If there is a big topic related to SPAM that has been used for years and years, most of us would agree it’s… Viagra sales. It is really interesting to see those mails on the junk folder of our mailing service, trying to sneak in the desired inbox and capture our attention at least for a second.
The post Are Social Networks interested in your sex life? appeared first on Avira Blog.
Get Safe Online has launched a major new campaign in the UK to help raise awareness of the dangers of social engineering, as figures suggest more needs to be done to inform the public about this growing nuisance.
The post Phishing scams spike leads to social engineering campaign appeared first on We Live Security.
Bad guys know that people are moving their computing to mobile, so they are adapting
Yesterday, we walked you through a set of our 2016 predictions in regards to home router security, wearables and the Internet of Things. In addition to these important topics, mobile threats are not something that should be ignored as we move into 2016.
“Most people don’t realize that mobile platforms are not really all that safer or immune from attack then desktop platforms,” said Ondřej Vlček, COO of Avast. “Most people use mobile devices in a more naive way then they use a PC because they just don’t understand that this is a full blown computer that requires caution.”
Over the course of this year, we’ve seen a list of notable mobile threats that jeopardized the privacy and security of individuals. Our own mobile malware analyst, Nikolaos Chrysaidos, has a few ideas about several issues that could crop up in the new year:
With this list of potential threats and risks in mind, it becomes clear that our mobile devices hold more value than just our apps and contacts. As hackers‘ techniques grow smarter, it’s important that we do the same in regards to the way that we approach our security.
Protect your Android devices with Avast Mobile Security. That and other apps like our new Wi-Fi Finder and Avast Cleanup & Boost are free from the Google Play Store.
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Social engineering plays an important part in a significant number of cyberattacks, however big, small or sophisticated the crime is. However, little is known about this tactic. This feature discusses some key aspects.
The post 5 things you need to know about social engineering appeared first on We Live Security.
This is the question I’ve been asking myself for the last couple of days. Here is why …
The post Ransomware “Tesla”: Are ransomware writers kidding us? appeared first on Avira Blog.
Zscaler has uncovered new Spy Banker campaigns moving over Facebook where the banking malware is hosted on a Google Cloud Server.
Tech support scams are “still big business”, ESET’s David Harley has previously said. In this guide we look at how fraudsters dupe their victims into handing over cash, while also corrupting their devices.
The post Tech support scams: 3 steps to conning unsuspecting victims appeared first on We Live Security.
Brennans question what he wants was answered with a demand of a mere 2 trillion dollars – or “Palestine to be free and for you to stop killing innocent people”.
The post Teenager claims he hacked CIA Director’s mail appeared first on Avira Blog.
Being a marketing-communications guy, I’m not as geeky about software technology as some at Avira are – my geekiness is more aligned to any communications I see, which includes the ‘voices’ of spammers. I like to dig through my spam folder and analyze the ways that spam/scam writers communicate. Common Viagra or penis-enlargement topics aside, I’m particularly interested in the rhetoric that scammers use to trick people into clicking, thinking the email is legit (even if the email is already in the reader’s spam folder!).
The post Recent scams in my spambox appeared first on Avira Blog.
In the past week, three fake giveaways have come across my Facebook newsfeed – two of them today! These were shared by otherwise intelligent friends, so that makes me think all kinds of other people are falling for the scam. I’m sharing these with you, so you’ll know what to look out for.
Each scam promises that you could win a valuable prize just by liking and sharing the post. This one is for an Audi R8 V8, and every time I’ve seen it, it’s originates from a different page. The instructions are always the same – for a chance to win, you must like the page, request your desired color in the comments, and share the post with your friends.
This type of social engineering scam is called like-farming. It is designed to gather many page likes and shares in a short amount of time, and since Facebook’s algorithms give a high weight to those posts that are popular, they have a high probability of showing up in people’s newsfeeds. Scammers go to all this trouble for two purposes: The pages can later be repurposed for survey scams and other types of trickery that can be served to a large audience. And pages with large numbers of fans can be sold on the black market to other scammers with creative ideas.
Two posts for beautiful jewelry appeared in my newsfeed just today. One was from the famous jewelry company, Tiffany & Co. The post shows a video of a sparkling diamond band and asks for a like, share, and comment to win this ring.
Click on the link and it takes you to a fake Tiffany & Co Facebook page.
There are two things to notice about the page; one, the Co in the name of the company does not have a period at the end. And two, the page does not have the blue Verified Page check mark beside the name. That mark is Facebook’s way of guaranteeing the authenticity of the company.
Here is the real Tiffany & Co. Facebook page with the verified page check mark.
The other jewelry scam came from a page called Sani Jewellery. The scam is the same as the one from the fake Tiffany page; users can win just for liking and sharing the post on their Facebook page.
These scammers own another Facebook page called Fashioners Only, and run identical like-farming scams.
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