WebProNews

Beware the Emails of Halloween

Symantec's MessageLabs released its Intelligence Report for the month of October, and it reveals the that the spammers behind the biggest botnets – Cutwail, Rustock and Donbot – are using the upcoming major holidays and world events as the themes for their the latest spam runs. This is not particularly surprising news, but it is news that people should be aware of nevertheless.

Earthquake and Tsunami Searchers Targeted By Malware

You have probably heard about the Indonesian Earthquake that took place last night, claiming the lives of many. Shameless cybercriminals have not wasted anytime exploiting the disaster targeting people around the world who search for information on the subject.

Top 10 Most Spammed States in the US

Symantec's MessageLabs revealed a list of the most spammed states in the US today, with some somewhat surprising results. And the award for state that receives the most spam is...Idaho.

Phishing Down, But Probably Only Temporarily

Spam is rising as we get closer to the Christmas holiday season according to Symantec, although they do say that phishing is down. The company has shared some findings from its September State of Phishing report. According to the report, there was a 45% reduction in phishing attacks between July and August. Symantec says this will likely be a short-term lull, however, reflecting the end of a particular toolkit attack on social networking sites.

Short URL Spam a Big Threat in August

Spammers are taking particular advantage of the heightened interest in health-related issues like swine flu and healthcare reform to distribute large shortened-URL spam runs using the Donbot botnet, according to Symantec's MessageLabs.

What Kids Are Searching For Online

The most popular search terms kids are searching for include sites like YouTube, eBay and Craigslist, as well as social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, according to a new report from Symantec. The words "sex" and "porn" also made it to the top, ranking number four and six respectively. Number nine on the list was "fred", for Fred Figglehorn, popular fictional character whose YouTube channel has become a hit among kids.

Malicious Content Found More on Well Established Sites

MessageLabs Intelligence released some new  information today indicating that the assumption that most web-based malware resides on fly-by-night websites touting adult content, is an "old-fashioned notion." Instead, a MessageLabs (part of Symantec) spokesperson tells WebProNews that cybercriminals are more likely to be hiding on legitimate web sites tha have been compromised. Data from the week of May 5th shows that:

Symantec Launches Online Safety Service For Parents And Kids

Symantec has officially launched OnlineFamily.Norton, an Internet safety service designed to help parents monitor their children's online activity. The launch coincides with the start of Internet Safety Week, which began today. The service is available for free until January1, 2010.

Cybercrime Continues To Grow At Rapid Pace

Cybercrime continued to grow at a rapid pace throughout 2008,primarily targeting personal financial information of computer users, according to a new report from Symantec. Symantec said it created more than 1.6 million new malicious code signatures in 2008, which accounts for more than 60 percent of the total malicious code signatures ever created by the security firm.

Search Engine Spam Comes with a New Twist

For the first time in over a year, spammers are using popular search engine links to disguise malicious web addresses according to Symantec's MessageLabs. In February, users have been targeted with the promise of good deals and cheap goods as they struggle through the economic crisis. Such spam messages contain text like: