The state of Internet security

Most security attacks are targeted at a few weak points on your PC that aren't that hard to protect. “In the world of comic books, every bad guy is an evil genius. On the Web, hackers, spammers, and phishers may be evil, but they're not required to be geniuses. They can make a healthy living just by exploiting known security holes that many users haven't bothered to patch. Or by relying on the propensity of millions of people to do things they've been told over and over not to do,” says Simon Campbell-Young, CEO of Phoenix Software.

He points out that as the use of social networks has grown, so have the security risks associated with them. Social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook are now the Web's premier targets for hackers, who use them not only to spread malware, but to access people's personal and company information through social engineering.

“Web attacks are driven by crime. Most occur because the hacker wants money, not glory,” says Campbell-Young. “In the past, PCs were mainly under threat from viruses and worms, which were created only to spread or to cause damage to files and PCs. But in recent years, the situation has changed drastically. Today, the biggest threat faced by computers is crimeware. This malicious software is written by cyber criminals with the purpose of making money illegally. Crimeware may take the form of viruses, worms, Trojans or other malicious programs.”

Crimeware is malicious software that is covertly installed on computers. Most crimeware progams are in fact Trojans, designed to do different things. Some are used to log every key typed (keyloggers), some capture screenshots when banking Web sites are used, some download other malicious code, and others let a remote hacker access a system. What they have in common is the ability to 'steal' your confidential information - such as passwords and PINs - and send it back to the criminal. Armed with this information, the cyber criminal is then able to steal your money.

Campbell-Young says there are several steps you can take to protect your computer from today's cyber threats, starting with installing effective Internet security software. However, he points out that PCs and laptops are no longer a hacker's only point of entry to personal information, as tablets and smartphones change the computing landscape.

“Security software has become just as important on our mobile devices as on our computers. These smart devices are continually exposed to new, sophisticated threats on a daily basis. Mobile devices are the new hotspot for malware attacks. Because your smartphone faces the same vulnerabilities as your PC, you need to protect it just as carefully.”