Silicon.com: Social networking sites as infection hotbeds
The social websites are the big target now - MySpace, Facebook...People are less careful and more likely to click on a link or download something. They are open and people can put links or trade files with somebody. I refer to the latest threat report from Symantec, they are seeing a shift away from hacking individual computers to web-based threats.

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I felt fear, awe, and even some admiration when I read at CNET about the latest social engineering attack dreamed up by those ingenious Russian hackers.

Those entering online dating forums risk having more than their hearts stolen.

A program that can mimic online flirtation and then extract personal information from its unsuspecting conversation partners is making the rounds in Russian chat forums, according to security software firm PC Tools.

The artificial intelligence of CyberLover's automated chats is good enough that victims have a tough time distinguishing the "bot" from a real potential suitor, PC Tools said. The software can work quickly too, establishing up to 10 relationships in 30 minutes, PC Tools said. It compiles a report on every person it meets complete with name, contact information, and photos.

Then again, there is one particular flaw when it comes to pulling identifiable information in an online dating forum. The flaw? It's a dating forum. I fear that this bot may find out that I'm a CEO of a multi-billion dollar company who likes to fly to the coast on weekends so I can sail one of my many yachts. Oh, I'm also still in my 20s, a chick magnet, and a full head of hair remains on top. Hopefully, the bots will not find this truthful information about me. Hmm, the feelings of fear, awe, and admiration I once felt for these hackers aren't so strong afterall.

The November 20, 2006 article "Spam surge linked to hackers" from eWeeks is a must read. Unfortunately, I can't find the actual online version of the article in print. I did however find a variant of the article posted as Pump and dump spam surge linked to Russian Bot Herders.

The article discusses the increasing complexity hackers are using botnets running on tens of thousands of hijacked Windows computers to spread spam. The article focuses on the research by SecureWorks regarding the malware trojan called Troj/SpamThru. Some scary unique features have been identified with this trojan including:

• Peer to Peer Communication (hackers can have control without a server)
• Anti-Virus Scanning (Uses anti-virus software to scan against rivals)
• Template-based spam
• Almost half of the PCs infected are PCs with Windows XP SP2 installed (outside of Vista, Microsoft's most secure Windows system to date).

Do I bring this up because I don't like Microsoft products? Not at all and in fact as I write this post I'm using a Windows XP system. My point is that if you plan on using Windows XP do all of us a favor and be sure you've installed on your PC the latest software updates and security patches available.

'We've known about [the threat from] botnets for a few years, but we're only now figuring out how they really work, and I'm afraid we might be two to three years behind in terms of response mechanisms,' said Marcus Sachs, a deputy director in the Computer Science Laboratory of SRI International, in Arlington, Va."

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