Hacking-101.com

Skype recently disclosed a vulnerability that affects Skype on a Windows PC that executes without user consent. This vulnerability affects Skype and Dailymotion, the video site that works with Skype so that users can download clips and use them in Skype for moods and chat.

According to Skype this vulnerability affects users of Skype version 3.5 and 3.6 but has already been fixed. The attack was demonstrated as a proof-of-concept prior to any known exploits.

To further protect their customer base, Skype has temporarily disabled users the ability to add videos from Dailymotion until a software fix has been released.

Aviv Raff has a great article discussing this vulnerability on his website. Included is a great video demonstrating the PoC.

Read the Skype Security Bulletin SKYPE-SB/2008-001.

It was only a matter of time and determination.
Discovered in December 2007, rootkit writers have the ability to install rootkits as a non-privileged user via the Master Boot Record.  The disappointing fact is that this is not a new avenue of attack; MBR viruses have existed for the past dozen years.  Theoretically if you can control the MBR of a host you can manipulate the operating system.

The known MBR rootkits (and variants) cannot be removed while the OS is running.  Booting into the Recovery Console and running FIXMBR will successfully remove the rootkit and restore the pristine boot record.  Now, couple this rootkit with a zero day exploit that can overwrite the MBR once the system boots and you’ve got a rather annoying infestation.

For more details on the Master Boot Record read this.

Symantec has more information on the rootkit and can be found here.

Sunbelt-Software’s Sunbelt Personal Firewall (Formerly Kerio Personal Firewall) is on-sale for $9.95 a copy ($10 instant rebate).  If you buy now you can also get the Award-Winning CounterSpy for an additional $9.95.  For under $20 you can secure your system with an awesome firewall and malware-spyware blocker.  You can also use a full-featured version of Kerio for 30 days.  After that it loses some functionality but the firewall itself is left intact.

I’ve used Kerio for years and for me it’s the best host-based firewall and host intrusion prevention system out there.  I run it on my systems at home.  It’s powerful, easy-to-use, and much easier to navigate than Comodo Personal Firewall.

CounterSpy is a state-of-the-art anti-spyware application similar to Windows Defender.  It runs in the system tray and actively blocks malicious code execution.  CounterSpy is simple to configure and runs a full system scan at 1:00 AM by default.

Check both of these apps out here.

If you want to hack your desktop (Windows) to look like something else, check out this MakeUseOf.com article.  Five new (Sort of) looks for your Windows XP system.

Use at your own risk, considering these apps are provided by the community who knows how ’safe’ they are. =)

If you feel like spending some of your hard-earned Christmas cash check out Windows Blinds by Stardock Software.

Happy New Years!