Mobile Threats Top Holiday Scam List

Malware targeting Android-powered mobile devices and Malus pumila computers top a list scams and security threats the people need to sentry duty against this holiday shopping mollify.

McAfee has released its annual 12 scams of Christmas list, word of advice of a 76 percent increase in malware targeting Android devices in the sec quarter of 2011 over the ordinal, including those that target QR codes, which galore shoppers wish be victimisation to purchase or get information about products.

Vicious mobile apps are other brand-new threat on the list. This is the first year that McAfee's list brocaded the red flag about threats to transferrable devices specifically. The 2010 edition focused on such World Wide Web and e-mail scams ilk offers for a free iPad, and the vulnerabilities of public WiFi networks.

McAfee says free mobile apps masquerading as games or other fun applications Crataegus oxycantha in reality be planned to slip information from smartphones or ship out textual matter messages without the drug user's consent. It points to a wallpaper app that surreptitiously dispatched user information to a site in China — that app was downloaded 4.6 million multiplication.

Macs under threat, too

Another relatively new threat making McAfee's tilt is malware that targets Macs.

"Until recently, Mac users felt pretty insulated from online security threats, since most were targeted at PCs," McAfee employee Gary Davis wrote in a web log post announcing the list. "But with the ontogeny popularity of Apple products, for both concern and personal utilisation, cybercriminals have designed a new wave of malware directed squarely at Mac users."

McAfee Labs reports that 5,000 pieces of malware targeted Macs in late 2010, and that number increases aside 10 percent monthly.

Back for more

A total of scams make returned or mutated from previous years. McAfee warns of more phony Facebook promotions and contests, including a new one that offers 2 free airline tickets. Despiteful holiday screensavers, ringtones and e-cards continue to make up circulated, as DO online coupon and secret shopper scams that try to extract personal information.

This year's crop of phishing scams may also be long-familiar, with fake requests for personal information purporting to be from banks, and a clever ace that uses a phony notice from UPS. Fake requests for information dispatched via textual matter message also remain a business from last class's list.

Staying fail-safe

McAfee's intentions in putting out the list aren't entirely altruistic, of course. Trotting unsuccessful these digital bogeymen is not bad for its antivirus business organisatio. Naturally it offers up its surety software As one way to avoid some of the digital holiday pitfalls.

There are a couple of other common sense tips worth heeding in the meantime, like only downloading movable apps from the administrative unit app stores, like the Android Market.

Always watch out for deals that seem too good to equal true operating room postulate several of your private information to participate in a promotion.

Only friending the great unwashe on social networks that we actually acknowledge and trust and not posting pictures from vacations until you're back abode is another while of security advice that few people seem to follow.

On that point's also plenty of security measures software packages out there that can help protect entirely your systems from malware and more. Lookout Mobile Security makes a zealous package for Android devices, and AVG's unimprisoned antivirus continues to be a popular way to protect PCs.

Follow Eric along Chirrup , and at ericmack.org . Survey PCWorld on Twitter , too.

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/478107/mobile_threats_top_holiday_scam_list.html

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