Use Internet Explorer At Your Own Peril

Friday, May 11th, 2007
by usrbingeek

Malicious hackers are increasing using mainstream and popular web sites to spread their spyware and adware.

Cybercrooks are corrupting Web pages by the tens of thousands. By tapping holes in the Internet Explorer browser, they implant tiny programs that connect the PC of anyone who simply clicks on the tainted page to a “mother ship” server, often in Russia or China.

That central server collects data typed into online forms — banking log-ins and shopping cart transactions, for instance. It also hijacks the captured PC into a network of compromised PCs, known as “bots,” to spread spam.

In one recent sweep, security firm Cyveillance identified 50,000 corrupted pages. Websense estimates the actual number may be 10 times that.

Cyveillance often recovers caches of sensitive data for 10,000 to 200,000 individuals stored on mother ship servers, says product manager James Brooks.

I’ll never figure out why anyone continues to use Internet Explorer once they’re told about Firefox and Opera and how much safer and better each of them are. Everyone also needs to keep their anti-virus and anti-spyware programs up to date and active.

If this story doesn’t convince you, you might as well just turn over your computer to the malicious hackers as they’ll soon have control of it anyway.

Malware and adware is increasingly used and connected to identity theft. Often these packages the hackers are silently installing contain keyloggers and other programs that capture your bank logins and credit card numbers along with other personal information. They either sell this information, extort you, or use it to commit identity theft themselves. Worse, once this stuff gets on your computer it’s nearly impossible to get completely off.

[Hackers set traps on broad websites]

[tags]identity theft, spyware, anti spyware, block spyware, firefox, opera, Internet Explorer, anti virus[/tags]

3 Comments

Michael Durnack

May 11th, 2007
at 2:20am

Creatures of habit. People will go to the same place or use the same item, and return for more even if it is not the best.

Familiarity with anything creates a strong bond that many are reluctant to change due to becoming uncomfortable with unfamiliar surroundings. We get used to anything annd change becomes difficult.

That is why identity thieves and cybercrooks are so sucessful. They feed off vulnerable habits that people are reluctant to change.

jason

May 13th, 2007
at 8:43am

excellent point Michael. Too bad it cant be used to help.
It doesnt matter what is done..Firefox, microsoft blah blah. if they want it, they will get it.
Best thing to do, like mentioned, is keep your security updated..

Tom Mangone

May 14th, 2007
at 12:34am

Run a spyware test once every 24 hours, if you have a freebee manual one. Update all your computer defense (antivirus, spyware removal, firewall) daily, and make sure that you are on auto updates for all of Microsoft’s products. One key logger can ruin your life. Protecting yourself vs. the over 19,000,000 Hackers that have the ability to compromize your computer is a full-time job itself. Your PC gets hit 17 times a day looking for an open port (you have 64). Update, update, update.

Paying a little more for the best security is well worth it…in the long and short term.