The Spyware Biz Blog

Fraudsters aren’t just targeting bank customers. They are also luring victims off social networks, where they harvest sensitive private information, and online gaming sites, where they steal accomplished avatars and accounts and sell them for money, Rivner says.

Online fraud tools have price tags just like any other software. For example, the Mpack Infection Kit costs $700, a Dream BotBuilder costs $500, and at just $350, the Limbo Trojan is practically a steal, according to Rivner.

For people who don’t have the skills to install, run, and manage their own Trojans and other tools, fraudsters are offering fraud software as a service for $299 a month, “which means anyone can do it,” he says.

While online attacks get the headlines, a bigger risk is from skimmers, fake faceplates for ATM machines that steal card data from the magnetic strip. The data is then used to make forged cards.

Americans Anxious Over Online Privacy

The majority (61%) believe what they do online is private and not shared without their permission. Just over half (57%) falsely believe that companies are required to identify themselves and indicate why they are collecting data.

Just under half (48%) incorrectly believe their consent is required for companies to use personal information they collect from online activities and 43 percent wrongly believe a court order is needed to monitor activities online.

People are aware that information about their surfing habits is being collected online, but many do not know what companies do with their information.

Elected officials can be sued if they place your private information online and someone uses it to steal your identity, an Ohio appeals court ruled Friday in overturning a lower court ruling.

WOT 20080917

WOT, Web of Trust, warns you about risky websites that try to scam visitors, deliver malware or send spam. Protect your computer against online threats by using WOT as your front-line layer of protection when browsing or searching in unfamiliar territory. WOT’s color-coded icons show you ratings for 20 million websites – green to go, yellow for caution and red to stop – helping you avoid the dangerous sites. Surf safer and add WOT to your Firefox now.

Kaspersky outlined the alarming, changing nature of the online threat. All malware these days is aimed at one thing: making money. Online crime is a billion dollar industry, he said, and to a certain extent banks accept this, rather than go public with the true extent of the problem and undermine consumer confidence.

IT workers are mad as hell and they’re not going to take it anymore. What can you do to keep things from reaching the point of no return?

“The problem is that geeks in general are one culture and suits are a different culture. They’re like oil and water. They have completely different ideas about what should be going on. The whole situation is loaded with lack of respect and lack of trust on both sides,” he says.

But while the suits control budgets, salaries, and the overall direction of the company, the geeks hold the keys to the economic engine. Without IT, there is no business. The question is whether unhappy IT pros will use that power toward their own ends.

Dialog is also key, says Saunderson. The business side needs to understand IT’s needs and communicate how IT contributes to the company’s success.

The physical differences between the real and the fake messages were subtle, and most participants did not discern them. Participants were fooled by the fake messages 63 percent of the time, hitting the “OK” button in the message box when it appeared on the screen despite being told that some of what they would be seeing would be false.