ScamsOnline

Cybercrime yields more cash than does drugs

Global cybercrime generated a higher turnover than drug trafficking in 2004 and is set to grow even further with the wider use of technology in developing countries, a top expert said on Monday.

No country is immune from cybercrime, which includes corporate espionage, child pornography, stock manipulation, extortion and piracy, said Valerie McNiven, who advises the U.S. Treasury on cybercrime.

 

Internet Explorer flaw now rated as "Extremely Critical"

Here is another reason to never use Internet Explorer. The security-riddled web browser has now earned a very rare "Extremely Critical" advisory notice. Microsoft was notified of the problem in March, 2005 but has done nothing to modify the program or fix the flaw. In the meantime, rip-off artists can steal information from your computer if you are using Internet Explorer.

Hackers shift focus to financial gain

Internet criminals want your computer, your money and your identity. And their tactics are becoming increasingly refined and organized, according to security experts.

The prime objective for hackers and online thieves has shifted from largely hitting major corporate networks to gaining control of home desktops, both to steal data and collect processing power.

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FBI agents bust 'Botmaster'

A 20-year-old man accused of using thousands of hijacked computers, or "bot nets," to damage systems and send massive amounts of spam across the Internet was arrested on Thursday in what authorities called the first such prosecution of its kind.

Jeanson James Ancheta, who prosecutors say was a well-known member of the "Botmaster Underground" -- or the secret network of computer hackers skilled at bot attacks -- was taken into custody after being lured to FBI offices in Los Angeles, said U.S. Attorney's spokesman Thom Mrozek.

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Beware of "Your Family's Coat of Arms" Scams!

As the Christmas shopping season is upon us, perhaps it is time to remind people that there is no such thing as a "family" coat of arms. You will see ads on the web and in magazines as well as pushcart merchants in the malls selling this stuff. Yes, they will be happy to sell you an "authentic" reproduction of the Smith or other surname coat of arms, suitable for framing. They will also sell golf shirts embroidered with the same coat of arms or coffee cups with the same.

(Insert the sound of a loud, obnoxious buzzer here.)

Colorado State Attorney's Office files suit against Morphcorp

I have written about MorphCorp, Inc. and OurFamilyNewsletter.net a number of times. The company has been selling "family yearbooks" for years. They send advertisements for the "International [Surname] Family Yearbook" or similar titles. In this case, substitute your last name in place of "[Surname]." For instance, an advertisement sent to a person named Smith would be advertising "The Smith Family Yearbook" while someone named Clark would receive an advertisement for "The Clark Family Yearbook."

You can read my most recent article at http://eogn.typepad.com/eastmans_online_genealogy/2004/07/international_s.html

About a year ago the company added an online web site to their bag of tricks. You can see the site at http://www.ourfamilynewsletter.net.

Now Colorado State Attorney General John Suthers has filed a consumer protection lawsuit against Morphcorp, as well as the company's president and general manager, Maxwell MacMaster, for alleged deceptive advertising and sales of "Family Yearbooks."

Zero-Day Exploit targets Internet Explorer

Exploit code for a critical flaw in fully patched versions of Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer browser has been released on the Internet, putting millions of Web surfers at risk of computer hijack attacks.

SANS Top 20 Internet Security Vulnerabilities for 2005

 

The 2005 SANS Top 20 Internet Security Vulnerabilities list was released this morning at http://www.sans.org/top20

TorrentSpy Spreads Spyware

An adware/spyware bundled version of Rufus has been released by TorrentSpy this week. You can see it advertised in any torrents details and in the main page at http://torrentspy.com

Details are available at http://rufus.sourceforge.net

Fake E-mail from FBI or CIA is really a Worm

Both the FBI and Internet security companies have announced this week that there is a fake e-mail that looks like it is from the FBI and a similar fake e-mail appearing to be from the CIA going around which are really being sent by the Sober worm. (A worm is loosely similar to a virus: it infects your PC and does nasty things.) The e-mails include an attachment, which is, of course, the worm. If you open the attached file, your PC is immediately infected.

If you get an e-mail that claims to be from the FBI or the CIA, don't open it!