OUCH!
                               October 2010
    SANS Institute Security Newsletter for Computer Users
***********************************************************************
Get security advice you can use at
http://www.sans.org/newsletters/ouch/updates/
Dirty Tricks and Larceny
Patches and Updates Roundup
***********************************************************************
Dirty Tricks and Larceny
[Editor's Note: (Wyman) This month we present an overview of why and how
the Bad Guys do it, what it's called, and what you can do to protect
your computer.]

Blackhats. Hackers who use their skills for explicitly criminal or other
malicious ends, such as writing malware (malicious software) to steal
credit card numbers and banking data or by phishing; a.k.a. the Bad
Guys.

Phishing. The practice of sending out fake email messages that look as
if they come from a trusted person or institution-usually a bank-in
order to trick people into handing over confidential information. The
emails often direct you to a website that looks like that of the real
financial institution. But it is a fake and has been rigged to collect
your personal information, such as passwords, credit card numbers and
bank account numbers, and transmit them to the Bad Guys.

Man-in-the-middle. An attack in which a criminal hacker intercepts
information sent between your computer and the website of your financial
institution and then uses that information to impersonate you in
cyberspace. The hacker is able to defeat even very sophisticated
security measures and gain access to your account.

Botnet. Botnets consist of large numbers of hijacked computers that are
under the remote control of a criminal or a criminal organization. The
hijacked computers-a.k.a. "zombies" or "bots" (short for "robots") -are
recruited using viruses spread by email or drive-by downloads. Worms are
used to find and recruit additional computers. The biggest botnets
consist of thousands and even millions of computers, most often
unprotected home computers.

Virus. A malicious program that usually requires some action on the part
of a user in order to infect a computer; for example, opening an
infected attachment or clicking on a link in a rigged email may trigger
a virus to infect your computer.

Drive-by Download. A kind of malware that installs itself automatically
when you visit a booby-trapped website. Symptoms of a drive-by download
include: your homepage has been changed, unwanted toolbars have been
added, and unfamiliar bookmarks appear in your browser.

Worm. Self-replicating malware that, for instance, hunts down
unprotected computers and recruits them for criminal or other malicious
purposes. Unlike a virus, worms do not require any action on your part
in order to infect your computer.

Fake Anti-Virus. Fake anti-virus software purports to be a helpful
program than can find and remove malware, but in fact it is malware--the
very thing that it's supposed to eliminate. After taking over your
computer, it pretends to do security scans, tells you it has found
malware, and then asks you to pay to have the non-existent malware
removed. Whether or not you pay, fake anti-virus is likely to install
more malware.

Whitehats. Hackers who use their skills for positive ends, and often for
thwarting blackhats. Many whitehats are security professionals who spend
their time identifying and fixing vulnerabilities in software that
blackhats seek to exploit for criminal or other malicious purposes.

Security suite. A set of software applications designed to protect your
computer that consists of anti-virus, anti-malware and a personal
firewall.

Anti-virus and anti-malware.  Helpful software applications that scan
your computer for certain patterns of infection. The patterns they scan
for are the signatures, or definitions, of known forms of malware. Since
Bad Guys are creating new forms of malware continuously, it is important
that you keep your anti-virus and anti-malware definitions updated. See
the "Patches and Updates" section below.

Personal firewall. Software that monitors incoming and outgoing traffic
on your computer and checks for suspicious patterns indicating the
presence of malware or other malicious activity. A personal firewall
alerts you to these threats and attempts to block them. Like anti-virus
and anti-malware software, personal firewalls require frequent updates
to provide effective protection.

Updates. Security software relies on frequent updates in order to be
able to counteract previously undetected forms of malware. Consequently,
your computer may suffer a "window of vulnerability" between the time a
new form of malware is identified and the time when your security
software can block it or remove the infection. Set your security
software to update automatically.

Patches. Operating systems, like Windows and OS X, and software
applications, such as Internet Explorer and Firefox, may be found to
contain security flaws or holes that make your computer vulnerable to
attack. Their makers release patches to plug the holes. The fastest and
surest way to get these installed quickly is to use auto-updating via
the Internet. Some software applications require manual updating. See
the "Patches and Updates" section below.

Black Tuesday a.k.a. Patch Tuesday. On the second Tuesday of each month
Microsoft releases security patches for Windows, Internet Explorer,
Office and its other software products. You can have these installed
automatically using Microsoft Update. See the "Patches and Updates"
section below.

Auto-updating. A software tool built into Windows ("Microsoft Update")
and OS X ("Auto Update") and many other applications which can download
and install important security updates and patches for software
installed on your computer automatically. See the "Patches and Updates"
section below.

More information:
http://www.binaryfarm.com/jargon.html
http://besafe.more.net/sam/resources/jargon.pdf
http://ittraining.iu.edu/workshops/win_security/terminology.html

***********************************************************************
IS YOUR ORGANIZATION CONSIDERING STARTING AN AWARENESS PROGRAM or
looking for ways to improve an existing one? SANS "Securing the Human"
blog provides the latest updates, resources, and best practices to help
you plan, implement, and maintain effective security awareness programs.
http://www.securingthehuman.org/blog
***********************************************************************
Patches and Updates Roundup

Operating Systems & Applications

Windows & PC Office: http://update.microsoft.com &
http://www.microsoft.com/security/updates/bulletins/201010.aspx

Mac Office:
http://www.microsoft.com/mac/help.mspx?CTT=PageView&clr=99-0-0&ep=7&target=ffe35357-8f25-4df8-a0a3-c258526c64ea1033

OS X: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1338

iPad: http://www.ehow.com/how_6256127_update-restore-apple-ipad.html

iPhone, iPod & iPod touch: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1414

iPod: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1483

Windows Adobe Reader:
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=10&platform=Windows
OS X Adobe Reader:
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=10&platform=Macintosh

Flash Player: http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/

Firefox: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/update/

Safari: http://www.ehow.com/how_2033324_update-safari.html

Opera: http://www.opera.com/

Chrome: http://www.google.com/support/chrome/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=95414

Java: http://www.java.com/en/download/manual.jsp

Windows iTunes: http://www.ehow.com/how_2016273_update-itunes-pc.html
OSX iTunes: http://www.ehow.com/how_2016270_update-itunesmac.html

Security Suites

Symantec:
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/sharedtech.nsf/docid/2002021908382713

Norton:
http://www.symantec.com/business/security_response/definitions/download/detail.jsp?gid=n95

McAfee: http://www.mcafee.com/apps/downloads/security_updates/dat.asp

Kaspersky: http://www.kaspersky.com/avupdates

AVG: http://free.avg.com/us-en/download-update

Panda: http://www.pandasecurity.com/homeusers/downloads/clients/

PC Tools:
http://www.downloadatoz.com/pc-tools-internet-security/smart-update.html

BitDefender:
http://www.bitdefender.com/site/view/Desktop-Products-Updates.html

Avast: http://www.avast.com/download-update

Webroot: http://support.webroot.com

Trend Micro:
http://esupport.trendmicro.com/Pages/How-to-update-Trend-Micro-Internet-Security-Pro-2010.aspx

Microsoft Security Essentials:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/portal/Definitions/HowToMSE.aspx

***********************************************************************
Copyright 2010, SANS Institute (http://www.sans.org)
Editorial Board: Bill Wyman, Walt Scrivens, Phil Hoffman, Alicia Beard,
Alan Paller
Email: OUCH@sans.org
OUCH! Security Information Service: http://www.sans.org/newsletters/ouch/updates/
Download the formatted version of the OUCH!:
https://www.sans.org/newsletters/ouch
Permission is hereby granted for any person to redistribute this in
whole or in part to any other persons as long as the distribution is not
being made as part of any commercial service or as part of a promotion
or marketing effort for any commercial service or product. We request
that redistributions include attribution for the source of the material.