Verisign researchers, looking at what happened in the world of security in 2011 to get a better feel for what to expect this year, are warning against cyber-attackers beginning to offer customers more services and leveraging the Zeus Trojan as an open-source kit.

But it s not all bad. The Verisign researchers, in a report released this week, also said that using sandboxes can make it significantly more difficult and costly for hackers to exploit vulnerabilities.

Currently, only two public demonstrations of bypassing sandboxes exist in environments that use and support defense-in-depth strategies such as address layout randomization (ASLR) and data execution prevention (DEP), according to the report. None of the public demonstrations included any public exploit code. Until corporate enterprises widely adopt newer client-side applications that have implemented sandboxes, however, attackers will have an easier time developing exploits.

The report, from Verisign s iDefense Security Intelligence Service, outlines what researchers see as the most important security trends as businesses and governments head into 2012. A key one began in April 2011, when the source code for Zeus version 2.0.8.9 became available to anyone online.

The release of the Zeus source code effectively converted the Zeus banking Trojan from a proprietary, pay-per-use crime kit into an open-source crime kit, the report states. The source code quickly spread across the Internet via underground Websites and file-sharing sites, giving malware authors across the globe access to the powerful and well-written malware platform.

The result has been the rise a host of Zeus-based variants, which is a trend that will continue into this year. However, the researchers pointed out that the Zeus code is incomplete, and that anyone compiling it needs to have the programming skills to modify and add to it. This keeps less experienced hackers from using the source code. However, it also means the more skilled and more malicious attackers need to modify it, leading to the source code branching out into variants. Those variants include Spyeye, Ramnit, Ice IX and Aeacus.

As Ramnit and Spyeye demonstrate, there will be more minor Trojans that include the functionality of Zeus into their arsenals. This trend will be even more pronounced when new malware families emerge that not only augment themselves with components of Zeus but also augment Zeus with new functionality specific to each new variant family, the report states. The release of the Zeus source code is going to have a dramatic impact on the production of new, dangerous banking Trojans in 2012. Fortunately, antivirus programs may actually detect as Zeus the malware variants that malware authors have based on Zeus source code a detection that will decrease the effects of these variants.

Another key trend is that cyber-criminals are beginning to adopt a new business model, which Verisign researchers called malware as a service. In this MaaS model, authors of exploit kits not only offer the kits to customers, but also extra services.

This trend will probably continue as other developers adopt the same business model, they said.

Software vendors would be well-served in fending off vulnerability exploits by using sandboxes, according to Verisign.

The use of sandbox technologies has significantly hindered the ability of malicious actors to exploit vulnerabilities, the report says. Consequently, software vendors will continue to use sandbox technologies to help protect their products and customers. Sandbox technology is a mitigating security mechanism that limits the environment in which a program can execute. Companies typically use sandboxes to process untrusted content while keeping a host system protected from persistent changes.

While sandboxes don t get rid of vulnerabilities, they make it much more difficult for cyber-criminals to exploit them; many times, hackers will need to exploit multiple vulnerabilities at the same time to exploit a software vulnerability that uses sandbox technology. The sandbox concept isn ‘t new it was introduced by Microsoft in 2007–but the use of it by many software vendors is. Microsoft first introduced it with Internet Explorer 7 with Protected Mode; Google in 2008 rolled out a sandboxed browser, Chrome. Adobe, with the help of Microsoft and Google, in 2010 came out with Protected Mode for Adobe Reader X, and has since added sandbox technology to such products as Office and Acrobat.

By CIOinsight
2012-03-09
Article Views: 1091

By: Jeffrey Burt
2012-03-08

As always, Google will maintain your data in strict compliance with the confidentiality and security obligations provided to your domain.

If you permit your users to access optional additional Google services for your domain, your users may separately receive notifications communicating the new Privacy Policy.

We’re excited about the improvements we are making across our products and appreciate your support. You can view the new privacy policy at http://www.google.com/policies. These changes will take effect on March 1, 2012.

Please do not reply to this e-mail. Mail sent to this address cannot be answered. Also, never enter your Postini password after following a link in an email or chat to an untrusted site. Google will never email you to ask for your password or other sensitive information.

© 2012 Google Inc. 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043

• The Backup services provide a simple, turnkey solution for the backup of critical data. After installing the software, all data can be backed up, encrypted and then uploaded to our secured data center. With new Sarbanes-Oxley and HIPAA requirements for data retention, data backup has become critical to business requirements. Gooseberry Backup and Gooseberry Backup Lite services can help businesses and individuals become compliant and backup critical data immediately.
• Google Apps for Business is a suite of online tools including email, calendar, documents and more…
• Email (@your_company.com) with 25GB storage, instant messaging, and voice and video chat.
• Online, shareable calendars that make it easy to schedule meetings.
• Online documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and forms. Plus, online storage for any type of file.
• Easy-to-create websites for intranets and team projects – no coding required.

iHorse’s website hosting solution provides your website with an enterprise-class high availability hosting solution that beats any single server hosting solution for a fraction of the price of advanced web clusters.

Powered by a mix of…

• Virtualization technology
• Multiple enterprise-class high end servers
• Centralized redundant storage
• Redundant network infrastructure
• Technically proficient technical staff

iHorse makes sure keeping your website online is possible without any physical hardware dependency. If a physical server fails, another server will replace it instantly and your website will be available for your visitors as if nothing happened.

Please note that the Zero Downtime architecture can still be affected by software malfunctions or application of the acceptable use policy. For more details,

Extra Features

Common Features
	Cpanel
	Instant Site Builder – RVsitebuilder
	24×7 Support – Phone, Chat & Email
	99.9% Uptime Guarantee

>> Other Web Hosting Features
	MySQL Databases or PostgreSQL	5	50	200
	CGI
	PHP 5
	Perl
	SSI
	Cron
	Curl
	GD 2
	Image Magick
	Streaming Audio/Video

>> Control Panel Features
	Latest cPanel
	Fantastico
	Custom Error Pages
	Instant Blogs
	Instant Portals
	Instant PHPnuke
	Instant Forums
	Instant Guestbook
	Instant Counter
	Instant FormMail
	Redirect URL
	Web Based File Manager
	PW Protected Directories
	phpMyAdmin

>> Website / Ftp Statistics
	AWStats (Real Time Updates)
	Webalizer
	Raw Log Manager
	Referrer Logs
	Error Logs

DEC 15, 2011 — IHORSE INC today announced it has become an authorized reseller of the Google Apps™ suite of communication and collaboration tools.  Focusing on providing Google Apps™ suite of communication and collaboration tools to Businesses, schools and non-profit organizations. IHORSE will be able to provide support, and training services to help organizations transition away from dedicated in-house systems.

– “The Google Apps Reseller program will help us enhance the value of Google Apps for users of SMB, schools and non-profits,” said Daniel Brody, President of IHORSE.  “Google Apps for Business offers a broad set of powerful APIs that enable us to help integrate an organizations current systems while leveraging Google’s cloud and collaboration environment”

The Google Apps Reseller program includes resellers, consultants and independent software vendors that sell, service and customize Google Apps for Business for their customers. IHORSE received training, support and deployment services from Google, as well as access to APIs for integrating Google Apps into their customers’ business operations. IHORSE is able to retain a close relationship with their customers in order to provide additional service and support. The businesses receiving Google Apps will benefit from the additional attention to their specific needs. For more information on IHORSE program please visit http://ihorsetech.com.

iHorse Technologies provides all its customers with various kinds of web and cloud solutions. iHorse was started in 2010, by Daniel Brody and became a joint venture with a group of young entrepreneurs from India who started iHorse Technologies in India in 2007. The vision of is to becoming a global leader, in providing technology and business solutions of excellence. The promoters of iHorse have more than 60+ years of IT and non-IT experience among them.

Today iHorse boasts of an office in Toronto- Canada, Méru – France, Chennai and Pondicherry – India. We have over 100 employees globally and the current capacity to expand to over 200. IHorse has a proven to be one stop solution for all IT and business solutions for enterprises across multiple domains. Working with established base of emerging companies iHorse provides specialist IT development, Design Services, Infrastructure Management, Maintenance & Support, Web/Data Mining, BPO and KPO solutions.

Google, Google Apps, Gmail, Google Talk, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Sites and Google Video are trademarks of Google Inc. iHorse Technologies, iHorse Design Studio are trademarks of  of iHorse Inc.

For Business related web sites

When iHorse Technologies Developers a website for you, your company get the first years hosting for free!

iHorse’s shared web hosting plans comes with a wide range of options. They allow you to host an unlimited number of domains, manage your email accounts and protect them against Spam. Our All Inclusive approach makes it easy for you to start a new online presence or move your web site to iHorse. We have three flavors to suite your business Small for $5.50 / Month next is Medium for $8.50 / Month or Large for $12.95 month