Tom Zeller wrote an excellent article in the New York Times called “Cyberthieves Silently Copy as You Type.” Tom started this article by saying that there is evidence that among global cybercriminals, phishing scams may already be passe. The newer threat in some countries, like Brazil, is keylogger programs.
Keylogger programs can be hidden in software and silently monitor the keystrokes users type on their keyboards. This info is then transmitted to the scammer, giving access to user names, passwords, PIN numbers and other confidential information.
Keylogger programs have gotten a LOT more sophisticated — and a lot more common — recently. These programs are hidden in other programs, and rely on infection (like viruses) rather than deception (like phishing).
Keylogger programs are generally very selective. They wait for certain websites to be visited (such as banking sites, PayPal or credit card sites), or they wait for certain keywords (like SSN) to be entered in order to become active. This means that the keylogger program only transmits a small amount of data back to the scammers, perhaps making it more difficult to detect.
In February, Brazilian police arrested 55 people who stole $4.7 million from 200 different accounts. A Russian fraud ring was also broken up last month — they stole $1.1 million from French personal bank accounts.
How do you protect yourself? Never use public computers for transactions that involve private information. Keep your anti spyware software up to date. Keeping your passwords in an encrypted file so you don’t have to type them in (so you can just copy and paste) can also help. And be careful when visiting unknown sites, and when downloading software, music, and other files.
To read more about viruses and scams, visit www.scambusters.com