As the financial markets fall, cybercriminals are increasing their Internet attacks to steal personal information.
USA Today ran a featured article describing the new surge in online scams. Here's an excerpt:
"The schemes -- often involving online promotions touting fake computer virus protection, get-rich scams and funny or lurid videos -- already were rising last fall when financial markets took a dive. With consumers around the world panicking, the number of scams on the Web soared.
The number of malicious programs circulating on the Internet tripled to more than 31,000 a day in mid-September, coinciding with the sudden collapse of the U.S. financial sector, according to Panda Security, an Internet security firm.
It wasn't a coincidence, says Ryan Sherstobitoff, chief corporate evangelist at Panda."
Meanwhile, as economic problems grow, employers are worrying about disgruntled or laid-off employees. Computerworld points out the risks associated with insiders in a recent article, and declare that security breaches will rise with the downturn in the economy.
"In a McAfee Inc.-sponsored worldwide survey of 1,000 IT decision-makers, the company found that 42% of respondents felt that laid-off employees represented the biggest IT security threat caused by the recession. That's more than were worried about outside intruders. And 36% said that they were worried about security problems caused by employees in financial stress.
Crime rates spike during hard times, and with thousands of workers being laid off each week lately, there may be an added incentive for laid-off employees to take intellectual property with them to bolster their chances of getting hired with a competitor, to use with a start-up company of their own, or maybe even to sell."
What are your thoughts about potential security risks associated with the economy?
Phantum Shopper is an internet fraud. This is an absolute fake. Checks are being sent that look good, but are frauds. Western Union needs to clear up this problem where the money is being sent and picked up by frauds. How does Western Union allow wrong people to pick up the monies? Beware!!!!