This Halloween, Enjoy the Treats but Be Wary of Online Tricks
- Friday, October 30, 2009, 2:06
- Carousel, Threat Research
We often associate Halloween with pumpkins and costumes but for cybercriminals it’s merely another avenue to exploit, steal, and trick users into giving away their personal identities. Treats are fun but we all need to be on the lookout for the sneaky and tricky ways cybercriminals slither into our computers. Below are the TrendLabs, top 7 scariest threats that might be knocking on your door:
Tailor-made ZBOT spam makes its way to employees’ mailboxesThe Zeus botnet is well-known for e-banking attacks that target small businesses without a dedicated IT staff and only 1–2 payroll personnel; the most notorious ZBOT attack to date sent out tailor-made spam to the employees of several of these types of small companies. The spammed messages were made to look legitimate and non-malicious when, in fact, they contained Trojan spyware designed to steal information and identities. Vulnerabilities hit critical mass: Patch me if you can
Microsoft set a record in December 2008 of 28 patches for its OS vulnerabilities. In June 2009, the company broke that record with the release of 10 security advisories for 31 OS and other software vulnerabilities. What does this mean for users? It means that unpatched vulnerabilities can allow cybercriminals to exploit their systems. For instance, unpatched vulnerabilities in a system’s browser can allow cybercriminals to run arbitrary code if the user happens to browse through a malicious
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