“Fake antivirus software using ransom threats” plus 2 more |
- Fake antivirus software using ransom threats
- Free Cloud AntiVirus Security Startup Immunet Reaches 500,000 Members
- Commtouch Completes Acquisition of Command Antivirus Division of Authentium
| Fake antivirus software using ransom threats Posted: 06 Sep 2010 07:13 PM PDT Fake antivirus programs appear to be adopting some of the money-raising tactics of more threatening ransom malware, security company Fortinet's latest threat report has found. The most prevalent malware variant during August was TotalSecurity W32/FakeAlert.LU!tr, a malicious program that masquerades as antivirus software in order to sell worthless licenses for non-existent malware. On its own it accounted for 37.3 per cent of all malware threats detected by the company during the month. Unlike standard fake antivirus programs, however, the new version of TotalSecurity takes the ruse a stage further by preventing any applications other than a web browser to run, claiming they are 'infected'. The user is invited to have the infection cleaned by buying the bogus TotalSecurity product. Adding an extra layer of sophistication to its arsenal - and no doubt aware how quickly bogus antivirus software is blocked by genuine security products - TotalSecurity can now vary the downloads it feeds to target PC using server-side polymorphism. Put another way, the exact version downloaded to a victim's PC will constantly change which makes detection harder. "This is a technique typically seen with botnets, such as Waledac, and has been picked up by the developers of TotalSecurity. This is another example of how relying purely on antivirus is not a silver-bullet approach to protecting systems from infection," said Fortinet's threat research head, Derek Manky. According to Fortinet, such attacks demonstrate the vulnerability of PC-based antivirus software. A layered defence would have a better chance of detecting TotalSecurity by either intercepting the initial spam used to spread it or by blocking the download website. Once rare enough to be a curiosity, malware using threats and direct interference with a PC's operation have slowly become more common. A previous report from Fortinet in March noted a sudden surge in the technique, about a year after the first aggressive use of ransomware in the form of the notorious Vundo Trojan. That particular piece of malware used crude encryption of a victim's files. In July came news of the odd Krotten Trojan that disables a victim's PC in a variety of ways before asking for a tiny payment to be made to a Ukrainian mobile phone network. Two months before that researchers in Japan discovered the Kenzero porn blackmail Trojan that threatens to post a victim's embarrassing browsing history to a public website. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Free Cloud AntiVirus Security Startup Immunet Reaches 500,000 Members Posted: 06 Sep 2010 11:08 PM PDT Press Release Source: Immunet Corporation On Tuesday September 7, 2010, 2:08 am EDT PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Immunet, the developer of next-generation security and Cloud AntiVirus technologies, today announced it has reached over 500,000 users of its free AntiVirus product, Immunet Protect. Immunet Protect 2.0 launched in June 2010 and received a 4.5 star rating from CNET. Immunet provides real-time protection from over 14 million threats through the Immunet Cloud. The product is extremely lightweight (up to 35 times smaller than competing products), fast, and compatible with other market leading security software. "We've grown extraordinarily fast since we launched our beta product in August of 2009. We owe our success to our members who recommend and share Immunet with their most trusted contacts, friends, and family," says Oliver Friedrichs, Immunet Founder and CEO, "We've focused on changing the AntiVirus experience from one that cripples your PC to one that is streamlined and seamless. In addition, the approaches used by traditional products protect you from less than 50% of new threats; Immunet Protect fills that gap. Our rapid growth demonstrates that performance and efficacy continue to be a real pain point for Consumers as they seek out new solutions." Each time a user downloads the free Cloud AntiVirus software from immunet.com, they can protect their friends and contacts by inviting them into their community. Each new member in the community enhances the strength of Immunet's Collective Immunity™ technology. This technology offers members a network protection effect that keeps their personal PCs and the computers of their friends and family safe online. Each time a virus is blocked on one computer in the Immunet Community, all other PCs are instantly protected from the same virus. This collaborative approach leverages 'strength-in-numbers' to grow stronger with each new community member. "I'm extremely excited to see our software used by over half a million people to protect their PCs. We're now protecting members in over 192 countries, including the Vatican City!" says Cofounder and VP of Engineering Alfred Huger. "We welcome the next 500,000 members with open arms." Immunet Protect Free 2.0 is available as a free AntiVirus download from the Immunet website, www.immunet.com. Users can upgrade to Immunet Protect Plus for advanced, offline protection at anytime, while Immunet Protect Free will always remain free. About Immunet Immunet was founded in July 2008 by AntiVirus industry veterans to address a sweeping shift in the Internet threat landscape. Immunet utilizes the latest advances in computing, including cloud computing, collective intelligence, data mining and machine learning. Immunet Protect 2.0 is a free Cloud AntiVirus download that provides real-time protection from over 14 million threats daily. To connect with Immunet please visit www.immunet.com, follow us on Twitter @immunet or visit the Immunet Facebook Fan Page. Collective Immunity™ is a registered trademark of Immunet Corporation. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Commtouch Completes Acquisition of Command Antivirus Division of Authentium Posted: 06 Sep 2010 10:14 PM PDT Addition of Command Antivirus Expands Team, Product Portfolio and Customer Base SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Commtouch® (Nasdaq: CTCH) announced that it has closed on the purchase of the Command Antivirus® division of Authentium, Inc., a Florida-based company, as of Friday, September 3, 2010.
"With this acquisition, Commtouch is uniquely positioned to provide a comprehensive Internet security suite to vendors and service providers, including messaging, Web security and antivirus technologies," said Gideon Mantel, Commtouch's chairman of the board and chief executive officer. "Since announcing the agreement, we have received a great deal of positive feedback from both Commtouch's and Command's customer base. This acquisition is an important step forward in Commtouch's strategy of expanding its leadership in the Internet security solution market." The Command Antivirus product includes technology to protect against viruses, spyware, Trojans, and other threats. It boasts strong detection capabilities coupled with high performance and offers flexible deployment options to OEM vendors and service providers looking to provide their customers with protection against malware, either as a standalone solution or as an additional layer of defense. "We are excited to welcome the Command team into the Commtouch family and integrate its technology into our portfolio. The dedication of Command's employees has helped the company to flourish and forge strong relationships with top-tier customers. We are pleased to be enlarging our team with these professionals, who will be based in our new Florida office," Mr. Mantel continued. "Commtouch has become a significant player in cybersecurity, with multiple product offerings. This, combined with our global customer base of over 150 OEM partners and service providers, is expected to greatly increase our growth potential and enhance our business going forward." Mr. Mantel concluded. For more information about Commtouch, Authentium Command and the acquisition, see http://www.commtouch.com/command-acquisition-faq. About Commtouch Commtouch® (NASDAQ: CTCH) provides proven Internet security technology to more than 150 security companies and service providers for integration into their solutions. Commtouch's GlobalView™ and patented Recurrent Pattern Detection™ (RPD™) technologies are founded on a unique cloud-based approach, and work together in a comprehensive feedback loop to protect effectively in all languages and formats. Commtouch's Command Antivirus utilizes a multi-layered approach to provide award winning malware detection and industry-leading performance. Commtouch technology automatically analyzes billions of Internet transactions in real-time in its global data centers to identify new threats as they are initiated, enabling our partners and customers to protect end-users from spam and malware, and ensure safe, compliant browsing. The company's expertise in building efficient, massive-scale security services has resulted in mitigating Internet threats for thousands of organizations and hundreds of millions of users in 190 countries. Commtouch was founded in 1991, is headquartered in Netanya, Israel, and has a subsidiary with offices in Sunnyvale, California and Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Stay abreast of the latest messaging and Web threat trends all quarter long at the Commtouch Café: http://blog.commtouch.com. For more information about enhancing security offerings with Commtouch technology, see http://www.commtouch.com or write info@commtouch.com. Recurrent Pattern Detection, RPD, Zero-Hour and GlobalView are trademarks, and Commtouch, Authentium, Command Antivirus and Command Anti-malware are registered trademarks of Commtouch. U.S. Patent No. 6,330,590 is owned by Commtouch. This press release contains forward-looking statements, including projections about our business, within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. For example, statements in the future tense, and statements including words such as "expect," "plan," "estimate," "anticipate," or "believe" are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on information available to us at the time of the release; we assume no obligation to update any of them. The statements in this release, including the statement identifying the factors that are "expected to greatly increase our growth potential and enhance our business going forward," are not guarantees of future performance and actual results could differ materially from our current expectations as a result of numerous factors, including business conditions and growth or deterioration in the Internet market, commerce and the general economy, both domestic as well as international; fewer than expected new-partner relationships; competitive factors, including pricing pressures; technological developments, and products offered by competitors; the ability of our OEM partners to successfully penetrate markets with products integrated with Commtouch technology; a slower than expected acceptance rate for our newer product offerings; availability of qualified staff; and technological difficulties and resource constraints encountered in developing new products, as well as those risks described in the text of this press release and the company's Annual Reports on Form 20-F and reports on Form 6-K, which are available through www.sec.gov. 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