Prevent the Typical Attack Vectors
Hackers use the following vectors to lure victims:
Scams
It’s your lucky day. Someone from Nigeria needs your help in smuggling money from his
country. You don’t have to do anything difficult. You just have to conduct some wire
transfers and wait for the Nigerian to give you your share of the funds.
While checking the inbox of your email account, you saw a message saying you won a
contest. You just have to send some money for shipping and wait for your prize to arrive.
The situations given above are typical scams. You probably think that nobody would fall
for them. Well, nothing could be further from the truth. Thousands of people fall for such
tricks. Victims send money and/or confidential information to the hackers, hoping for a
quick benefit.
Think before reacting to any email. Scams work best against people who act quickly. If an
email says something that is too good to be true, ignore it. If the message asks you to give
personal information, report the email and tag it as spam.
Trojan Horses
A Trojan horse serves as a container for malicious programs. This “container” often
appears as an interesting or important file. Once you download a Trojan horse, its contents
will infect your computer. This technique is extremely effective in turning innocent users
into hapless victims.
In most cases, hackers use emails in sending out Trojans. They send a phishing email that
contains a Trojan as an attachment. The email will encourage you to download and open
the included file.
Some hackers, however, use social networking sites in spreading out Trojans. They post
videos with interesting titles. Once you click on the video, the webpage will tell you that
you must update your browser first if you want to view the content. Well, the “update” that
you need to download and install is a Trojan.
The best way to fight this hacking vector is by using your common sense and running an