Halloween is over, cyber threats are not

2009-11-02

While the thrills of Halloween may have passed, the threat of online attacks such as data breach incidents will most likely still be on the minds of many IT departments out there.

It appears that cybercriminals are now using events like Halloween as a base for their attacks. Panda Security found that in the run-up to October 31st, hackers had been busy setting up thousands of web pages among the first results returned by the most popular search engines.

Fake antivirus programs are being distributed on many of these websites and users download and install them on their own systems. This counterfeit software will typically display aggressive messages to users claiming they are infected and advising them to purchase a license for the program to deal with the problem.

One click will then take the user to a purportedly legitimate web page and it is here where they are defrauded. According to Panda Security, fake antivirus applications are becoming more aggressive, as they hijack people's computers and stop them from using them.

Luis Corrons, technical director at Panda Security, noted that his organisation has seen numerous search engine optimisation attacks in the past year that have been based around events or holidays. These included Michael Jackson's death, swine flu and Valentine's Day.

"Unlike other attacks, such as scams sent via email, the user won't be able to recognise that the link is malicious, that's why the cybercriminals are launching these kinds of attacks," he added.

According to Sunbelt Software, Halloween-themed malware is on the rise, as 2007 and 2008 saw numerous attempts by malware creators to carry out an IT intrusion into end-user systems.

These attacks, the organisation explained, use various methods such as themed attachments and infected websites combined with email and Twitter link distribution promising Halloween-themed content.

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