Copenhagen, 10th December 2007 – Christmas is a time for laughter, sharing and good will, but whilst we are filling up on delicious food, enjoying good company and opening our nice, new presents, a collective of hungry spammers are ready to exploit the holiday season, taking advantage of our generally jovial natures at a time that we are most complacent!
The holiday season is traditionally a period where we see a large increase in the volumes of Malware being unleashed online and so should be a time when we are most weary. Here are 5 security threats to be on the look out for this Christmas:
1) Electronic Christmas Cards
Be very weary of Electronic Christmas Cards and you may just avoid identity theft. As well as sending out a substantial amount of ‘special Christmas offers’ for things that almost nobody wants, spammers use this festive time of year to distribute spam Christmas cards that contain dangerous types of Malware. By clicking on unknown Christmas card attachments you could be giving away access to your private data including login and credit card details. An example of a particularly dangerous type of Malware that surfaces at this time of year is a ‘Keylogger’. Keyloggers transfer onto your computer the moment you open an attachment containing it and then record every keyboard stroke you make, eventually providing spammers with every piece of detail about you that will enable them to steal your identity.
2) Instant Messenger (IM)
Malware attacks are no longer confined to emails. Instant Messaging platforms are increasingly becoming a target and IM worms can be extremely deceiving. IM worms spread through contact books and usually contain a link accompanied by a message encouraging you to click it. As the message comes from somebody you know it is tempting to trust it. However, you’re best off double-checking with the supposed sender to ensure you do not become a victim of a special Christmas IM Worm.
3) Shopping Online
Online shopping is always at its highest during the run up to Christmas and it is easy to become complacent about security when making online payments. A helpful tip for online shopper, always look out for the ‘Lock symbol’ that verifies a secure and trusted payment connection. In Internet Explorer 7 the lock symbol is located next to the URL, in Firefox and Internet Explorer 6 it can be found in the bottom right corner of the page. Also remember that legitimate online shops will never ask you to send your credit card details via Email. If in doubt, see if there is a legitimate phone number and address somewhere on the site and look for a privacy policy. If still in doubt the best advice is to abort the whole operation and buy elsewhere.
4) Christmas Offers
If looking for a specific item and searching online for a good offer, don’t be overly tempted by offers that look too good to be true. Often such offers are simple ways for scammers to get you to visit an infected website where Malware will immediately try to nestle itself onto your system, a so-called ‘drive-by’ download.
5) Keep security software updated
The most important piece of advice to remember is to ensure you are protected by security software which is constantly updated to protect against new variants of Malware. Malware writers often unleash their newest inventions around Christmas in an effort to elude security companies and make it big at a time where people are in a spending mood.
Things are not as bad as they seem, just beware of the dangers out there, keep your eyes open, use your common sense and keep your security software switched on and you can be sure that you are safe, secure and ready to party away the holidays.
Merry Christmas from Sir Winston and BullGuard!
