Researchers from the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC in Spanish) have identified and characterized a new class of antivirals against SARS-CoV-2 that act by blocking the entry of the virus into the host cell through its interaction with the ‘spike’ protein (S protein).

The work has been carried out by researchers from the Higher Council for Scientific Research at the Institute of Medicinal Chemistry (IQM-CSIC), the Institute of Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio-CSIC-UV) and the Institute of Biomedicine of Valencia (IBV -CSIC), members of the Interdisciplinary Thematic Platform (PTI) Global Health, and has been the result of the interdisciplinary collaboration of the authors within the framework of the ‘PTI+ Global Health’, which has been published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

In the initial stages of the replication cycle of SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of Covid-19, interaction occurs between the viral S protein and the primary receptor of the host cell, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), followed by internalization of the virus.

According to the CSIC, these initial stages of the infection are especially attractive in the search for antivirals, since compounds that act at this level could be used both therapeutically and prophylaxis.

Previous studies carried out by IQM-CSIC researchers indicated that tryptophan derivatives (an essential amino acid) are good candidates for use as antivirals, since they have the ability to inhibit the entry of different viruses and have low cytotoxicity.

In this study, screening tests have been carried out from a collection of different multivalent derivatives of tryptophan, with possible antiviral activity. By using VSV (vesicular stomatitis virus) pseudoparticles, capable of expressing the S protein of SARS-CoV-2, the interaction of the compounds in the collection with the viral ‘spike’ protein was evaluated.

After this screening process, the scientists have identified a hit compound, a molecule with the sought-after pharmacological activity, which has been studied and optimized, obtaining a thiophenyltryptophan C-2 trimer, active and useful for more advanced clinical studies.

Among the studies to which this compound has been subjected, the validation of the antiviral activity against genuine SARS-CoV-2 is included. In addition, other analyzes with Thermofluor and microscale thermophoresis demonstrate the interaction of these compounds with the RBD receptor binding domain of the S protein, preventing the interaction with ACE2.

Finally, the researchers used high-resolution cryoelectronic microscopy to characterize the structure of the S protein in the presence and absence of the hit compound tested, which has contributed to clarifying the mechanism of action of this new class of antiviral compounds.

Source: dpa

(Reference image source: Unsplash, in collaboration with Getty Images)

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A team of researchers discovered a new subscription trojan called Fleckpe that is embedded in various photo-editing apps listed on the official Google Play store and downloaded on more than 620,000 devices.

Subscription Trojans are variants that infiltrate smartphones under the guise of legitimate applications that subscribe to payment services without users being aware of it.

This malware, which has been active since 2022, managed to get into applications that offer filters for photos and wallpapers, such as Beauty Slimming Photo Editor or Photo Effect Editor.

This was explained by Kaspersky researchers, who have indicated that they have noticed a total of 11 applications infected by Fleckpe on Google Play, which have been installed on more than 620,000 devices.

Other applications affected by this malware include Gif Camera Editor Pro, Night Cam Rea Pro, Microclip Video Editor, Toolbox Photo Editor, H4KS Wallpaper, and Beauty Camera Plus Photo Editor.

The cybersecurity company assured that the application store has removed these applications “as soon as the report was published” in which it determined that they were dangerous. However, from Kaspersky they announce that “malicious actors could have implemented other applications not yet discovered.”

Source: dpa

(Reference image source: Muha Ajjan, Unsplash)

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La entrada More than 620,000 devices affected by a subscription Trojan apareció primero en Bitfinance.

A team of cybersecurity analysts found a Trojan capable of issuing paid subscriptions and stealing WhatsApp accounts in a modified application of this messaging platform.

Kaspersky researchers have found references to a malware called Triada integrated into a ‘mod’ of the service developed by Meta, whose fraudulent version is called YoWhatsApp.

A mod is a transformed version of a program or an application that provides functions that the official services do not offer, such as new settings, maps or characters in the case of video games.

In the case of WhatsApp, mods often offer alternative options to the original application, such as wallpapers, custom fonts for chats, and password-protected access to certain conversations, among other features.

According to the investigations of this cybersecurity company, more than 3,600 users would have been exposed to this cyber threat in the last two months by downloading YoWhatsApp, an application advertised on Snaptube and also distributed through Vidmate.

Kaspersky believes that the success of this mod is due precisely to the fact that both applications, used by thousands of people around the world, advertise it. However, he thinks that it is most likely that even his developers were not aware of this danger.

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Source: dpa

La entrada They find a Trojan capable of issuing subscriptions on WhatsApp apareció primero en Bitfinance.

Until now, the threat of ransomware consisted of encrypting the files of the infected computer to demand a ransom to release them or not filter them. A recent study by the Stairwell research team found that they now target data destruction to force payment.

The research team used the Exmatter detection tool for these threats, discovering progress towards a new form of ransomware, much more lethal for the owners of the attacked computers.

The threat of destroying the data in the encrypted files constitutes the highest level of cyberattack so far, so the alarms are already sounding in the digital environment.

Given the increasingly rapid and successful actions of cyberattack specialists to stop the actions of network pirates, the request for a ransom to decrypt files has lost strength.

Its reaction has been to advance a step in the level of possible damage, focusing on the possibility of completely destroying the files and thus ensuring the payment of a ransom.

Among Kaspersky’s recommendations to avoid falling into the trap of cybercriminals, it is mentioned to avoid entering unknown pages, verify that the address is expressed as “https”, avoid the temptations of advertising that is displayed unexpectedly, as well as update periodically antivirus programs and not providing personal data when called by untrusted sources.

M.Pino

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Source: ultimahora.es

La entrada Ransomware moves towards destruction of encrypted data apareció primero en Bitfinance.

A community of teenage users take advantage of the Discord platform’s servers to build, trade, and spread malware, including ransomware and a mix of data thieves and crypto miners.

Discord hosts a community of young users, aged between 11 and 18, who seek to profit from the spread of malware or even play a prank on other people, including teachers, those who seek to hack the computer, or players of popular titles, in which case the goal is account theft.

This follows from a recent investigation by the cybersecurity company Avast, which analyzed the servers where community exchanges, discussion forums and sales sites take place, which give access to different malware builders and toolkits to build programs. malicious easily.

Joining these types of groups is not free; in some cases, interested parties have to buy access to the malware construction tool to join, and in others, they can become a member by paying a nominal fee of 5 to 25 euros for the tool.

“Malware writers provide an affordable and easy way to hack someone and brag about it to your peers, and even a way to make money through ransomware, crypto mining, and selling user data,” he said. Avast malware researcher Jan Holman in a statement.

The community uses specialized Discord servers to spread malware families like Lunar, Snatch or Rift, which follow the current trend of malware as a service. The prices of malware construction tools differ depending on the type of tool and the duration of access to it.

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Source: dpa

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Every February 9 is celebrated the Safer Internet Day. This year in particular it should be remembered that the net has been seriously threatened, particularly in 2020 where different types of challenges were faced.

Viruses, worms, Trojans, pshising, attacks of different types, besides the coronavirus crisis are some of the situations experienced during the previous year.

On the other hand, it is worth highlighting the increase in the phenomenon of disinformation and news manipulation, which put at risk the tranquility and stability of many sectors.

With all this in mind, it is clear that it is necessary to promote positive changes and raise awareness in cybersecurity as the 2021 Safer Internet Day intends. This annual event goes further from creating a safer Internet and aims to achieve a better dynamics, to turn it into a a space in which we all use technology in a responsible, respectful, critical and creative way.

This day is also used to call for the creation of a series of proactive measures, which invite to improve Internet security for all its users, from children to the elderly. It is necessary that companies and world governments take into account any type of action in favor of improving this tool.

K. Tovar

Source: Mycomputer

La entrada Safer Internet Day takes place this 9 February apareció primero en Bitfinance.