Scam

Web 2.0 Security: Spam and Bot Infections

Malvertising an Ever-expanding Threat

As if we don’t already have enough to deal with, it seems that malvertising--a technique where malicious code is placed in an online ad to either mislead the user or infect their computer—is on the rise. Microsoft recently filed five lawsuits against unnamed individuals accusing them of posting...

Twitter Security: TwitBlock Blocks the Spammers

Besides being a security Geek, I’m also an Internet marketer (no, not the bad kind—the good kind—I actually try to help people with what I sell). Twitter, at first blush, appears to be a great way to get your message out; it probably is, if done right, but it’s also easily abused. Yes,...

Video: I Go Chop Your Dollar

This video is a good example of how not all the effects of crime are bad. After all, if we didn’t have Nigerian 419 scammers, we wouldn’t have a song about the infamous Nigerian 419 scams that haunt email inboxes these days. Lyrics are a little hard to pick out, but the chorus repeats enough...

Fraud Alert: eBay, craigslist Broken?

Bruce Schneier’s June 19, 2009 post Fraud on eBay stands as a testament to the fact that all is not well with the online auction giant.

I expected selling my computer on eBay to be...

Accused Spam King Alan Ralsky Pleads Guilty

Once again, I’m behind on the news. This Security Fix report is almost a week old:

Alan Ralsky, a 64-year-old...

Spam, Phishing, and Malware Related to Recent Celebrity Deaths

Michael Jackson malware? Farrah Fawcett phishing attempts? Billy Mays spam? Ed McMahon notifies you—from the other side of the grave--that you’ve just won the million-dollar Publisher’s Clearinghouse (but you have to send him some money, first)? Yes, expect it. US-CERT is monitoring...

Swine Flu Breeds Spam

As usually happens with major disaster events—in this case the impending Swine Flu pandemic—email scammers are busy perpetrating pharmaceutical and other types of scams. In some cases, they’re using celebrity names to grab attention. Spam is hitting inboxes with various subjects. The...

Beware U.S. Tax Phishing Scams

It's tax time in the U.S. and with that generally comes an increase in the number of phishing scams directed at taxpayers. The IRS, whether we like them or not, has an excellent anti-scam/anti-phishing web site. One key thing to remember is that the IRS does not initiate taxpayer communications...

Conficker’s raison d’etre? Profit, of Course

More than a week after Conficker’s much-hyped April 1st activation date, the botnet has come to life and is using a P2P communication system to update itself on what is believed to be millions of infected PCs. Along with the update, the worm is downloading