ITWorld

Anatomy of a Spam Virus

A botnet created by a trojan virus is sometimes referred to as SpamThru.

According to the Don’t Bounce Spam organization, spammers have become very sophisticated in the way they manage their botnets , and the SpamThru Trojan is the leading example. In at least one case the botnet consisted of over 73,000 computers.

Malware Laden Spam on the Rise Again

Security experts are reporting that malware laden spam is on the increase. The malware is either delivered via .zip or .rar attachments or by directing the recipient to a compromised website via a link. Another method rising in popularity is the embedding of malicious code into the source code of the message.

Phishing Emails Exploit Browser Weaknesses

Most web browsers are supposed to protect people by implementing security zones. These safe zones use different security settings of a web browser, which can vary based on the location of the web page being viewed. Phishing emails can lure users to a malicious code web site.

Researcher finds evidence of massive site compromise

Several criminal gangs have acquired administrative log-in credentials for more than 200,000 Web sites -- including the one used by the U.S. Postal Service -- and have used the compromised domains to attack unsuspecting users' PCs with a notorious hacker exploit kit, a researcher said today.