The virus has not yet been named, but it has been identified as a coronavirus, which is the same class of virus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Like SARS, the new virus causes a severe case of pneumonia. While the virus is related to the coronaviruses found in bats, scientists don’t believe the virus is making the jump from bats to people directly. Also, unlike SARS, they don’t believe that it can be transmitted from person-to-person through the air, instead needing more direct contact.

Studies are currently being conducted involving mice, ferrets and rhesus macaques, all of which are commonly used as stand-ins for people when it comes to infectious disease studies. The results have been limited at best, as while the virus infected the monkeys’ lungs, it didn’t appear to damage other body tissues.

I’ll be the first to say that I am adamantly against fearmongering. Yes, it is sad that seven people have died from this unknown virus, but that’s still a relatively small number and we shouldn’t be so quick as to call this the next SARS-like epidemic. At the same time, catching it early and better understanding the virus is clearly in our best interest. Further study is naturally warranted.

[Source]

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That’s why Google has come forward to announce a new service called “Bouncer” just days after Symantec’s announcement of a major malware infection found in some Android apps.  Yeah, Android Market is the hippest night club in town and it’s not going to put up with belligerant drunks and would-be thieves. Get out, buddy. You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.

In a nutshell, Bouncer will scan developer accounts automatically and look for “potentially malicious software without disrupting the user experience.” It also “looks for behaviors that indicate an application might be misbehaving, and compares it against previously analyzed apps to detect possible red flags.” If it finds some bad stuff, it gives that app (and presumably the developer) the boot out of the door, thereby protecting us Android users from the bad guys.

Let’s just hope that Google’s Bouncer isn’t like its Goliath-sized non-digital counterparts where you can just slip them some green to get in the club.

[ source ]

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Dubbed GGTracker, this is a new Trojan that finds its way onto Android devices. After it has been downloaded onto a user’s phone, it will start to subscribe that user to a number of premium SMS services without their knowledge. GGTracker gets its way onto phones through a malicious website that mimics Android Market. There is then an in-app advertisement that downloads the Trojan onto the handset.

For now, GGTracker seems to be targeting US smartphone users, but there’s no real reason to think you’re immune if you’re outside of the states. The two “false” apps perpetuating this attack are a fake battery optimizer (t4t.pwower.management) and a porn app (com.space.sexypic).

The easiest way to avoid these kinds of attacks? Stick to sites and services that you know and trust. This is really no different than the safety precautions you should be taking on your computer. After all, that Android smartphone is more powerful than a computer you may have had just a few years ago.

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Recently enacted by the Japanese parliament, the law would punish the people who are creating viruses, but also those who are willfully distributing them. If you create or spread a computer virus “with no justifiable reason,” you could be hit with up to three years in prison or up to 500,000 yen (US$6,200) in fines. If you’re just storing a virus, you could still get hit with two years in jail or a 300,000 yen fine; that obviously doesn’t include storing it from an infected state.

It’s debatable what is considered a justifiable reason. Ask the anarchists and they’ll say their reasons are even more justified than others. This is where the privacy and freedom of speech people come into the picture, opposing the new law and saying that it could give the police too much power. With it in place, law enforcement officials can seize email communications of suspects from their ISPs.

Given the international nature of cybercrime, it’s going to be tough to crack down on these virus makers. The hope is that the new law in Japan will get us closer to at least minimizing these kinds of malicious attacks.

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Energizer Duo USB Charger

While you should certainly be careful about the kinds of websites you visit and the types of software you download from the Internet, it seemed safe to assume that plugging in a simple battery charger into your USB port would be perfectly safe. Apparently not and Energizer is to blame.

Not only has the Energizer Duo USB charger been less than a monumental success for the battery giant, it turns out that the monitoring software distributed with the portable charger is infected with a Windows trojan. A battery charger that has a virus…

According to Computerworld, the monitoring software contains “rogue code” that “listens for commands on TCP port 7777″ and it can “download and execute files, transmit files stolen from the PC, or tweak the Windows registry.”

So, just unplug the thing and call it a day, right? Apparently not. Even if you unplug the Energizer Duo from your computer’s USB port, the trojan continues to do its thing. It executes each time you turn on the PC and remains active until you turn off the PC.

Energizer is aware of the issue and is “currently working with both CERT and U.S. government officials to understand how the code was inserted in the software. Additional technical information can be found at http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/154421. “

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