If you constantly deal with bank or electronic accounts, it must be your worst nightmare--to wake up and learn that you are a bankrupt. Some crook stole your personal data and all the money you have been sweating blood for years has flown to somebody else's account. Almost everybody must have heard that such a tradegy is called identity theft and millions of people in the USA alone suffer the same every year. Poor consolation for its victims, isn't it?
Unfortunately, businessmen frequently are targets for identity thieves, especially online. Lots of articles on identity theft, "how-to-avoid" tips, and scary stories about the victims circulate through the Web and other media. The authors remind people again and again that they should be cautious when giving anybody their private info as well as care for their PCs' security. But in spite of all their effort identity theft is still the most rapidly growing crime.
Software developers are doing their best, too. They can't be of much help if somebody plainly looks over your shoulder and writes your credit card number down. It's for you to take care and never reveal your personal info to anybody who asks for it. What they can do is to create new solutions to the urgent problems like data stealing. Keylogging spyware--the very programs that make lots of such crime possible--are pretty much written about lately. These programs secretly monitor everything users do on their PCs.
Keyloggers are used--by themselves or as a part of a virus or a Trojan -- much more widely than PC users think; it is an open secret that the lion's share of identity theft that happens online is because of keylogging spyware. The losses caused by stealing PINs, logins, and other valuable data, are well comparable with the damage from viruses. Actually, if a virus or a Trojan contains a built-in key logger module (and it often does), the end user finds himself in a pretty tough situation. The problem is that most anti-keylogging programs warn users when it is too late. The data have already been captured and sent. Why does it happen?
Almost all anti-spy software existing at the present moment works using the same scheme: spy program is detected and then blocked or eliminated. Detecting viruses or spy software is the crucial step of the whole process--all the protection depends on whether the anti-spy software is able to detect as many spies as possible. Signature bases which all these products depend on, is actually the "list" of signatures ? small pieces of spy programs' codes. Anti-virus or anti-spy program actually scans the system and compares its codes with those in signature bases. So, in this case only the spies whose signatures already are in the base will be detected and eventually "caught". As long as anti-spy software is regularly updated and the system doesn't come across some unknown spyware product, everything is all right.
The problem is that lots of programs which could be used for stealing data are not included into signature bases right now. Some of them will never be.
There is good deal of people capable of creating something brand-new spy, unknown to anti-spyware developers. The period of time when a new spy already exists, but the updates have not been released yet, is the very time when hackers make their biggest profits.
Spy programs can be created for the specific purpose, such as industrial espionage, so they will never be represented in the base. Moreover, some monitoring programs can be used as spy programs as well, though they are not always included into signature bases. As we can see, a signature base is the weak spot of anti-spy protection; it is, so to speak, a joint in the armor. Information thieves also know about it.
Fortunately, software developers are constantly looking for new solutions. One of the new trends in anti-spyware developing is not to use signature bases as means of detecting spyware. There is three basic advantages in such an approach. First, the product gets rid of its the least reliable part; second, there is no so urgent need for updates anymore; and last, but certainly not least-?the product becomes capable of blocking the destructive activity of even unknown spyware. To read more about this new approach follow the link in the signature.
When products of such a kind become widespread, there would be much more problems for hackers in future. However, there is no guarantee that no innovative spy software appears in response.
Whether we like it or not, all malware "evolves" very quickly; new schemes are being developed, and new software which online criminals create and utilize becomes more and more malicious and "selective". New keyloggers as well as keylogger-containing viruses and Trojans, appear all the time; the losses these programs may cause to a business are enormous. That is why in some businesses there is an acute need for separate anti-keylogging protection.
Alexandra Gamanenko currently works at the Raytown Corporation, LLC -- an innovative software developing company company. visit its website at http://www.anti-keyloggers.com
WHAT IS HACKING?Hacking, sometimes known as "computer crime" has only... Read More
Working from home has its advantages, including no commute, a... Read More
Scams involving email continue to plague consumers across America, indeed... Read More
A little bit of time invested into learning about internet... Read More
Ebay is a great site and is used by many... Read More
It has been said that with the wealth of information,... Read More
They're out there. Individuals trying to make a quick buck... Read More
"Dear Bank of the West customer", the message begins. I've... Read More
The Internet offers a global marketplace for consumers and businesses.... Read More
Whether we like it or not, we are all living... Read More
IPv6, IntroductionThe high rate at wich the internet continualy evolves... Read More
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has identified "phishing" as the... Read More
"You've just won a fabulous vacation or prize package! Now,... Read More
You can detect spyware online using free spyware cleaners and... Read More
First the basic definition of Spyware: It is a type... Read More
After Two Security Assessments I Must Be Secure, Right? ... Read More
Geek SuperheroGeek Superhero watches your computer for changes, immediately notifying... Read More
If you use emails actively in your communication, you must... Read More
Every day millions of people go online to find information,... Read More
Much has been said on the theory of password protection... Read More
As more people are logging onto the Internet everyday, Network... Read More
Phishing in its "classic" variant is relatively well-known. Actually, 43.4... Read More
Someone recently told me, "You would have to be a... Read More
Nobody wants to pay to remove spyware. At the very... Read More
Identity theft ? also known as ID theft, identity fraud... Read More
Before you enter your name, address or any other data... Read More
Computer infections can be broken up into 4 main categories... Read More
Computer viruses infect millions of computers every day. Viruses can... Read More
Imagine this ? you open up your email box and... Read More
With the Internet entering our lives in such an explosive... Read More
Security leaks can be a big problem for any site... Read More
So you want to know who your kids are chatting... Read More
Credit card fraud is a growing problem for online businesses... Read More
Recently, my site and other internet accounts ( http://www.nabaza.com/sites.htm )... Read More
From the "Ask Booster" column in the June 17, 2005... Read More
Glieder (Win32.Glieder.AK), Fantibag (Win32.Fantibag.A) and Mitglieder (Win32.Mitglieder.CT) are not names... Read More
A crowded marketplace can lead to unethical webmasters using underhand... Read More
With the advent of the World Wide Web, a whole... Read More
Ok, you've got a computer, and you get online. You... Read More
Nobody wants to pay to remove spyware. At the very... Read More
Do you sometimes notice your computer running slower. Is your... Read More
A week or so ago, I received an inquiry from... Read More
Some months ago, before there was much publicity regarding phishing... Read More
For many, the daily walk to the mailbox evokes mixed... Read More
Shopping for horse gifts or other gift items on the... Read More
Phishing is the act of some individual sending an email... Read More
The average computer is packed with hidden software that can... Read More
When you signed up for that ultra-fast DSL or Cable... Read More
Viruses are, however, not the only malicious software programs out... Read More
Watching how the traditional media covers the latest virus or... Read More
On December 8, 2004 Webroot, an award winning anti-spyware solution... Read More
Electronic Fraud and Identity Theft Human beings are pretty... Read More
In the past I've never really paid much attention to... Read More
If you have used a Windows machine for a while,... Read More
According to the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) email scams also... Read More
Can you protect your computer from all possible viruses and... Read More
The IFCC (Internet Fraud Complaint Center) received over 200,000 complaint... Read More
"Phishing," the latest craze among online evil-doers, has nothing to... Read More
First off I should explain what phishing is. Phishing is... Read More
Only the top spyware removers are successful at detecting and... Read More
Scams involving email continue to plague consumers across America, indeed... Read More
After Two Security Assessments I Must Be Secure, Right? ... Read More
Having a good Spyware eliminator on your computer is vital... Read More
Geek SuperheroGeek Superhero watches your computer for changes, immediately notifying... Read More
Over £5 billion pounds was spent on online shopping in... Read More
The movie Little Black Book features a young woman, Stacy,... Read More
Internet Security |