New Threats Emerge for Online Security

You haz spyware by Flickr user baldhereticVenturebeat recently blogged about a presentation made by Kaspersky Labs, a Moscow-based vendor and distributor of security software. It's been a while since we wrote about scareware, malware that fools the user into believing that they are infected and must acquire a special type of removal software. The problem unfortunately hasn't gone away, and criminals are finding new ways to exploit unsuspecting users.

Apparently there are now "tech support scammers" who allegedly can contact you via voice and deliver a "fix" to your system, when in fact they are delivering more malware directly. In addition, once you have been identified as a victim, it's likely that you will be targeted again as your information is shared within the criminal network.

Spammers are also becoming more sophisticated in targeting spam with recipient-relevant subjects based on geography or language. Lastly, even those computers that are not Internet-connected aren't safe, because malware can be delivered via USB drives as well; if your computer is not prohibited via Group Policy or some form of server-based endpoint protection, you may be infected just by plugging in an unknown USB stick.

So in light of these threats what can you do? Here are some simple suggestions:

* Do not click on any pop-up windows or suspicious ads (even when closing a pop-up, it's wisest to do it via your applications tray at the bottom of the screen rather than clicking an "x" in the pop-up window).
* Do not use any removable drives from unknown sources.
* Ensure that all your devices have some form of comprehensive virus and spyware protection.

For more security tips and content visit TechSoup's Security Corner.

Photo: baldheretic
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