Internet Security Trends

The effects of cyber crime are significant. It would be difficult to find someone who has never been affected by malicious Internet activity, or who does not at least know someone who has been negatively affected by cyber criminals. Advances in Internet technology and services continue to open innumerable opportunities for learning, networking and increase productivity. However, the malware authors, spammers and phishers are also quickly adopting new attack vectors and varied. If the Internet is becoming a safer place, it is imperative to understand the trends and developments taking place in the landscape of Internet threats and maintain online security best practices.

In December 2008, researchers at Symantec predicts a number of security trends to watch in 2009. Now that we are in the second half of the year, it is time to register on these estimates not only of how they obtained leave, but what other changes have occurred. The following is an update on Symantec predictions made last year, and some emerging trends that our analysts have seen the growth in the first half of 2009.

A forecast trends Check Up
The global economic downturn was one of the most significant basis used for the attack in 2009. Its impact was far reaching and the computer industry is far from immune to its effects. Solutions schemes and scams targeting victims of recession and extolling its problems are common. Some of these threats are new and some have been around for a while. These scams include:
* Home foreclosure scams
* Scams targeting those seeking or refinancing mortgages
* Scams use plans to boost U.S. economy
* Scams targeting unemployed with offers almost too good to resist
* Attacks seeking to exploit users online classifieds and investment advice
* "Homework" Plans

Social networking becomes a vector of attack even more popular
There is no question that social networking online continues to grow in popularity because of the many amenities and opportunities it offers. There is also no question that social networking provides bait phishers much more than before to have. Threats can come from all sorts of avenues in a social networking site. Games, links and notifications are ripe for phishers to use as they lead people into dangerous territory. While the company takes one end of the stick of social networking, he finds that it captures the inevitable security problems on the other end.

We may not want it, but it still to come. In July 2009, an average of 89 percent of all e-mails are spam. The total amount does not fluctuate, and a fight is underway to avert or close as many spammers as possible, but on average, levels of spam has increased most, rather than diminished. Headlines almost always lead to more spam, and the major titles of 2009, as the death of Michael Jackson, the epidemic of H1N1 influenza and the earthquake in Italy are obvious examples of this.

Web threats are growing in complexity and sophistication
The distribution channel options are not the only things that have increased for cybercriminals, skills and creativity have followed the same pattern. In addition to these new threats as they are more insidious and complex. New scams, such as software download, or achievements that come from seemingly legitimate sites can be almost impossible for the average user to detect. Before the user knows, the malicious content has been downloaded on their computer, they can face, often expensive and take considerable time to recover. As expected, the level of sophistication in these threats continues to increase.

Variants of malware New explode on the scene at an unprecedented rate
One of the most significant increases we have seen in the security landscape is the number of attacks and various methods for their distribution. Each month, security researchers from Symantec blocked an average of over 245 million attacks attempted malicious code across the globe. Most attempts of threats have never been seen before. A combination of distribution strategies for new, new media and Internet channels and more advanced hacker techniques all add up to more malware. While attackers previously used to distribute some threats to many people, they are now micro distribution of millions of distinct threats to smaller, single groups of people. All these factors combined equal an unlimited number of unique malware attacks occur.
New trends and development

Increases cross-industry cooperation in an effort to fight against cybercrime
Conficker, which has assumed alarming proportions earlier this year prompted the collaboration between several groups to solve one of the most complex and widespread threats to hit the web in a number of years. Conficker The Working Group was composed of industry leaders and people from academia and as they worked together, the combined efforts of the group proved its worth. The security researchers, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and the operators in the system of domain names have been able to work with various industry suppliers to coordinate a response that targeted areas with Disabilities Conficker. This example represents the type of collaboration that will probably increase in the industry to cope with success today security threats increasingly complex.

While much has changed the threat landscape, some basic components remain, and, more interestingly, certain older trends have made a comeback. As indicated above, many cyber-criminals have begun to send multiple distinct threats to a smaller number of people, but there were also notable examples of the ancient technique of sending a few threats to a massive number of people. The motivation for the other method is often financial, provided the activity of Internet today is malicious, and the goal is often to steal personal data, distributing rogue antivirus software or spread spam. There are of course those attacks that have no real purpose except to cause havoc, but whatever the motivation, the different methods prompt the need for a layered defense that combines detection with traditional complementary sensor such as reputation model based on safety.

Deceptive methods that mimic traditional business practices continue to be used
Tactics cyber criminals are increasingly curious mimics the traditional business practice to try to trap unsuspecting users. In today's world, business on the Internet is part of life. Cybercriminals recognize this and are clever enough to mimic the interactions of business. Even outside business interactions, cybercriminals have found a way to deceive people by presenting fake posts. Examples include advertisements or malicious "malvertisements," people that redirect to malicious sites, or "scareware", which appear as antivirus scanners and scare people into thinking that their computer is infected when it ' is not really the case. The user is then drawn into buying a counterfeit product. Such deception is a security risk is widespread and growing.

Internet threats continue to increase in volume and severity. It is important that computer users are warned to get less vulnerable to risks and threats. Keep abreast of trends and current developments in online security is essential both for researchers from industry and all computer users alike.

By John Lawrence

How to prevent Internet fraud

All aspects of development has advantages and disadvantages. So the advent of the internet should have its own share of disadvantages. Prominent among them are the fraud is perpetrated on the World Wide Web. Internet fraud is nothing but a deception on the line of a business transaction that will end buyers / clients for potential victims of financial fraud. His suppliers are diabolically clever and can be more cost-smart the smartest of us all. They come in different forms all evil in order to draw us to them.

Warning!
One type of fraud online is through direct solicitation. Here are a potential buyer requests "to purchase goods worth a lot of money using fake credit cards or counterfeit Money Orders, but only for the seller who work hard to make a cataclysmic loss of May which that it failed.

Another form of fraud is the automotive industry, where car sales person has a "phantom" automobile for sale. Suddenly, the ghost of the car is out of stock, but sales of cars no one can take its kind. However the car is wanted in another continent and he wants you to pay for his expedition. There is neither a car nor a continental rise, and the buyer is attracted speakers to pay for items going into the Portfolio seller.

It can even be romantic (dating scams) where you really can not blame the victims. For it is said that the aspiring heart is gold. Here's Romance chat rooms are transformed into an arena for the sale of Cupid. 'Lovers' develops a heart to heart with you for a while, then suddenly they are in a state of dilemma (health problems) and need urgent medical aid and financial assistance. Beware this is a lie. The only language they know the money is romantic and will do whatever is misleading to obtain from you.

Everyone is interested to watch the football match next music concert, the latest thriller at the cinema. But we can only end up being duped by these scammers. How? The answer is by selling fake tickets online under the name of the real business for consumers. And to add salt to injury, there is still harassed on the venue for a ticket forgery. Front scammers also graphics sites intended to sell "ghost" of retail goods.

What they want, in reality, the details of your credit card used in the purchase of these non-existent. And then you can be assured that they will buy for themselves real products at your expense. There is also a recent: click fraud. Where subsidiaries of online advertising force you to click on ads that are generated by spyware. And because of affiliate programs, such as Google Adsense, where they pay large amounts of commission, you can be assured that there will be plenty obvious salaries are in their portfolios. Do not be fooled that this is a marketing strategy. It certainly fraud.

As I said earlier: they may have different appearances in order to attract you. These forms can be set to infinity. Thus, the important question is: how to avoid it? Enter the amount limited information about you to an unknown site. Do not give your Social Security number unless it is necessary. If you have a bank account online, access it from the links in search engines.

Do not use links displayed on the site. Also to share limited information about your personal life.
Make sure your anti-virus and firewall are turned on and updated to prevent unwelcome access to private information on your PC. You can also try to report a case of swindling the authorities on the net. May it never too late to recover what was stolen.

Be careful with email spam. They constitute a reservoir of invitations fraudsters. Do not buy his business immediately when you receive one. Be sure to confirm its legitimacy first before compromise.

Do not click easily links asking you to buy or sell any product. It is recommended you should also check if a website is legitimate. A good guide for this is that the generally legitimate addresses, telephone and fax at the bottom of the page. If the present it is likely that they are for real.
Do not transfer money for payment. Because the money through the Internet is not recoverable in a case of fraud. However Paypal guarantees safety for fraud.

By Andrew Gryson