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Security News |
HP
and Hitachi on Security
HP and Hitachi, Ltd. today announced that researchers from HP Labs Bristol, UK.,
and Princeton, N.J., and the Hitachi Systems Development Laboratory will conduct
joint work on key security and privacy issues.
Happy
B-Day Computer Virus
January is a time of dubious celebration for that most acerbic of inventions,
the computer virus. Back in 1986, the Brain made its way into computers via a
5 ¼ inch floppy computer disk.
Vulnerabilities
In F-Secure
Finnish security software firm, F-Secure announced they had a few problems in
their product and put out a bulletin to cover them...
Instant
Message Attacks Up 826%
Instant messaging (IM) is becoming a method of choice for communication for many
people and cyber attacks through IM are becoming a force to be reckoned with.
Outsourcing
And Security Concerns
Outsourcing is becoming a way of life for many corporations in the United States.
They outsource everything everywhere.
The
Kama Sutra Worm Making Rounds
Worms come and worms go but they never leave for good. A new one is making the
rounds and it's utilizing the ever-popular naughty side of the Internet to spread
its unseemliness.
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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released their top 10 list on Wednesday and it's got some interesting details. Identity theft topped the list and accounted for about 255,000 of the 686,000 complaints filed over 2005.
The FTC receives complaints via a toll free number or online and are share through a secure database of more than 1400 law enforcement agencies at all levels as well as similar agencies in Canada and Australia.
"With a call or a click, consumers can file complaints with law enforcers across the country and around the world," said Deborah Platt Majoras, Chairman of the FTC. "These reports provide ammunition that helps law enforcers fight fraud and identity theft."
While identity fraud made up more than a third of complaints at 37%, a number of other Internet areas attracted attention also:
· Internet Auctions - 12 percent
· Foreign Money Offers - 8 percent
· Shop-at-Home/Catalog Sales - 8 percent
· Prizes/Sweepstakes and Lotteries - 7 percent
· Internet Services and Computer Complaints - 5 percent
· Business Opportunities and Work-at-Home plans - 2 percent
· Advance-Fee Loans and Credit Protection - 2 percent
· Telephone Services - 2 percent
- Other - 17 percent
They put together a few other statistics as well:
- Internet-related complaints accounted for 46 percent of all fraud complaints.
- The percent of Internet-related fraud complaints with "wire transfer" as the
reported payment method more than tripled between 2003 and 2005.
- The major metropolitan areas with the highest per capita rates of consumer
fraud reported were Washington, DC; Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater, FL; and Seattle,
WA.
- Credit card fraud was the most common form of reported identity theft, followed
by phone or utilities fraud, bank fraud, and employment fraud.
- The most frequently reported type of identity theft bank fraud was electronic
funds transfers.
- The major metropolitan areas with the highest per capita rates of reported
identity theft were Phoenix/Mesa/Scottsdale, AZ; Las Vegas/Paradise, NV; and Riverside/San
Bernardino/Ontario, CA.
A lot conclusions can be drawn from this information. One would be online auction
houses, the most dominant of which is eBay, need to do more to toughen up their
defenses against such things. Another point is people at home must be much more
vigilant and careful about what they put on their computers. Many of the eBay
problems coming from phishing scams in the first place.
About
the Author:
John Stith is a technology writer with SecurityProNews. |
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Inc. 2549 Richmond Rd. Lexington KY, 40509
