Information Security Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing
December 30, 2008 by AntivirusWare.Compromised URLs used to distribute malicious code nearly tripled between July 2007 and July 2008. This is corroborated by research from all the major players in the computer security game. The recession is causing companies to tighten their belts—including security budgets. Criminals see this as an opportunity.
Insiders see a storm approaching, clearly. What about Joe average? Information security tends to be one of the dullest possible subjects to the average computer user. There is more in play than ignorance, however.
The latest trend among criminal scams is insidious. People’s eyes glaze over at the techie details, but have a vague anxiety over computer viruses and malware. Scammers take advantage of this by pitching security software with a chicken little-ish “the sky is falling” angle. This scareware is promoted on sites such as entertainment sites and drive-time radio sites, targeting the least common denominator users of the Internet—the casual users who aren’t very computer savvy.
These pop up ads warn web surfers that viruses, spyware, or even “illegal pornographic content” has compromised their system. Some would go so far as to suggest that the user would be investigated and exposed as some sort of porn-addicted degenerate. Of course, they are more than happy to sell you their software and services to help you dodge the impending threat.
Security scammers are preying on fears the users don’t really even understand. There are two downsides—consumers might get scammed, but they might also get cynical about net security.