TechBlog

Sometimes we encounter childish messages from the authors in the body of malware. A variant of the TDSS family we got recently is even going a step further by offering a convenient location for a malware signature. The samples include the message “Put your signature here”, which is shown when run inside a debugger. While in many cases signatures could be still useful for detection, Avira prefer to use other technologies which are more generic and proactive. This is especially the case with malware families like TDSS/Alureon, whose authors continuously adapt their creations so they are able to work around even proactive detection in a short time. This variant is detected as TR/Crypt.XPACK.Gen3.

RealNetworks, Inc. have published product upgrades addressing vulnerabilities in RealPlayer SP 1.1.4 and earlier. The vulnerabilities may allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code. Windows users of RealPlayer SP 1.1.4 and earlier are advised to upgrade to the latest version here For more information, visit RealNetworks’ security advisory here

Currently a new likejacking-attack is running on Facebook. If a user clicks on the link of a friend which is reads “I Will NEVER TEXT Again After Seeing THIS!! on CLICK HERE TO SEE.”, she or he will automatically “like” that link too due to some clever scripting on the attacking website. A second like-link says “This American GUY must be Stoned to Death for doing this to a GIRL (NO SURVEYS)! … on CLICK HERE TO SEE.”. This is another variant of the same likejacking-attack. ...

Yahoo will soon launch a service called “Y Connect” with features very similar to those of Facebook Connect — portable identity management, integrating Yahoo content on third-party websites, and sharing data about what you’re doing and where with your Yahoo contacts. The service will share info with your contacts through Yahoo Pulse, the Threadsy-like activity stream that Yahoo launched about four months ago to compete with Google Buzz and other social offerings. ...

Intel regularly tweaks its price list with nary a word to the masses, but the Tech Report caught chipzilla red-handed this time. The site reports that Intel has lowered prices on four desktop and two mobile processors. Looking at the latest price sheet (PDF), Intel cut 15% off its 3.2GHz i3-550, putting it at $117. That’s identical to the 3.06GHz i3-540 and only $4 more than the 2.93GHz i3-530 — the company’s cheapest i3 desktop offering. ...

Just last week NVidia distributed a beta version of their Forceware drivers 260.89. The main feature was support for their recently launched GeForce GT 430, and although a few other improvements were mentioned there was nothing really outstanding. This time around the company offers the final release of these drivers with pretty much the same improvements, plus support for playing back Blu-ray 3D discs when connecting your GPU to a 3D TV through HDMI. ...

The information being transmitted is one of Facebook’s basic building blocks: the unique “Facebook ID” number assigned to every user on the site. Since a Facebook user ID is a public part of any Facebook profile, anyone can use an ID number to look up a person’s name, using a standard Web browser, even if that person has set all of his or her Facebook information to be private. For other users, the Facebook ID reveals information they have set to share with “everyone,” including age, residence, occupation and photos. ...

NEW YORK — The Wall Street Journal is reporting that 10 popular Facebook applications have been transmitting users’ personal identifying information to dozens of advertising and Internet tracking companies. The newspaper said Monday that the breach also includes users who set all their information to be completely private. And in some cases, it says, the apps provided access to friends’ names. A Facebook spokesman told the Journal on Sunday that the company would introduce new technology to contain the breach. It’s not clear how long the breach went on. ...

While NVidia’s big news may have been its upcoming budget-range GeForce GT 430 1GB cards which leaked out earlier this month, it seems that the company has been hiding another secret: the GeForce GT 440 range. Quietly detailed on the company’s website, the NVidia GeForce GT 440 range of cards is designed to offer OEMs a DirectX 11-compatible card for adding in to their mid-range machines. According to the reference specifications, the GT440 cards feature a 594MHz graphics clock, 1,189MHz processor clock, and either 800 or 900MHz memory clock, along with 144 CUDA cores. Interestingly, NVidia will be offering at least two different models: a budget-friendly version featuring 1.5GB of GDDR3, or a high-end model with 3GB of GDDR3. ...

The good news is that overseas hackers apparently did not change the grades of more then 100 thousand University of North Florida students when they broke into the computer system in September. The bad news is that personal information like names and social security numbers for those students may now be in the hands of those hackers. The FBI is investigating the attack, which was discovered by the university in a routine check of the server. According to University officials, the hacker had access to the system between September 24th and September 29th, but the University did not say when the breach was discovered. The Florida Times-Union newspaper said the university learned of the attack in September but did not notify potential victims because they were still investigating ...