The wild, wild Web
People are probably tired of hearing about security problems on the Internet but here’s another report on how bad things are getting:
Malware, phishing sites and phony antivirus software programs are not only proliferating at a record pace but becoming more sophisticated each day — to the point that going online is now more risky than ever before.
That’s according to the latest data security report released this week by the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG).
The group, whose members include such big names as Microsoft, Yahoo, eBay, WalMart and EMC’s RSA security division, said in its report for the first half of 2009 that hackers and phishers have turned the Internet into the Wild West, targeting PCs, company Web sites and mobile devices with scams that are as creative as they are destructive to personal and corporate data security.
“The Internet has never been more dangerous,” said APWG chairman David Jevans. “In the first half of 2009, phishing escalated to some of the highest levels we’ve ever seen. Of even greater concern is the skyrocketing sophistication and proliferation of malicious software designed to steal online passwords and user names.”
The dramatic proliferation of malware is illustrated in the APWG graphic below that shows the growth of phony anti-malware programs (AKA “scareware”). This form of scam is especially pernicious because it preys on the security fears of PC users. I have posted about spurious security pop-ups before but this type of scam has reached alarming levels. Criminal gangs have gone into the “business” big time.
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