Computer security developer Trend Micro has unveiled a new malware that could harm your PC’s. This new attack starts with a Facebook post on affected users walls inviting their friends to install a Valentines Day theme on their FB profiles.

Trend Micro said in a blog post, “Clicking the Install button on the page will prompt the download of the malicious file, FacebookChrome.crx which Trend Micro detects as TROJ_FOOKBACE.A. When
executed, TROJ_FOOKBACE.A executes a script that is capable of displaying ads from certain websites.”

These attacks only work when you Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox as your Internet browser.

This is not the first attack of this kind, “but considering that extension-capable browsers are coming to the forefront now, it serves as a waring to all of use that this may be continuing a trend that the malicious entities of the internet are going to follow in the foreseeable future,” the post writes.

These cybercriminals have been wrecking havoc on this popular social networking site and have used these types of tricks in their schemes.

So, to avoid being victimized by these unscrupulous individuals, you better look and study first before clicking any link that could potentially lead you to damaging your computers.

But according to iPhonefaq, the jailbreak that is being used by Apple can be used for Windows too. This jailbreak has been unethered and can be installed on any Apple device using its latest iOS – iOS 5.0.1. Those who use their Windows PCs have to back-up their device first and then update their device to the latest OS.

Here is a short list of what you need to do after backing up your device:

1. Download Absinthe for Windows
2. Unzip the file
3. Run the Absinthe.exe file after extracting it
4. Tether the iPhone 4S or iPad 2 to the Windows PC using the sync cable
5. Click Jailbreak

The iPhone screen will show a message saying Restore in Progress, similar to that of the Mac. This process may take time to finish and after the device restarts, an Absinthe widget will appear on the gadget. Click or tap the widget and let the device do the needful. Once this is done, the device will again reboot with the Cydia Icon appearing on the screen. This suggests a successful jailbroken device.

Antivirus makers Sophos discovered the scam a few weeks ago. They said that the scam has already collected a total of 45,000 passwords and login information from Facebook.

In a blog post, the company explained that the scam works by asking FB members to click on a series of links that will enable them to change their profiles background color. This usually includes a survey hosted by a site outside of Facebook.

Graham Cluley of Sophos wrote, “Predictably, the point of all of this sharing is to drive more traffic to the scammers’ link where an online survey will pop-up. The more people who take the survey, the more commission that the scammers will earn.”

He also added that the scam usually uses the tricks that past scams have used to spread viruses throughout Facebook. This includes instructions to share links to their friends and comment on their profiles.

Image source: Frip.in

For those of you who are having problems with the number of errors you make typing in an iPad, you are not alone.

Iphone and iPad developer in UK, Dave Addey, even has the same trouble as most mortals when typing in an iPad. He wondered why he was getting a ton of mistakes typing in his device. So he recorded the screen while he typed and found out which keys registered a touch and the order in which they registered.

He analyzed results he found on the video and one of his findings are that some keystrokes on the keyboard did not record in the document. An example of which is when he typed “i have”, the result became “iave”. The auto correct function automatically kicked in and corrected the word and typed “image”. Still an error considering that you typed the words “i have”.

So what would be the best tip to type faster? Practice, practice and more practice.

For those who need assistence, an app that teaches users how to “Taptype” is also available in the AppStore. But faster and more reliable means however,  it would be still  be smart to bring with you a physical keyboard such as Apple’s wireless Bluetooth keyboard or purchase a case with a keyboard attachment such as this one from Logitech.

Android owners beware!

Top AntiVirus software maker, Kaspersky Lab, said that malicious files that are targeting Android based gadgets will increase this year. During the second half of 2011, the latter has targeted Android’s the most.

According to Kaspersky’s Cyberthreat forecast for 2012, “the unwanted attention that the Android platform has received from virus writers will intensify. In 2012, cybercriminals targeting mobile platforms will focus heavily on creating malware for Google Android.”

They also added that, “the dramatic growth in malicious programs for Android in the second half of 2011 saw Google’s operating system rank first among mobile platforms in terms of the number of threats. There is little to suggest that the virus writers will shift their focus in the near future.”

The increase can be attributed to the increase in the number of individuals using their mobile gadgets for Internet to do online transactions such as banking and shopping.

“Mobile espionage – data theft from mobile phones and the tracking of subjects using their telephones and geolocation services – will become widespread going well beyond the traditional use of such technologies by law enforcement agencies and private investigation companies.” The company added.

Image Credit: Xphone.com

In line with this, Google has come up with a few reminders of obvious-but-often-overlooked practices in keeping your online accounts secure by choosing smart passwords.

Michael Santerre, Google’s consumer operations associate, posted a list of common problems and their solutions in the official Gmail blog. Take a look and see if you have been doing any of these.

Problem 1: Re-using passwords across websites

Solution: Use unique passwords for every account such as selecting a phrase and using the first letter of every world in the phrase. You can also try swapping out letters for symbols.

Problem 2: Using common passwords or words found in the dictionary

Solution: Use a password with a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols. You can also choose two random words and put them together along with symbols.

Problem 3: Using passwords based on personal data

Solution: Your personal data can be easily found in the web social networking sites. Avoid using names of pets or children, birthdays, phone numbers and addresses.

Problem 4: Writing down your password and storing it in an unsecured place.

Solution: Don’t make it easier for others to hack your accounts. That list of complex and hard-to-guess passwords you came up would be useless if someone else found that slip of paper lying beside you computer.

Problem 5: Recalling your password.

Solution: Make sure your password recovery options are up-to-date and secure.

Again, please take the time in making sure your online accounts are safe. Just this week, thousands of Hotmail accounts were exposed through what authorities believe as phishing. Other reports say some Gmail and Yahoo accounts were also exposed. Don’t wait until yours become public too.

Source: http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/choosing-smart-password.html

To help sort out apps you might want to take a look at, PC World compiled a list of the top five apps that’ll help you find – yep, apps. Here’s what they came up:

App Miner

This app does what its name says: it mines for app treasures. And by app treasures, we mean those that’ll help you save a few bucks by keeping tabs on apps that are currently in bargain price in a master list. The App Miner lets you filter the list into free and paid apps, making it easier for those who doesn’t want to shell out some dough.

App Gems

App Gems helps users decide what app to get by providing user reviews for each app. Its provides a capsulated description and recommendations for the app, allowing you to somehow get the feel of what the app is all about.

App Sniper

AppSniper is similar to the App Miner, providing users with a list of apps whose prices have been dropped. The difference is that this app costs $1. To make up for the price though, the AppSniper is faster and has a more sophisticated-looking interface than the latter.

Fluke

If you have absolutely no idea what app you’d want to download and you just want to leave the choosing to the er – hands of faith, then Fluke is the app for you.

This is a free app that shows you a random app at a time, perhaps making it more exciting by finding out apps you’ve never even thought to exist. If you want a bit more direction to your random search though, you can also choose to filter it by free or paid and by category.

The App Store

The last but uhm, not the least, is the App Store. According to the PCWorld, this is still the fastest way to search directly for apps, especially with the new Genius function that helps users find apps that are similar or related to the ones they’ve got.

Peace out!

Source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/172880/5_apps_for_finding_iphone_apps.html