Archive for the ‘Security’ Category

PDF Files have Critical Security Vulnerability

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

It was released today on several sites that PDF files, and their corresponding readers have a critical vulnerability that would allow an attacker to compromise a computer, even with many of the normal protections in place that block things such as Javascript.

Foxit Reader (NMP Recommended) and Adobe Reader both have fixes for this vulnerability. Go to http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/reader/ and download and install the latest version.

For Adobe Reader users, make the following preference change:

From the Edit menu go to: Preferences -> Categories -> Trust Manager -> PDF File Attachments and then uncheck ‘Allow opening of non-PDF file attachments with external applications.’

This is a problem that could possibly affect all platforms and Operating Systems, whether Windows, OS X, or Linux.

The Clampi Virus and other Malware

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

There is a rash of news recently about an old virus, the Clampi virus. It is designed to run and do little until the user logs into an online banking site. It then captures the username and password of the person logging in and sends it off to the malware writers who use the information to withdraw money from the victim’s account.

This is really nothing new.

Viruses and other malware of this type have been around for a long time. Either through programs that do similar things, including capturing keystrokes, to “Phishing” attacks, which are specially crafted e-mails that trick users into visiting websites that look legitimate, but actually are fraudulent copies of the genuine site.

The removal instructions for this virus are the same as for most others, turn off system restore, boot in safe mode, run scans, and clean out the registry of the data the virus inserts. Since most new malware uses dynamic naming, that is the name of the program file for the virus is random, you can’t immediately identify which file it is.

Due to multiple vulnerabilities within Windows itself, it is often too late once the victim has visited the website to protect the computer. It is better if it is blocked before it enters your business network.

NMP has a security product, the NMP Expanse, that will intercept and block viruses, spyware, trojan programs, phishing attacks, spam, and other bad data from ever reaching the inside of your network. Best of all, it can be installed without having to reconfigure your network. It can sit quietly and filter all of the traffic going both in and out of your network.

While you still need software on your desktop to protect your system, it is most effective to block the attacks before they ever reach your computer.

Flash Vulnerability

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

Adobe has recently announced a serious security vulnerability in older versions of its popular “Flash Player” program. If exploited, the unpatched versions of this program could allow a hacker to gain control of your PC. The patched version of the Flash plugin is 10.0r32 and is available directly from Adobe at http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/

Social Media Security

Friday, June 19th, 2009

With the popularity of social media websites such as Facebook, it is important to be aware of securing your personal information.  When I first started using these sites, I assumed that only my “friends” could see the information and  photos that I posted.  It turns out that the default setting for some of your information actually allows anyone using the site to see your posts.

If you are job hunting, it also might be a good idea to ‘lock down’ your social media sites.  Prospective employers sometimes now use Facebook and MySpace to gather information about potential employees that may not be on their resumes, or evident during their interviews.

In order to secure your Facebook account, you can secure your information by clicking on the Settings option at the top of the page, then choosing Privacy Settings.  Be aware that changing your privacy settings will not protect your photos.  You must go to your Photos tab and select Album Privacy, then change the settings for each album.