8 posts and columns on threat

An App for Monitoring Mobile Malware Around the Globe

in Mobile on January 24 at 9:02 am PT

Lookout’s hackers-turned-start-up-guys have launched an Android app for real-time spying on mobile malware and spyware.
Mobile Threat Tracker Icon

Cisco Security Survey Finds Windows Vulnerabilities And Spam Decreasing

in Enterprise on January 20, 2011 at 6:40 am PT

Still no rest for the weary computer security professional. Smartphones and tablets are coming to the office and creating new opportunities for trouble.

Dell Acquires SecureWorks, Embraces Security-as-Service

in Enterprise on January 4, 2011 at 8:37 am PT

Dell starts the year off with another small acquisition, this one in the security field.

Mobile Security Firm Warns of New Android Trojan

in Mobile on December 29, 2010 at 1:40 pm PT

A new Trojan, dubbed Geinimi, has cropped up in China and has the potential to send a significant amount of personal data from cellphones to remote servers. Mobile security specialist Lookout warned that it is the most sophisticated cellular security threat seen thus far.

Amazon Poised to Make a Major Strategic Investment in LivingSocial to Counter Groupoogle (or Goopon?) Threat

in News on December 1, 2010 at 1:15 pm PT

With the red-hot acquisition dance between Google and Groupon sucking up all the attention, it’s easy once again to ignore the No. 2 player in the fast-growing social buying space–LivingSocial. But not everyone is. According to sources close to the situation, the Washington, D.C.-based company that also focuses on local deals is in advanced talks for a major strategic investment–as high as $150 million–by online retail giant Amazon, at a very hefty valuation of over one billion dollars, to counter a possible Groupoogle challenge.

News Byte

Microsoft Wants Isolation Ward for Infected PCs

in News on October 7, 2010 at 9:51 am PT

Microsoft security chief Scott Charney wants to protect your computer from botnet-infected PCs on the Internet. In a paper published yesterday, Charney proposed issuing “health certificates” to malware-free machines, requiring antivirus updates for those with vulnerabilities, and quarantining PCs infected by botnets. In a post to a company blog, he argued, “Just as when an individual who is not vaccinated puts others’ health at risk, computers that are not protected or have been compromised with a bot put others at risk and pose a greater threat to society.”

China to Google: Please Exit in an Orderly Fashion

in News on March 16, 2010 at 9:55 am PT

If Google’s talks with the Chinese government end with an impasse and the company shutters Google.cn and ramps down its operations in the country, it best do so properly and according to law. That’s the latest from Beijing, which continues to threaten and posture amid reports that the search giant is on the brink of closing its Chinese search engine.

Whoops. False Positive. Sorry ‘Bout That … Heh Heh.

in News on October 13, 2008 at 12:00 am PT

It figures. Not only are the predictive data mining and behavioral surveillance efforts through which the government hopes to identify terrorists a threat to privacy, they don’t really work, either. In a 352-page report published last week, the National Research Council said data mining and behavior detection aren’t nearly as useful as their proponents claim.