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Finally, after nearly 3 long years, I'm back in Norway! We're here at last, leaving our sunny paradise for a winter wonderland. It's almost surreal given how much has happened in that time, not just the pandemic but returning to Oslo with Charlotte as my Norwegian wife is super cool π Other things this week are not so different, namely people complaining on Twitter (albeit also complaining about Twitter). As I find myself continually caveating, YMMV but it does feel like events are being overly dramatised by some at present. Time will tell, but I think we'll all still be using the platform to complain about things just as effectively in a year from now as we are today π
The Bahamut APT group distributes at least eight malicious apps that pilfer victims' data and monitor their messages and conversations
The post Spyware posing as VPN apps β Week in security with Tony Anscombe appeared first on WeLiveSecurity
Authored by Dennis Pang
What is antivirus? Thatβs a good question. What does it really protect? Thatβs an even better question.Β
Over the years, Iβve come to recognize that different people define antivirus differently. Some see it as way to keep hackers from crashing their computers. Others see it as a comprehensive set of protections. Neither definition is entirely on the money.Β
With this blog, I hope to give everyone a clear definition of what antivirus does well, along with what it doesnβt do at all. The fact is that antivirus is just one form of online protection. There are other forms of protection as well, and understanding antivirusβ role in your overall mix of online protection is an important part of staying safer online.Β
Antivirus software protects your devices against malware and viruses through a combination of prevention, detection, and removal.Β Β
For years, people have installed antivirus software on their computers. Today, it can also protect your smartphones and tablets as well. In fact, we recommend installing it on those devices as well because theyβre connected, just like a computerβand any device that connects to the internet is a potential target for malware and viruses.Β Β
In short, if itβs connected, it must get protected.Β
One important distinction about antivirus is its name, a name that first came into use decades ago when viruses first appeared on the scene. (More on that in a bit.) However, antivirus protects you from more than viruses. It protects against malware too.Β
Malware is an umbrella term that covers all types of malicious software regardless of its design, intent, or how its delivered. Viruses are a subset of malicious software that infects devices and then replicates itself so that it can infect yet more devices.Β
So while we popularly refer to protection software as antivirus, it protects against far more than just viruses. It protects against malware overall.Β
Now hereβs where some confusion may come in. Some antivirus apps are standalone. They offer malware protection and thatβs it. Other antivirus apps are part of comprehensive online protection software, which can include several additional far-reaching features that can protect your privacy and your identity.Β Β
The reason why antivirus gets paired up with other apps for your privacy and identity is because antivirus alone doesnβt offer these kinds of protections. Yet when paired with things like a password manager, credit monitoring, identity theft coverage, and a VPN, to name a few, you can protect your devicesβalong with your privacy and identity. All the things you need to stay safer online.Β
In short, antivirus doesnβt cut it alone.Β
With that, letβs take a closer look at what malware and viruses really areβhow they evolved, and what they look like today, along with how antivirus protects you against them.Β
Viruses have a long history. And depending on how you define what a virus is, the first one arguably took root in 1971βmore than 50 years ago.Β Β
It was known as Creeper, and rather than being malicious in nature, it was designed to show how a self-replicating program could identify other connected devices on a network, transfer itself to them, and find yet more devices to repeat the process. Later, the same programmer who created a follow-on version of Creeper developed Reaper, a program that could remove the Creeper program. In a way, Reaper could be considered the first piece of antivirus software.Β
From there, it wasnβt until the 1980βs that malware started affecting the broader population, a time when computers became more commonplace in businesses and peopleβs homes.Β Β
At first, malware typically spread by infected floppy disks, much like the βBrainβ virus in 1986. While recognized today as the first large-scale computer virus, its authors say they never intended it to work that way. Rather they say they created Brain as an anti-piracy measure to protect their proprietary software from theft. However, Brain got loose. It went beyond their software and affected computers worldwide. Although not malicious or destructive in nature, Brain most certainly put the industry, businesses, and consumers on notice.Β Β
Computer viruses became a thing.Β
Another piece of malware that got passed along via floppy disks was the βPC Cyborgβ attack that targeted the medical research community in and around 1989. There the malware would lie in wait until the user rebooted their computer for the 90th time. And on that 90th boot, the user was presented with a digital ransom note like the one here:Β
Along with that note, PC Cyborg encrypted the computerβs files, which would only get unencrypted if the victim paid a feeβmaking PC Cyborg the first widely recognized form of ransomware.Β
Shortly thereafter, the internet started connecting computers, which opened millions of doors for hackers as people went online. Among the most noteworthy was 1999βs βMelissaβ virus, which spread by way of infected email attachments and overloaded hundreds of corporate and governmental email servers worldwide.Β Β
It was quickly followed in 2000 by whatβs considered the among the most damaging malware to dateβILOVEYOU, which also spread by way of an attachment, this one posing as a love letter. Specifically, it was a self-replicating worm that installed itself on the victimβs computer where it destroyed some information and stole other information, then spread to other computers. One estimate puts the global cost of ILOVEYOU at $10 billion and further speculated that it infected 10% of the worldβs internet-connected computers at the time.Β
With the advent of the internet, malware quickly established itself as a sad fact of connected life. Today, McAfee registers an average of 1.1 million new malicious programs and potentially unwanted apps (PUA) each day, which contributes to the millions and millions of malicious programs already in existence.Β Β Β
Apart from the sheer volume of malware out there today, another thing that distinguishes todayβs malware from early malware attacksβtheyβre created largely for profit.Β
We can think of it this way:Β Β
Todayβs malware is far more than an annoyance or headache. It can lead to follow-on attacks that target your finances, your identity, your privacy, or a mix of all three.Β
So with a million or so new threats coming online each day, and millions more out there already, how does antivirus protect you from malware? It blocks, detects, and removes malware. And it does so in a couple of ways:Β
However, as mentioned earlier, antivirus provides only one aspect of online protection today. While it protects your devices and the data thatβs on them, your privacy and identity can come under attack as well. So while antivirus alone can protect you from malware, it canβt prevent other forms of online crime like identity theft, phishing attacks designed to steal personal information, or attacks on your accounts, to name a few of the many other types of threats out there.Β
Yet comprehensive online protection can.Β
Comprehensive online protection software like ours offers antivirus, along with specific services and features that protect your privacy and identity online as well. It gives you dozens of other features like identity theft coverage & restoration, personal data cleanup, security freezes, and an online protection score that shows you just how safe you are, along with suggestions that can make you safer still.Β Β
So while protecting your devices with antivirus is a great start, itβs only one part of staying safer online. Including privacy and identity protection rounds out your protection overall.Β
The post What is Antivirus and What Does It Really Protect? appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Webinar Email provides us with an infinite number of possible exchanges. We send approximately 332 billion messages a day but having so much convenience and flexibility at our fingertips also brings security risks.β¦
'Tis the season for shopping and if you too are scouting for bargains, make sure to keep your money safe when snapping up those deals
The post Know your payment options: How to shop and pay safely this holiday season appeared first on WeLiveSecurity
In brief NordPass has released its list of the most common passwords of 2022, and frankly we're disappointed in all of you.β¦
Twitter CEO Elon Musk has decided to allow suspended accounts back onto the micro-blogging service.β¦
Updated The United Kingdom has decided Chinese video cameras have no place in government facilities.β¦
It pays not to let your guard down during the shopping bonanza β watch out for some of the most common scams doing the rounds this holiday shopping season
The post 10 tips to avoid Black Friday and Cyber Monday scams appeared first on WeLiveSecurity
In its latest quarterly threat report, Meta said it had detected and disrupted influence operations originating in the US, and it calls out those it believes are responsible: the American military.β¦
The European Parliament has experienced a cyber attack that started not long after it declared Russia to be a state sponsor of terrorism.β¦
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Microsoft is warning that systems using the long-discontinued Boa web server could be at risk of attacks after a series of intrusion attempts of power grid operations in India likely included exploiting security flaws in the technology.β¦
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Malicious apps used in this active campaign exfiltrate contacts, SMS messages, recorded phone calls, and even chat messages from apps such as Signal, Viber, and Telegram
The post Bahamut cybermercenary group targets Android users with fake VPN apps appeared first on WeLiveSecurity
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