A cybercrime company has pointed to five cybersecurity threats that consumers need to be aware of as they engage online in the 2012 London Olympic Games.
A new eMarketer report projects that an expected one billion people will follow the London Games on PCs and mobile devices – including smartphones and tablets. This is a significant jump from the 2010 games, as smartphone ownership worldwide is now estimated by eMarketer to be about 24 percent. There will be heightened risk for those using mobile devices, tablets and third-party applications – any malware can penetrate these devices just as easily as PCs, contrary to popular consumer thought.
“With such a large audience seeking information on the Olympic Games, cybercriminals will seize this opportunity to attack PCs, mobile devices and even tablets,” said Andreas Baumhof, chief technology officer, ThreatMetrix. “Cybercrime today is so advanced that in many cases users are completely unaware they are being attacked. The Olympic audience needs to be vigilant when browsing the Internet and researching the games. Whether you are searching for Michael Phelps or real-time medal count updates, make sure you are using sites that can be trusted – mainstream news sites, or better yet the official Olympics website.”
Cybercrime tips
Consumers should still be on the lookout for potential danger associated with watching and tracking the Olympics online or through a mobile device. ThreatMetrix has identified five cybersecurity threats for consumers to be aware of during the Games:
Mobile and Tablet Risk – Those who are watching the games via their smartphones or tablets should be aware of third-party applications that are not authorized by the Olympics. Consumer devices can be attacked when malicious applications are downloaded, as evidenced by recent news around spam-distributing iPhone applications.
Drive-by-Downloads – Malicious software can automatically begin downloading to consumers’ devices during a visit to an infected website, email or pop-up ad. Cybercriminals can easily link this software to seemingly authentic Olympic websites, for example the Flashback Trojan for Mac.
Information Phishing – Disguised links from Facebook and Twitter are abundant, leading consumers to malware infected sites. Twitter links, for instance, are always shortened (e.g. bit.ly/…) and users cannot tell where these links will lead – unless clicked upon, which in turn could instantly infect users’ devices. Another security concern is whether a particular account is legitimate – does the @CNNInternatDesk Twitter handle really belong to CNN?
Search Engine Poisoning – When conducting online searches for information or images about the games, cybercriminals can redirect consumers to malicious websites. Rather than seeing an image of their favorite Olympian, the photo can actually infect consumers’ devices if the page containing the image is laced with malware.
Ticketing Scams – Consumers should be wary when researching game tickets, and of emails offering ticket deals from third-party sources. These can lead to fraudulent transactions and stolen credit card information.
Andreas Baumhof added: “All of the cybercrime risk associated with the Olympics can be overwhelming to consumers. However, simple steps can be taken to avoid malware attacks associated with the Olympics. These steps include keeping all software up-to-date, using only official Olympic sites and applications and being hyperaware of all web and mobile device activity. Don’t click on any link that comes your way, even if it looks interesting – it may be a costly click.”
