ESET Threat Blog

A while ago, I responded to a blog comment promising some thoughts on how to recognize a cold-calling PC support scam. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to do that immediately, and then I was on vacation with no Internet connectivity (I should do that more often!). But then, since the problem isn't going to disappear any … Read More…

Our colleagues at ESET UK drew my attention to another article on the resurrection of the Kelihos botnet (Win32/Kelihos).  The article is based on the abuse.ch analysis of a particular sample. The analysis is interesting and well executed, but the reappearance of Kelihos isn’t exactly hot off the press: there were several reports to that … Read More…

Introduction
Mobile World Congress 2012 is almost upon us, and one of the most hotly-anticipated topics is the next generation of Microsoft’s smartphone operating system Windows Phone 8, which has been kept under wraps far more tightly than its PC counterpart, Windows 8.
While Microsoft was an early adopter in the creation of smartphones with Windows Mobile, … Read More…

While I share the reluctance of my colleagues to predict the future, I think there are some trends that can be classified as “reasonably likely to occur” in 2012. I make no promises, but here’s what I think we will see, in no particular order of importance or certainty.

We will see increased interest in digitally … Read More…

If you've been following this blog for a few years, you probably know that I'm reluctant to play the prediction game, but it seems to be expected at this time of year, so here's my contribution. Java will consolidate its position as the successor to PDF and SWF in the favourite exploits stakes, the latest … Read More…

Old hoaxes never die. They just get transplanted to Facebook. Sometimes literally, when a classic email hoax starts to spread with minor emendations through Facebook message or news feeds. In this case, the actual message (at least, as I received it) is still email, but it's been adapted to appeal to the more than 800 million Facebook … Read More…

Since yesterday’s Much Ado About Facebook post in the ESET Threat Blog, we have written additional articles, received a few comments, and also received updated information on the “threat,” so it seems that now is a good time for a follow-up article.  Reports continue to come in of pornographic and violent imagery on Facebook, and … Read More…

As I've spent a lot of blogging time here, here and elsewhere on cold-calling/support desk scams, I didn't think I could let the recent flurry of publicity on Microsoft's disavowal of one of its Gold Partners because of their alleged implication in this kind of scam. I gave my own take on the topic at Securiteam, so … Read More…

When Róbert Lipovský and I commented on the DigiNotar/SSL situation, we said that " the user should be cautious (as always), but there's no cause for panic." While I still think that's fair comment, there's no doubt that things aren't looking any better.
Right now, much media attention is starting to be focused on DigiNotar's filing for … Read More…

It has been 1,000 days since the Conficker worm first appeared on November 21, 2008.  For the first two months after its initial appearance we received a trickle of reports through our ThreatSense.NET telemetry system.  By January of 2009 that had become a flood, and then a deluge, as this “super worm” rose to meteoric … Read More…