Not Worried About Cybercrime? It's Time To Pay Attention--YOU Are The Target!

 

The legal team at Raiser & Kenniff, PC has an important warning for you:  Learn about scam called "spear phishing" or become a victim. They just published an important story in JD Supra News about this very topic. Here are some of the highlights.

As crime plummets, it might be safe to walk the streets of New York, but the risk for a cyber attack on your computer and smart phone is monumental and rising:

• In February, 2013, in just hours, $45 million was illegally withdrawn from 2,904 ATMs, including $2.4 million from New York City banks.

• Since September 2012, 50 major U.S. banks have been targeted with botnets and remote access tools (RATs), which are cyber weapons to direct high volumes of traffic to web sites to slow them down or crash them.

• According to the Department of Homeland Security, there were nine cyber attacks on critical U.S. infrastructure in 2009. That number rose to 198 in 2012.

Targeted attacks use an email method called “spear phishing.” Spear phishing relies on the spammer knowing a bit about the prospective victim. By tracing a name through Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media, a phony email can use familiar names, associations, or refer to recent events, based on Facebook postings, to lead you to believe you know the sender. Spear phishing increases the chances that you will open the email and the deadly attachment. The consequences: A RAT once released into your computer or smart phone can capture passwords, credit card numbers and banking information. It can even turn on your computer’s camera and photograph your office.

Remote accessing your business network also increases the chances of cyber attack. Wi-Fi hotspots, and now even the New York City Subway, are vulnerable places for cyber crimes.

How do you protect yourself? Use an old-fashioned solution for a twenty-first century crime. According to Eric Grosse, VP for Google’s security, he has a different password for every website he uses. That’s 200 different passwords that he keeps safe on a piece of paper.

(c) Raiser & Kenniff, PC