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Author Topic: Malware attack hits thousands of Yahoo users  (Read 9167 times)

mouser

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Malware attack hits thousands of Yahoo users
« on: January 05, 2014, 01:53 PM »
Ouch.  Be careful out there!

A malware attack hit Yahoo's advertising server over the last few days, affecting thousands of users in various countries, an Internet security firm said.

In a blog post, Fox-IT said Yahoo's servers were releasing an "exploit kit" that exploited vulnerabilities in Java and installed malware.

"Clients visiting yahoo.com received advertisements served by ads.yahoo.com," the internet security firm said. "Some of the advertisements are malicious."


The slashdot thread on this episode is here: http://tech.slashdot...alware-for-thousands



from slashdot

bit

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Re: Malware attack hits thousands of Yahoo users
« Reply #1 on: January 05, 2014, 02:47 PM »
Thankfully I do not normally use yahoo except as an alternative backup, and have not visited it since a little before this was reported.
And I shouldn't need it before they fix this.
Tnx for the update.

TaoPhoenix

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Re: Malware attack hits thousands of Yahoo users
« Reply #2 on: January 05, 2014, 03:51 PM »

Well, for a little meta humor, let's try this search link:

http://search.yahoo....i=UTF-8&fr=moz35

I do raw yahoo searches out of the Firefox search window, so I'm not sure if that might have avoided the malware even at the theoretical level. But whatever little was left, I am presuming adblock goes  a long way to mitigate.


tomos

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Re: Malware attack hits thousands of Yahoo users
« Reply #3 on: January 05, 2014, 04:01 PM »
Well, for a little meta humor, let's try this search link:

[link removed]

I do raw yahoo searches out of the Firefox search window, so I'm not sure if that might have avoided the malware even at the theoretical level. But whatever little was left, I am presuming adblock goes  a long way to mitigate.

I dont understand - why get us to search with yahoo now ???!!! (I didnt click the link :tellme:)
Tom

TaoPhoenix

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Re: Malware attack hits thousands of Yahoo users
« Reply #4 on: January 05, 2014, 04:29 PM »
I dont understand - why get us to search with yahoo now ???!!! (I didnt click the link :tellme:)

Hence the meta humor. Making Yahoo report its own security breach!  ;)

But it was an open question to anyone who studied the breach if the ads were only served on the master page of yahoo.com, I wouldn't have seen them with a browser search.


tomos

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Re: Malware attack hits thousands of Yahoo users
« Reply #5 on: January 05, 2014, 04:34 PM »
 :-\ does that mean it's safe for *us* to click on your link - or not ? (Surely we want to avoid Yahoo like the plague right now??)


obviously still (-with apologies-) missing the meta humour.
Tom

wraith808

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Re: Malware attack hits thousands of Yahoo users
« Reply #6 on: January 05, 2014, 04:38 PM »
^ well, *they* say it's fine.  But I wouldn't click it.  And agree with you on the humour.

tomos

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Re: Malware attack hits thousands of Yahoo users
« Reply #7 on: January 05, 2014, 04:55 PM »
^ in fairness, I get the irony of Yahoo reporting its own security breach


but otherwise floundering :-)
Tom

wraith808

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Re: Malware attack hits thousands of Yahoo users
« Reply #8 on: January 05, 2014, 07:04 PM »
Well, not really reporting, as that's a search query string.  And yes to the flounder :)

4wd

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Re: Malware attack hits thousands of Yahoo users
« Reply #9 on: January 06, 2014, 07:15 PM »
And yes to the flounder :)

servethumb.jpg

Innuendo

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Re: Malware attack hits thousands of Yahoo users
« Reply #10 on: January 07, 2014, 08:50 PM »
This thread is one of the reasons I think long and hard before ever disabling that little cow that sits down in my system tray. :)

TaoPhoenix

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Re: Malware attack hits thousands of Yahoo users
« Reply #11 on: January 08, 2014, 12:31 AM »
This thread is one of the reasons I think long and hard before ever disabling that little cow that sits down in my system tray. :)

Which cow!?

mwb1100

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Re: Malware attack hits thousands of Yahoo users
« Reply #12 on: January 08, 2014, 12:55 AM »
Does anyone know of a adblocker that *didn't* prevent the yahoo homepage attack?

x16wda

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Re: Malware attack hits thousands of Yahoo users
« Reply #13 on: January 08, 2014, 06:01 PM »
Which cow!?

Maybe this one...
vi vi vi - editor of the beast

wraith808

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Re: Malware attack hits thousands of Yahoo users
« Reply #14 on: January 08, 2014, 06:03 PM »
I was wondering... since there's no cow in that thread, just dinosaurs.  But then I go back to the official site and see one: http://www.admuncher.com/

x16wda

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Re: Malware attack hits thousands of Yahoo users
« Reply #15 on: January 08, 2014, 06:07 PM »
since there's no cow in that thread, just dinosaurs

The Ad Muncher guy's icon appears to be a cow... although I'd vote for the brachiosaurus too...
vi vi vi - editor of the beast

Innuendo

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Re: Malware attack hits thousands of Yahoo users
« Reply #16 on: January 10, 2014, 07:19 AM »
x16wda was correct. The cow I was referring to was the AdMuncher icon that sits in the system tray. It eliminates the attack vector of banner ads quite handily.

But now after seeing that thread, I want a dinosaur.  :(

TaoPhoenix

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Re: Malware attack hits thousands of Yahoo users
« Reply #17 on: January 10, 2014, 07:51 AM »
But now after seeing that thread, I want a dinosaur.  :(

(Glowering B movie bad guy) Mortal, you dare to question corporate branding?!