Social Engineering, Internet Swindles & Phishers

Sometimes it goes like this:

You receive a frantic e-mail from a friend, warning you about the blah-blah-blah virus, which will steal your data, wipe your hard drive and run off with your spouse.

Sometimes, it goes like this:

You receive a frantic e-mail from someone who says they're from AOL, telling you there is something wrong with your account and they can clear it up in a jiffy, if only you would be so kind as to give them your credit card information again, please, at their new site, weasels.com.

And sometimes, it goes like this:

You receive a frantic e-mail from someone who says they're from Nigeria, and if only you could give them $10,000 USD, you'll receive millions in return for helping this "trustworthy" fellow.

Social Engineering is an old hacker phrase; when you can't find your way into some company's server by way of technology, you exploit the weakest link in the chain: the people.

Rockphish

If you've ever seen an episode of The Rockford Files, you know what this is—it's James Garner pretending he's from the Dallas office and if he could just see that file for a minute, he'll be out of your way forever. That's a perfect example of social engineering.

"Phishers", who use spam to try and get you to give up credit card and other personal information, cast their nets across the Internet, trolling for gullible fishes they can suck into their clutches.

Please don't be a phish. Just because you think the computer is as smart as you (it's not) doesn't mean you should turn your brain off when you use it.

THINK!

If it's too good to be true, than it can't be true. There are very few sure things and there is no easy money. Who is the weakest link? These guys are hoping it'll be you—don't give them the chance.

See below for with more information:

Virus Hoaxes

HOAXBUSTERS
Symantec Security Response - Hoax Page

Internet Swindles

The Great Nigerian Scam
by John C. Dvorak, of PC Magazine

20 Top Scams & Frauds to Watch Out For
What you never knew about those free Downloads and might be afraid to find out!