The digital arms race is already underway, according to many global experts and their opinions included in McAfee’s global cyberdefence report. At least 57 per cent of the study participants concurred with this point, while another 36 per cent went so far as to argue that cybersecurity is more important than missile defence. For reference,...

To refocus on core businesses and bolster itself to take on rival Symantec

Software security vendor McAfee laid off about 250 workers, roughly 3% of its workforce, to refocus on core businesses and bolster itself to take on rival Symantec.

The affected workers were not part of the core focus in the coming year, according to McAfee.

McAfee spokesman Ian Bain was quoted by Reuters as saying that in order to better prepare the company for growth in 2012, they have made the difficult decision to reduce a small percentage of their global workforce.

Since its acquisition by Intel over a year ago, the security company has been initiating quite a few changes. But, it has seen its CEO Dave DeWalt quit this year and its worldwide CTO George Kurtz more recently.

According to Intel, the integration and assimilation of McAfee has been smooth and it had posted positive sales in the third quarter.

According to an IDC report released early this year, the top five security vendors, including McAfee and Symantec, have collectively lost 16% of their market share over the last five years.

Today, the sheer number of people embracing smartphones makes those mobile devices and the data stored on them attractive targets to Bad Guys looking to access or steal your personal information. And though mobile malware isn’t exactly a major issue at this point, it could be if those hackers and thieves have their way. But you can, and you should, do your best to protect your device and your data.

And McAfee, a maker of various antivirus and security software, wants to help — and sell you some software, of course. On that note, the company has released a set of tips to help secure and protect your smartphone from malicious applications.

From McAfee:

“McAfee Labs is seeing significant growth in the mobile malware threat landscape. Due to the fact that smartphones and tablets have eclipsed unit sales of desktop and laptop PCs, cybercriminals have set their sights on mobile and maliciously modified apps are becoming a more popular vector for infecting devices.”

Check out the following five tips for advice on how to avoid bad apps.

1) Mobile App Awareness

McAfee says the volume of identified smartphone malware is small compared to desktop or laptop malware, but it does exist. And more and more potentially harmful apps are showing up all the time. Staying aware of the growing threat is a great way to prevent malware infections, McAfee says.

(Think: G.I. Joe, “Knowing is half the battle”.)

2) Check Out Apps and App-Sources Before Installing

Whenever a cool new app hits the app store/market/world/whatever, the Average Joe’s tendency is to install it first and worry about repercussions later. But McAfee strongly advises against this. Instead, McAfee suggestions that smartphone owners research apps and the sources from which they originate before installing.

One easy, though not exactly foolproof, way to “vet” an app is to simply look at the reviews in the application store that’s offering the software. The more reviews, the better since this means more people have spent time with a given application. McAfee also says that app recommendations from friends are a good way to help ensure apps are “safe,” since those friends likely have experience with the software if they’re recommending it.

You can also perform a quick Google search of the application name or publisher to see what kind of results come up. If you find few or no results, you should be wary of installing the application.

3) Obtain Apps via Reputable App Stores

Some mobile platforms let you install any and all compatible applications you find on the Web, from any source, while others restrict the sources you can use to find software. While many smartphone owners value the freedom to choose which software they install, and the app sources, it’s usually a good idea to stick with your official app stores when downloading software, McAfee says.

If you use an iPhone, stick with the Apple App Store; if you’re on Android, use Google’s Android Market; if you’re a BlackBerry user, employ Research In Motion’s (RIM) BlackBerry App World; etc. (These stores aren’t flawless, as proven by a piece of malware that recently made it into the Apple App Store, but, in general, they’re safer than using random software publishers.)

McAfee also notes that Android users can block the installation of non-Market applications by unchecking the “Unknown sources” option in the Android Applications Settings menu on their devices.

4) Familiarize Yourself with App Permissions

Whenever you install new applications on your smartphone, you’re typically presented with some sort of application “permissions” screens, which attempt to inform which potentially sensitive resources will be accessed by a new app. You should be aware of which permissions are granted for certain applications, according to McAfee, and if something seems odd — if a game requests access to your address book, for instance — you can, and should, block the request.

The problem is that it’s sometimes hard to determine whether an application really needs the permissions it requests. And some apps won’t work without be granted certain permissions. The best you can do is pay attention to the permissions apps requests, and use your best judgment, based on how widely-used the app is, its publisher, etc.

5) Use a Mobile Antivirus Client

Considering the fact that McAfee is an antivirus software maker, and it offers a mobile antivirus client, it should come as no surprise that the company recommends smartphones user employ antivirus software. In general, the more precautions you take to ensure your device is protected, the better. And there are some free mobile antivirus options on the market, as well–just search your respective app store for “antivirus.”

Unfortunately, some say free antivirus clients don’t really do much to protect your smartphone. And the software can often be “heavy weight,” which can take a toll on your overall device performance and battery life. It doesn’t hurt, however, to install and try out a free antivirus client or purchase a paid app, assuming it’s from a reputable source, like McAfee, Symantec, F-Secure, Kaspersky, etc.

“Cyber-criminals rub their hands with glee when they think of the holidays,” said Gary Davis, director of consumer product marketing at McAfee. “Consumers are making travel plans, shopping for gifts and bargains, updating Facebook and connecting with friends. However, the vast majority have no security protection for their smartphones or tablets, despite using them heavily during the holiday season. Consumers need to stay one step ahead of this season’s cyber-scrooges, and make sure they have protection for all of their internet-enabled devices. Otherwise, they could risk giving the bad guys the biggest gift of all – their own personal and financial information.”

The first scam that holiday shoppers must be wary of, McAfee warned is mobile malware, which is rapidly increasing and with many mobile users planning to use their smartphones for holiday-shopping related activities they are at risk of being attacked and having data stolen.

The second scam is malicious mobile applications, which are designed to steal information from smartphones, or send out expensive text messages without a user’s consent. These apps are usually offered for free, and masquerade as fun applications, such as games.

Phony Facebook promotions and contests are the third scam users must be aware of this holiday season. Cyber-scammers fill Facebook with phony promotions and contests aimed at gathering personal information during the holiday season.

The fourth scam to be aware of is scareware, or fake antivirus software. McAfee estimates that one million victims fall for this scam each day.

Another scam users should watch out for according to McAfee is malicious holiday screensavers. A recent search for a Santa screensaver that promises to let you ‘fly with Santa in 3D’ is malicious.  Holiday-themed ringtones and e-cards have been known to be malicious too.

Users should also be wary of Mac malware. With the growing popularity of Apple products, for both business and personal use, cyber-criminals have designed a new wave of malware directed at Mac users. According to McAfee Labs, as of late 2010, there were 5,000 pieces of malware targeting Macs, and this number is increasing by 10% month on month.

Another threat, holiday phishing scams, trick consumers into revealing information or performing actions they wouldn’t normally do online using phony email or social media posts. Cyber-scammers tailor their emails and social messages with holiday themes in the hopes of tricking recipients into revealing personal information.

A common holiday phishing scam is a phony notice from UPS, saying you have a package and need to fill out an attached form to get it delivered. The form may ask for personal or financial details.

Banking phishing scams continue to be popular and the holiday season means consumers will be spending more money, and checking bank balances more often. From July to September of this year, McAfee Labs identified approximately 2,700 phishing URLs per day.

SMS phishing also remains a concern. Scammers send fake messages via a text alert to a phone, notifying an unsuspecting consumer that their bank account has been compromised. The cyber-criminals then direct the consumer to call a phone number to get it re-activated, and collects the user’s personal information including address, and account details.

Another scam social networking users must be aware of is posting their whereabouts.

Posting information about a vacation on social networking sites could actually be dangerous.  Strangers can see these posts and rob the user while they are away, a quick online search can easily turn up their home address.

Online coupon scams, mystery shopper scams, hotel ‘Wrong Transaction’ malware emails, and ‘It’ gift scams also feature on the McAfee list.

According to McAfee, users should only download mobile apps from official app stores, such as iTunes and the Android Market, and read user reviews before downloading them, users should also be extra vigilant when reviewing and responding to emails, watch out for too-good-to-be-true offers on social networks and never agree to reveal personal information just to participate in a promotion to prevent themselves from being compromised online.

Hackers breached the computer networks of 72 organizations around the world over a five-year period, in the biggest hacking campaign discovered to date, security firm McAfeesaid on Wednesday.

Here are questions and answers on the attacks, dubbed “Operation Shady RAT” by McAfee, which was bought by Intel Corp earlier this year:

Q. Who are the victims?

A. They include:

- Governments of Canada, India, South Korea, Taiwan, United States and Vietnam.

- International bodies such as the United Nations, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the International Olympic Committee, the World Anti-Doping Agency.

- 12 U.S. defense contractors, 1 U.K. defense contractor.

- Companies in construction, steel, energy, solar power, technology, satellite communications, accounting and media.

- Other groups ranging from a U.S. insurance association to the Nevada county government and think tanks.

McAfee declined to identify many of the victims by name.

Q. When and how did the attacks take place?

A. McAfee found evidence of security breaches dating back to mid-2006, but said the hacking might have begun well before that. Some of the attacks lasted just a month, others stretched to as many as 28 months.

The hackers sent so-called spear-phishing emails, which are tainted with malicious software, to specific people at the targeted organizations. When the unsuspecting individual clicks on an infected link, it allows intruders to jump on to the machine and use it to infiltrate the computer network.

Q. What information was stolen?

A. McAfee investigators have done their best to guess what was likely stolen, based on interviews with a number of victims. McAfee Vice President of Threat Research Dmitri Alperovitch said the attacker sought data that would give it military, diplomatic and economic advantage.

“If you look at an industry and think about what is most valuable in terms of intellectual property, that is what they were going after,” Alperovitch said. As examples, he cited email archives, negotiation documents and schematics for electronics.

Q. Who did it?

A. McAfee’s Alperovitch said he believes that a nation state was behind the attacks, but he declined to identify it. He said the attacker is the same country that was behind other security breaches that McAfee has previously investigated.

Jim Lewis, an expert in cyber attacks with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, was briefed by McAfee. Lewis said the presence of Taiwan and the International Olympic Committee in the victims list suggest China is most likely the perpetrator of the attack.

Q. How valuable is the data that was stolen?

A. “This is the biggest transfer of wealth in terms of intellectual property in history,” Alperovitch said. “The scale at which this is occurring is really, really frightening.”

“Companies and government agencies are getting raped and pillaged every day. They are losing economic advantage and national secrets to unscrupulous competitors,” he said.

Q. How did McAfee learn of these attacks?

A. While investigating some attacks against defense contractors, McAfee researchers found a “command and control” server in 2009 used to manage the campaign. In March of this year, they returned to that computer and found logs that revealed all of the attacks.

McAfee is typically unable to discuss its investigations because of non-disclosure agreements. The company was able to discuss Operation Shady RAT because it was not bound by any confidentiality agreements in this case.

Q. What does the “RAT” in Operation Shady RAT stand for?

A. RAT stands for “remote access tool,” a type of software that hackers and security professionals often use to access computer networks from afar.

The United States, United Nations, defense contractors and the International Olympic Committee were targets of a massive global cyber spying campaign, a computer security firm said on Wednesday, with China seen as the likely culprit.

California-based McAfee said in a report it had identified 72 victims in 14 countries of a sophisticated hacking effort dubbed “Operation Shady RAT,” which it traced back to at least 2006.

McAfee vice president for threat research Dmitri Alperovitch described it as a “five-year targeted operation by one specific actor” but declined to identify the country responsible.

The “compromised parties” included the governments of Canada, India, South Korea, Taiwan, the United States and Vietnam, McAfee said, as well as a US Department of Energy research laboratory and around a dozen US defense contractors.

Others included computer networks of the United Nations, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the International Olympic Committee, Asian and Western national Olympic committees and the Montreal-based World Anti-Doping Agency.

In a conference call with reporters, Alperovitch, the lead author of the report, said the intrusions into the systems of defense contractors targeted “sensitive military technologies.”

He said McAfee had notified law enforcement about the cyber espionage campaign, briefed the White House and members of the US Congress and was working with some of the targeted companies on remediation efforts.

“We believe based on the targeting and the scale and the impact of these operations, and the fact that they didn’t just have an economic gain in mind but also political and military, that that this is clearly a nation-state but we’re not pointing the finger at anyone,” Alperovitch said.

James Lewis, a cybersecurity expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the evidence may not be “conclusive in a legal sense,” but suspicion points towards China.

“You can think of at least three other large programs attributed to China that look very similar,” Lewis told AFP. “It’s a pattern of activity that we’ve seen before.”

Google said in June that a cyber spying campaign originating in China had targeted Gmail accounts of senior US officials, military personnel, journalists and Chinese political activists.

In January of last year, Google announced it was halting censorship of its Internet search engine in China after coming under attack along with 20 other companies from hackers based there.

In February, McAfee said in another report that hackers in China have penetrated computer networks of global oil companies, stealing financial documents on bidding plans and other confidential information.

McAfee said it had discovered the “Shady RAT” series of cyber attacks by gaining access to a command and control server in a Western country used by the intruders and examining its logs.

“After painstaking analysis of the logs, even we were surprised by the enormous diversity of the victim organizations and were taken aback by the audacity of the perpetrators,” McAfee said.

McAfee said attacks on Asian and Western national Olympic committees, the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency occurred in the lead-up and immediate follow-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

It described this as “particularly intriguing and potentially pointed a finger at a state actor behind the intrusions, because there is likely no commercial benefit to be earned from such hacks.”

Other targets included a private Western organization focused on promoting democracy, two US national security think tanks, South Korean steel and construction firms, a Danish satellite communications company, a Singapore electronics company, a Taiwanese electronics firm, Vietnam’s government-owned technology company and US state and county governments, McAfee said.

It said a major US news organization — identified as the Associated Press by The Washington Post — was “compromised at its New York headquarters and Hong Kong bureau for more than 21 months.”

McAfee said the attacks involved sending infected emails to employees of the targeted companies. When opened, the emails implanted malware and established a backdoor communication channel to the command and control server.

Data theft appeared to be the chief objective of the attackers but Alperovitch warned the “potential exists for even more insidious activity.”

“These intruders are in our systems, in the systems of all these companies, in all these government systems,” he said. “The likelihood that they’ll escalate the activity from just stealing data to modifying data or destroying data or destroying systems is also there.”