http://abneyassociates.org/2013/02/04/cyber-threat-trends-of-2013/
abney associates infotech update
Experts forecast a rise in computer and cellphone scams
It takes no expert to predict that there will be for sure an increase of sophisticated methods and updates of old scams to try to take control of our computers and cellphones to get identities and money. Yet another year, here comes 2013, scammers are busy or maybe had already developed new ways to swindle us in the coming months.
Sign up for the AARP Money Newsletter.
This comes as a general rule and everyone must know even without asking tips from the experts, to stay safe one must know the basic vigilance. Now the question is how. This is how: Keep your security software updated and run it regularly. Click only on links from trusted sources; the same goes for buying cellphone apps. Be smart about where and how you navigate in cyberspace.
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Abney Associates Infotech Update: Cyber-Threat Trends of 2013
1. Cyber-Threat Trends of 2013
http://abneyassociates.org/2013/02/04/cyber-threat-
trends-of-2013/
2. Experts forecast a rise in computer and cellphone scams
It takes no expert to predict that there will be for sure an
increase of sophisticated methods and updates of old scams to
try to take control of our computers and cellphones to get
identities and money. Yet another year, here comes 2013,
scammers are busy or maybe had already developed new
ways to swindle us in the coming months.
3. Sign up for the AARP Money Newsletter.
This comes as a general rule and everyone must know even
without asking tips from the experts, to stay safe one must
know the basic vigilance. Now the question is how. This is
how: Keep your security software updated and run it
regularly. Click only on links from trusted sources; the same
goes for buying cellphone apps. Be smart about where and
how you navigate in cyberspace.
4. Five areas where scammers are most
likely to be on guard for possible victims:
Ransomware.
The scam starts with malicious attachment like any other
scam, as soon as you click of the scammer’s email or instant
message or you visit a scammer website that usually lure you
with enticing videos or promos, ransomware will lock your
computer, usually displaying a screen message that appears to
be from a law enforcement agency. Pay us, you’re told, and
you’ll get back control of your computer.
5. Once considered a niche scam, ransomware attacks exploded
in 2012, hitting some 70,000 computers per month. About 3
percent of victims pay the ransom fee — thanks, in part, to
cyber-criminals increasingly using online payment methods
to collect, says cyber-security firm Symantec, which recently
published a detailed report on this ruse. “In 2013, attackers
will use more professional ransom screens, up the emotional
stakes to motivate their victims, and use methods that make it
harder to recover once compromised,” predicts Symantec’s
Kevin Haley.
6. Cloud-based botnets.
Spammers had been doing this for years, they distribute 150
billion email messages everyday without the computer daily
users knowledge that they were actually take part of the
spam. To attract people to watch videos on social networking
websites, open email greeting cards and the like, spammers
infect random computers with botnet malware that makes the
machines secretly send out spam.
7. Speak Out!
In accordance with Georgia Tech researchers, in 2013, will also
turn their botnet schemes to what’s known as “the cloud,” the
global network of Internet-connected computers that store huge
amounts of data, shuttle it around and offer data services. “One
possible example is for attackers to use stolen credit card
information to purchase cloud computing resources and create
dangerous clusters of temporary virtual attack systems,” say
Georgia Tech researchers. To understand it more, the scam goes
like this, for instance, if you share your family photos online
you’re using the cloud. And more and more companies put
customer data and computing power on the cloud, there’s an
ever-growing collection of prized targets.
8. Madware.
You are maybe more familiar with this as pop-up ads or texts
on your cellphone. But mobile adware or madware for short
is more that just irritating, what they do is give scammers
sensitive data such as your location and stored contacts.
Symantec expects more madware problems as companies try
to make money off free mobile apps by selling collected info
to advertisers since they found out abot the most agrresive
forms increase by 210 % as per mid-2012.
9. Social network payment sources.
Where the money at the cyber-crooks follow, social networks
are offering more pay services, such as opportunities to send
gifts or promote status updates, and crooks saw this as a great
opportunity to trick people.
“Symantec anticipates an increase in malware attacks that
steal payment credentials in social networks and trick users
into providing payment details and other personal and
potentially valuable information,” notes Haley.
10. Search history poisoning.
As the technology evolves scammers are not left behind they
also come up with new tricks each time, first was the
malware-spreading scammers created their own fly-by-night
websites. Then they upped the ante — and believability —
with “search engine poisoning” — manipulating search
engines such as Bing, Google and Yahoo to display search
results that lead you to dangerous destinations. The next scam
that we shoul be aware of is “search history poisoning.” This
involves exploiting the record that’s kept of websites that
you’ve visited. When stored as part of an online profile, a
search history lets hackers extend their scamming potential.
11. “If you compromise a computer, the victim can always switch
to a clean machine and your attack is over,” notes Georgia
Tech’s Wenke Lee. “If you compromise a user’s search
history and hence his online profile, the victim gets the
malicious search results no matter where he logs in from.”
You can help foil this one by clearing your browser’s search
history frequently, or turning it off altogether.