Vista: expect hackers to find holes

Anti-virus experts from Kaspersky Labs have predicted 90% of current malware will run on Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows Vista.

Although at the moment Vista appears to be more secure than previous Windows operating systems, Kaspersky researchers warned last week that as Vista becomes more popular, it will increasingly become a target for hackers. Alexander Gostev, principal anti-virus researcher for Kaspersky, said: "We're not asking whether vulnerabilities will be found but when."

According to Gostev, one of the first pieces of the operating system to be attacked will be PatchGuard, the code that protects the Vista kernel. "One of the first things to be targeted will be the technology which is meant to make getting access to the kernel more difficult," he said. "Particularly because there are already approaches for evaluating this technology."

A newly discovered security vulnerability in Windows Media Player has prompted security firms to warn users to remain extra vigilant and alter the way they handle a certain type of file.

According to a Microsoft security advisory, an attacker could use a specially crafted Media Player .asx file to gain control of a user's system and remotely execute malware.

The file could be placed in an HTML file, causing it to be automatically launched by the user's web browser.

Malicious hackers will open a new front in the multibillion-dollar cyberwar in 2007, targeting mobile phones, instant messaging systems and community Web sites such as MySpace, security consultants predict.

As people grow wise to e-mail scams, criminal gangs will find new ways to commit online fraud, sell fake goods or steal corporate secrets.

"The attacks are becoming more sophisticated," said Dave Rand of Internet security firm Trend Micro. "It's all about making money. And they're making a lot of it."