Internet users, including public cloud service users, have to be on the alert for cyberscams, especially during the on-going London Olympic Games.
"The second half of 2012 is a busy period, with major sports and political events like the Olympic Games, the UEFA European Football Championship and the US presidential elections," said Karine de Ponteves, Antivirus Analyst at Fortinet. "Such events guarantee strong Internet activity and with it, a flood of malware attacks. Internet users must be on high alert against losing money and personal information during times like these."
A cyberscam often seen during major sporting events is 'purchase fraud', which promises tickets at discounted prices. Users may chance upon tickets at temptingly low prices when they visit classified ads websites like eBay and Craigslist. Fortinet officials urge users to be highly suspicious as such deals during game seasons are often pure frauds.
Another type of scam is the 'rogue antivirus software'. During major sports or political events, many users browse the Internet to learn about scores, results and other hot news.
From a simple search on a favorite search engine, it's possible for users to get to a malicious website or a legitimate website that has been hacked. Typically, a pop-up window from the browser will display a false message of a virus infection and prompts users to click on it to clean the system. This installs a bogus antivirus software that leads to the installation of Trojans to collect users' key data such as passwords and banking numbers.
Lastly, in conjunction with contests to guess the results of matches, Internet users may receive 'fake lottery' notifications of winnings and payouts.
With more than 2 billion people connected online, the Internet has become the favorite playground of scammers. Thousands of online scams exist today to extract financial gains from victims, often taking advantage of their credulity.
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