Beware of New Year e-traps!

Beware of ‘e-traps’ even as you celebrate this New Year. As has happened last year, there are chances of malicious activities on the cyber world like phishing and the ubiquitous spam mails.

Thanks to the increased Internet traffic on the New Year eve and the coming days in 2009, chances are high for cyber attacks.

This New Year will bring with it new types of frauds and threats to privacy, say cyber crime experts. During festive times like this, people will increasingly use online transactions to send gifts. But there is always the risk of cyber threats in various forms as cyber hawks take advantage by entrapping users with malicious contents.

Increased phishing attacks, emails from unknown addresses and malware attacks are some of the possible ways of e-traps this time around. Phishing means seemingly innocuous emails sent to various people with the malicious intention of extracting personal data like passwords, credit card numbers, bank account details, etc.

Phishers can steal passwords and personal details to spoof users’ identity and use it fraudulently. Sometimes they may pretend to be customer service staff of companies and send malicious mails.

Fake claims of shopping discounts, lottery prizes, fake movie tickets etc are some of the common means of phishing during festival seasons.

Experts say that fraudsters will be on the prowl especially on festival seasons like Christmas and New Year celebrations as people are likely to get lured by mails offering free gifts and greetings.

Tips to avoid cyber attacks

Every year, cyber criminals develop innovative ways to hoodwink Internet users. So users should be extra cautious.

 Don’t check emails from unknown person or addresses.

Don’t click suspicious links saying, ‘Christmas greeting”, “happy new year” or doubtful attachments.

Don’t reply to spam e-mails that promise money for answering surveys. And if you respond to such e-mails offering rewards with little effort you are in trouble.

Source: Siasat News