The Spam Cryer

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) re-gaining in the Billion-dollar underground economy

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December 1st, 2008

Over at IT Business they are reporting that Internet Relay Chat or IRC is again a popular place for Cyber Criminals to hang out and market their ill-gotten gains. With a market estimated at 7 Billion dollars you can be sure that they aren’t going away anytime soon.

http://www.itbusiness.ca/it/client/en/home/News.asp?id=50885

It is interesting to note that there are so many compromised bank accounts that they sell at a discount ($1,000 for an account with $40K in it. $10 for an account with $2500 in it) This tells us that the tricks the Cyber Criminals are using (phishing, vishing, spim) are working so you have to be careful out there or it will be your bank account that they are selling online.

Thankfully at IT Business they have provided the following list to remind us of what to and not do online.

Tips to protect yourself

• Use an e-mail filter to block fraudulent messages that are often used in phishing attacks . Use many layers of security such as anti-virus software, firewalls, and anti-phishing toolbars for your browser . Limit the amount of sensitive personal information on your computer.
• Use strong passwords and change them on a regular basis.
• Do not store online account passwords with your Web browser’s automatic feature.

Shaun

Entry Filed under: Anti-Spam, Bulletins, CudaMail, Phishing, Spim, Vishing, Web Filter