Microsoft Corporation

[mompel]

‘Factory-sealed’ viruses found on brand new computers

PCs could be infected with malware before you’ve even bought them, says Microsoft
LAST UPDATED AT 09:42 ON Fri 14 Sep 2012

A MICROSOFT investigation has found that a significant proportion of brand new PCs are being sold already infected with computer viruses capable of allowing a cybercriminal to steal your bank account details or even spy on you with your own webcam.

Microsoft’s findings are based on 10 desktop computers and 10 laptops it bought from different cities in China. Four of the 20 PCs were found to be infected with malware, despite being factory sealed.

In each case, the malicious programs had been installed on the computer as part of pirated Windows software. The Windows operating system is developed by Microsoft, which is fighting a constant battle against counterfeit versions of its software such as those found on the infected computers.

The worst of the malware unearthed by Microsoft allows the victim’s computer to be controlled by a ‘botnet’ - a network of infected computers controlled by a cybercriminal - called Nitol. As soon as the computer is switched on it tries to contact the Nitol botnet. It can then become involved in hacking attacks and is left open to the installation of yet more malware.

The Nitol botnet is hosted on a website called 3322.org, which has been linked to malicious activity for four years. The website was hosting 500 strains of malware, some of which was “capable of remotely turning on an infected computer’s microphone and video camera, potentially giving a cybercriminal eyes and ears into a victim’s home or business”.

Microsoft has been given permission by a US court to disrupt the 3322.org network – a significant blow in the fight against malware.

Microsoft blames the problem of what are being called ‘factory-sealed viruses’ on “unsecure supply chains”, adding that it was “especially disturbing” that the malware could have entered the chain at any point as a computer travels among companies in China that transport and resell the computer. ·

bron: http://www.theweek.co.uk/technology/com ... -computers

[mompel]

Microsoft admits millions of computers could be infected with malware before they're even out of the box

Hackers have uploaded viruses which can help them steal people's personal data on to millions of PCs and laptops before they are even taken out of the box, Microsoft has admitted.

The company said it found malware which allows would-be criminals to remotely switch on and control cameras and microphones, among other devices, on machines which were still factory sealed. The software is loaded with counterfeit copies of Microsoft Windows, the company said.

“Cybercriminals have made it clear that anyone with a computer could become an unwitting mule for malware,” wrote Microsoft's assistant general counsel for its Digital Crimes Unit, Richard Domingues Boscovich.

On the company's blog, he added: “Malware allows criminals to steal a person's personal information to access and abuse their online services, including e-mail, social networking accounts and online bank accounts. Examples of this abuse include malware sending fake e-mails and social media posts to a victim's family, friends and co-workers to scam them out of money, sell them dangerous counterfeit drugs, and infect their computers with malware.”

Boscovich said the counterfeit software could enter the supply chain “at any point” because a machine normally passes through the stock rooms of numerous companies between the Microsoft factory and the consumer's living room. Any of these could potentially - unwittingly or otherwise - load counterfeited software on to the computer.

He added: “So how can someone know if they're buying from an unsecure supply chain? One sign is a deal that appears too good to be true. However, sometimes people just can't tell, making the exploitation of a broken supply chain an especially dangerous vehicle for infecting people with malware.”

The company launched a two-pronged attack on the developing Nitol botnet - a method of controlling many computers using only one. Microsoft's plan of legal action and technical disruption, codenamed “Operation b70”, found that “20 per cent of the PCs researchers bought from an unsecure supply chain were infected with malware”.

Boscovich wrote: “Our research into Nitol uncovered that the botnet was being hosted on a domain linked to malicious activity since 2008. This study also revealed that in addition to hosting b70, 3322.org contained a staggering 500 different strains of malware hosted on more than 70,000 sub-domains.

“We found malware capable of remotely turning on an infected computer's microphone and video camera, potentially giving a cybercriminal eyes and ears into a victim's home or business. Additionally, we found malware that records a person's every key stroke, allowing cybercriminals to steal a victim's personal information.

“The Nitol botnet malware itself carries out distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks that are able to cripple large networks by overloading them with Internet traffic, and creates hidden access points on the victim's computer to allow even more malware - or anything else for that matter - to be loaded on to an infected computer.”

In the post, he also wrote that the malware was capable of transmitting to other computers via USB flash drives, meaning it would spread fast through a family or work place. Microsoft has now been given permission by a US court to shut down the domain behind the scheme.

According to PC Advisor, Boscovich revealed that Microsoft bought computers from “PC malls” in various Chinese cities, all of which had counterfeit copies of Windows XP or Windows 7 installed. Of the twenty purchased, three had inactive malware and one had live malware, called “Nitol.A,” that awoke when the computer connected to the Internet.

The problem is not thought to affect Western physical supply chains but the malware could be transmitted if users download infected software.

bron: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style ... 39437.html

[mompel]

En dan vraagt een mens zich af waarom iedereen die rommel blijft kopen ....

[mompel]

Harde realiteit zeker? Ik heb nooit begrepen waarom mensen Microsoft producten blijven kopen.

Ze crashen constant, (mijn apple staat hier al maanden te draaien zonder reboot)
ze zijn megaduur (linux is gratis, apple OsX kost 15€, windows7 kost rond de 180€)
zitten vol met fouten en security gaten
miljoenen virussen ( er is onlangs 1 trojan gevonden voor apple ... de enige)
vol bloatware (bvb de calculator van WinXP was 2mb, die van windows7 is een dezelfde versie, maar is wel veel groter)
bij elke nieuwe versie heb je een nieuwe computer nodig, want de oude is plots niet goed genoeg
ze maken niets zelf ... alles is gestolen van andere bedrijven
rebooten voor elke setting/driver die je veranderd is hopeloos achterhaald

etc etc

[Wallstreet]

Harde realiteit zeker? Ik heb nooit begrepen waarom mensen Microsoft producten blijven kopen.

Ze crashen constant, (mijn apple staat hier al maanden te draaien zonder reboot)
ze zijn megaduur (linux is gratis, apple OsX kost 15€, windows7 kost rond de 180€)
zitten vol met fouten en security gaten
miljoenen virussen ( er is onlangs 1 trojan gevonden voor apple ... de enige)
vol bloatware (bvb de calculator van WinXP was 2mb, die van windows7 is een dezelfde versie, maar is wel veel groter)
bij elke nieuwe versie heb je een nieuwe computer nodig, want de oude is plots niet goed genoeg
ze maken niets zelf ... alles is gestolen van andere bedrijven
rebooten voor elke setting/driver die je veranderd is hopeloos achterhaald

etc etc

Niet te vergeten dat Apple nog bestaat dankzij Microsoft

[leffies]

Gates zwengelt hype rond Windows 8 aan
Maandag 22 oktober om 17:19 , door Wim Lecluyse in Nieuws

Microsoft-stichter Bill Gates maakt zich sterk dat Windows 8 de gebruikers 'de beste tablet- en pc-beleving biedt'. Dat zegt hij in een video die maandagmorgen door Microsoft is verspreid om de hype rond het besturingssysteem aan te zwengelen..
Het bedrijf stelt Windows 8 komende donderdag voor. Windows 8 is volgens Gates 'cruciaal' voor de toekomst van Microsoft. Met die uitspraak spreekt hij de huidige ceo Steve Ballmer bij.
In het gesprek laat Gates zich ook lovend uit over de Surface-tablet, die pas na de lancering van Windows 8 verkrijgbaar is. Gates zegt in zijn omgeving al vaak opgeschept te hebben met het toestel. Hij spreekt ook van 'een betere tablet', zonder de grote concurrent iPad bij naam te noemen.

Microsoft staat op mijn volglijstje

[milman]

Was dat normaal de voorstelling van windows phone 8 niet vandaag ?

[Wallstreet]

Was dat normaal de voorstelling van windows phone 8 niet vandaag ?

Ja heb ze gezien.
WP8 ziet er wel goed uit imo. In verschillende landen ligt het deze week nog in de winkels, rest volgt later

[milman]

Thnx, zal dan eens "you tuben"

[milman]

Er staan al filmpjes op you tube van september, wat was er dan speciaal vanavond ?
Eens vlug gekeken... lumia 920 boeide me meer moet ik zeggen