Most people know that powerful computer criminals don't all have setups similar to those of James Bond villains; a lot of damage can be done with just a little bit of outdated equipment. But a new report from Finjan drives home how very accessible botnets have become. Finjan Finds Infected PCs Selling For Half A Cent People who live in certain Asian countries are able to buy batches of 1,000 infected PCs for just $5, according to Finjan. This means just about anyone who can touch a computer, whether it be at a friend's apartment or an Internet cafe, can afford "in." The highest price Finjan found elsewhere was in Australia, where the same number of infected PCs go for $100. A middle-class eight-year-old might be able to handle that with his Christmas money. This is all possible due to the existence of the Golden Cash network. A Finjan statement explains, "The trading platform utilizes all necessary components (buyer side, seller side, attack toolkit, and distribution via 'partners')." And if that sounds pretty sophisticated, the statement does continue, "This advanced trading platform marks a new milestone in the cybercrime evolution." Yuval Ben-Itzhak, CTO of Finjan, also added, "Looking at the list of compromised PCs we found, it is clear that no individual, corporate or governmental PC is safe." Unfortunately, such trading platforms are probably here to stay. Cybercriminals can make as much as $400 in profit off of each batch of infected PCs, and so will be sure to keep at it for as long as possible. Finjan just recommends using a Secure Web Gateway to help stop your computers from becoming infected in the first place. The full second issue of Finjan's Cybercrime Intelligence Report (pdf) is also available for free if you'd like additional information regarding the problem.

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T-Mobile information that was posted online over the weekend is authentic, but the company maintains it was not hacked, it said Tuesday.T-Mobile Says Hacking Claims Are False On Saturday an anonymous post to the Full Disclosure security mailing list claimed that a large amount of internal T-Mobile data had been breached and was being put up for sale to the highest bidder. "We have everything, their databases, confidental [sic] documents, scripts and programs from their servers, financial documents up to 2009," they wrote in the post. "We already contacted with their competitors and they didn't show interest in buying their data - probably because the mails got to the wrong people - so now we are offering them for the highest bidder." According to T-Mobile the claims are false. The hackers did gain access to T-Mobile data, but they did not obtain it by hacking into the company's network. "Regarding the recent claim on a Web site, we've identified the document from which information was copied, and believe possession of this alone is not enough to cause harm to our customers," T-Mobile said in a statement. "We continue to investigate the matter, and have taken additional precautionary measures to further ensure our customers' information and our systems are protected. At this moment, we are unable to disclose additional information in order to protect the integrity of the investigation, but customers can be assured if there is any evidence that customer information has been compromised, we would inform those affected as quickly as possible."

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More than a third (35%) of IT professionals now admit to accessing corporate information without authorization, while 74 percent said they could get around controls in place to prevent access to internal information, according to a new survey by Cyber-Ark.IT Staff Snooping Increases As the economic climate has worsened, the survey found a jump in the number of IT staff who said if they were fired they would take proprietary data and information that is critical to maintaining a competitive advantage and corporate security. There was a six-fold increase in staff who said they would take financial reports or merger and acquisition plans, and a four-fold increase in those who would take CEO passwords and development plans. Approximately, 1 in 5 companies admit having experienced cases of insider sabotage or IT security fraud. Of those companies, 36 percent suspect that their competitors have received their company's highly sensitive information or intellectual property. Organizations are increasingly aware of the need to monitor privileged account access and activity, with 71 percent of respondents indicating that privileged accounts are partially monitored, while 91 percent of those who are monitored admitting they are "okay with their employer's monitoring activities." "This survey shows that while most employees claim that access to privileged accounts is currently monitored and an overwhelming majority support additional monitoring practices, employee snooping on sensitive information continues unabated," said Udi Mokady, CEO of Cyber-Ark. "Unauthorized access to information such as customer credit card data, private personnel information, internal financial reports and R&D plans leaves a company vulnerable to a severe data leak with the risk of financial or regulatory exposure and damage to its brand, or competitors obtaining critically important competitive information."

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New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo has announced a settlement with computer security software vendors Symantec and McAfee after the companies renewed customers' software subscriptions without the customers' knowledge or permission.Symantec, McAfee Hit With Fines Over Auto-Renewal Under the Attorney General's settlement, both companies will make detailed disclosures to customers about subscription terms and renewal, and each will pay $375,000 in fines. "Companies cannot play hide the ball when it comes to the fees consumers are being charged," said Attorney General Cuomo. "Consumers have a right to know what they are paying, especially when they are unwittingly agreeing to renewal fees that will not appear on their credit card bill for months. Symantec and McAfee - two of the nation's largest vendors of computer security software - will now have to be clear and up-front with their customers when it comes to renewal fees. In other words, no more hide the ball with renewal fees." An investigation by the Attorney General into the online marketing and sales practices of Symantec and McAfee found that the companies failed to adequately disclose to customers that subscriptions would be automatically renewed and that they would be charged for subsequent subscriptions. The Attorney General's office received complaints from customers who had bought Symantec and McAfee software over the Internet and whose credit cards were later charged for "renewal subscriptions" without their knowledge or consent. In addition, the investigation also revealed that both Symantec and McAfee made it difficult for consumers to contact the companies to opt out of automatic renewal or to request refunds for unauthorized credit card charges. The companies have since made it easier to opt out of automatic renewal. Norton users, who want to unsubscribe from Symantec's program, can do so on their Norton Account Web page. U.S. McAfee customers can call customer service at 1-866-622-3911. Both companies will now offer a refund within 60 days of the charge.

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One of the security community's least favorite people may be in serious trouble. Sanford Wallace's head-in-the-sand style of defense appears to have failed him as a federal judge has suggested that the U.S. Attorney's office investigate the self-proclaimed "spam king."Name Of Spam King Sent To U.S. Attorney Anyone who's not familiar with Sanford Wallace's career can read up on him here. Take special notice of the many times he's failed to show up in court or pay the sums he's been fined. Plus, it's hard not to observe that he stayed in the spam business even after getting warned off time and time again. Now, Elinor Mills reports, "In a move that could land Sanford Wallace in jail if convicted, a federal judge on Friday referred a lawsuit Facebook filed against the 'spam king' to the U.S. Attorney's office for possible criminal proceedings. . . . The action came at a hearing on a Facebook motion that Wallace be found in criminal contempt for allegedly continuing to send spam on Facebook." Unfortunately for the prosecution, perhaps, Wallace presented himself in court and revealed that he'd filed for bankruptcy protection. But a Facebook representative told Mills that the move "is not unexpected and only delays our judgment temporarily. We will continue to pursue the judgment and will be reviewing his filing very closely." People who fight against spammers - and perhaps just those who have received more than enough irrelevant emails - will no doubt also be keeping an eye on the proceedings.

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Earlier today, 38 security experts sent an open letter to Google concerning the security and privacy afforded by Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Calendar. The search giant responded soon after with a blog post, and it appears to represent almost exactly what the experts wanted to hear.Experts, Google Discuss More Secure Gmail First, let's look at the semi-complaint. It basically expresses displeasure over the fact that HTTPS encryption technology, while available as an option, isn't a default feature across all of Google's offerings. Jacob Appelbaum of the Tor Foundation, Ian Brown of Oxford, Benjamin Edelman of Harvard, Robert Hansen of SecTheory, and Bruce Schneier of the BT Group signed it. Alma Whitten, a software engineer on Google's Security & Privacy Teams, responded by writing on the Google Online Security Blog, "Free, always-on HTTPS is pretty unusual in the email business, particularly for a free email service, but we see it as an another way to make the web safer and more useful. . . . In fact, we're currently looking into whether it would make sense to turn on HTTPS as the default for all Gmail users." One sticking point, according to Whitten, is speed - Google intends to test whether or not people will find a safer-but-slower Gmail acceptable. Different regions' and networks' responses to HTTPS will also be examined. Yet the key point is that Google does mean to test turning on HTTPS by default, which is a rather big deal. Indeed, the pressure will really be on other email providers (note Whitten's "pretty unusual" comment) to catch up if Google pulls this off.

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The American Medical Association has taken a step that should make everyone breathe a little easier in the event of a security breach affecting their medical records. Four new guiding principles have been established and passed on to physicians.AMA Adopts New Security Guidelines Here, as explained in an AMA press release, is what patients can expect doctors to do when information unexpectedly changes hands: 1. ensure patients are properly informed of the breach 2. follow ethically appropriate procedures for disclosure 3. support responses to security breaches that place the interests of patients above those of physician, medical practice or institution 4. to the extent possible, provide information to patients to enable them to diminish potential adverse consequences of the breach of personal health information.Sounds quite reasonable, right? The timing's not bad, either, since electronic medical records are becoming more and more common. AMA Board Member William A. Dolan, MD, added in the statement, "EMRs are the wave of the future, so it is important for both patients and physicians to feel secure. These new guidelines prepare physicians to help for patients in the unfortunate situation of an information breach." And after all, the whole keeping-people-alive business usually gives both doctors and patients enough to worry about under normal circumstances.

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Microsoft's free security software is almost here (in beta form, anyway). Microsoft intends to make Morro available as a download next week on Tuesday the 23rd, and you'll want to act fairly quickly in order to get a copy. Morro Set For Tuesday Release On Tuesday, the first 75,000 individuals to visit www.microsoft.com/security_essentials are supposed to receive access to Morro, or, as it's also known, Microsoft Security Essentials. Microsoft's not making any promises beyond that point. Of course, the company might expand the offering, depending on demand and so long as its servers don't get swamped. Just don't say we didn't warn you. Anyway, Microsoft Security Essentials is supposed to remove malware, spyware, and viruses, and provide real-time protection against malware and viruses, too. And although part of the reason it's being put out in a limited batch is so that further tests can take place, reports say that the software's in decent shape. Ed Bott, for example, recently tested it and wrote, "I'm sufficiently impressed by MSE in operation to give it a more in-depth workout on multiple systems here." So if you're looking for an alternative to other free forms of protection, consider staying especially near your computer on the 23rd.

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Google has introduced a new search site called Anti-Malvertising.com in an effort to help its ad network partners flag potential providers of malicious advertisements. Google Goes After Malware In Ads The company launched an initial custom search engine at the beginning of the year, aimed at allowing ad networks to do background checks on potential advertisers to reduce the risk of malware. "It checks a variety of independent, third party sites that track possible attempts to distribute malware through advertising," it says on the site. "Its search results should not be considered the last word on a prospective customer, but one potential source of helpful information. If a party you're researching comes up in a search result here, we recommend you take a closer look at the party in question before rendering judgment." The Anti-Malvertising.com site recommends for publishers to always perform in-depth quality assurance on creatives and that they avoid ad networks without strong anti-malware security measures in place. In early 2008, Google found that about 2 percent of malicious websites were distributing malware via advertising, based on an analysis of nearly 2,000 advertising networks. In a first quarter 2007 Web Trends Security Report released by Finjan found that about 80 percent of malicious code came from online ads. "The world of online advertising, like the offline world, is a dynamic environment that contains a diverse mix of people with different goals-both good and bad," the site reads. "This website focuses on malvertising (the threat of malware being distributed through advertising) and how you can help prevent it."

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Alan Ralsky, a notorious spammer, pleaded guilty Monday in federal court in Detroit for his role in a stock fraud case involving spam messages that promoted Chinese "penny" stocks.Ralsky and four other people pleaded guilty, joining three others who pleaded guilty earlier, the U.S. Department of Justice announced. According to court records, from January 2004 through September 2005, Ralsky and others engaged in a related set of conspiracies designed to use spam emails to manipulate thinly traded stocks and profit by trading in those stocks once their share prices increased after recipients of the spam emails traded in the stocks being promoted. "Alan Ralsky was at one time the world's most notorious illegal spammer," said U.S. Attorney Terrence Berg. "Today Ralsky, his son-in-law Scott Bradley, and three of their co-conspirators stand convicted for their roles in running an international spamming operation that sent billions of illegal e-mail advertisements to pump up Chinese 'penny' stocks and then reap profits by causing trades in these same stocks while others bought at the inflated prices. "Using the Internet to manipulate the stock market through spam e-mail campaigns is a serious crime, and this case serves notice that federal law enforcement has the both the capability and the will to successfully investigate, prosecute and punish such cybercrimes." Ralsky, 64, of West Bloomfield, Mich., pleaded guilty to commit wire fraud, mail fraud and to violate the CAN-SPAM Act. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Ralsky acknowledges he is facing up to 87 months in prison and a $1 million fine under federal sentencing guidelines.

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