Malware

Bot herders have found a way to infest Mac computers: via pirated software.

The percentage of people losing money to phishing attacks is higher than ever -- five million consumers in the United States fell victim during 2008, an increase of 40 percent over 2007, according to a new report from Gartner.

Web and email security vendor Marshal8e6 announced on Tuesday its acquisition of behavioral malware detection vendor Avinti for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition will better equip Marshal8e6 to stop blended email threats -- email that contains active malware content or links to websites where malware is downloaded, according to a statement from Marshal8e6. The acquisition follows the merger of Marshal and 8e6 Technologies last November. — AM

One week after Conficker's supposed activation date, the worm awoke from its slumber.

So-called scareware programs top the list of internet threats, according to Microsoft's sixth Security Intelligence Report.

Researchers at anti-virus firm BitDefender said this week they have identified a new variant of the Conficker worm. The new variant, which is similar to previous versions, can evade detection and disinfection by tools that have been created to deter the threat. It also can block access to websites of anti-virus vendors, as well as third parties offering online scanning services or removal tools. In addition, the primary obfuscation layer has been rewritten to prevent detection. — CAM

A pesky adware trojan is continuing to leave its mark on susceptible users.