Every Hacked ID in UK Worth $22,000

A survey conducted by Get Safe Online, an online security firm, disclosed that one out of every 5 web users in the UK fell in the trap of online scams, and 1/3rd of them were targeted by computer viruses in 2007.

According to experts indulged in GetSafeOnline project, a hacked ID (by phishing or other online scam) of a UK resident, which is estimated to be at $120 on the black market, can give hackers an average of $22,000.

The survey also reveals that almost 58% of web users are shifting their banking activities to online and 64% of them are involved in online shopping. Security experts have commented that this increases the danger of ID theft.

The survey further discloses that nearly 85% of web users have anti-virus programs on their systems, but around 50% of them do not update it regularly. This can be a reason for rising number of computer virus infections.

Head of e-Crime Department at Serious Organized Crime Agency (SOCA) in the UK, Sharon Lemon, said that security analysts had claimed that the latest attacks include hacking of 45 Million users' private data. With the access of correct techniques, primary data can be easily transformed into the hard cash, as reported by Softpedia on November 12, 2008.

Head of Security & Privacy for Microsoft UK, Cliff Evans, said that the monetary aim is not the sole motive of hackers, but also they look for users computing potential. If users' systems are hacked once, hackers can use it to circulate malware, produce spam, host illegitimate material and perpetuate click fraud and conduct attacks against sites, as reported by Softpedia on November 18, 2008.

Also, security analysts added that the loss of private information from systems being hacked is a major problem, which multiplied in 2008, making experts to call it a year of ID theft. Several thousands private details were unveiled during 2008 in security breaches that influenced various organizations like education, health, govt. and financial organizations.

Related article: Ever-changing Obscuring Methods Making Botnets Hard to Disable

» SPAMfighter News - 02-12-2008

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