PUAs: ESET’s Most Unwanted List
Aryeh Goretsky interviewed, as his paper on Possibly Unwanted Applications is published.
Search results for: "PUAs"
Wajam: From start‑up to massively‑spread adware
How a Montreal-made "social search engine" application has managed to become widely-spread adware, while escaping consequences
Top tips for protecting your Smart TV
The final few months of 2018 will likely be a busy time of year for people and cybercriminals will be no different as they continue to look for weak spots in networks
World Cup watching: The common threats found when using streaming sites
On the eve of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, we take a closer look at the possible cybersecurity risks that exist on sports-streaming websites
Glupteba is no longer part of Windigo
Latest ESET research strongly suggests that Glupteba is no longer tied to the infamous Operation Windigo.
Cryptojacking: The result of the “cryptocurrency rush”
Tools for mining cryptocurrencies also fall into this category, as in many cases the websites cannot warn users since they have been compromised themselves, hence even the administrators may not be aware that they are contributing to mining for the benefit of an attacker.
Machine learning by ESET: The road to Augur
Machine learning (ML) in eight blogposts!? In our last post, let’s take a peek under the hood of ESET’s cybersecurity engine and its ML gears.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden DNS
An interesting DNS hijack that sets the victim's computer to use specific DNS servers has emerged. Here are the key details of this intriguing threat.
Android AdDisplay using anti‑bouncer technique
In order to help make Google Play a safer place for Android users, ESET continues to monitor the official Android app market for malicious or potentially unwanted applications.
Support scams, malware and mindgames without frontiers
Introduction It might not have escaped your notice that I write quite a lot about support scams, an issue in which most commentators in the security industry take only sporadic interest and tend to regard as of only niche interest. (As when a scammer is damaging their brand or product in some way, for instance
Six months with Windows 8 (white paper)
ESET security researchers release white paper looking at the first six months of Windows 8. Just how secure is Microsoft's new operating system?
Combofix: a cocktail of infective factors
In various blog-posts, users have been encouraged by ESET experts to download applications from the official website for that application, as you never know what might have happened to the software when you download it from a mirror site or a download site.
Carbon Dating and Malware Detection
Carbon Black assert that if an AV company doesn't detect malware within six days of its being flagged on Virus Total, it probably won't after a month. Is that as dangerous as it sounds?
Modern viral propagation: Facebook, shocking videos, browser plugins
Fraudsters continue to innovate their scam propagation methods. Again using Facebook and a pretense of a shocking video, they also utilize browser plugins to execute malicious scripts. We also see how the malware scene is intertwined, when the user is directed to a dubious Potentially Unwanted Application. Facebook auto-like scams have been commonplace on the
Potentially Unwanted Applications White Paper Updated
Our white paper on Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUAs) has been revised with additional information, including information about how legitimate software can become classified as a PUA due to its misuse, a discussion of a type of downloader called a software wrapper and updated screen shots. It can be found in the White Papers section: Problematic,
Virus Bulletin 2011: Fake but free…
ESET had quite a strong representation at Virus Bulletin this year in Barcelona, as David Harley mentioned in his post prior to the conference. On the first day, Pierre-Marc Bureau presented his findings about the Kelihos botnet, David Harley and AVG’s Larry Bridwell discussed the usefulness and present state of AV testing, and to finish
Adware, Spyware and Possibly Unwanted Applications
An interesting comment turned up today to my “Malware du Jour” blog entry at Securiteam (http://blogs.securiteam.com/index.php/archives/1121). The poster asked a couple of questions, based on content from the ESET mid-year Global Threat Report, one of which was ‘How do you define “possibly unwanted applications [PUAs]?”‘ My first thought was to refer him to the definition