Buy of the Week: Targus 10.2" Sport Netbook Case for $18!

This offer expired on 9/7/12. Check top banner ad for active deals.

The Targus Sport Netbook Case is designed to protect netbooks with up to 10.2" screens. The clamshell design enables using the netbook while it is securely stowed inside of the case.

Built for travel, this case features a rugged exterior, padded removable shoulder strap and comfortable carry handle. The case also provides additional storage compartments to hold a power adapter or other accessories.

Until September 7th, 2012, you can order a new Targus Sport Netbook Case from Hyphenet for only $18, plus shipping!

Specifications for Targus 10.2" Sport Netbook Case

Product Type	Notebook carrying case
Color	Gray, black
Product Material	Polyester
Dimensions (WxDxH)	12.2 in x 3.5 in x 9.5 in
Weight	24 oz
Notebook Compatibility	10.2"
Features	Padded shoulder strap
Carrying Strap	Shoulder carrying strap
Manufacturer Warranty	Limited lifetime warranty

Don't miss out on this Buy of the Week! Call (619) 325-0990 to order your Targus 10.2" Sport Netbook Case today!

Buy of the Week offer valid through September 7th, 2012.

Note: Shipping and taxes apply.

Looking for something else? Check out our monthly deals or contact us to get a quote on the product you're searching for.

This offer expired on 9/7/12. Check top banner ad for active deals.

Time to Update: Oracle Releases Java 7 Update 7 to Address 0-Day Flaws

Update: Security Explorations claims that vulnerabilities exist in the new patch, Oracle confirms their findings... again.

-------

Talk about a quick turnaround!

Oracle has just released Java 7 Update 7, which according to the release notes (and related Oracle Security Alert for CVE-2012-4681) addresses the 0-day vulnerabilities that are actively being exploited by cybercriminals to infect computers with malware.

Due to the severity of the vulnerabilities and reported exploitation of them in the wild, Oracle strongly recommends that users apply the updates ASAP.

Java 7 Update 7 can be downloaded directly from the official Java website: java.com.

Update now!

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McAfee Warns of Bot Malware Spreading via Facebook Chat, Skype, GTalk, Pidgin & Other IM Services

McAfee is urging users to exercise caution when following links shared via chat as a crafty piece of malware is using a variety of instant messaging services to lasso as many systems as possible into its army of zombie computers.

The list of chat clients being exploited by this malware includes Facebook Chat, Skype, GTalk, Pidgin, MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Instant Messenger, and even ICQ.

The attack starts off with the user being presented with a chat window from an unknown contact containing a link to an “interesting” video, which is a common tactic used in Facebook scams.

Should the user make the mistake of following the link, the malware will be downloaded and installed on their machine [presumably via drive-by-download].  The malware is usually delivered in a file named Picturexx.JPG_www.facebook.com.

Once the malware has successfully infected a machine, it makes itself feel at home by:

• Bypassing the firewall directly with netsh using the command line “netsh firewall allowed program” and/or modifying the firewall policy & making a registry modification to add itself as an allowed program


• Editing the Windows registry to ensure it runs whenever the system is turned on or restarted


• Checking for anti-malware programs such as Microsoft Security Essentials, Kaspersky Antivirus, ESET Smart Security (or NOD32 Antirvirus), Avira Antivirus, and Windows Defender so it can disable them


• Changing the start page for Internet Explorer and modifying the preference files for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox

As if that weren’t bad enough, the bot malware receives commands from a remote attacker and begins pumping out malicious chat messages to others in order to collect more victims.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel, though. McAfee says that removing this malware from your system is relatively easy.

“We kill the running instances of this process using Process Explorer or Task Manager.” Niranjan Jayanand explained in a McAfee blog post on Wednesday, “The start-up entry made by the malware must be cleared as well to avoid its reloading after rebooting.”

To avoid having their computer recruited by the botnet malware, McAfee advises users to avoid clicking links from unknown sources and keeping their anti-malware/antivirus software up-to-date.

Don’t miss out on the latest tech news and computer security alerts! Follow us on Twitter at @hyphenet, “Like” us on Facebook or add us to your circle on Google+.

There's More Than One Java 0-Day Being Exploited; Where's Oracle?!

Update: Oracle has released an emergency patch to fix the 0-day vulnerabilities currently being exploited.

-- End Update --

As the minutes tick away, more information about the new Java 0-day vulnerability (CVE-2012-4681) we blogged about a few days ago has surfaced, and it’s not pretty. At all.

More Than One Java Bug Putting Users at Risk

Researchers have discovered that the exploit code that’s been used in targeted attacks wasn’t leveraging just one Java 0-day vulnerability, but two.

“The first bug was used to get a reference to sun.awt.SunToolkit class that is restricted to applets while the second bug invokes the getField public static method on SunToolkit using reflection with a trusted immediate caller bypassing a security check,” Esteban Guillardoy of Immunity Inc. explained in a Tuesday blog entry.

What Does Oracle Have to Say About All This?

So far, Oracle has not commented on the 0-day vulnerability reports currently circulating.

As if their silence wasn’t bad enough, Computer World reports that Oracle has known about the 0-day vulnerabilities for months.

Adam Gowdiak, founder and CEO of Security Explorations, stated that Oracle was notified about the two security holes – along with 12 other flaws – on April 2nd. The company continued to send Java 7 vulnerabilities to Oracle until a total of 29 bugs were reported.

There hasn’t been any explanation as to why Oracle has been dragging its feet to close the security holes, but a status report Security Explorations received on August 23^rd from Oracle stated they were planning on fixing the two vulnerabilities currently being used in attacks in their October Critical Patch Update (CPU), along with 17 other Java 7 flaws that Security Explorations had previously submitted.

Java 0-day Exploit Code Added to BlackHole Exploit Kit

A visit to nearly any internet security website will land you face to face with the same advice:

If you don’t need Java on your PC, uninstall it immediately. If you do need it, at least disable the Java plug-ins on your web browser to minimize the chances of a malware infection.

That advice stems from the fact that the 0-day Java exploit code has been added to the widely-used BlackHole exploit kit.

"So far we have observed over a dozen domains actively attacking systems with this exploit, and the count is increasing rapidly." Atif Mushtaq from FireEye warned in a blog post on Tuesday, "After seeing the reliability of this attack, I have no doubt in my mind that within hours the casualties will be in the thousands."

That sounds about right. The exploit code isn't reserved just for targeted attacks anymore. All it takes is a visit to a compromised site housing the BlackHole exploit pack.

Again, this Java exploit code does not discriminate against browsers or operating systems – researchers were able to successfully execute attacks against IE, Firefox, Opera, Safari, and Chrome on systems running Windows, OS X, and Ubuntu Linux.

It all depends what cybercriminals have configured the attack to drop on a victim’s machine: Windows-specific malware, or malware targeting a different OS.

Don’t miss out on the latest tech news and computer security alerts! Follow us on Twitter at @hyphenet, “Like” us on Facebook or add us to your circle on Google+.

Phony 'Your Friend Added a New Photo of You' Facebook Notifications Spread Malware

Be careful when rummaging through your Facebook email notifications, folks.

Cybercriminals are spamming out phony Facebook notification emails claiming that a friend has added a new photo of you in their photo album knowing that there’s a pretty good chance users will jump at the opportunity to view what types of photographic evidence their friends have of their everyday shenanigans.

At first glance, the emails look authentic; however I have yet to come across a legitimate Facebook email that comes with an attachment in tow:

Subject: Your friend added a new photo with you to the album

Greetings,

One of Your Friends added a new photo with you to the album.

You are receiving this email because you’ve been listed as a close friend.

[View photo with you in the attachment]

Facebook, Inc. Attention: Department 415 P.O. Box 10005 Palo Alto, CA 94303

According to Sophos, the zip archive attached to the email (which is named New_Photo_With_You_on_Facebook_PHOTOID[random].zip) contains malware identified as Troj/Agent-XNN. Total shocker, right?

Truth be told, cybercriminals often use fake Facebook notification emails to spread malware. It was only a few weeks ago that Sophos warned of cybercrooks using fake Facebook photo tagging notifications with malicious links to spread malware, and before that the more standard “missed activity” notification emails were used.

What to Do with Fake Facebook Emails

Did you get a Facebook notification email that you suspect is a fake?

• Do not click on any embedded links.


• Do not download or open any attached files.


• Report the email to Facebook.


• Delete the email immediately.

Don’t miss out on the latest tech news and computer security alerts! Follow us on Twitter at @hyphenet, “Like” us on Facebook or add us to your circle on Google+.

Spam Offers 'Benefits of a BlackBerry ID' with a Side Order of Malware

Security researchers are warning the public about an ongoing malware campaign targeting BlackBerry customers.

The attack starts off with a spam message posing as a notice from RIM that a new BlackBerry ID has been created. The email is said to be an exact copy of a legitimate email sent from Research in Motion (makers of BlackBerry) - complete with a spoofed email header to make it appear as if it were sent from a blackberry.com email address.

From: donotreply@blackberry.com
Subject: Your BlackBerry ID has been created

Your BlackBerry ID has been created

Hello,

You’ve created a BlackBerry ID!

To enjoy the full benefits of your BlackBerry ID, please follow the instructions in the attached file.

BlackBerry ID is your universal BlackBerry key. Here is what it offers:

• One sign in for all BlackBerry applications, services, and websites.


• Automatic transfer of some email accounts and services when you switch smartphones.


• Full access to all features in BlackBerry App World storefront.


• Protection of financial transactions using BlackBerry services.

You can learn more about BlackBerry ID by visiting https://blackberryid.blackberry.com/

The BlackBerry Team

This email has been automatically generated. Please do not reply to this email.

If you have not previously indicated that you wish to receive emails from Research in Motion Limited and/or its affiliated companies regarding exclusive offers and updates about BlackBerry products and services and you would like to do so, please click here.

Research in Motion Limited, 295 Phillip St., Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3W8

Attached to the email is a malicious file, “BlackBerry_ID19176974_Instructions.zip” (the string in the file name may vary), which houses malware that Microsoft detects as Worm:Win32/Gamarue.I.

Websense researchers warn that running the attachment drops other executable files and modifies the system registry to automatically start these malware programs when the system starts.

What to Do if You Receive BlackBerry Spam

If you receive a copy of this email, it’s recommended that you:

• Do NOT click on any links or download any attached files. (There’s no indication that the links are malicious, but that can change at any time.)


• Report the email to SpamCop.


• Delete the email immediately.

Don’t miss out on the latest tech news and computer security alerts! Follow us on Twitter at @hyphenet, “Like” us on Facebook or add us to your circle on Google+.

New Java 0-Day Exploit Doesn't Discriminate Against Browser or Operating System

Update: Oracle has released an emergency patch to fix the 0-day vulnerabilities currently being exploited.

-- End Update --

If you don’t need Java on your computer, disable it or remove it. Now.

Once again, security researchers are sounding the alarm about a zero-day vulnerability in Java that is actively being exploited in the wild via targeted attacks.

The security hole is said to be present in Java 7 (updates 0-6), but older versions of Java appear to be unaffected.

Of course, the real danger in this vulnerability is that the exploit code works against almost any browser and operating system that has Java installed. Researchers warn that the exploit code works against Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and Opera running on Windows (7, Vista & XP), Ubuntu Linux and OS X (including Lion & Mountain Lion).

Initial reports suggested that the attack didn’t work against Google Chrome; however Rapid7 stated that they were able to successfully execute the attack in Google Chrome running on Windows XP. Write-ups of these tests can be seen here:

• Deep End Research


• FireEye


• AlienVault


• Errata Security


• Rapid7

According to Brian Krebs of KrebsonSecurity.com, this zero-day exploit will soon be rolled into the widely-used BlackHole exploit kit as early as today. Let’s hope that isn’t the case, otherwise this exploit won't be reserved just for targeted attacks.

Given that Oracle just released their quarterly update for Java SE 6 & 7 on August 14th, the next update is not scheduled until this October. That leaves plenty of time for cybercriminals to launch a host of malware attack campaigns (unless Oracle issues an emergency fix), so it’s a good idea to disable Java browser plug-ins or uninstall it from your system until a patch is released.

Check if You Have Java Installed & React Accordingly

If you’re not entirely sure whether or not you have Java installed, you can always check your Programs in your computer’s Control Panel or head over to java.com and click the ‘Do I have Java?’ link.

If you have Java installed and do NOT need it, it is recommended that you remove it from your computer.

If you have Java installed and you DO need it, it is recommended that you dedicate a single browser to visiting Java-based websites and disable the Java plug-ins in all other browsers.

Don’t miss out on the latest tech news and computer security alerts! Follow us on Twitter at @hyphenet, “Like” us on Facebook or add us to your circle on Google+.