Conficker Worm Date Passes Quietly—So Far

Duqu designed to gather information on industrial systems, Symantec says

(NEWSER) - A new computer virus found in Europe and the Middle East bears a strong resemblance to the Stuxnet worm that attacked Iran's nuclear facilities, security experts say, but the Duqu malware's target is still unclear. Security firm Symantec says Duqu appears to be designed to gather information on industrial control systems, while McAfee believes the malware was designed to attack Certificate Authorities, which issue the digital certificates that validate Internet sites, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. More»

Someone is logging the keystrokes of drone operators

(NEWSER) - America’s robot assassins have all been infected with a “keylogger” virus that tracks every move their pilots make, sources tell Wired . The military isn’t sure how the computers at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada—the nerve center that controls most drone missions—got infected, or who they might be sending their information to, if anyone. They do know that it has hit both classified and unclassified computers, and resisted all attempts at removal. More»

Search-hijacking malware hits 2M computers

(NEWSER) - Google has gone on the offensive, warning users against malware that hijacks searches. Internet surfers hit with the virus find a yellow warning at the top of their Google search results telling them that their computer appears to be infected, the BBC reports. They're then directed to fake anti-virus software programs that burrow into systems if they're downloaded. More»

60% are just acquaintances, study finds

(NEWSER) - A fifth of your Facebook friends are people you don’t even know—and three-fifths are just acquaintances, a study finds. The fact that only 20% of your friends are your actual friends may not come as a surprise to the average Facebook user, notes AllFacebook.com , but it’s a fact worth remembering: After all, the more unfamiliar friends you have, the greater your risk of getting malware and spam. Why keep so many so-called friends? 54% of responders to the survey, conducted by GoodMobilePhones , cited politeness, while 34% said they wanted to look more popular. More»

(USER SUBMITTED) - A McAfee study finds that searching for free stuff online—particularly entertainment-related content—dramatically increases your odds of landing on a site littered with malware. By inserting the search term "free" when looking for music ringtones, the study reports a 300% increases in the chances of hitting a malicious site. More»