Malware, Computer Virus | featured news

Facebook Inc has blocked users from accessing the NBC.com website following reports that the site is infected with a computer virus.

Microsoft has rushed to issue a patch for a previously unseen bug affecting IE 9 and previous versions of its browser. The problem, which affects hundreds of millions of IE browser users, is being used by attackers to install the Poison Ivy trojan. This piece of malware is used to steal data or take remote control of PCs.

It's not unusual for a new malware attack to pop up on the Internet every other moment, but the latest vicious bit of software floating around is particularly fascinating because it specifically targets Mac users.

Thanks to the popularity of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, it's a given that malicious hackers will devise ways to exploit the sites' numerous users in order to infect their computers with malware. This unwanted software is designed to do a number of terrible things ranging from identity theft to turning computer into remote-controllable "zombie" machines.

Be cautious if you plan to Bing Jessica Biel or Google Brad Pitt. The Hollywood actors are among the top 10 celebrity searches online that can lead to computer problems, according to a report released Tuesday by the computer security company McAfee.