Friday, July 27, 2012

Latest Malware and Scam 2012

London Olympic Scam Emails

Don’t get duped by official-looking emails that appear to be from London Olympic marketing team. Security researchers at McAfee say that, although the wording of the emails varies, thy all claim you have won a substantial amount of money as part of an Olympic Games promotion. The emails ask you to send a “processing fee” or “transfer charges”, so you can receive your prize.

Malware steals Money using Gmail

A new strain of the Zeus banking Trojan has gained access to bank accounts by asking people to link their credit cards with their Gmail and Facebook profiles. The messages, spotted by Bitdefender, appear on infected computers when you sign into your account. They claim that, by adding these details, you will be able to pay for items online by entering your email address, which is not true.
Gmail malware
latest malware


Amazon Emails link to Malware

Fake Amazon emails pretending to be order confirmations are tricking people into downloading malware onto their PC’s. If you click the link in the email to track your order, you will be taken to an infected WordPress site, which could compromise your computer’s security. The scam is proving successful because it is targeting people who have recently visited Amazon.com.

Mobile Malware

More and more cases of mobile malware are being reported, but are anti-virus firms overstating the danger? Network security firm Adaptive Mobile says security firms should focus on the number of infected devices, rather than the different viruses seen ‘in the wild’, because many of those will never get near a phone or tablet. “We are not denying that mobile malware is not out there, but we don’t see it spreading in the same way that traditional PC anti-virus vendors are suggesting, “said Ciaran Bradley at Adaptive Mobile.
Mobile Malware

Affect of Mobile Malware

The warnings about mobile malware are worth listening to, but the problem remains a minor one for most people. Keep an eye on your device for dodgy behavior, but if you are downloading apps from known brands and official stores, you are likely to be OK.

Whether research looks at infected devices or malware samples, reporting percentage growth from such a small number is an easy way to exaggerate statistics, so we share some Adaptive Mobile’s concerns. Phone malware will surely increase, but it’s sensible to treat with caution some of the more apocalyptic claims made by anti-virus companies.