This edition of our spam, security and phishing update is longer than usual, but there were some substantial entries I had to include.
* iPad phishing scams still going strong
* Anti-Fraud Added to Reform Bill
* Microsoft Fraud Alert Launched
* New FamilyShield Parental Controls introduced
* Scammers have destroyed the Internet
* How to avoid tab-napping
* Q&A: Phishing explained
* Phony Amazon Spam: Coming to an In-Box Near You
* Inside Text Message Phishing Attacks
* More PDF Documents Suffered Malware Infection
* UAB expert Gary Warner explains social network protection
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iPad phishing scams still going strong
iPad’s instant popularity is – by now – the stuff of legends, and the possibility of receiving it as a reward for being a BETA tester, participating in a survey or any similar low-effort-great-reward type of scheme, still hasn’t lost its allure.
more :: www.net-security.org
Anti-Fraud Added to Reform Bill
An amendment added to the new draft of the banking regulatory reform bill would add more teeth to the fight against fraud.
Authored by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), this amendment — if approved with the total reform bill — would increase sentences for securities fraud and bank fraud. It also would promote more criminal prosecutions by bringing together regulators, investigators and prosecutors to coordinate, root out and investigate financial fraud. Leahy chairs the Senate’s Judiciary Committee and had presented this amendment for the Senate version of the reform bill back in May. (http://www.bankinfosecurity.com/articles.php?art_id=2692) more :: www.bankinfosecurity.com
Microsoft Fraud Alert Launched
A new service developed by Microsoft aims to give banking institutions a faster way to know when a customer’s account has been compromised.
The Internet Fraud Alert service, announced by the software giant is designed to offer a trusted and effective mechanism for participating researchers to report stolen account credentials discovered online, including username and password login information for online services or compromised credit card numbers. more :: ifraudalert.org
New FamilyShield Parental Controls introduced
For years OpenDNS has offered a secure, configurable, optimized DNS service that, according to the company, is used by about 20 million people – more than one percent of all Internet users.
On the 22nd OpenDNS announced a new free service called FamilyShield Parental Controls specifically designed to block porn and other unwanted web sites. more :: blogs.pcmag.com
Scammers have destroyed the Internet
Reuters reports that online scams cost individuals and businesses more than $500 million in losses in 2009, doubling 2007′s figures.
Scams have permeated the Internet from search results that feature malware-loading attack sites to phishing emails to even fake dating correspondence. Online fraud has so jeopardized trust in common Internet communication channels, that it can be credibly said that scammers have destroyed the Internet. more :: IXDownload.Com
How to avoid tab-napping
Tab napping is essentially a new kind of phishing scam. Until now phishing had involved sending hoax emails in an attempt to steal your usernames, passwords and bank details.
Tab napping is more sophisticated than the phishing scams we have seen so far, and it no longer relies on persuading you to click on a dodgy link. Instead, it targets Internet users who open lots of tabs on their browsers at the same time … more :: Gbenga Agbana
Q&A: Phishing explained
Let’s say your identity gets stolen, what happens next? How exactly does a phisher benefit from gaining access to your sensitive information? What can he do?
Dr. Jason Hong is the CTO and co-founder of Wombat Security Technologies, a provider of cyber-security training and filtering solutions. In this interview he discusses phishing. more :: by Mirko Zorz
Phony Amazon Spam: Coming to an In-Box Near You
A rash of authentic looking, malware-related Amazon messages are flying around the InterWebs. Here’s how to spot them. Author Dan Tynan writes:
I don’t know about you, but my inbox has been filling up over the past few days with impressively real-looking spam from Amazon. I get a lot of emails from Amazon anyway (my family is sadly addicted to Amazon Unbox video on demand) but these looked just a little too funky. So naturally I couldn’t resist investigating a bit further.
[Editor's Note: Dan seems to have picked up on my style of reporting, showing the email with arrows, etc!] more :: Dan Tynan for www.pcworld.com
Inside Text Message Phishing Attacks
Not all phishing takes place online . . . Text message-based phishing, called smishing, is still out there, and though on the decline, a report from security vendor Internet Identity (IID) shows it is still being used to target credit unions.
In smishing, scammers use text messages to impersonate companies and lure victims into calling a fake interactive voice response (IVR) system designed to steal personal data like account credentials and social security numbers. more :: securitywatch.eweek.com
More PDF Documents Suffered Malware Infection
German antivirus vendor ‘Avira’ reveals in its latest monthly report that PDF files infected with malicious software grew 50% in number in May 2010 as compared to April 2010.
The report says that the other most commonly exploited file extensions were txt, exe, php, dll, jpg and gif. 31% of total malicious files identified had no extension. It also reveals the monthly deviations for cmd (66.67%), ocx (56.25%) or swf (43.30%). more :: www.spamfighter.com
UAB expert Gary Warner explains social network protection
Gary Warner, nationally renowned in the field of cybersleuthing, is the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s first director of Research in computer security Corporations and law enforcement agencies frequently seek Warner out to assist in cases of network intrusion, phishing and spam.
He shares his expertise and information with both the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI. more :: www.examiner.com
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