Spammers Bounce Back After Host Shutdown

Security researchers outflanked by well-funded cybercriminals

(NEWSER) - There's a war on for your computer and the bad guys are winning, the New York Times reports. Malware that stealthily hijacks a computer to send more malware is spreading like wildfire, and efforts to battle the constantly evolving threat often amount to little more than a game of online whack-a-mole. Cybercriminals are now as advanced as the top software companies—and faster and more adaptable, security experts say. More»

(NEWSER) - An April Fools information apocalypse did not occur, but the widespread Conficker virus that caused so much fear of is still out there, CNN reports. Experts are puzzled over the lack of an attack, but the sheer size of the Conficker infection—5 million computers—yields a clue. “The more experienced attackers don’t let their viruses or their worms spread this widely,” one says. More»

Malware experts race against time to limit the program's damage

(NEWSER) - Malware experts are racing to find the authors of the Conficker C worm and limit the damage it seems poised to do beginning April Fool’s Day, CNN reports. Conficker C, the bug’s third iteration since late 2008, has infected between 5 and 10 million computers but so far has not taken action; a piece of the code indicates the worm will activate April 1. More»

(NEWSER) - Notice less spam in your mailbox today? If so, it's because Internet service providers yanked a California outfit offline that had been responsible for sending about 75% of the world's electronic junk mail, reports the Security Fix blog in the Washington Post. The providers—acting on information provided by the Post's blog—terminated service to the Web hosting firm known as McColo. More»

McAfee experiment reveals how quickly e-junk proliferates and other fun stuff

(NEWSER) - Internet users in the US get the most spam, security-software firm McAfee finds after a study. McAfee gave 50 people across 10 developed countries laptops and instructed them to sign up for as much stuff on the internet as possible, and to reply to every spam message. The resulting volume of spam surprised even the researchers, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. More»