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News

• Critical Patch Tuesday flaw easy to exploit

  Guess what today is? Yes, it is Fat Tuesday--the official kick off of Mardi Gras.

• DroidDream autopsy: anatomy of an Android malware attack

  The Android world is still reeling from the DroidDream invasion of the Android Market. Google has flipped the kill switch to wipe out apps associated with DroidDream, but the work of investigating how this Android Trojan infiltrated Google, and how to prevent similar attacks in the future is just beginning.

• Germany identifies a secure way to deal with spam

  In theory, stopping spam is easy: just make it uneconomic to send millions of messages by charging for each one sent, or make senders authenticate their identity to stop address spoofing and simplify blocking.

• More mobile spyware hits Android

  NetQin Mobile has captured 2 new spyware programs that have been infecting Android phones. The two programs, "SW.SecurePhone" and "SW.Qieting", can release an unsettling amount of personal information from an infected phone.

• How to avoid being the victim of an Android Trojan

  It is no secret that mobile platforms are ripe targets for malware. The explosion of smartphones and tablets, combined with the lack of security awareness or tools for mobile platforms makes them particularly attractive targets. Apparently, Android has caught the attention of mobile malware developers because the number of threats is on the rise.

• FTC asks court to shut down text spammer

  The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has asked a judge to shut down an alleged text-messaging spam operation that sent out 85 text messages per minute at its peak, the agency said Wednesday.

• Get a quick and easy disposable e-mail address

  Here's a common hassle: You sign up for some freebie, promotion, or service that requires your e-mail address--and suddenly your inbox is deluged with ads, notifications, and other spam.

• Watch out for FDIC phishing scam

  Attention! Dear Depositor -- the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) is not sending you an e-mail with a mysterious ZIP file attachment. If you receive such a message claiming to be from the FDIC, don't be fooled. The e-mail is a phishing attack, and the attachment is actually malware.

• Microsoft calls for safer and healthier internet

  At a keynote speech delivered at the RSA Security Conference, Scott Charney -- Microsoft corporate vice president for Trustworthy Computing -- reiterated a vision for the future of Internet security. Charney painted a picture of a collaborative approach to Internet and PC security modeled after the processes used to respond to global health epidemics.

• GSMA to recommend SMS spam reporting system

  The GSMA will recommend that operators join a program that allows mobile subscribers to report SMS spam using short codes in an effort to gather more data on a growing annoyance.

• Seven hints to stay safe online

  There have been a number of attacks recently against high-profile social networking accounts -- French President Sarkozy, teen pop star Selena Gomez, and even social network wunderkind and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg have all fallen prey. Web surfing and social networking are here to stay, so the trick is figuring out how to protect your computer and your personal information while you're online.

• Spam Traffic Returns after Holiday Break

  Spammers are people too...apparently. They have families and want to take a vacation to spend quality time with them over the traditional holiday break just like everyone else. Or, at least that is the way that it appears if you follow the trends in spam traffic.

• You Too Can Be an l33t 'Whitehat' Hacker for Only US$250

  The concept of ethical or whitehat hacking is nothing new. There is some merit to the "it takes a thief to catch a thief" mentality, and using the same tools employed by malicious attackers to test and fortify networks rather than compromising them. However, when the blackhats start selling "whitehat" hacking tool kits there is good reason to be skeptical.

• U.S. still top spammer, report says

  At the end of 2010, the United States remained on top of the "Dirty Dozen" list of spam relaying nations compiled by IT security firm Sophos.

• Google enhances e-mail security in Apps

  Google has taken a step to stop legitimate e-mail messages sent by its Apps customers from getting caught in spam filters.