Description:
WWW doesn't just stand for World Wide Web. It could also stand for the Wild Wild West. And although the Internet as we know it is nearly two decades old, it still has something of an "anything goes" frontier mentality.
While the Internet is full of great opportunities, it also has its fair share of bandits, thieves, and scammers who have created ingenious ambushes to part you from your identity and your money.
Visiting Infected Websites
There are now millions of websites and Web pages that have been infected with malicious software like spyware and Trojans, all just waiting for unwary users to stumble upon.
Often called "drive by downloads," in a series of studies conducted by two professors from the University of Washington in 2007,one in every 25 Web domains was found to have at least one piece of spyware waiting for unsuspecting victims, leading them to conclude "If you browse, you're eventually going to get hit with a spyware attack." Some of these loaded sites are deliberately created by criminals, but many are legitimate websites where lax security has been exploited by thieves' to plant this malicious code.
According to one study by anti-virus firm Sophos, a new infected Web page is discovered every 4.5 seconds. And once again, the United States is still the biggest host of these malicious websites according to security firm Symantec.
Scareware
Scareware is a growing trend and threat that uses bogus anti-virus and anti-spyware software to warn you that your computer is infected with non-existent threats or technical issues and then attempts to get you to pay for the fake software in order to clean your infected computer. Of course, if you're using Identity Guard then you already have world-class anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall protection included in IDENTITY GUARD® Total ProtectionSM — protection that I've relied on for nearly a decade.
Both the software and the alerts can be very convincing, and play on the user's fear of being infected by something nasty. The problem is now so bad (which means the scam must work), five new scareware sites are being discovered every single day, according to The 2009 Security Threat Report from security firm Sophos. Some scareware gangs are believed to be able to rake in more than $5 million a year with this simple scam according to Sophos.
Social Networks
According to Facebook and MySpace there are now more than 400 million users active on social networking websites. Unfortunately many of the users are criminals who realize that when so many people post so much personal information about themselves on such a public forum, there has to be a way to exploit this information for financial gain.
Scams on social networks range from using collected personal information to make bogus job offers, to creating fake MySpace or Facebook pages that are infected with malicious data-stealing code. Kids and teens are especially vulnerable on these sites because they are more likely to post or share personal information without the necessary caution.
Resume and Job Websites
Just posting a resume on a job hunting site, or applying for a job, can expose your personal details to thieves. In 2007 hackers were able to break into the databases of job hunting and resume posting site Monster.com. They then took their time to create realistic looking job offers that were sent to hundreds of thousands of users, and coming from a real Monster.com email address. This form of social engineering was used to trick users into revealing sensitive information to what they thought was a real potential employer.
Monster.com admitted that as many as 1.6 million users had their personal data exposed. And there have been many cases of bogus companies setting up booths at legitimate job fairs with no other purpose than to trick job applications into revealing their Social Security numbers and other personal information.
Fraudulent Websites
Fraudulent websites are everywhere on the net, and the frauds involve everything from offering great deals on hard-to-get items that never actually arrive, to auction frauds, credit card scams, and counterfeit goods.
Online pharmacies are a well known example, and these companies can make millions of dollars every year selling fake pharmaceuticals to users who don't seem to realize or care that not only are they wasting their money, they're also risking their health by taking pills that are often tainted with toxins. If you do visit one of these websites, ID VAULT® by IDENTITY GUARD® Total ProtectionSM will let you know if the site is legitimate and help you avoid making a risky decision.
Logging on to Bank Accounts
In August 2009 The Washington Post highlighted the plight of a number of businesses, schools, and individuals who had their bank accounts emptied by cyber gangs. The gangs managed to install password-stealing "banking Trojans" on the victim computers, stole their bank account passwords, and emptied entire accounts. And forget zero liability. In the case of business accounts, the "zero liability" laws rarely apply so that victims are often unable to recover any of the stolen funds.
Using Wi-Fi Networks
Public and free Wi-Fi networks have sprung up across the country, especially at cafes, coffee shops and airports (my dermatologist now offers free Wi-Fi in his waiting room). But unless the Wi-Fi network and your laptop have adequate security, using such a network can expose everything on your computer to any hacker in the area.
Downloading and Sharing Files
Downloading and sharing files has posed a serious identity theft threat for years and yet people just can't seem to be able to say no to downloading free screensavers, opening electronic greeting cards from complete strangers, and sharing movie clips with anyone who says they're worth watching.
But all of these files can be used to hide the most potent and dangerous forms of spyware, keyloggers, and Trojans — all focused on stealing your personal data and hijacking your computer. That's where products like ID VAULT® by IDENTITY GUARD® Total ProtectionSM feature are so valuable, because they prevent malicious software like Trojans from stealing your logins and passwords and forwarding them to hackers.
Phishing and Pharming
Phishing and pharming scams have been very successful in exploiting our trust in familiar companies and brand names, and according to research firm Gartner tricked more than 3 million consumers out of more than $1 billion every year.
Email Scams and Frauds
You're probably one of the millions of Americans to receive one of those long-winded and emotional email requests from a Nigerian citizen begging you to be the lucky recipient of millions of dollars from the unclaimed estate of a recently deceased Nigerian businessman. These scams are so obvious I often get asked why scammers keep sending them. The simple answer is that they work. These scammers send out millions of emails every month in the hope that just a handful of the recipients are naive enough or greedy enough to fall for it.
Spam
Spam now accounts for more than 90% of all email and most of it contains some kind of fraud or scam, according to anti-span firm Brightmail, two years ago spam accounted for just 60% of email yet has gotten worse in spite of advances in spam filtering technology.
Whether it's to trick you into buying a bogus product that never arrives, steal a credit card number, or tricks you into downloading some malicious code to your computer, spam is far more than a nuisance. In fact, the number of infected spam emails grew more than 400% between the beginning of 2008 and the end, according to BrightMail. And contrary to popular belief, the United States is the biggest culprit when it comes to sending spam. Spam is also increasing in blogs and social networks. In November 2008, Facebook was awarded $873 million in a court judgment against a Canadian spammer who sent out more than 4 million spam emails using a compromised Facebook account.
PROTECTING YOURSELF ONLINE
Up-to-date Virus and Spyware Protection
It's not just important to have good anti-virus and anti-spyware software on every computer you use, but you also have to make sure they're updated to cover the latest threats. IDENTITY GUARD® Total ProtectionSM includes world-class anti-virus, anti-spyware, and firewall security to make this task so much easier. Symantec reports from various anti-virus firms have found that while 90% of consumers have anti-virus software installed, less than 40% keep their software updated.
Keep Your Computer Patched
Many attacks on personal computers, especially those that use "drive by" downloads, actively look for computers that don't have the latest software patches. Most software companies, like Microsoft, offer an easy way to automatically download the latest patches so you don't have to remember.
Be Careful About Sites You Visit
One of your best defenses is simply to be careful about the websites you visit. Stay away from unfamiliar sites, and if you stumble across one, don't let your curiosity overcome your caution. Just move on quickly. ID VAULT® by IDENTITY GUARD® Total ProtectionSM is an invaluable tool in helping you avoid malicious websites and warning you if you stumble across a questionable or risky site.
Use Just One Credit Card for Online Shopping
Using just one credit card for all your online shopping and payments greatly reduces the chance you'll fall victim to online identity theft, and can also reduce the number of times your credit cards will be stored in someone else's database. The more servers and databases your cards and transactions are stored on, the great your exposure to identity theft.
Be Careful When Typing In a URL
A common mistake by computer users is to accidentally type in the wrong website address and end up on a bogus website that looks like the real thing. So just slow down and pay attention and you should avoid this pitfall. ID VAULT® is always on guard to help you avoid this danger.
Don't Do Banking From a Laptop or Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi networks can make your computer vulnerable to nearby hackers and eavesdroppers, so if you have to use a Wi-Fi network for sensitive online activities like checking an account balance, exercise caution and common sense and make sure you take all the recommended security precautions.
Restrict Access to Your Computer
The fewer people have access to your computer, the less chance someone will inadvertently download something malicious to your computer. A simple screen login would be a good idea and most Windows operating systems make this easy. Only download files you're certain of or are expecting, and don't open or forward files like movie and music clips, e-cards, etc.
Keep Spam Out of Your Diet
Never respond to spam or click on any links in spam emails. Nothing good comes from spam, and even just responding to a spam email can increase your spam problem tenfold — you've just confirmed that you have a legitimate email address.
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