New Software Beats Screen Capture Viruses and Malware

Have you ever had your bank account information stolen by a virus or trojan that is on your computer? Many people have, and a coalition of German companies that includes Global IP Telecommunications, CyProtect AG and PMC Ciphers, say they have developed a means of encrypting keyboard input before keylogging or screen-capture malware has a chance to record it.

Modern screen capture malware or viruses function by taking a screenshot of your bank account screen or screenshots of other sensitive websites. Pair that with a keylogger that saves your every keystroke, and thiefs can have easy access to your personal information.

The new anti-keylogger and screen capture technology works by rendering password recording or screen capture impossible. It does so by presenting a virtual password entry screen on which letters and numbers are drawn figures, not ASCII characters, and the drawing is deleted several times per second during input. While this does make the password screens on your computer a bit “flickery,” it rules out any possibility of a screen capture that can compromise your personal details.

Read the full article at SC Magazine.

IOGear to Launch Wireless USB to VGA Device

This month, IOGear is releasing its Wireless USB to VGA adapter at a price of $299.95. This device works by plugging the USB dongle into the source device where it gets recognized as a video adapter and connecting the VGA dongle to the target monitor or projector.

You will still need to power the VGA dongle, and the USB adapter is only compatible with Windows XP or Vista. According to IOGear, the “USB to VGA Wireless Kit” has a working range of 30 feet (just over 9 meters) and is compatible with resolutions up to 720p. In other words, if you have a VGA source with a maximum resolution of 1280×720 and cannot run wires to your monitor or TV, the IOGear device would be something to look into.

There has been no word from the manufacturer in terms of video lag or supported frame rates, but we should see more details as these things start selling online and in retail outlets throughout North America.

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Screen Capture Trojans Penetrate Bank Security

In hopes of fighting Internet fraud, some online banking sites make customers use “virtual keypads” — a method of entering passwords on the screen, generally with a mouse.The system is designed to thwart keystroke-logging programs that capture everything a user types. Now those virtual keypads appear just as vulnerable to snoops.

A Spanish security company, Hispasec Systems, has revealed details of “Trojan horse” programs that can capture video imagery of an unsuspecting person’s computer use. If the user enters a PIN on a bank’s virtual keypad, the dastardly program is a witness.

Like most Trojan horses, the ones detected by Hispasec are slipped onto users’ computers when they visit certain Web sites, often through spam links, said Hispasec researcher Bernardo Quintero. Often, users have no clue if they were hit. When Quintero’s group tested whether more than 30 anti-virus programs would block a recent video-logging Trojan, only six did so.

Gartner Inc. security analyst Avivah Litan said screen-capture programs that attacked virtual keypads emerged as early as 2003, when banks in Brazil fell prey. She said the technique has remained relatively rare because the programs consume a lot of bandwidth and storage, and there have tended to be a lot of easier targets.

But that may be changing. Quintero said Wednesday that a newly detected Trojan combines keystroke-logging and video-capture functions — and instead of recording the entire screen, the program just grabs images of the immediate area near where the user clicks the mouse. The spy receives a smaller file, making the attack easier to pull off.

All this points to an enduring security truth: No single measure — especially one that is apparent to fraud artists — is likely to guarantee safety.

Litan says banks would be wise to focus more resources on behind-the-scenes software that can analyze Web banking sessions to gauge their legitimacy.

“Banks should stop implementing patchwork solutions and get it right the first time,” she said.

source: The Associated Press

Theft Victim helps to bust criminal with MacBook’s Screen Sharing and iSight

A White Plains, NY woman who was the victim of burglary, including her MacBook, used the Back To My Mac screen sharing feature to turn on her webcam and capture images of the unwitting culprits using the computer. As a result, police were able to arrest the thieves and recover most of the stolen goods, which included two laptops, two flat-screen televisions, two iPods, gaming consoles, DVDs and computer games.

This plan first launched into action when a co-worker of the nameless woman at the Apple Store noticed her computer online and notified the woman. She was then able to log into her computer and the rest is history. So the moral of the story is this: If you steal a MacBook, please be sure to cover the iSight with some tape. Otherwise, you could also be charged with a second degree felony.

Credits: Gizmodo

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