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Google+ grabs criminals' attention

Staff Writer
By Staff Writer, ITWeb
Johannesburg, 22 Jul 2011

rises in popularity.

Kaspersky Lab malware researcher for global research and analysis, Fabio Assolini, says cyber villains are sending out fake Google+ invites that contain malicious links to Trojan malware.

The messages are said to look similar to genuine Google+ invites, and provide another avenue for cyber criminals to steal personal and confidential information.

Assolini explains that the fake invites contain an infected link that when accessed, redirects the user to a common Brazilian Trojan banker file - a .cmd file hosted at Dropbox.

According to Kaspersky, new social networks create a 'haven' for cyber criminals to roll out attacks, especially as these Web sites increase in popularity.

Assolini advises users to access Google+ on a secure computer, and avoid clicking on suspicious links that re-direct the user to alternative Web sites.

According to Sophos senior technology consultant Graham Cluley, writing in the Sophos Naked blog, spammers are also distributing fake Google+ invites, which redirect users to pharmacy Web sites selling fake products. He advises that people be cautious of what kind of sensitive information they share on Google+.

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