“Most of today’s cyber-crime is all about one thing—money.
Nowhere is that more evident than in the case of online banking Trojans. Malware targeting banking information is not new, but as recent research into the URLZone Trojan has shown, attackers are not slowing down when it comes to innovation. Security pros at Finjan tied URLZone to the theft of 300,000 euros—about $439,000 at the time—from German bank accounts during a 22-day period.
Other Trojans have been equally damaging. SecureWorks uncovered Clampi earlier this year and found that it had been swiping log-in credentials from Windows users who are customers of 4,600 banking and other sites. More well-known Trojans include Zeus (Zbot) and Prg.
With the help of security researchers from Symantec, Finjan and SecureWorks, eWEEK is taking a look at some of the more notorious banking Trojans plaguing users, and how cyber-thieves are getting their hands on the cash.”
An informative article from switched.com highlights ten of the most commonly observed email scam attempt tactics. They go into detail including screenshots of the things to watch out for, including…
- Requests for personal information
- typos or spelling mistakes
- Clickable Web links in e-mails
- ‘Market research’ or surveys that ask you for personal information.
- Stock tips from random people or companies
- Attachments in e-mails from anyone you don’t know
- Wordless e-mails
- Outdated information
- Red-flag phrases
- Generic greetings
As always, be on the lookout for these things, bearing in mind that these guidelines aren’t always hard and fast. You should always be alert and on the lookout for the latest ploys.
Google offers a new post in its Security Series about what makes up a smart password. Smart passwords are passwords that you can remember but that bad guys can’t easily guess. Also, be smart about your passwords and don’t write them down and store them in an unsecured location. Finally, should you forget your password, make sure your password recovery questions and answers are current.
The Google article outlines 5 common password problems and offers some solutions to them. Read the article on Google’s Gmail Blog.
Today, Websense released its biannual “State of the Internet” report, a deep dive into the most significant threats on the Internet during the first half of 2009.
Today, most threats to information security are leading to the Web — either using the Internet as the attack vector, or simply the route through which stolen, confidential data is transmitted. Key findings from the Websense report include: Read more
Most Americans know the basic principle of checking their credit reports once a year. Every US citizen can now get a free report from the three major credit bureaus every year to ensure everything is right on their accounts. However, that’s the extent of most of our knowledge, and only addresses one facet of identity theft (financial institutions). It turns out there are a number of other preventative measures that can be taken, especially if you’re the paranoid type.
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If it's too good to be true, it's probably a SCAM
London Madison Press “If someone requests that you send money via Western Union or a Moneygram, don't engage in it,” said Aleshire. “They're on a phishing expedition. … |
Although details may vary between packages, anti-virus software scans files or your computer’s memory for certain patterns that may indicate an infection. The patterns it looks for are based on the signatures, or definitions, of known viruses. Virus authors are continually releasing new and updated viruses, so it is important that you have the latest definitions installed on your computer.
If you use Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, or any Social Networking Community website, you may want to take a closer look at your privacy settings. The US-CERT, (United States Computer Readiness Team), offers some good tips on Staying Safe on Social Network Sites. Among the imporant tips is simply recognizing that infomation you post on the web for your friends to read may be open for the world to read.
Vishing describes a scam artist that uses the phone to attempt to con you out of your hard earned money. The scammer, or fraudster, may use either an automated calling machine or if they’re bold enough may simply pick up the phone and start dialing through the phone book. They pose as your credit union or bank and issue an urgent warning requiring immediate action on your part or your credit or debit card will be deactivated. That action includes providing your card information along with other “identifying” information such as your social security number.
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Apr
23
Credit reporting bureaus provide consumers with automated phone numbers that allow them to place a fraud message on their credit report. When potential grantors acquire a report, they are notified to further verify the identity of the applicant to avoid obtaining credit on others behalf. More details available at Experian, TransUnion and Equifax.