Lookout Labs is well known for its Android app that effectively identifies and prevents malware and spyware from infecting devices. Today, the company took things a little further by releasing another app  called Mobile Threat Tracker for Android.

Interested in a life of cybercrime? All it takes is $50. Researchers at security firm Finjan have discovered that a site called “Golden Cash” is doing a bustling business in the buying and selling of infected computers. A small botnet of 1,000 malware infested PCs goes for just $50. That’s a mere 5 cents each! more »

Harvard University and Consumer Reports have joined together to create a web community dedicated to providing information and support to consumers regarding malware, spyware, adware, and malicious websites.

The site, a joint effort of Harvard’s Berkman Center and Consumer Reports’ Webwatch, is called BadwareBusters.org. The site administrators say they want BadwareBusters to be the first stop for anyone who’s been victimized by malicious software, had their computers or sites hacked, or had a site flagged as suspicious by Google.

Now I’ve been to the site and so far I’m impressed

Just about all of us have probably been hit at one time or another by a virus, trojan, or ended up with that dreaded blue screen of death. It’s certainly not fun when it happens. These days, simply running Norton in the background often just isn’t enough. Thankfully, there are several really good programs out there to download (free!) that help us to protect our computer from any nasties trying to worm their way in.

Keep reading for some favorites that are really worth a try.

The author of the infamous ransomware virus has finally been identified. The virus began hitting computers in July and used a Trojan called Delf.ctk which encrypted all the files on the infected computer, rendering them inaccessible, then demanded victims call a 900 number and pay $35 to get them back. The payment processor used is also used by various porn sites.

The author is believed to be a Russian national, and security experts think he’s probably behind similar ransomware attacks on 2006 and 2007. The latter demanded $300, so this new attack was somewhat of a bargain. Sources close to the authorities investigating the hacker say he also tried to profit from his malware by attempting to sell a tool that will restore access to files on infected computers to at least one security company.

Security experts are warning users to be on the alert for a new hacking technique involving fake blogs. Hackers have begun exploiting Google’s Trends Lab, which lists the days most searched topics. They use this information to create real news stories which they then place on a fake blog in order to increase page rankings. Unsuspecting users who click through to the blog are presented with several videos.

From there, the routine uses an old but still effective trick. When a video is clicked on, a pop up prompts them to download a codec-which is actually malicious software. The software loads a fake antispyware program which nags and goads the user into purchasing still more malware which exposes their personal info.

Microsoft has joined Washington state in a lawsuit against scammers who use “scareware” to sell useless and often malicious software. The vendors, who will not be identified until Monday, are being charged under the state’s Computer Spyware Act. So called “scareware” is the name given to those programs that advertise via ads made to look like warnings from Windows XP or Vista. They usually “warn” the viewer that they may have an urgent sounding (yet fake) computer issue and that their software is needed to fix it. Instead, the consumer either wastes money on a useless program or ends up with spyware or malware on their system.

Our personal choice for low-cost, well actually free Windows anti-virus has been AVG for a long time now, which as you can imagine is directly related to the price. There are lots of great alternatives and I cannot or will not attempt to tell you which is the best, however if you are looking for more »

Are you proud of everything on your office computer? Are those items you might not be so eager to display really hidden from the view and scrutiny of others? Alas, for the answer is now unequivocally “no.” Your office PC, thanks to Microsoft’s new Big Brother-style software, may now be considered a weapon loaded with ammunition!

This new software is a lazy, ineffectual office worker’s nightmare, for it is capable of remotely monitoring a worker’s productivity, physical well being and competence. This monitoring system would enable computers to wirelessly pick up on a user’s heart rate, galvanic skin response, brain signals, body temperature, facial movements and expressions, blood pressure, and respiration rate. Previously, this technology was only the headache of pilots, fire fighters and NASA astronauts. This patent from Microsoft marks the very first time a company has proposed such a software for use in mainstream offices.

James Bond had Q to make all his spy gear function and fashionable. It seems one company has figured out the functional part. Meet the Ajoka Buckle Cam, which slips around your waist and transforms itself from a mundane belt holding up your pants into a full color, sound-enabled digital video recording device (DVR).

While the fashion police would probably arrest you on the spot, no one else will