Conducting an everyday search using internet search engines poses more threat for web surfers than e-mail accounts, according to an analysis conducted by Blue Coat Security Lab. With e-mail users smartening up to phishing scams, thieves are now searching for new ways to take money, spread viruses and implement online identity theft.
Cyber Criminals Shift Focus to Internet Search Engines
Blue Coat Security Lab revealed in an analysis of Web traffic from more than 75 million users on home and corporate networks that web criminals have shifted their focus from e-mail phishing to scams using internet search engines.
http://liarcatchers.com/identity_theft_investigation.html
Researchers found that criminals are poisoning the search results consumers receive when searching for information on Bing, Yahoo, Google and other search services at a rate four times more frequently than they are sending tainted links through e-mail accounts.
The analysis found that most criminals have given up on the e-mail phishing scam, because account holders have learned to detect fake e-mails and delete them immediately. On the other hand, people assume internet searches are safe and are more likely to click on the links provided by a query without questioning the source.
How to Protect Against Online Identity Theft
The threats associated with internet search scams are similar to those of e-mail phishing. Thieves who get individuals to click on tainted links can infect and take control of computers, convince victims to purchase insignificant software and possibly even commit online identity theft.
How can an internet users avoid this online scam? Blue Coat Security Lab suggests individuals watch out for:
Major news event or celebrity links: Many thieves are targeting individuals searching for major news events, celebrities and other popular topics with the help of bad links. When searching for information, stick with reputable links and sources.
Mundane topics: Victims who search for everyday topics like recipes, sample letters and anything else most individuals would assume is completely safe are also being used for online identity theft purposes.
.ru and .cn links: The firm noted that criminals are creating sites under .ru (Russia) and .cn (China), since this is where many of the scams originate. If you’re searching a topic that requires you to visit sites from those countries, Blue Coat Security Lab recommends avoiding these links.
The firm acknowledged that Google and Microsoft are pouring resources into stopping these kinds of search result threats, but with 26 million new samples of malicious software detected online in 2011 alone, it has been difficult to keep up.
