Microsoft released an out-of-band patch for a vulnerability that affects how Internet Explorer and Outlook process VML code. VML is a method of displaying some high end graphics. If the vulnerability is exploited a remote attacker can gain control of your PC. ESET’s NOD32 is the first known anti-virus product to detect all known types
There have been a lot of articles about ZERT and their patch for the MS VML vulnerability. ZERT is a group of security researchers who feel that the danger of the vulnerability and lack of an MS patch warrants creating their own temporary patch. ESET, Microsoft, and a number of other security vendors do not
For several months now we have a seen a trend where hackers who discover a vulnerability in a Microsoft product wait until the day after “Patch Tuesday” to release the exploit. This month there has been a proof of concept exploit released for the Microsoft DirectAnimation Path ActiveX Control. ActiveX controls are little programs that
OK, so I told you I would blog about the Spycar test file – I will, but first you need to understand behavior blocking technology for anything about Spycar to make sense. Scanners and behavior blockers both attempt to stop viruses, spyware and other bad programs. The approaches used by scanners and behavior blockers are complementary
The EICAR test file was given a shiny new coat of paint this September (2006). Nothing inside the file changed, but the file is no longer “The Anti-virus test file”, it is now “The Anti-Virus or Anti-Malware test file”. Why the change? To answer that let us first look at what the EICAR file is
Before joining ESET, I worked for Microsoft for over 12 years. Much of that time it was my job to make sure that Microsoft did not release any infected software. Properly selecting anti-virus software was essential. Proper testing of anti-virus software is time consuming, very tedious, requires significant resources, and takes some skill and knowledge.
Last Month Microsoft released security Patch MS06-040 which patches a vulnerability that can allow a remote attacker to take control of your system. Some experts predicted that this vulnerability would lead to another worm like Blaster, which spread very quickly. Fortunately that has not yet happened, but the bad guys are busy working on ways
Well, there’s a right way and a wrong way. Unfortunately ConsumerReports.org didn’t know of ESET’s NOD32 or the right way to test for unknown viruses either. Here is what happened. “To pit the software against novel threats not identified on signature lists, we created 5,500 new virus variants derived from six categories of known viruses,
Recently an article (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5150508.stm) quoted a security vendor as advising users to consider switching to Mac for better security. Are Macs inherently safer? The real answer is that there is no scientific data to support a claim that the Mac OS is a safer OS than Windows, and the truth is that it really is
NOD32 now detects attempts to exploit the Excel vulnerability announced June 16th. This means that even if an attacker tries to use the exploit to download a virus or trojan that no product in the world detects, NOD32 will prevent the vulnerability from being exploited. No download means no threat to NOD32 users. NOD32 is
It’s been a busy day in anti-virus land. There is a reported zero-day vulnerability in Microsoft Excel. Currently the exploit of the vulnerability comes in email as an attached Excel spreadsheet. When a user opens the spreadsheet the vulnerability is exploited and malicious software is downloaded. So far the malicious downloads have been proactively detected
Perhaps calling it DDAY is a little over hyped. Mind you, nothing like the hype associated with people who call the worm du jour “Kama Sutra”, which of course is a book that shows a number of different positions to do what some members of the media have done to the name of Win32/VB.NEI! Anti-virus
Working in the anti-virus industry requires a good stock of tin foil hats to hand out to some strange conspiracy theorists. The fact is that the anti-virus industry didn’t name a worm “Kama Sutra”, the media did. The AV industry didn’t name the worm “Blackworm”, that was a group (TISF BlackWorm task force) from a
That’s right, 5 simple steps worth a combined total of $20 USD! There’s a reason why legitimate companies like ESET are members of the Anti-Spyware Coalition (ASC) and other companies are not. It has to do with quality and integrity. This is not to say that companies who are not member lack those attributes, but
http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/trafficcams/sr520_midspan.htm This traffic camera in Seattle, Washington points over the Interstate 520 floating bridge. Yes, it is a floating bridge, we haven’t sunk all of them yet. We sank the old I-90 floating bridge (http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/trafficcams/i90_midspan.htm), but we rebuilt it when after we finished the new I-90 floating bridge that was supposed to augment, not replace
