AVG (AU\/NZ)’s tips to make sure love (and commonsense) conquers the cyber-crooks<\/p>\n
Melbourne and Amsterdam, 7 February 2011. With Valentine\u2019s Day right around the corner, love is in the air \u2013 but criminals are in the ether too. Cyber-criminals love a good scam, and they especially love events like Valentine\u2019s Day when people let them in by opening their hearts \u2013 and their computer systems.<\/p>\n
With the number of Internet users worldwide reaching the two billion mark*, the need to keep the people who are out to steal more than your heart is greater than ever – whether you\u2019re planning to go online to find a Valentine\u2019s Day date, to buy flowers or chocolates for your sweetheart, or open a Valentine\u2019s Day e-card from a mysterious secret admirer.<\/p>\n
Lloyd Borrett, Security Evangelist for AVG (AU\/NZ) Pty Ltd, says, \u201cThat surprise e-card could contain a whole load of heartache in the form of a hard drive hack designed to steal your identity. That online flower purchase might only deliver problems through credit card theft. And that guy or girl who seems so interested in you on the dating web site might really only have eyes for stealing your identity.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile receiving an anonymous card from a Valentine can be exciting, opening an anonymous e-mail with \u2018I Love You\u2019 in the subject line could be courting disaster. Don\u2019t let some nasty piece of malware worm its way into the heart of your computer.\u201d<\/p>\n
The rise of social networks opens another potential Valentine\u2019s Day minefield. AVG research found while the majority of social networkers suffer web-borne security problems like malware, phishing and identity theft \u2013 less than one in three social networkers take action to protect themselves online**.<\/p>\n
Only a tiny percentage of e-greetings and links will contain a security threat but many PCs will be damaged or compromised, and documents, e-mails and photos lost. Compromised PCs often become unwitting distributors of spam, or their owners may become the target of identity theft.<\/p>\n
Borrett says, \u201cSome people on online aren\u2019t looking for love \u2013 they\u2019re looking for opportunities to cheat and scam. We want to make sure a happy day doesn\u2019t turn into a heartbreaker, so here are some hints and tips to help you and your loved one stay safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Online shopping – Don\u2019t buy trouble when you buy online for your Valentine<\/p>\n
Use known, reputable sites & keep details to a minimum \u2013 if the site is asking for information that is not relevant to your purchase, don\u2019t provide it. You don\u2019t have to give out personal details simply because they ask for it \u2013 if they won\u2019t go ahead with the transaction without it, leave the site.<\/p>\n
Choose strong passwords \u2013 something easy for you to remember, but hard for others to guess. A combination of letters, words and characters is best.<\/p>\n
Buy your chocolates, then clear your cookies \u2013 When you\u2019ve finished buying your sweetheart a treat, clear the cookies on your computer so you don\u2019t leave a footprint for the crooks.<\/p>\n
Look for the lock before you unlock your heart (and wallet) \u2013 To make sure the site\u2019s server is secure and your information will be encrypted before you buy, look for the locked padlock or key symbol.<\/p>\n
Online dating – You want someone to steal your heart \u2013 not your identity<\/p>\n
Play it safe \u2013 Don\u2019t reveal too much information. Leave out identifying information like your full name, where you work, your address, phone numbers, education and information about your family. Leave that until you know and can trust the person.<\/p>\n
Check them out \u2013 and we don\u2019t just mean how they look in their online photo! Employers use Google, LinkedIn and Facebook to check on prospective employees. Why shouldn\u2019t you do a little checking yourself to make sure the prospective love of your life is who they say they are too?<\/p>\n
Go Dutch \u2013 Be wary of sob stories and anyone who asks for financial details or assistance \u2013 if you wouldn\u2019t give your credit card details or money to a stranger in the real world, don\u2019t do it online.<\/p>\n
Social Networks \u2013 Spread the love, not the malware<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t let a little Tweet become a big problem – Protect yourself from the online spammers now using Twitter for criminal activities this Valentine\u2019s Day. Don\u2019t let the size of the message fool you \u2013 the shortest Tweet or email message with the smallest link can lead to big problems if you click through to a malicious web page.<\/p>\n
Before you date, update – and we don\u2019t just mean changing your Facebook status from single. Use the latest versions and keep the operating system software that runs the computer, the security software that protects your computer and the software you use to access the Internet up-to-date. The more regularly all your software is updated, the safer you are.<\/p>\n
E-Cards \u2013 Think before you open<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t open attachments – E-card companies don\u2019t send cards as attachments. If you receive an e-card notification with an attachment, delete it immediately.<\/p>\n
Do I know you? – If you don\u2019t recognise the e-card sender\u2019s name, delete the message immediately. If the subject line says something generic and impersonal like \u201cYou’ve received an e-card from a secret admirer!\u201d, chances are it is not safe to open.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t fall for an .exe – If the e-card notification contains a clickable link that includes \u201c.exe\u201d or an unfamiliar web site name \u2013 especially if an IP address appears if you hold your mouse cursor over the link \u2013 it\u2019s not a legitimate card link.<\/p>\n
To be safe, AVG (AU\/NZ) recommends the following:<\/p>\n
Ask before you open – E-mail the sender and ask if you should have received an e-card from them and from which site. You\u2019ll keep your computer safe \u2013 and get to talk to talk to your admirer too!<\/p>\n
Check the subject line – Make sure both the sender\u2019s name and the name or URL of a legitimate e-card company\u2019s web site are included in the subject line.<\/p>\n
Check the \u201cFrom\u201d address – to make sure you recognise it. Some e-card companies will also include the sender\u2019s name and address in the body of the email notification itself.<\/p>\n
Check the web site – Legitimate e-card notifications should include a clickable link to the card on the card company\u2019s web site as well as a URL you can copy and paste into a browser (it\u2019s always safer to copy and paste a link from an email than to click directly).<\/p>\n
Borrett says, \u201dOne other step that will help prevent electronic heartache this Valentine\u2019s Day \u2013 and every day \u2013 is to have AVG\u2019s free LinkScanner\u00ae check the link for you. If you have AVG LinkScanner installed and active on your computer, it will give you a verdict on the link\u2019s safety right away, so you can have a romantic and safe Valentine\u2019s Day.\u201d<\/p>\n
You can download AVG LinkScanner free at www.avgfree.com.au<\/p>\n
* United Nation’s International Telecommunications Union, October 2010.<\/p>\n
** Bringing Social Security to the Online Community, August 2009.<\/p>\n
AVG (AU\/NZ) has a comprehensive range of security tips on its web site at http:\/\/www.avg.com.au\/resources\/security-tips\/. For more video tips from AVG (AU\/NZ), see http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/avgaunz.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AVG (AU\/NZ)’s tips to make sure love (and commonsense) conquers the cyber-crooks Melbourne and Amsterdam, 7 February 2011. With Valentine\u2019s Day right around the corner, love is in the air \u2013 but criminals are in the ether too. Cyber-criminals love a good scam, and they especially love events like Valentine\u2019s Day when people let them<\/p>\n