For many, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year \u2013 but find oneself a victim of an online attack and the season may turn sour. With spirits and Internet usage at an all-time high there\u2019s no better time to lure a victim online \u2013 but don\u2019t worry; ESET\u2019s gift to its users this Christmas is the gift of knowledge, as we share defences against these 12 threats.<\/p>\n
1. Phishing<\/strong><\/p>\n It may be the season of goodwill, but that\u2019s certainly not the case when it comes to cyber criminals. Phishing attacks usually occur via email and see users receive an authentic-looking email from a bank or organisation luring them to enter their personal details on a similarly authentic-looking website.<\/p>\n 2. Adware<\/strong><\/p>\n You may have noticed that after you search for an item online, it starts to pop up on other websites you visit. This is known as\u00a0adware, and is customised for users and may be monitored by\u00a0spyware.<\/p>\n While one may think these adverts are there to remind users to complete their Christmas shopping, the innocence of the pop-up is questionable.<\/p>\n 3. Mobile malware<\/strong><\/p>\n If there\u2019s one piece of technology that gets a lot of usage of the festive period, it\u2019s the mobile phone. Unfortunately, it\u2019s no safer than desktops or tablets thanks to\u00a0the rise in mobile malware.<\/p>\n As Luk\u00e1\u0161 Stefanko, malware researcher at ESET,\u00a0recently said: \u201cMobile malware is a huge problem. [Because] users have more personal and sensitive information on their smart devices, including text messages, contacts, photos, emails etc, [they are increasingly under threat].\u201d<\/p>\n 4. Smishing<\/strong><\/p>\n Most of us are aware of phishing attempts over email, but what about phishing attempts over SMS?<\/p>\n Typically, one will receive an SMS apparently from a trusted source \u2013 like Apple or a friend \u2013 advising users to click on a link and enter personal details. However, that SMS is forged and not from that trusted source at all.<\/p>\n 5. Identity theft<\/strong><\/p>\n Busy sharing all of festive plans and holiday travel online? Think before it is posted.<\/p>\n Simple details about one\u2019s lifestyle can allow a cybercriminal to gather personal information and even trick users into giving out more. Social media websites are a gold mine of information for identity thieves.<\/p>\n 6. Spyware<\/strong><\/p>\n He sees you when you\u2019re sleeping, he knows when you\u2019re awake \u2026 It\u2019s not Santa Claus we\u2019re talking about, it\u2019s the cyber criminals behind spyware \u2013 secretly installed malware often installed after a file is downloaded or pop-up is clicked.<\/p>\n Spyware can monitor users\u2019 keystrokes, read files, access applications and more \u2013 transmitting all the information back to the person that controls the spyware.<\/p>\n 7. Spam<\/strong><\/p>\n If shoppers been busy ordering all their Christmas gifts online, they may find themselves receiving even more unwanted emails than usual.<\/p>\n Most of us receive spam, and although it\u2019s not always something to worry about, it can be used to send malware.<\/p>\n 8. Pharming\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Like phishing, pharming is a type of online fraud, but doesn\u2019t require user to click on a bogus link sent via email. Instead, a user is redirected to a malicious site \u2013 despite having typed the correct web address.<\/p>\n This year, up to 40,000 Tesco Bank users became victim to pharming attacks and 20,000 had their money stolen.<\/p>\n 9. Ransomware<\/strong><\/p>\n With the rocketing costs of Christmas, ransomware is one type of malware one won\u2019t want to be faced with this December.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a type of malware where cyber criminals encrypt a device\/information, demanding victims pay to have their devices\/information returned to them.<\/p>\n 10. Wi-Fi eavesdropping<\/strong><\/p>\n Doing a spot of festive shopping at a local coffee shop? Remember that not all internet connections are secured \u2013 which is to say encrypted \u2013 and that someone may be listening in and collecting your information.<\/p>\n When transmitting payment details across unsecured networks, they can end up in the wrong hands.<\/p>\n 11. DDoS attacks<\/strong><\/p>\n A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack\u00a0can take the fun out of things like online shopping and gaming as it makes a service unavailable after flooding it with traffic from multiple sources.<\/p>\n