Threat overview

 

While the operating system, anti-virus products, and personal firewall products have gotten better, this does not mean that you can let your guard down and leave your personal information exposed. Hackers, thieves, and the programs they use to do their dirty deeds, are constantly getting smarter and more silent. They look for the weakest link to find information that they can use for financial gain. That weakest link, unfortunately, isn’t the networks of the large corporations - the weakest link is actually the personal computer used by millions and millions of people around the world. 

 

In the past, many attacks, such as denial-of-service attacks or viruses, were technical in nature. Hackers wanted to prove their expertise and seek notoriety. The aim was to cause damage and make a name for themselves. They behaved as vandals with a can of spray-paint drawing graffiti.

 

Now, it is no longer the street vandal with spray-paint that you need to worry about, but true cyber-criminals who are associated with organized crime rings. They don’t want to cause physical damage. Instead, their goal is fraud and theft. They want your personal information to sell or use for their own financial gain.

 

 

The biggest threat is the one you don't expect

As people become more comfortable with the use of their personal computer, they find themselves doing more with it and storing more personal and confidential information on it. They use it to do online banking, pay their taxes, and shop online for their favorite products. With these activities, they store confidential information about their accounts, passwords, finances – as well as their home movies and family photos.

 

While most people install commercial internet security products to protect their PC from viruses and spyware, these products can give them a false sense of security. With this false sense of security, they could easily ignore the risk associated with the physical aspect of their PC. While we would never think of our friends, children, or family members as potential threats – there are certainly cases where accidental – and even malicious – activity has taken place. Don’t be the next person to say “I never suspected them as someone who would do such a horrible thing”.

 

 

CBS News reported that every 79 seconds a thief hacks into a computer, steals a victim's identity, and then goes on a buying spree. Security expert Bruce Schneier estimates that every single person in the U.S. has had personal information residing on a database somewhere that has been compromised. In fact, those types of data breaches, Schneier says, are so common that they are no longer news.

 

Added to that is the fact that password stealing crimeware programs increased by 240% in 2006, and you can easily see that there’s a perfect storm of fraud brewing.

 

Already, the annual costs and damages caused by identity theft exceed $56 billion. Most people aren’t aware that they have become a victim until months later. Leading information security experts now state that identity theft is the most complex and most invasive computer crime facing the world today.

 

This means your identity and personal records are at risk. It means your activity can be watched. Your email read. The web sites you visit recorded. You can be cyber-stalked, blackmailed, and left fighting with collection agencies and struggling to re-establish your credit or even your reputation.

 

It means that you can no longer simply run a personal firewall and anti-virus program and consider your PC secure. You need to follow the recommendation of security experts to reach the necessary level of security to protect your personal information.