Security

When it comes to malware exploits, Adobe's Flash and PDF software can't seem to catch a break recently.

Recently a vulnerability was found in both Mac and Windows versions of Adobe's Acrobat and Reader products that could allow an attacker to crash the programs and gain control of the system. So far only attacks on Windows machines have been found, but Mac systems could be affected as well.

Now two similar vulnerabilities have been found in Adobe's Flash Player, which likewise could result in arbitrary code being executed on the system.

Computerworld is reporting that the more

A lawsuit against Hewlett-Packard alleges that the company sold LaserJet printers that it knew had a security flaw in them that could allow hackers to steal data, take control of networks and even cause physical damage to printers through overheating.

The suit, filed last week in district court in San Jose, Calif., accuses HP of knowingly selling printers with a design defect that renders them "highly vulnerable to attacks by hackers." The plaintiff, David Goldblatt of New York, said he would not have purchased two HP printers had he known about the problems. It alleges HP violated the California laws more

Microsoft is launching a new version of its Windows Defender antivirus tool that will run before Windows even boots up.

Making its debut as a publicly available beta, the new Windows Defender is designed to run directly off a CD, DVD, or USB flash drive to scan your PC outside of Windows. As such, its aim is to detect rootkit viruses and other malware that can infect your computer during the boot process.

You first need to install the software on a recordable disc or USB stick. You can then use that disc or device to boot up any PC more

When you connect to a Web site on the Internet, your computer uses the Domain Name System (DNS) to convert URLs like "www.macfixit.com" to the IP address for the server where that Web site resides.

This system is a hierarchical network of computers throughout the world that distributes a database of domains and subdomains, allowing the system to resolve the components of the URL ("com," "macfixit," and "www") to a specific IP address out of millions of publicly available ones. This system is used for Web browsing, but also for numerous other Internet communication services including e-mail, instant more

A judge has awarded Yahoo $610 million in a lawsuit against spammers who sent e-mails to people falsely telling them they had won a lottery prize from Yahoo.

The federal district court judge in New York ordered defendants, whom Yahoo did not identify, on Monday to pay Yahoo $27 million for trademark infringement, $583 million for violating the Can-Spam Act, and an unreleased sum for attorney's fees.

Yahoo filed the lawsuit in 2008, alleging that spammers were using the fake lottery e-mails to defraud people. The messages were designed to trick recipients into providing their bank and other information more

Lucky Supermarkets, a chain in California, has been hit hard with a credit card scam.

The company announced the scam in November, saying customers and employees who used the self-checkout kiosks in more than 20 of its 234 stores might have fallen victim to tampered credit card readers. The hackers reportedly used devices called "sniffers" that recorded credit card numbers.

Soon after the information was made public, Lucky Supermarkets, as well as its parent company, Save Mart Supermarkets, said it was unsure how many people might have been affected but urged customers to monitor their accounts.

"We recommend our customers more

Think you're seeing less junk mail in your inbox these days? If so, it's not just your imagination.

The rate of spam across the world has hit close to a three-year low and now encompasses just 70 percent of all e-mails, according to Symantec's November Intelligence Report (PDF).

That number is a healthy drop from 2009 when spam accounted for 90 percent of all global e-mails. And it's close to the 68 percent level seen in late 2008 after the spam hosting ISP McColo was shut down.

In particular, pharmaceutical spam is at its lowest level more

Hackers are exploiting a previously unknown flaw in Reader to attack computers running Windows, Adobe said today.

A patch for the critical vulnerability in Reader and Acrobat is expected by next week, the company said in a blog post.

The vulnerability, which is being exploited in "limited, targeted attacks in the wild against Adobe Reader 9.x on Windows," could allow an attacker to take control of the system, Adobe said.

Adobe is finalizing a fix and expects to release an update for Reader and Acrobat 9.x for Windows no later than the week of December 12, according to more

A hole in Facebook's account-reporting process potentially lets any user sneak a peek at someone else's private photos.

The process--outlined at a body-building site--requires you first to report or block that individual's Facebook account. From there, clicking on the option "Inappropriate photo profile" moves you to the next screen where you're asked why you find the photo inappropriate.

Clicking on the option to report the photo to Facebook then brings you to another window that says: "Help us take action by reporting additional photos to include with your report." Clicking on that last option reportedly reveals