Emerging Internet Threats for 2006
- Hackers Use Instant Messaging To Spread Viruses and Worms
In 2005, use of Instant Messaging and text messaging services in the home and at the workplace continued to increase. Hackers and criminals have taken note, and are starting to exploit IM services, in conjunction with social engineering tactics, to infect computers with viruses and worms. Even though IM and text messaging attacks are not yet commonplace, a few new IM viruses like the "Virkel Instant Message Virus" were unleashed in 2005. The Virkel virus opened a backdoor in consumers’ security software, giving hackers access to files and personal information and disabling parts of anti-virus and other security software. Since consumers are largely unaware of the fact that IM and text message services can be used to spread viruses, they are extremely vulnerable to these types of attacks.

- Phishing Fraud Becomes More Prevalent and Sophisticated
By the end of 2005, phishers had started to shift their tactics from large scale e-mail blitzes to more targeted and concentrated attempts. One example of such a targeted approach is called "spear phishing," which is a phishing email that targets a group of people within a specific company or organization, often appearing to be sent from an internal employee in the human relations department, IT department or even a former colleague. This tactic can be more effective than a generic phishing attempt, because "spear phishing" emails may look and feel just like emails employees are used to getting regularly from their company or organization. Spear phishing banks on the fact that recipients won’t question the legitimacy of the emails.

- Viruses Attack Cell Phones and PDAs
Mobile wireless devices, like cell phones and PDAs, are becoming increasingly vulnerable to hackers and viruses.  Last year, the number of viruses and worms that affected cell phones and PDAs increased substantially. Mobile device viruses like "Cabir" and "CommWarrior.A," could read addresses and phone numbers and spread from
mobile phones and BlackBerrys through Bluetooth connections and mobile messaging services without the user’s knowledge. While these types of attacks have not become pervasive, they have the potential to infect and spread from devices consumers least expect, and target devices that probably lack security protections.

- Hackers Target Online Brokerage Accounts
In 2005, there were increased reports of hackers using malicious code to crack consumers’ online brokerage accounts. Hackers exploited vulnerabilities in consumers’ computer security to steal passwords and brokerage account information. They used the stolen information to sell the unsuspecting consumer’s stock and then transfer the proceeds to an online bank account, where it was withdrawn. Since the nature of online brokerage accounts makes it easy to transfer funds from various accounts outside the firm, online brokerage accounts are attractive targets for hackers and thieves.

- Internet Crimes Go Unreported
Although the number of Internet crime victims rose in 2005, those victims rarely filed a report with the FTC or notified a police department of the crime. According to the Federal Trade Commission’s "2005 Consumer Fraud and Identity Theft Complaint Data," 61% of Internet fraud victims did not notify law enforcement when victimized by Internet crime. 

Moreover, the FBI’s "2005 Small Business Computer Crime Survey" indicated that only 9% of those businesses that experienced a computer security incident reported it to a law enforcement agency. Not reporting crimes to law enforcement makes it more difficult to catch and prosecute online criminals, allowing them to operate with impunity.

Source:  Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA)

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