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Computer attacks ‘rising steeply’
March 10, 2009
The number of online threats to computers has jumped steeply from last year as hackers become more sophisticated, an anti-virus software maker says.
A study by the software company Symantec showed that in 2008 there were 1.8 million unique malware signatures found, a 239 per cent increase on the number from a year earlier.
Malware, short for malicious software, is designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the user’s consent.
“In 2008 Symantec saw a dramatic increase in the number and sophistication of web-based threats affecting users across all demographics and geographies,” the report says.
It said the number one threat trend was from so-called “drive-by downloads” when software is downloaded from a website automatically without permission.

According to the report, such attacks often occur when an attacker compromises a legitimate website and silently redirects those who visit the page to a malicious website.
“The entire attack is usually invisible to the victim and leaves no apparent clues to indicate that the computer has been compromised,” the report says.

Another form of attack noted from “click-jacking” is when an attacker hijacks clicks on a webpage by putting an invisible layer over a page. “When the user clicks what appears to be an innocuous button or link … the attacker’s code is automatically executed, often leading to a malicious website or another misleading application,” according to the report.

The report said peer-to-peer file sharing was also becoming another way for malware to enter a computer, as were malicious advertisements and “blog spam”, where legitimate weblogs were infected with links to exploit browsers.
The report recommended computer users keep software up-to-date, have a good security product, be suspicious of websites visited and have a password to protect online information.

Debbie Sassine from Symantec said the study showed attackers were changing the way they sought to infiltrate computers.
“Traditionally when people think about getting attacked online they think about phishing scams and spam coming into their inbox, but our security experts are seeing a very sharp shift in the way internet attacks are approaching people,” Ms Sassine said.

With Valentine’s Day looming, don’t be fooled by one of many online scams!

Whether you are a big fan of Valentine’s day or not, you need to be aware of what actually gets into your Inbox and PC. On the 14th of February you are either in or you’re out. There’s just no getting away from the hype and the pressure can definitely be on… flowers, stuffed animals and overpriced restaurants that you have to book months in advance. In recent times, the tried and tested card or letter has made way to the more tech savvy eCard and retail shopping via the internet for those mega savings and bargains. Regardless, the anticipation of getting a Valentine is still there.

But with this new convenience comes a real danger. Take fore example our friend Fred. Last year Fred’s excitement was unfortunately short lived when he clicked on the link to an e-card that caused his computer to shut down. It appears that on Valentine’s we are not only targeted by retailers but by hackers as well. The malware that had infected his computer not only managed to crash his PC but also stole his credit card and bank account information and sent an email containing the same link to all of the contacts in his address book.

As a result not only had he cancel his credit card, close down his account and spend hours restoring his computer he also had to send a message to all of his friends and colleagues explaining his own stupidity as well as warn them against opening the email.

Needless to say that can quickly kill and romance that was in the air.

So how do you stay safe this Valentine’s Day?

Be wary of any e-mail received from an unknown sender and do not click on any links provided
Run up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spyware software
Ensure your software is up-to-date and run Smart Updates regularly
Keep the programs running in the background at all times
Finally - use common sense

Follow these steps and you too can have a great Valentines day!