Tag Archives: cyber crime

Norton security reveals 29.9 M People In India Are Cyber Crime Victims

Posted by admin on September 9, 2011 None comments

A Norton study said that the cost of global cyber crime amounts to $114 billion, annually, with an additional loss of $274 billion pertaining to lost time of victims. In India, it is estimated that more than 29.9 million people fell victim to cyber crime in 2010, resulting in direct financial losses of $4 billion, and an additional $3.6 billion in time spent resolving the crime.

According to the Norton Cybercrime Report 2011 more than two thirds of online adults (69 percent) have been a victim of cyber crime in their lifetime. Every second, 14 adults become a victim of cyber crime, resulting in more than one million cyber crime victims every day. In India, four in five online adults (80 percent) have been a victim of cyber crime.

 

The report also reveals that 10 percent of adults online globally (17 percent in India) have experienced cyber crime on their mobile phone. In fact, the Symantec Internet Security Threat Report, Volume 16 reported there were 42 percent more mobile vulnerabilities in 2010 compared to 2009. The number of reported new mobile operating system vulnerabilities increased, from 115 in 2009 to 163 in 2010. In addition to threats on mobile devices, increased social networking and a lack of protection are claimed to be some of the main culprits behind the growing number of cyber crime victims.

Globally, 54 percent of respondents said that they have experienced computer viruses and malware in their lifetime. Viruses are followed by online scams (11 percent) and phishing messages (10 percent)

“There is a disconnect in how people view the threat of cyber crime,” said Gaurav Kanwal, Country Sales Manager – India and SAARC, Consumer Business Unit, Symantec. “Cyber crime is much more prevalent than people realize. Over the past 12 months, three times as many adults surveyed have suffered from online crime versus offline crime, yet less than a third of respondents think they are more likely to become a victim of cyber crime than physical world crime in the next year. And while 89 percent of respondents agree that more needs to be done to bring cyber criminals to justice, fighting cyber crime is a shared responsibility.”
The divide between awareness and action is illustrated by the fact that while 74 percent of respondents are aware of cyber crime, many are not taking the necessary precautions. Forty-one percent of adults indicated they do not have an up to date security software suite to protect their personal information online. In addition, less than half of the respondents review credit card statements regularly for fraud (47 percent), and 61 percent do not use complex passwords or change them regularly. Among those who access the Internet via their mobile phone, only 16 percent install an up to date mobile security.

airborne cyber attacks by hackers – new trend

Posted by admin on August 6, 2011 None comments

Computer security specialists showed off a homemade drone aircraft Friday capable of launching airborne cyber attacks, hijacking mobile phone calls, or even delivering a dirty bomb.

Rich Perkins and Mike Tassey built the bright yellow Wireless Arial Surveillance Platform in a garage from a used US Army target drone that they customized to find mobile phones and Internet hotspots.

“It will fly a plotted course and return to base,” Perkins said while showing the WASP to AFP at a DefCon hackers gathering in Las Vegas.

“We loaded it up with the ability to attack Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GSM cellular networks.”

WASP can grab packets of data being sent over the air on wireless networks, or use unsecured hot spots as gateways through which cyber attacks can be launched on computer systems.

The drone can grab GMS mobile phone identification numbers that can then be used to bill outgoing calls. It can also let hackers impersonate cell phone towers and eavesdrop on people’s calls.

Second-hand drones such as that used for WASP can be bought online for about $150.

The rest of the parts were purchased by mail-order for a total tab reaching $6,200, not counting the tremendous number of hours spent working on the project started in 2009.

Perkins said the 14-pound (six-kilogram) drone was built to put the computer security industry on notice that the components are available for such “do-it-youself” creations, which could be used for good or evil.

WASP could find mobile phones in disaster areas, potentially leading rescuers to survivors. It could also fly over a disaster zone to act as a mobile phone tower enabling calls.

On the evil side, WASP could help slip into a company’s computer networks through unsecured wireless networks set up in cafeterias or other spots for the convenience of customers and employees.

The modified drone could also identify key executives by their mobile telephones and then track their movements to look for data-stealing opportunities, such as working on a laptop connected wirelessly to the Internet at a cafe.

“I can take the various pieces of your digital life — Bluetooth headset, cell phone, Wi-Fi — and find the least secure place you exist and attack you there,” Perkins said of WASP.

Such a drone could also carry a small payload, opening up the potential for smugglers to use it or to serve as a targeted biological or nuclear weapon in a terror attack, its creators warned.

“I really fear a policy reaction that stifles research,” Perkins said.

“Let’s look at how to protect from the bad guys doing the same thing without telling us,” he urged.

Perkins and Tassey displayed their creation to security industry professionals here for a major Black Hat conference this week before taking it to DefCon, the world’s largest hacker gathering that kicked off Friday.

Authorities wouldn’t permit WASP to fly over populated areas such as Las Vegas, but video taken from the drone during a flight over a rural area in the United States was posted online at rabbit-hole.org