Common Internet threats to business on-line

Technology has become an inevitable part of our lives. And while Internet offers a mass amount of useful information, makes communication easier and faster than ever, it presents some threats too along the way.

                          Virus 

Virus is a program designed to copy itself and propagate, usually attaching itself to applications. It can be spread by downloading files, exchanging CD/DVDs and USB sticks, copying files from servers, or by opening infected email attachments.


                       Worms   

A worm can be injected into a network by any types of means, like an USB stick or an email attachment. Email worm tends to send itself to all email addresses it finds on the infected PC. The email then appears to originate from the infected user, who may be on your trusted senders’ list, and catch you off guard.


                     Trojan     

It might appear harmless and even useful at first, but it leaves your PC unprotected, enabling hackers to steal sensitive information.


                    Spyware  

Spyware is often secretly installed without users consent when a file is downloaded or a commercial pop-up is clicked. Spyware can reset your auto signature, monitor your keystrokes, scan, read and delete your files, access your applications and even reformat your hard drive. It constantly streams information back to the person that controls spyware.


                    Adware 

This malware launches advertisements, mostly in the form of pop-ups. These are customized to you as a user, based on your behaviour on the Internet, which maybe monitored by spyware.

                            Spam  

Spam may be defined as unwanted emails. Most users are exposed to scam, which is more than 50% of all Internet emails. Though spam is not a direct threat, it can be used to send different kinds of malware.

                    Phishing 

This is the fraudulent acquiring of sensitive personal information such as passwords and credit card details. This is accomplished by sending official-looking emails impersonating a trustworthy sender. Users of on-line banking and auction sites are most likely to become a target.


                  Pharming 

A more sophisticated form of phishing. By exploiting the DNS system, pharmers can create a fake website that looks like a real one for instance web bank page, and then collect the information users think they are giving to their real bank.


                 Keyloggers

Designed to record the user’s keystrokes. Key-logging allows criminals to look for particular bits of information that can be used for identity or intellectual property theft.

Rogue security software 

A special type of threat is software that claims to be security software. It tricks users that have installed it to pay a sum of money to be really protected (which they will not be). Most often it pretends to be antivirus and anti-spyware programs.