1 week ago
Bait-and-switch scams move to Internet
Despite an ailing economy, revenue for online ads has reached more than $21 billion a year and is the lifeblood for search engines and websites. Some people are wondering who is behind the ads. One consumer group is warning that many of them are scams. Consumers might want to think twice before they click. When you go online you probably run into many paid ads. Some of them can be tempting, offering free phones or discount hotels. "If you're on a website, if it looks shady, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. So, go back. Don't give out information about yourself," says Jarrod Agen from the Alliance Against Bait & Click. Agen says a simple search for a favorite brand name could lead you to an unrelated website, one that may be out to get your personal information or even infect your computer with spyware.
1 week ago
Spam will cash in on economic crisis
MANILA, Philippines -- Spam levels will increase next year as perpetrators will try to take advantage of the global economic crisis and the popularity of social networking sites, Symantec said in a recent report. Among its security trends to watch out for in 2009, Symantec noted the global economic crisis will be the basis of many new attacks. This would include phishing attacks. Email messages whose premise would involve the closing of a given bank meant to spread false alarm are just a few examples, Symantec said. Similarly, attacks would also exploit other types of fraudulent activities, such as e-mail messages promising easy mortgage or refinancing. "Expect to see an increase in scams that prey on people who have had homes foreclosed, an increase in work from home scams targeting the unemployed, and an increase in spam that mimics job sites," Symantec said in its forecast.
1 week ago
Samsung's November alert prompts online retailer to warn Windows XP users of malware on driver CD
Amazon.com Inc. last week warned customers running Windows XP that a Samsung digital photo frame it sold until earlier this month might have come with malware on the driver installation CD. An Amazon.com customer posted the warning a week ago to the online retailer's user forum. In its note to customers, Amazon.com said that a Samsung advisory had been issued for the SPF-85H, an 8-in. digital photo frame that Amazon sold for approximately $150 starting in October. The Samsung SPF-85H is no longer available on Amazon.com. "We have recently learned that Samsung has issued an alert. ... Our records indicate that you have purchased one of the digital photo frames through the Amazon.com website and are therefore affected by this alert," said Amazon in the note. Samsung released its advisory (download PDF) on Nov. 27 and listed five photo frame models as being affected: SPF-75H, SPF-76H, SPF-85H, SPF-85P and SPF-105P.
1 week ago
Tips to Bring Your PC Up to Speed
(ARA) - Your PC isn't very old, but it sure is slow - so slow that you would love to replace it with something new and speedy. But a new computer just isn't in the budget in this tough economy. The good news is that you can make your PC run faster, without upgrading or replacing it. All you need to do is give it a tune up. The hard disk is the slowest part of your computer - as much as thousands of times slower than other types of storage, like memory. And your PC's hard disk slows down over time as files become fragmented. Here are some tune-up tips you can do yourself: * Free up disk space. Start easy by emptying out your recycle bin. Then move on to deleting installed programs you don't use. If you're feeling more ambitious, remove Windows temporary files and optional extras that you don't use. The extra disk space will help to improve your computer's performance. * Repair errors. Hard disks can develop bad sectors which prevent your PC from saving information in organized files on the disk. The information will be pushed somewhere else outside of the bad sector, causing the computer to slow down as it searches for files. * Remove spyware. Spyware not only slows your PC down, but also puts your personal identity at risk. Spyware can track the Web sites you visit and collect personal information without your knowledge. There are many free anti-spyware programs available online.
1 week ago
Spammers prey on job hunters
Be a lazy Google millionaire. Earn $64 an hour from home. Get 250 business cards free. These are just some of the 80-plus junk e-mail messages, known as spam, that are pouring into John Gembecki's inbox on a daily basis since he started looking for a job in July. Gembecki is sure that every piece of spam is a result of the resumes he put on Monster.com and other employment sites because he created a Gmail account for his job search that he doesn't use for anything else. Though Gembecki did find a new job through CareerBuilder in just five weeks, the experience of wading through the reams of spam while hoping one was from a genuine employer has him wary about job Web sites. Unlike spam that references Viagra or deposed Nigerian princes, job-related spam exploits neither lust nor greed but the simple desire to find gainful employment.
1 week ago
Beware Holiday e-Greeting Cards, Digital Hitchhikers
Cyber crooks are once again blasting out fake holiday e-greeting cards in a bid their special kind of cheer. Also, there are signs that computer viruses may again be piggybacking on digital photo frames and other data storage devices that make popular holiday gifts. E-greeting scams are hardly new, but they tend to increase around major holidays, probably because consumers are more receptive to opening them at these times and because more people are home in front of their computers. Most of these e-greeting scams try to foist malicious software by claiming the recipient needs to install some application in order to view the card, such as Adobe's Flash Player. Almost invariably, the downloaded program isn't a legitimate add-on, but malware. According to Symantec, some of the fake e-card domains being used in this scam include (please don't visit any of these sites): * [http://]itsfatherchristmas.com * [http://]bestchristmascard.com * [http://]whitewhitechristmas.com * [http://]christmaslightsnow.com * [http://]freechristmasworld.com
1 week ago
Flurry of spam targets FBI
Consumers continue to be inundated by spam purportedly from the FBI. As with previous spam attacks, the latest versions use the names of several high ranking executives within the FBI and even the IC3 to attempt to defraud consumers. Many of the spam e-mails currently in circulation claim to be an "official order" from the FBI's Anti-Terrorist and Monetary Crimes Division, from an alleged FBI unit in Nigeria, confirm an inheritance or contain a lottery notification, all informing recipients they have been named the beneficiary of millions of dollars. To claim the large sum, recipients are instructed to furnish their personally identifiable information (PII) and are often threatened with some type of penalty, such as prosecution, if they fail to do so. Specific PII information requested includes, but is not limited to, the recipient's name, banking information, telephone number and a copy of their passport. The spam e-mail allegedly from the IC3 states that the recipient has extorted money and will be given a limited amount of time to refund the money or face prosecution. Do not respond. These e-mails are a hoax. The FBI does not send unsolicited e-mails of this nature. FBI executives are briefed on numerous investigations but do not personally contact consumers regarding such matters.
1 week ago
Fake Christmas, holiday greetings spread new malware
December 24, 2008 (Computerworld) New malware is spreading via Christmas and holiday greetings, security researchers said today, a tactic reminiscent of those used last season by the notorious Storm Trojan horse. Researchers at the Bach Khoa Internetwork Security Center in Hanoi, Vietnam, reported today that a new piece of malware, dubbed "XmasStorm" by the center, is spreading through holiday-themed spam. Touting subject lines such as "Merry Xmas!" and "Merry Christmas card for you!" the spam includes links to sites that purportedly host electronic greeting cards waiting for the recipients. In fact, the sites are serving up malware that hijacks the visiting PC, then installs a bot that waits for commands from the hacker controllers. Nguyen Minh Duc, manager of Bach Khoa's application security group, said that XmasStorm originated in China. Hackers have registered at least 75 domain names relating to the malware campaign's holiday theme in the last month, including "superchristmasday.com" and "funnychristmasguide.com." According to WHOIS searches, those domains were registered to a Chinese address on Dec. 1 and Dec. 19, respectively.
1 week ago
Criminals Switch To Malware For Online Crimes
In April, many scammers began to see problems with their phishing scams. Security researchers had spent time studying botnet networks and had become very good at blocking fraudulent emails. These scammers, also called phishers, known for the way they trick victims into giving up user names and passwords, have homed in on a new way to make money. Phishers have begun using browser plug-ins or other types of software. Instead of tricking victims to visit websites, they have started sending emails that come with malicious software. The software poses as a security update from a bank, and installs code that can steal banking credentials. According to Mickey Boodaei, CEO of Trusteer, a company that makes desktop security software used by banks, malicious software installs are on the rise among scammers. "We're seeing a clear shift from phishing attacks," said Boodaei.
1 week ago
PC Got a Virus? Consider Getting Help Offline
If you suspect or know your PC is infected with a virus, it's probably wise to avoid purchasing anything using that computer until you're sure the machine is clean. That includes additional anti-virus or security products. Chances are the malicious software on your machine includes built-in ability to steal user names, passwords and other sensitive data from infected hosts. Recently, I've heard from several people who used their credit or debit cards at the first sign of infection, to renew or upgrade their anti-virus protection when their existing software didn't work or failed to update. Also, in a Live Web chat a few weeks ago, one reader described how he "stupidly" went online and bought an anti-virus product after realizing he'd infected his machine with a DNS hijacker Trojan. Consumers can be forgiven for such goofs: After all, they paid for security software, they expect (rightly or wrongly) to be protected, and yet still got hit with malware.
