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A new report from security vendor McAfee says that spam levels rose sharply in the first quarter of the year. The Koobface worm that spreads through social networking sites was also very active, as was the Citadel Trojan.

Computerworld's Lucian Constantin reported, "The first three months of 2013 have seen a surge in spam volume, as well as large numbers of samples of the Koobface social networking worm and master boot record (MBR) infecting malware, according to antivirus vendor McAfee. After remaining relatively stable throughout 2012, spam levels rose during the first quarter of 2013, reaching the highest volume seen in the past two years, McAfee said in a report released Monday."

CNBC's Eamon Javers noted, "One significant element driving the growth in North America, the firm said, was 'the return of pump and dump spam campaigns.' Those campaigns are designed to quickly focus investor attention on an obscure, thinly traded stock to create a sharp run-up in value. Typically, those scammers will buy the stock before sending the spam and then sell after the price pops, pocketing a quick profit."

V3's Alistair Stevenson added, "McAfee listed tweaked versions of the Citadel and Koobface Trojans as two of the biggest threats facing businesses in its Q1 2013 Threat Report on Monday. The firm said the Citadel Trojan is particularly dangerous as crooks had developed it to steal a more diverse pool of data from its victims, making it one of 2013's most dangerous emerging threats."

And according to CRN's Robert Westervelt, "Mobile attackers have been consistently targeting owners of Android smartphones and tablets in China and Russia, but McAfee said Monday that it is seeing signs of the mobile threat spreading to other parts of the world.... McAfee said the total number of samples in its mobile malware database reached 50,926, with 28 percent detected in 2013."

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McAfee Says Spam Rates Have Increased Dramatically

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

McAfee Labs today released the McAfee Threats Report: First Quarter 2013, which reported a significant spike in instances of the Koobface social networking worm and a dramatic increase in spam. McAfee Labs also saw continued increases in the number and complexity of targeted threats, including information-gathering Trojans and threats targeting systems master boot records (MBRs).

McAfee Labs found almost three times as many samples of Koobface as were seen in the previous quarter, which is a high point for the social networking worm that targets Facebook, Twitter and other social networking service users. After three years of stagnation, spam email volume rose dramatically. One significant element behind this growth in North America was the return of pump and dump spam campaigns, which targeted would-be investors hoping to capitalize on all-time equity market highs. The McAfee Labs report showed the continued increases in Android malware, malicious web URLs and overall malware samples.

But the increase in the number and sophistication of targeted advanced persistent threats (APTs) represented the most notable evolution in the threat landscape, as information becomes as valuable as money on the cybercrime landscape. The report found a 30 percent increase in MBR-related malware and new instances of password-stealing Trojans being repurposed to capture information on individuals and organizations beyond the financial services industry.

Cybercriminals have come to appreciate that sensitive personal and organizational information are the currency of their hacker economy, said Vincent Weafer, senior vice president, McAfee Labs. The resurrection of Koobface reminds us that social networks continue to present a substantial opportunity for intercepting personal information. Within the enterprise, we see password-stealing Trojans evolving to become information-gathering tools for cyber-espionage attacks. Whether they target login credentials or intellectual property and trade secrets, highly-targeted attacks are achieving new levels of sophistication.

Each quarter, the McAfee Labs team of more than 500 multidisciplinary researchers in 30 countries monitors the global threat landscape, identifying application vulnerabilities, analyzing and correlating risks, and enabling instant remediation to protect enterprises and the public. This quarter, McAfee Labs identified the following developments:

To read the full McAfee Threats Report: First Quarter 2013, please visit http://www.mcafee.com/us/resources/reports/rp-quarterly-threat-q1-2013.pdf.

About McAfee

McAfee, a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel Corporation (INTC), empowers businesses, the public sector, and home users to safely experience the benefits of the Internet. The company delivers proactive and proven security solutions and services for systems, networks, and mobile devices around the world. With its Security Connected strategy, innovative approach to hardware-enhanced security, and unique Global Threat Intelligence network, McAfee is relentlessly focused on keeping its customers safe. http://www.mcafee.com

Note: McAfee is a trademark or registered trademark of McAfee, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

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McAfee Quarterly Threat Report Sees Social Media Worm Resurgence as Spam Rises Dramatically

Much has been written about the positive impact of social networking sites; however, a new study shows that it can cost people their jobs as well, SIMON EJEMBI writes

It is difficult to get a job in the country today. This is because millions of people have no jobs. It is probably why there have been reports of Ph.D holders applying for jobs as drivers.

Earlier this year, the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, who stated that the unemployment rate in the country was about 24 per cent, stressed that the Federal Government was working hard to improve the situation.

More obstacles

While Nigerians await the outcome of efforts to improve the situation, employers are not ready to lower their stands when it comes to hiring or firing employees. If anything, they are making it stricter. What people post on the social media is even taken into account by some organisations these days.

If getting a job was not hard enough in this tough economic climate, one in 10 young people have been rejected for a job because of their social media profile, a new study by On Device Research says.

This was contained in the research firms Young Peoples Consumer Confidence Index, which is designed to help businesses understand what young people, aged 16-34 think about their current and future economic and employment prospects, in both developed and growth markets.

Surprising results

In a report titled, Facebook costing 13-34s jobs in tough economic climate, which was published on May 29, On Device Research explains that the index covers 6,000 16-34 year olds across six countries, including Nigeria.

Concerning the methodology used, it explains, 6,000 demographically balanced mobile users aged 16-34 years old across China, India, Nigeria, Brazil, the United States and the United Kingdom completed a survey via the mobile Internet. Additional questions were asked from a larger sample size of 17,657 (aged 16-34) about social media.

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Social media may harm your career

Jeraldine Phneah

Tuesday, June 04, 2013

Seven out of 10 nongovernmental organizations are using social networking websites as a primary channel to communicate with youngsters.

The approach is more popular than using traditional channels such as by telephone (60 percent) and face-to-face interviews or home visits (58percent).

These are the findings of a project commissioned by Microsoft and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, with the University of Hong Kong's Public Opinion Programme surveying 64 NGOs that provide services to those aged 15-24.

The survey, conducted from May 6 to 27, found that the top three reasons for using social networking sites to promote their causes included faster responses (62percent), easy acceptance by youngsters (38percent) and convenience (25percent).

Council chief executive Christine Fang Meng-sang said: "The use of social media enables organizations to save time and it is a very convenient method as well. Through traditional means, youngsters would take about two hours to respond to social workers but now, it is two minutes or even two seconds!"

Many NGOs are well aware of the growing importance of social media. About 47percent of those surveyed said they will increase the budget in the near future to develop internet communication tools for youth services.

Another 91percent believe the government should support organizations for the young by adopting social networking tools.

Support is most sought when it comes to subsidies for purchasing hardware (40percent), training (38percent) and providing and purchasing software (28percent).

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Social approach pays off with youngsters

MOSCOW--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

i-Free company introduced the first full-featured NFC wallet in Russia and CIS. Embedded in smartphones and the TSM (Trusted Service Manager) platform, the wallet brings all the advantages of NFC technology to Russian and CIS consumers, including the remote issue and secure download of Mobile MasterCard PayPass cards.

Both the NFC wallet and the TSM platform were developed by i-Free specifically to support mobile contactless payment technology. Three services are available to users: the Mobile MasterCard PayPass payment card issued by Tinkoff Credit Systems Bank, transportation fare cards for a number of regional centers in Russia, and a geolocation-based coupon service. Until now, such services have only been available to a small number of users, but this announcement heralds the beginning of broader commercial use.

A package solution including NFC wallet and TSM platform allows users to significantly extend the usefulness of their smartphones, transforming the device into a universal storage unit for the latest smart cards and their associated applications.

This new solution is radically different from current NFC solutions available in Russia and the CIS in that it enables users to download payment, transportation and other cards in the same way as they download games and apps. All the user needs to do to make a payment at a point-of-sale is to touch contactless reader that supports the MasterCard PayPass technology with their phone. Both the NFC wallet and TSM platform comply with the highest security standards, and are protected against fraud at the software and hardware levels. The TSM platform also complies with all required industrial standards, and takes into account the requirements and specifications of the Russian transportation infrastructure.

The NFC wallet offers not only the basic functions of Mobile MasterCard PayPass card download and use in retail and service outlets, but also the ability to pay for goods and services from within the application itself. The user can buy a ticket for public transportation or download a coupon and pay for it with a bank card in a single click.

Today, the NFC wallet is integrated into three smartphone models the Philips W336, the HTC One and the HTC One SV. The application supporting the wallet is embedded in the phone as a part of the system software, which ensures the compatibility with the hardware characteristics of those specific phone models and makes available all the functionality of the Android platform.

"The smartphone with NFC wallet support will significantly increase market share in the coming months. According to our estimates no fewer than one million such phones will appear on the Russian market before the year is out, says Pavel Sokolov, i-Frees project leader. When we were creating the NFC wallet, we took into account that we were developing an application that people would use every day, so we focused on making the wallet secure and easy to use by anyone. That is why we designed a simple, self-explanatory user interface and embedded many functions so that using the app would be intuitive.

i-Free TSM platform support for NFC-compatible SIM-cards from mobile carriers will be added in the nearest future, which will provide access to bank, transportation, and other service providers for a broader consumer audience.

Kirill Gorynya, Head of i-Free Innovations commented: This is the first full-featured NFC solution on the Russian and CIS market and we hope that its arrival will encourage interested companies to create and implement NFC compatible services to meet the needs of todays mobile consumers. International experience shows that there is a high demand for NFC services in different areas of life and business across widely different social groups.

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i-Free, Tinkoff Credit Systems Bank and MasterCard come together to introduce first NFC wallet with remote Mobile ...