www.sdchamber.org

ESET Tech Corner:

Protect What’s Left of Your Portfolio

By Randy Abrams, Director of Technical Education and Christopher Dale, Public Relations Manager

As the economy worsens, attempts to separate you from your money abound. One of these scams comes in the form of electronic “greeting cards” designed to install malicious software on your computer. Once the software is installed, everything on your computer can be stolen by a remote attacker. If you think there is nothing of value on your PC, think again. Your Internet connection alone has tremendous value.

The malicious software in question is something we call a “bot” – short for robot.  Once the bot is installed, your computer can be used for things like sending spam to people you know, and millions you don’t. It can also attack other computers, hospitals, the government…even companies who block spam.

The emails typically arrive in your inbox claiming to be from someone you know.  They almost never say the name of the person you know, just from “a friend,” “family member,” “admirer” or someone else. There are several signs that the ecards are bogus, but most people are not educated on how to spot them. It isn’t difficult to learn how to spot these fake ecards, but you do need to learn.  American Greetings has a great web page with information on how to protect yourself. I recommend you read this information and share it with people you know.

Some of the tips:

• Look at the email address the message came from. The name and email address of the person sending the ecard should be in the email message itself, and should be from someone you know.
  
• The email should actually come from a legitimate ecard company and not from gmail, hotmail, live, or some random address.
  
• The link should not lead to a file you have to download. If you get a prompt to download a file, or the web page says you need to install something to view the card, close your browser and delete the email.
  
• If you click on the link and a program appears to be scanning your computer and finding viruses, it is a fake. The program is not really scanning.  It is trying to trick you into paying for something you don’t need.

Some people think if they use a firewall and antivirus software it will make them bulletproof, but this simply isn’t the case. Technology helps mitigate problems, but it doesn’t solve them. The greeting card attack is an example of something we call social engineering. Simply put, social engineering is the art of tricking you into doing something you wouldn’t normally do, and something you don’t want to do.  This is also the premise behind most phishing scams.  If you don’t know what phishing is, it is time to find out!  Google “phishing” to find a wealth of information on how to protect yourself. 

The only real cure for social engineering is education.  You have two choices:  educate yourself, or eventually become a victim.