World Cup and bandwidth a criminal playing field

The excitement about the eminent Fifa Soccer World Cup in less than four months in South Africa, combined with the increased Internet bandwidth available in the country (courtesy of the recent launch of the undersea Seacom cable at the end of last year), has left the country’s 10 million Internet users markedly more vulnerable to attacks from cybercriminals.

Experts warn that historical data shows that both these newsworthy events and an increase in bandwidth tend to attract such criminals. In fact, there already have been examples of Internet users who have fallen prey to scams and malicious attacks.

Some of these cybercriminals are highly sophisticated and are making use of the ranking criteria of popular search engines to lure unsuspecting Internet users into their nets. Banking on the tendency by Internet users to first click on the links appearing at the top of search lists, these criminals ensure that their sites appear high on these lists.

By being clicked on regularly during newsworthy events, these criminals increase the chances of spreading their malicious pages, which are infected with malware or designed to try and sell Internet users misleading applications such as rogue security software.

In much less subtle scams, prospective visitors to South Africa from abroad have lost money in advance-deposit fraud connected to non-existent accommodation for the World Cup period.

In a recent release, the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS) reported that it is receiving increasing numbers of complaints from individuals overseas who have booked accommodation on open websites in South Africa for the World Cup, only to find that after deposits have been paid, the 'lessors' disappear with their money.

Pat Cunningham, executive director of SAFPS, said that although the accommodation advance fee fraud is fairly common, there has been a marked increase in complaints and reports from individuals overseas who have used public websites offering accommodation, only to find that their deposits vanish together with the fraudster.

Local technology company Symantec, which monitors nefarious Internet activity, also has launched a website to give free advice to Internet users concerned about scams linked to the World Cup.

During the Beijing Olympics in 2008, phishing attacks increased by 66% worldwide. Traditionally, other newsworthy events such as the death of Michael Jackson and Barack Obama’s election, as well as special dates on the calendar such as Valentine’s Day get much attention from these malicious operators.

Increased bandwidth also makes it easier for cybercriminals to launch online attacks. Falling Internet prices bring new, inexperienced users onto the net, and consumers and small businesses who are upgrading from the slower, more restricted dial-up connections are more vulnerable and face increased risks.

Among the steps that Internet users can take to help protect them against scam and spam attacks are:

·         Acquire security software, and always from reputable and trusted sources;

·         Only download applications from the vendors from which it was bought, and always keep legitimate security software updated;

·         Avoid security software offered in pop-up screens;

·         Caution should be applied when browsing, since malicious attacks can result in the hijacking of open sessions and in the world of permanent connectivity, be sure to log out of websites;

·         Ignore open error displays from within a Web browser, which often invite you to download and install fake software; and

·         Raise your awareness level and scrutinise all search result properly.