Malware and Bin Laden

We should watch out for Bin Laden info we didn't ask for. They probably have a virus or malware. Also watch downloading pdf's, they can contain the same info.  This article is from Security Park. It talks of how these issues effect FB.
Questions ?
donwansley@pc-2uneup.com

Bin Laden's death used by cybercriminals to spread malware 

(06/05/2011)

Just a couple of hours after the initial announcement of Bin Laden`s death, a large amount of fake news pieces started flooding search engine queries. According to BitDefender®'s statistics from its social networking safety app safego, 11.21% of Facebook scams in the last days are themed around Osama Bin Laden`s death.
Three variants of messages claiming to show footage of Bin Laden`s death have been identified and once unsuspecting users click through to the malware ridden content notifications will flood their friends` walls to further promote its existence and ensure longevity.
BitDefender researchers have been monitoring malicious activity related to Bin Laden`s death since the news broke and have also identified some `classical` threats already beginning to develop. A couple of samples named `Fotos_Osama_Bin_Laden.zip` have been identified via the automatic submission system with preliminary analysis revealing them to be variants of the Banload banker family, identified by BitDefender as Trojan.Generic.5849157. Just like any Brazilian Banker, the attack vector appears to be a spam message purporting to bring extra visual cues about Bin Laden`s death.
BitDefender now expects PDF exploits to begin appearing in mail attachments, an approach successfully implemented by the now defunct Storm Worm gang a few years ago.
``Bin Laden`s death has not gone unnoticed by cybercriminals and users searching to find content around the subject may well stumble upon a series of websites hosted with the free domain provider co.cc which are heavily optimised for keywords such as Bin Laden death,`` states Catalin Cosoi, Head of the BitDefender Online Threats Lab. ``If users do land on this kind of site they will be presented with a fake scanner page and prompted to download a rogue antivirus utility, which they should definitely avoid.``
Cosoi continues, ``Users looking for more information about Osama Bin Laden`s death should consider visiting the website of their favourite news outlet. Always remember that newsletters don`t come with attachments and if you happen to receive such messages from unknown senders we recommend that you delete them immediately.``

We let them in

When we get a virus or malware on our computers the first reaction is to blame someone else. Once we realize that every time we download, install in app, request info, we open the front door to our pc. We install programs and what ever the factory sets we accept and alot of times this program is set to start up with your pc so it starts before your antivirus is active. You can have the best AV in the world but if you invite them in or leave the front door open what can the alarm system do? Most of these programs you never use but they are running and that is taking up cpu and memory space which will slow down your pc. Does your AV have a boot scan feature? This will allow you to scan your pc before anything starts up. This is where most viruses and malware hang out. We might want to start using proactive solutions instead of reactive ones. Have your system scanned once a month or weekly. These services will monitor your system and catch changes in your pc. Some offer small monthly fees which would probably come out cheaper than paying a tech for virus removal 3 or 4 times a year. If you have any questions contact us at:
www.pc-2uneup.com