[access-uk] This is worth reading in order to protect yourself
- From: "Peter Beasley" <pjbeasley@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2009 22:49:59 -0000
This is well worth reading in order to protect yourself.
BBC NEWS Experts sound scam threat warning
Experts are warning of an increase in the number of fake anti-virus
websites. Hackers
are tricking people with a false warning, saying that the computer is
infected with
a Trojan and getting users to buy a fake anti-virus product.
A number of sites were closed last year when authorities in the US took
action to
stop sellers of "scareware". But despite the closures, the number of sites
continues
to grow, with one expert saying it was "the biggest threat facing computer
users
today".
Matthew Woolley, chairman of the Independent Trade Association of Computer
Specialists,
which represents independent computer retail and repair shops across
Britain, said
hackers were playing on people's fear. " At the moment the bad guys are
winning "
Tim Danton PC Pro magazine "At my repair shop in Lincoln alone, we've had
more than
300 users in the past six months come in with a computer infected with fake
anti-virus
software.
"This week, we've seen fake AVG anti-virus that was so good, one of my
engineers
was convinced that it was the real thing," said Mr Woolley. "If we can't
tell, what
hope is there for Joe Public?"
Hackers have been employing more sophisticated tricks to dupe users into
buying their
fake software. In early February, 2009, hackers put fake parking tickets on
cars
with a URL directing them to "view pictures with information about your
parking preferences"
that in reality downloaded a Trojan that then prompted the user to install
fake anti-virus
software.
And last weekend, a Facebook application that spread virally among users
caused an
error message for Facebook users. Although the application and message were
themselves
harmless, searching the error message "Error Check System" in Google came up
with
a number of websites that claimed to have information on the supposed
threat, but
were really designed to perform a fake anti-virus scan of your computer.
Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant with anti-virus firm Sophos,
told the
BBC that it was not known if the two were linked. "This application
automatically
sent itself to all your friends, saying there was a problem. "People
panicked and
did what most of us would do and put the term into Google to see what it
was.
"Although Google has now addressed this, over the weekend, the first three
or four
links would take them to a dodgy site that would tell them that they were
infected
with a virus. It's rather a strange coincidence". Hackers have also created
fake
reviews to trick users into buying fake anti-virus software. Websites from
popular
IT magazines are cloned, hosted on a hacker's website, and then pages
created to
look like an official review.
One, claiming to come from legitimate security firm Symantec had, in
reality, nothing
to do with the firm. Neither was the "review" written by the claimed author.
Speaking
to the BBC, Tim Danton, editor of PC Pro magazine, said it was a growing
problem.
"It doesn't take any expertise to copy a website and make it look realistic.
"What
we have to rely on is that the public is aware enough to look not only at
the logos
but at the domain and URL. People need to download from reputable sites and
if users
are unsure, then tools like McAfee site advisor can help," he said.
"The fight between the bad guys making fake-anti virus software and the good
guys
trying to warn the public about their activities is a constant one. Trouble
is, at
the moment, the bad guys are winning".
But clicking on a rogue link does not mean you automatically become
infected. Having
up to date anti-virus software will prevent most infections and many web
browsers
also warn of possible hostile activity.
Cliff Evans, head of security and privacy for Microsoft in the UK, told the
BBC that
there were a number of measures users could take to keep themselves safe.
"If you
keep your firewall turned on and have your anti-virus software up to date,
you should
be fairly well protected. The phishing filters on Internet Explorer 7 or 8
should
also help.
"If users do have any kind of infection, Microsoft run a free online scanner
at
www.safety.live.com
and there is also a free support line for anyone who has virus concerns, on
0870
6010100"
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/technology/7907635.stm
Published: 2009/02/25 09:06:21 GMT
© BBC MMIX
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