2008 Sees Increase In Rogue Software
November 7, 2008 by Antivirus Ware.com2008 has seen an increase in insidious web-based attacks. For example, Sony’s PlayStation website was hijacked by a SQL Injection attack. This attack led Sony customers to a site that purveyed bogus software, which Sony customers mistook for Sony-endorsed software. Of course, this wasn’t a harmless prank. It was an identity theft scheme.
Similar attacks, hijacking web browsers from legitimate sites, have been proliferating. The pattern of these attacks suggests that they are masterminded by a criminal organization with a lot of resources.
Online gaming is another way for invaders to infiltrate your computer. They siphon off vital information from the users, and may sell off their virtual resources.
Symantec, the makers of Norton Antivirus Software report that Internet browsers are vulnerable to attack. For example, there are 88 vulnerabilities reported in Mozilla browsers like Firefox, 22 in Apple’s Safari, 18 in Internet Explorer and 12 in Opera as of the second half of 2007. Symantec also reported 239 vulnerabilities resulting from browser plug ins, an increase of 17 percent over the previous year. These could allow hackers to insert malicious code and mislead users into downloading rogue software or visiting bogus websites.
This phenomenon, combined with the rise in phishing and spoofing, mean that even the best anti virus software can fully protect you. In order to protect yourself against all possible threats, you must educate yourself, stay informed, and always run a battery of good security programs including a good anti virus program, anti spyware and worm protection software.
