Internet Fraudsters Drink from the World Cup

When the World Cup kicked off earlier this month, so did a wave of Internet security threats.

Malicious e-mails and phishing scams are deliberately designed to exploit sports fans, according to Websense country manager Joel Camissar.

“[Their] techniques are designed to lure people after tickets, merchandise or other memorabilia into their scams. … We’re already seeing the World Cup being used as a vehicle by online fraudsters,” he said.

It is a slight change in online threats from the usual money-driven scams, run by highly organized criminals.

“A recent e-mail scam in Japan, run by the Russian Mafia, offered access to premium World Cup tickets for 10 Australian dollars (US$7.42) via a website. It was a hugely successful phishing scam that trapped a lot of people,” Camissar said.

He also warned of another World Cup e-mail scam that offers a wall chart of the event which, when executed, infects the user with a Trojan. To minimize risk, Camissar recommends individuals ensure they run the latest anti-virus signatures and anti-spyware programs, update firewalls, and install recent operating system patches.

He said businesses should ensure the same and also connect filtering software on Web gateways to block non-reputable sites.

“But most important is education. Ensure you and your employees are aware of malicious threats and preventative measures, and see to it that they report anything they see as a risk,” he said.

-Darren Pauli, Computerworld Today (Australia)

Related Links:

• Security Scores Big at World Cup Tournament

• Trojan Horse Lurks in World Cup Tournament E-Mail

• No Hooligans, Danke (CSO)

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