New Ways for Hackers to Steal Your Passwords
- Thursday, September 24, 2009, 5:00
- Threat Research
Last year, the amount of malware designed to steal your passwords increased 400 percent. In the first half of this year, malware growth nearly surpassed the entire quantity created in 2008. The danger to your passwords has never been greater. This malicious software can be downloaded from bad email attachments, stealthily “injected” into your computer by websites hijacked by cybercriminals, or even automatically sent to you through your favorite social networks or games by friends’ systems that have become infected.
Here are the latest trends detailed in McAfee’s latest research paper, “Inside the Password-Stealing Business: The Who and How of Identity Theft,” and some quick and easy tools to defend yourself against attacks:
Watching Your Every Move: In the past, cybercriminals relied on reviewing long logs of each key you’ve typed to find and snag passwords. But now, malware can simply take pictures of your screen as you enter passwords, others can ID and capture your entries, even from concealed logins (those sites where your passwords appear as “******”). Cybercriminals can hijack legitimate websites and create fake pop-ups to request your information. Other malware will go straight into your computer’s back corridors and browsers to steal your saved passwords. Gamers Beware: Gaming passwords are now the most targeted logins on the Web. The black market for gaming goods and currencies, Continue reading... Source: McAfee Security Insights Blog