in a multi-billion-dollar “cyberwar” next year, security experts warn.
Network security experts predicted cybercriminals will launch a campaign to gather personal information from users of the popular websites.
Details including age, sex, marital status and locale are available on the sites, and malicious users plan to trawl the networking websites collecting this data and picking targets for phishing scams.
Hackers will also focus on instant messenger users and web-based phone services to steal people’s identities and commit other online crime.
Graham Cluley, senior consultant at Sophos, said: “The huge popularity of sites such as MySpace means it is an increasingly attractive target for criminals, who are always looking for new ways to gather information.”
“If the hackers know you have a particular interest, this can be used to target you in a phishing attack. They know what you’re into and can exploit this to obtain more information from you such as credit card details,” he said. “People are putting far too much information online and into the hands of identity thieves. Young people in particular, need to be very careful as it may come back to haunt them.”
Don’t open that Word file; it may be carrying a Trojan!
A new vulnerability has been identified in Microsoft Word. According to security analysts at MicroWorld Technologies, exploits for the vulnerability are out already, which can successfully thrust Trojan Downloaders into user computers.
According to MicroWorld, a specially crafted Word file carrying a Trojan Dropper named ‘MSWord.Agent’ can push Trojan downloaders into victim’s computers. The Trojans deposited in this way can log on to predefined Web sites and bring dangerous malwares like Backdoors and Rootkits into a victim’s computer.
“One stream of malware writers are quite enthusiastic about exploring application software vulnerabilities, as they think that it is a lot easier and rewarding than getting into the OS level intricacies,” comments Sulabh Mahant, of MicroWorld Technologies.
In the last year, MicroWorld Technologies says that it has detected many vulnerability exploits aimed at MS Word files. While ‘Win32.Mdropper’ and ‘MSWord.1Table.bd’ were Trojan Droppers that transported back doors into targeted computers, a recently detected macro virus was primarily acting as a vehicle for password stealing Trojans.
Teenager charged with cyberscam in New Zealand
A 16-year-old has been charged in New Zealand with running an online scam and defrauding people of some $50,000. The teenager, who has a long criminal history, has been sent to a secure facility while awaiting trial, where he could face a five-year jail sentence.
It is believed he learned his computer skills while attending a special training course, which the police sent him on in the belief that it would help his personal development. He then used his parents?? computer to post spyware on a message board, infiltrating his victims?? computers and stealing personal data. He then used these details to milk people??s bank accounts for money, stealing a total of about $50,000, while the largest single theft was of $6,323. Even though only $15,000 has been recovered so far, all the affected banks in New Zealand have agreed to pay back the money to their customers.
News of this teenager??s online scam have come on the back of claims that organised cybercrime gangs have become adept at recruiting young technology students and even financing studies for some of them. As cybercrime becomes more widespread, profitable and organised, and attacks are becoming more sophisticated, criminal groups are targeting younger individuals and grooming them for operations. And whereas before it might have been curiosity or a desire to show off that led teenagers to become hackers, now it??s the money that attracts them to cybercrime.
Attack the spam, viruses, spyware
Phishing site domains shouldn’t be registered
Security analysts and anti-malware organisations are going after the those who spread viruses and other pieces of nasty software.
Security analyst F-Secure is asking domain-name registration companies to be more pro-active in stopping phishing sites from even getting on the Internet by checking the details of the person registering details.
The company has found a recent registration of ??signin-ebay-c.com?, and says that it’s found registration for variants on the names of well-known banks that number in the thousands.
These types of domain names are obviously destined for phishing sites, where hackers try to trick people into entering login information and personal details on sites that mimic authentic, secure sites.
F-Secure notes that many of the contact details for the phishing domains are bogus, and, in an open letter, has requested that domain registration agency refuse the registration of these bad domains.
In related news, the Center for Democracy and Technology and StopBadware.org have teamed up to ask US federal regulators to take action against FastMP3Search.com.ar.
The site, which is registered in Argentina, advertises itself as a search for MP3 files, but StopBadware.org has been unable to download a single MP3 from the site.
Instead, the site implants all sorts of nasty software on a victim’s PC when he or she downloads a mini application that supposedly allows them to download the music files. A representative of StopBadware.org called the files that were downloaded ??a parade of uglies?.
Both organisations want the federal organisation, the FTC, to find out who is responsible for the site and go after them.
Trojan pounces on Vista crackers
Downloaders hoping to get a free version of Microsoft’s Windows Vista OS (operating system) are getting more than they bargained for: a password-stealing Trojan.
Security researchers Sunbelt Software have confirmed that the Trojan is contained in a program called ‘windows vista all versions activation 21.11.06.exe’, which has been circulating on message boards, according to a report.
The program claims to be a ‘crack’ designed to unlock pirated copies of Vista, which was made available to Microsoft’s volume licensing customers last week.
In fact it installs malware known as Trojan-PSW.Win32.LdPinch.aze, which attempts to steal passwords and send them back to an attacker, according to security researchers Kaspersky, which first noticed the Trojan in early October.
Users who have come into contact with the supposed crack have reportedly found that Norton Antivirus and Eset’s NOD32 failed to detect the Trojan, though other antivirus programs did stop infections from occurring.
Microsoft has said it expects Vista to see the fastest adoption of any OS it has ever launched. Most analysts have taken a more cautious line, with many businesses saying they’ll wait for up to two years before planning an upgrade.
This week’s report looks at the FormShared.A worm and the Banker.FOH and Banbra.DMW Trojans.
FormShared.A is a worm aimed at spreading the SpyForms.S Trojan across P2P file-sharing programs.
To do this, FormShared.A uses its own P2P client. It creates a subfolder called SHARED in the Windows directory. This contains a series of files with false names in order to entice other users to download SpyForms.S voluntarily. These names include: 4SCREENS V3.19 BY MP2K.CZIP, 4T AV V1.8 CD-VERSION FOR PALMOS.CZIP, 4T PUBLICATION 1.2 FOR PALMOS.CZIP, or 4TEAM FOR MICROSOFT OUTLOOK 2002 V1.50.0202 RETAIL.CZIP.
Banker.FOH is a Trojan designed to steal confidential information, such as user names and passwords, from compromised computers. It does this by capturing keystrokes entered by the user, storing them and then sending them out by email.
If Banker.FOH runs on a computer without an Internet connection, an error screen is displayed with the text: Socket Error # 11004.
As with most Trojans, Banker.FOH is not able to spread by itself, and therefore needs the intervention of a malicious user. The means of distribution used vary and include floppy disks, CD-ROMs, email messages with attachments, Internet download, files transferred via FTP, IRC channels, P2P file sharing networks, etc.
Finally, Banbra.DMW is a Trojan designed to steal confidential data from users of a well-known Brazilian bank. Interestingly, this is a ‘one-use’ malicious code which can only be run once on each computer it infects.
Every time it infects a computer, Banbra.DMW sends an email to the creator of the Trojan indicating the username and the time the computer was infected. Once has done this, it hijacks Internet Explorer and waits for the user to access the bank’s web page. Then, Banbra.DMW takes the user to a false web page -created by the Trojan itself- which is an imitation of the original page.
Finally, it compiles the stolen data and sends it out by email, allowing the attacker to commit identity theft and online fraud.
All users that want to know whether their computers have been attacked by these or other malicious code can use ActiveScan, the free solution available at: www.pandasoftware.com/activescan. Users can carry out a complete inspection, free of charge, of all the areas of their computers that they suspect may be infected.