Planted on Networks, Phony Download Infects 500K PCs

File-sharing site ordered to permanently disable software

(NEWSER) - File-sharing site LimeWire has been effectively killed off by a court order. A federal judge has issued an injunction ordering the service to permanently disable its software and to end the sharing of unauthorized music files, the Wall Street Journal reports. The popular site was found liable for copyright infringement on a "massive scale" six months ago. More»

McAfee roots out the world's sketchiest domains

(NEWSER) - It may be the most familiar domain, but .com is also the extension second most likely to screw with your computer—beaten only by Cameroon's .cm. A whopping 32.2% of .com addresses pose a security risk, according to McAfee’s third annual “Mapping the Mal Web” report, compared to 36.7% for .cm, which cyber criminals have gravitated toward because it’s so similar to .com that typos can often draw unwary surfers. More»

(NEWSER) - Fear of computer viruses is now one of the major reasons people are getting them in the first place, Reuters reports. According to Microsoft, seven of the 25 top threats come in the form of fake security programs, which users terrified of malware like Conficker are installing indiscriminately. Losing market share to the bugs they try to defend against has flummoxed above-board Internet security firms. More»

Investment firm staffer leaked data with music

(NEWSER) - An employee at an investment firm made much more than music available when he used a company computer to access the file-sharing site Limewire, reports the Washington Post. He also made it possible for users to access records of 2,000 of the firm's clients—including Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. Users as far away as Colombia downloaded the data, which can be used to open lines of credit. More»

Security upgrade part of wider trend in protecting computers from Web's ills

(NEWSER) - Yahoo search will now label risky sites, including spyware and virus hosts and spammers, thanks to an exclusive deal with McAfee SiteAdvisor, the companies said today. It also will omit sites entirely that attack visiting computers, reports CNet. Yahoo sees millions of clicks through to some such sites daily, a rep said, and expects the changes to significantly advance security. More»