Google worm targets AOL, Yahoo
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Santy worm, which used Google to bring down bulletin board pages, now uses AOL and Yahoo search.
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Pune: Google Inc has announced that it has blocked Santy.A, the Web worm which had identified potential victims through its search and had spread among online bulletin boards using vulnerability in phpBB, an open-source software product managed by the
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(InfoWorld) - A critical flaw in the way that the AOL's instant messaging client, AIM,Â displays Web-based graphics could be exploited by criminals to create a self-copying worm attack, security researchers are warning. The flaw was discovered by researchers at Core Security Technologies, which has been working with AOL over the past few weeks to patch the problem. AOL's servers are now filtering instant messaging traffic to intercept any attacks, but the company has yet to patch the underlying problem in its client software, security researchers said Tuesday. The flaw has to do with the way the AIM software uses Internet Explorer's software to render HTML messages. By sending a maliciously encoded HTML message to an AIM user, an attacker could run unauthorized software on a victim's computer or force the IE browser to visit a maliciously encoded Web page, said Core CTO IvÃ¡n Arce. This type of flaw could be exploited to create a self-replicating worm attack, according to both Core's Arce and Aviv Raff, a security researcher who on Tuesday reported that he'd discovered a related flaw in AIM. "The frightening thing about this vulnerability is that it can be easily exploited to create a massive IM worm, because it doesn't require any user interaction," Raff said. No attacks based on these flaws have been reported. Computer worms were front page news in 2003 and 2004 when Blaster, Sobig, and Sasser gummed up PCs around the world. And while Web-based worms have been in the news, a widespread instant messaging worm would be something new. Arce says that the safest thing is for AIM users to either upgrade to the 6.5 beta code or to downgrade to a 5.9 version of the software, which does not support the HTML rendering capability. But Raff offered different advice, saying that AIM 6.5 is still vulnerable to the flaw he discovered. According to him the best thing would be for AOL to "fix the underlying code," although AIM 5.9 is "probably not vulnerable to this specific vulnerability," he said. AOL may not be planning to fix its AIM code any time soon, according to a statement provided by the company late Tuesday. "We have resolved all of the issues presented to us by Core Security within all past, current, and future versions of AIM," AOL said without commenting on Raff's findings. Users should still be concerned, however. Core's Arce said that he was worried that hackers could find ways around AOL's filters. What AOL has done is "just one portion of the solution, and that's not the most effective portion," he said. "The most effective solution is to run a client that doesn't have the problem."
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The Santy worm, which originally flared up a week ago as bulletin board Web sites found their pages erased and defaced by the worm&#39;s own text, has begun to spread using both Google and other search engines.
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Microsoft, America Online (AOL), Yahoo and Earthlink have filed a handful of lawsuits against spammers, allegedly targeting some of the world&#39;s largest unsolicited mail offenders.
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Pipeline A new worm spreading over AOL Instant Messenger seeks to built a botnet of zombie Windows PCs. The Pipeline worm packs an executable file disguised as a JPEG, which if executed, tries to download other strains of malware rootkits and Trojans. Pipeline uses the AIM Buddy List on infected computers to target other prospective marks.â¦
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Last week a new worm started spreading on the Internet. It&#39;s named Santy, and it attempts to deface websites using specific versions of the popular phpBB bulletin board software.
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roundup Free-roaming source code breeds new Netsky pest. Also: From IE to Opera, browsers are a likely prey.
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Days after Google acted to thwart the Santy worm, security firms warned that variants have begun to spread using both Google and other search engines.
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Please be aware as there&#39;s a new virus worm spreading on the net. The Zafi.D variant is a Christmas wish e-mail together with a .
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The Santy worm with variants continues spreading on the Internet taking advantage of search engines, including Google, AOL, Yahoo to identify exploitable Web pages.
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After a fairly quiet fall, mass-mailing worm starts to spread on Windows PCs. Plus: Air Force turns to Microsoft for security help.
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p2pnet.net News:- F-Secure gives the new Santy worm, that uses Google search to find vulnerable hosts, a Level 2 Radar rating. âAlso, Santy does not affect individual computer users, unless they are hosting
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Virus writers have developed a &#39;Peeping Tom&#39; worm that can use webcams to spy on computer users in their home or workplace, internet security watchers have warned.
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A new worm uses the search engine Google to find vulnerable systems, automatically connect to them, and deface a Web site. By Thomas Claburn.
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A new worm has been discovered in the wild that&#39;s not just settling for invading users&#39; PCs - it wants to invade their homes too.
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Anti-virus vendors have raised the threat level on a new Internet worm squirming through Web servers that are running unpatched versions of the popular phpBB Web forum software.