Tag: identity theft
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Keyloggers used to loot US county
$415,000 sneaked from local government funds. A Kentucky county has suffered losses of $415,000 after keylogging malware infiltrated its computer systems, allowing cybercriminals access to sensitive user data which let them syphon cash to accounts in the Ukraine. Custom variants of the Zbot trojan were used to steal the passwords of the county treasurer, and…
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Best Western database hack exposes info on 8m customers
Hotel chain data heist latest in string of major security leaks. The global hotel chain Best Western has had its network security breached, leading to full details of thousands of its customers being harvested and made available for sale on hacker websites. The haul of sensitive information is one of the biggest in a wave…
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Net threats cost US $8.5 billion in two years
Study measures scale of scamming and other web worries. US consumer watchdog body Consumer Reports have released their annual ‘State of the Net’ study, finding a noticeable decline in malware and spam issues, but still significant amounts of money lost to malware and phishing, estimated at $8.5 billion over a two-year period. The survey covered…
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Yet more data leaks in UK public services
Confidential health service info exposed after theft. Despite a wealth of recent incidents of data loss from various areas of the UK’s public services, including data sent insecurely through the post, another rash of information leaks have shown that public servants still have not caught on to the fact that the personal and confidential data…
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Help for victims of e-crime
Cybercrime support website launched. A website dedicated to helping victims of online crime and other incidents has been launched in the UK. The site, www.e-victims.org , aims to provide information and support for those who have been victims of online crime. Initially the site offers information about online shopping – providing details of consumer rights…
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US botnet master confesses to crimes
Security consultant to plead guilty, could face heavy sentence. A Los Angeles man has agreed to plead guilty to several counts of fraud and unauthorised interfering with computer systems, having built a botnet comprising up to 250,000 machines, installing adware and using harvested data to defraud money from bank accounts, both directly and via PayPal…
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Cybercrime rivals real-world crime rates
Researchers estimate 3 million online crimes committed in UK last year. A research group has issued a report estimating levels of cybercrime in the UK during 2006, finding that an online crime occurs every 10 seconds on average, with over 3 million separate incidents thought to have taken place over the year. Several types of…
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APWG and FTC combine to fight ID fraud
Agencies join forces to release safety guidance documents. The Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) and the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have pooled their resources and experience of combating identity theft and fraud, releasing two guidance documents with advice on avoiding the risk of phishing and ID crime. Released as part of a country-wide campaign currently…
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Monster haul of data reaped from job site
Trojan gathers 1.6 million sets of jobseeker records. Researchers at Symantec have reported discovering a server carrying 1.6 million entries from the popular jobseeking website Monster.com , gathered by a trojan using stolen login information. The trojan, dubbed ‘Infostealer.Monstres’ by Symantec , uses logins to Monster ‘s sites for recruiters, which allow information on millions…