One-in-14 software downloads malicious: Microsoft
Microsoft on Wednesday warned that hackers use mind tricks more often than software skills to get viruses into computers.
Microsoft on Wednesday warned that hackers use mind tricks more often than software skills to get viruses into computers.
Feedback from globally popular Internet Explorer (IE) Web browser indicated that one of every 14 programs downloaded turned out to be malicious code, according to the US software titan.
"Social-engineering attacks, like tricking a user into running a malicious program, are far more common than attacks on security vulnerabilities," Micrsoft SmartScreen program manager Jeb Haber said in a blog post.
"SmartScreen" technology has blocked more than 1.5 billion attempts to slip "malware" into computers since version IE8 was released in March of 2009, according to Microsoft.
"User-downloaded malware is a huge problem and getting bigger," Haber said.
Microsoft's latest version of the browser, IE9, checks reputations of websites and their creators to let Internet users know when they are dealing with unknown characters online.
"Most people would be cautious about buying something online from a complete stranger," Haber said.
"Using reputation software helps protect users from newly released malware programs -- pretending to be legitimate software programs -- that are not yet detected by existing defense mechanisms," he added.
(c) 2011 AFP
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Rank: 5 / 5 (3)
What sort of propaganda word is that?
Half the allegedly legitimate web sites and software companies do the exact same thing, and call it "browser plug ins" and perpetual add-ons. This includes yahoo, Google, Adobe, Microsoft, HP, and other software and hardware companies.
EVERY time you install one of their programs or updates, with or without your permission, they will install add-ons and plug ins to your browser, perpetual update worms and spyware, modify and re-sort your desktop icons in an unwanted way, and in some cases even install or uninstall unwanted programs.
This isn't third party companies doing this. It's the "big names".
My Windows 7 operating system has been updated so many times it takes a gigabyte of RAM just to load the OS.
May 18, 2011
Rank: 5 / 5 (3)
Myspace, twitter, youtube, facebook, skype, and pretty much any website who's primary motivation involves making money.
They are forms of brainwashing and collective manipulation just as much as a cult.
May 18, 2011
Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
May 19, 2011
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May 19, 2011
Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
LOL, that's because IE is so full of security flaws even non-malicious code creates buffer overflows.
Oh no, I'm being hacked by a standards compliant website because I'm using IE... ROFL
May 19, 2011
Rank: not rated yet