Despite many software developers, including Microsoft and Mozilla Foundation, offering up reward money for information about newly discovered vulnerabilities in their web-related programs, some hackers would still rather take advantage of the bugs.

	WEEKLY REPORTS Microsoft's latest security releases Top 10 Threats

eBay recently discovered a listing on its online auction site by an unnamed security researcher. The listing was an attempt to sell information about a real vulnerability in Microsoft's Excel spreadsheet program to the highest bidder. Upon discovery, eBay removed the listing, although it had already reached a bid of about $60.

In the listing, the researcher-turned-seller assured would-be hackers that the bug's details had been reported to Microsoft, but that a patch would not be active for months. The seller also took the opportunity to ridicule Microsoft, saying that the opening bid of $.01 was a proper value for one of the company's products.

Microsoft is investigating the software bug, hoping to release a security advisory in the near future.

More about the eBay vulnerability auction
• The pulled auction

• Microsoft Security

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* Reading: Solutions, Prevention & Remedies
Additional summary information related to a specific type of solution or prevention that you should be considering. Depending upon the week, this section may have:
• Recent Windows security releases from Microsoft
• Recent updates to widely used anti-spyware programs
• Recent updates to widely used anti-virus programs
• Recent updates to other security programs & devices (ex: Firewalls, routers)
• Recent updates to various applications in wide use

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Read: Top Threats
These are viruses that are currently on the watch lists of major anti-virus software companies.

Name
What the threat is called. We use the name given each virus by Panda Software. Sometimes other anti-virus companies give the same threat a different name. Usually they use similar names.

Type
There are different characteristics associated with different types of threats.
• Virus - has the ability to replicate or infect computers or other programs
• Trojan Horse (or Trojan) - appear to be harmless programs when you get them. They unleash their payload when you double-click, open, or execute them.
• Phishing - a Web site or e-maill message posing as another company - usually one you know to fool you into giving the sender personal information.
• Worm - self replicates onto additional disks, computers or networks
• Spyware - installs on your system to collect information about your activity, preferences or interests
• Hoax - false messages sent by e-maill to mislead the recipient
• Backdoors - opens a security hole that allows outsiders to take control of your computer
• Dialer - uses your telephone to dial an outside number - sometimes a number that costs you money when dialed

Affects
Not all viruses affect all types of systems. Some, for example may affect only Windows 98 and 95, but not Windows XP or NT. Others affect all Windows systems, but not Macintosh. In this column, we show you the consumer systems that the threat is known to affect. We don't always include the servers that operate in your company's backroom.

Alert level
The level of awareness that anti-virus vendors suggest you need to have for each threat listed.
For each threat listed, we'll post a corresponding link here, so you can get more information to help you recognize, diagnose, prevent, and repair the problem.