Editors Note: This is the "type" of stuff that people will become more aware of as time goes by. It is not, and will not, EVER be safe to "TYPE" your credit card information into your Personal Computer. Period. End of Story. It MUST be done "outside the browser space." Our message is simple, consistent...and right on. As time goes by, you will realize this to be fact and when you go "buy" (online) it will be done outside the browser space, preferably with a PCI 2.0 PED. Here's a story from Internet News that should give you a better perspective of the realities and dangers involved with using your PC to make online purchases...etc.A new report from Finjan says that the latest criminal markets are more sophisticated than ever before.
By Alex Goldman | Source: Finjan
It's easier than ever to get access to an unsuspecting PC user's system -- all it takes is money.
According to a new report from security firm Finjan, says theere are sophisticated trading platforms designed to facilitate the sale of access to hacked PCs for the purpose of stealing user data, sending spam, and other malicious tasks.
"Criminals have built the equvalent of eBay, a source which provides everything a hacker may need," Finjan CTO Yuval Ben-Itzhak told InternetNews.com. "People are not even aware their computer is controlled and is an asset that one person is buying and another is selling."
Finjan examined in detail a platform called the Golden Cash network and botnet, where criminals sell infected PCs that include government and corporate computers, not just home users' PCs, according to Ben-Itzhak.He said that one criminal might install scareware on a PC, steal a user's credit card information, and sell the PC to someone else who would install malware that would lurk and steal e-mail accounts, or who would wait until the user logged in to their bank account and steal that, as well. Then that criminal could sell the PC to a third person, who would use it to send spam.
As a result, users should not assume they're safe even while behind the corporate firewall.
"It's a big mistake," Ben-Itzhak said. "Earlier this year ... we reported a botnet of 2 million PCs [and] there were many government-owned PCs and many PCs of public companies on the list.
Continue Reading at Internet News
