Experts have warned that hackers and fraudsters are becoming ever more adept at developing ways to trick us into downloading trojans and fake anti-virus software. It seems that no matter how many sites are closed down by the authorities, many more quickly spring up to take their place. One expert has said that this is, “the biggest threat facing computer users today.”
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Concerns have been raised about the possibility of wireless access points being used by hi-tech criminals to spread viruses and worms.
Researchers have made use of simulation software, which has previously been used to model the spread of diseases, to observe how quickly a worm, once released, would travel throughout wi-fi access points.
Their findings were worrying; they found that within 24 hours of an ‘outbreak’ the majority of vulnerable access points would be hit and within two weeks, 55% of all wi-fi access points would be compromised – meaning tens of thousands of people would be at risk.
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Hackers seem to be pretty inventive when it comes to finding ways to get people to download keylogging software, trojans and viruses. However, their latest scam really takes the biscuit – fake parking tickets!
Drivers in North Dakota found a yellow ticket on their windscreen with the message, “PARKING VIOLATION. This vehicle is in violation of standard parking regulations”. They were told to visit a website with further information about their ticket. What they weren’t told was that the tool bar on the website automatically installed a Trojan virus to their machine.
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