Monday, February 12, 2007
Malware on TomTom Navigators?
A Tech Blog recently reported that a user of the TomTom satallite navigator found two Trojan programs on the unit, W32.Perlovga.A Trojan and TR/Drop.Small.qp (some in the media and the TomTom company itself have been calling them viruses, but they are actually trojans). The navigator had been recently purchased and this was the first time that its owner, an experienced IT consultant with a clean, Antivirus-protected computer used the unit.
The TomTom company avoided the situation at first (or, giving them the benefit of the doubt, trying to figure out the situation themselves), but then released a statement saying "... a small, isolated number of TomTom GO 910’s, produced between September and November 2006, may be infected with a virus. The virus is qualified as low risk and can be removed safely with virus scanning software. Appropriate actions have been taken to make sure this is prevented from happening again in the future."
The only versions of TomTom found with malware on them are the GO 910 with software version 6.51. The trojans themselves are low risks. As TomTom software is Linux based, the trojans cannot do anything to the TomTom device itself, but may be loaded onto the user's computer and cause damage if they are running MS Windows. According to Sophos, users have been detecting malware on their TomToms since 2006 September.
A Tech Blog recently reported that a user of the TomTom satallite navigator found two Trojan programs on the unit, W32.Perlovga.A Trojan and TR/Drop.Small.qp (some in the media and the TomTom company itself have been calling them viruses, but they are actually trojans). The navigator had been recently purchased and this was the first time that its owner, an experienced IT consultant with a clean, Antivirus-protected computer used the unit.
The TomTom company avoided the situation at first (or, giving them the benefit of the doubt, trying to figure out the situation themselves), but then released a statement saying "... a small, isolated number of TomTom GO 910’s, produced between September and November 2006, may be infected with a virus. The virus is qualified as low risk and can be removed safely with virus scanning software. Appropriate actions have been taken to make sure this is prevented from happening again in the future."
The only versions of TomTom found with malware on them are the GO 910 with software version 6.51. The trojans themselves are low risks. As TomTom software is Linux based, the trojans cannot do anything to the TomTom device itself, but may be loaded onto the user's computer and cause damage if they are running MS Windows. According to Sophos, users have been detecting malware on their TomToms since 2006 September.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
What is happening to 29A?'''
Three more members of the famous group of virus/worm writers have left, leaving it down to roy g biv, vallez and VirusBuster. A statement on their website, which has been updated for the first time in over a year, says that they have had some internal issues (no specifics on what the issues are) and that they are unsure of the future of the group.
29A was started by MrSandman in Spain, with a few other relatively unknown virus creators. The group and its members eventually became famous in the virus creating and antivirus world and even made it into mainstream news. 29A had high ethical standards, mostly creating concept viruses with no malicious payload and rarely releasing them into the wild.
Three more members of the famous group of virus/worm writers have left, leaving it down to roy g biv, vallez and VirusBuster. A statement on their website, which has been updated for the first time in over a year, says that they have had some internal issues (no specifics on what the issues are) and that they are unsure of the future of the group.
29A was started by MrSandman in Spain, with a few other relatively unknown virus creators. The group and its members eventually became famous in the virus creating and antivirus world and even made it into mainstream news. 29A had high ethical standards, mostly creating concept viruses with no malicious payload and rarely releasing them into the wild.
Friday, February 02, 2007
Hello and welcome to the Virus Report! Our mission is to bring you the latest news on Viruses, Worms and any kind of self-replicating code. We are working closely with The Virus Encyclopedia and many of the reports in this blog may end up as entries there.
Posts will usually be about the latest most prominent virus or worm that is spreading on computers and will contain an in-depth analysis of the code's inner workings and behavior (at least as in depth as we can make it at the time). We will also discuss new infection techniques, the latest in activities of prominent virus/worm creators and operating system exploits or anything newsworthy in the world of viruses and worms.
Generally we take a positive view of viruses and worms, particularly those that were created to demonstrate new concepts, were created out of the curiosity of the creator or that do not have a destructive payload. The ones that were created to destroy files or entire computers and those created to open holes for data theft are looked down upon (or rather, their creators are, as the viruses and worms themselves can be very interesting). Creating an original virus or worm takes a great deal of computer knowledge, and this should be admired on some level, even if the intent is malicious. On the other hand, "script kiddies" who compile other people's code or, worse yet, use a virus/worm generator are deserving of the worst contempt.
This blog deals primarily with viruses and worms, but may occasionally discuss system vulnerabilities, exploits, trojans, adware and spyware where they are relevent to self-replicators.
As we have a virus/worm wiki to work on, real jobs and something resembling a social life, it may take a little while to get things started. In the mean time, if you really want to get news and information on viruses and worms, you can do it the way we do, by going to all of the different sites that only focus on one aspect of malware and piece it together to get the whole picture of that particular virus or worm. We will make this easier for you by posting some links.
Posts will usually be about the latest most prominent virus or worm that is spreading on computers and will contain an in-depth analysis of the code's inner workings and behavior (at least as in depth as we can make it at the time). We will also discuss new infection techniques, the latest in activities of prominent virus/worm creators and operating system exploits or anything newsworthy in the world of viruses and worms.
Generally we take a positive view of viruses and worms, particularly those that were created to demonstrate new concepts, were created out of the curiosity of the creator or that do not have a destructive payload. The ones that were created to destroy files or entire computers and those created to open holes for data theft are looked down upon (or rather, their creators are, as the viruses and worms themselves can be very interesting). Creating an original virus or worm takes a great deal of computer knowledge, and this should be admired on some level, even if the intent is malicious. On the other hand, "script kiddies" who compile other people's code or, worse yet, use a virus/worm generator are deserving of the worst contempt.
This blog deals primarily with viruses and worms, but may occasionally discuss system vulnerabilities, exploits, trojans, adware and spyware where they are relevent to self-replicators.
As we have a virus/worm wiki to work on, real jobs and something resembling a social life, it may take a little while to get things started. In the mean time, if you really want to get news and information on viruses and worms, you can do it the way we do, by going to all of the different sites that only focus on one aspect of malware and piece it together to get the whole picture of that particular virus or worm. We will make this easier for you by posting some links.
