The recent spate of online security breaches has got internet bankers concerned their funds aren’t as safe as they thought — but peace of mind is a mouse click away.
Colin Thornton, MD of Dial-a-Nerd, South Africa’s fastest-growing IT support company that specialises in aiding computer users, says 50% of the company’s work now revolves around clearing PCs of spyware and adware programmes that automatically upload themselves on to the computers, putting security and privacy at risk.
“The action of these programmes is easily prevented by downloading protection software such as Spybot and Ad-Aware — this is free — but it is up to the PC user to ensure it is updated once a week and run once every two weeks, just like anti-virus programmes, to maintain security,” says Thornton.
Without the necessary protection, a type of spyware called key-loggers can automatically be installed on a PC while the user is connected to the internet. These programmes can record every site the user visits and everything he or she types in. It can send such information back to a hacker, who then sifts through and extracts information such as personal identification numbers and passwords.
“Similarly, adware is software that could automatically install itself on PCs when users visit sites and often results in you receiving e-mail advertisements known as spam. In the past this most often occurred when users visited ‘dodgy’ websites, but it is becoming so common that you are now at risk no matter the nature of websites you frequent,” says Thornton.
Wireless hijacking is another emerging favourite among hackers — spurred on by the emergence of wireless coffee shops. These fraudsters usually sit outside wireless internet establishments and broadcast their own wireless signal. Unsuspecting PC users will think they are logged into the local network when they are actually logged into the more powerful signal of the hacker, who will have unlimited access to their PC and everything they type in.
“The best way to protect against this is — once you have logged on — to confirm with the shop that you are logged into their network and not that of someone else. Wireless hijacking — still in its infancy in South Africa — is already rife in the United States and is the next big threat to PC users worldwide.”