Panda antivirus mistakenly flags itself as malware, bricks PCs

You may have heard about the FREAK exploit that has been talked about lately, and you might think you are secure using the bank app, or medical records app that you downloaded directly from the Apple Store or Google Play.

A new study just released has shown that isn’t quite the  case, as the FREAK exploit is based on the encryption keys that the server you connect to, not the App on the phone alone.

Ars Technica has an article about the study, and points out that users of apps should contact the vendors to inquire wether they have corrected the app to prevent FREAK attacks.

WHAT SHOULD I DO?

1 – Upgrade your phone to the latest versions, as they have tried to prevent a vast majority of FREAK attacks in the latest versions.  The study found that even after the update on iOS, there were still 7 apps that were vulnerable.

2 – Don’t trust public wifi for secure transactions – you never know when the guy or girl next to you at the library is actually trying to hack your bank account.

SWAT – the Strategic Weapons and Tactical force

The SWAT force is called in when there is a highly volatile situation needing immediate, tactical force to deal with the situation.

However, Internet trolls have taken to using the SWAT teams around the country as their very own revenge squad.  If you are active on the internet, especially in the gamer community, you need to prepare yourself for possibly being SWATted (having the SWAT team dispatched to your home to deal with a falsely reported violent encounter).

Digg.com has a very good article explaining this, and what you should know.

Jamie Oliver – The Naked Chef probably never intended his tongue in cheek title to foreshadow the use of his website to distribute malware the way that porn sites are notorious for doing.

You might remember the post earlier in the month when I warned you of how his website was infected with malware.  Well, less than a month later, the bad guys have reinfected his site, this time with a better grade of malware.  The arms race is real, and you must be vigilant.

Malwarebytes Blog

for a purchase that you never authorized?

Would you report it on the included Transaction Cancellation form on the email?

Fake Transaction Cancellation Form – by filling this out, you give your account information and credit card information to the bad guys

 

If you have an Apple ID and have made purchases in the past, you should know that there is no Transaction Cancellation Form on your receipts.

But it looks so real!

That is the point of phishing – it makes it hard to tell when it is fake.  You have to think twice before putting your credit card information in anything you have received without your request.

Source: Malwarebytes Blog

In the OOOPS department:

Panda Software – the makers of Panda Antivirus released an update that detected itself as malware, and quarantined itself – resulting in users being unable to start their machines.  Panda released a new definitions file immediately, but users have been warned that the problem might recur.

from ZDNet