High Impact News is Cyber Felons’ Most Preferred Target

Cyber security companies have reported an increasing trend of Internet fraudsters compromising breaking news stories with high impact to attack naïve users. Either the news is related to natural calamities or celebrity deaths, cyber goons will always come out with methods to hide their malware in headlines attracting readers.

According to experts, given the wide media coverage of AWB leader Eugene TerreBlanche's murder that took place on the first weekend of April 2010, a similar kind of trend could appear locally.

Brett Myroff, CEO, Sophos (South Africa), is of the opinion that there is a difference between the impact of local news in comparison to international ones, still cyber criminals based in South Africa are not be underrated. He advised Internet users to be extra cautious of AWB or Eugene TerreBlanche related e-mails, as they could be phishing scams or malware attacks, according to the statement published by itweb.co.za on April 6, 2010.

Agreeing with Myroff, Craig Rosewarne, Senior Manager of Enterprise Risk Services at Deloitte & Touche (Deloitte) and the founder of Information Security Group Africa, said that any major event that catches attention and attracts heavy user traffic is highly susceptible to exploitation by organized crime syndicates and fly-by-night fraudsters, according to the statement published by itweb.co.za on April 6, 2010.

According to Deloitte Risk Advisory, international accounting and consulting firm (also associated to Deloitte), South Africa has been rated as the sixth most common place in terms of cybercrime penetration, with cybercriminals in here using local resources like local e-mail addresses.

According to the experts, as the way of using computer and Internet by the people has significantly evolved over the time, so is the case with different methods adopted by cybercriminals to dupe gullible users and earn huge bucks.

Hence, computer owners are suggested to protect their systems from security threats and sincerely consider some simple steps or guidelines to do so. For instance, first of all, be very cautious of spelling and grammar mistakes in software error messages. Then, a comparatively secure browser must be used, which should be regularly updated by fixes, if any, experts said.

Related article: Hack.Huigezi Virus Attacks China PCs Rapidly

» SPAMfighter News - 4/16/2010