Cybercriminals are not only using new technologies to propagate
cybercrime, but are also turning to social engineering to snare
victims.
According to
Trend Micro's latest threat round-up and forecast report, the
first six months of 2008 saw an upswing in web threats, but steady
decreases in adware and spyware.
The tools and technologies used to create popular social
networking sites have become a goldmine for cybercriminals, said
Trend Micro.
In March, Trend Micro discovered that more than 400 phishing
kits for generating phishing sites were targeting top Web 2.0 sites
in the areas of social networking, video sharing and VoIP.
Recently, a new form of phishing e-mail warned about phishing
e-mails before attempting to trick readers into clicking on a link
that led to a fraudulent site.
Spammers are also recycling old techniques. In February, Trend
Micro investigated a voice phishing ('vishing') attempt.
The voice message appeared convincing, with all links leading to
legitimate target pages, but included a fraudulent phone number for
recipients to call to reactivate their account, which had been
supposedly placed on hold.
When they called the number, users were asked for their bank
card number and Pin, unwittingly opening their bank accounts to the
phishers.
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