The Week in Security
Published April 20, 2012 11:42 AM
1 Min Read
Human Error
Bank account heists require the recruitment of human "money mules" to transfer stolen funds to the scammers, but "it's hard to escape the conclusion that many mules simply are not the sharpest crayons in the box," writes security expert Brian Krebs. Scammers are now using stolen identities to open prepaid card accounts, then moving the money themselves. (Image: ThinkStock)
What to Do?
Scammers commonly trick people into sending thousands of dollars overseas using Western Union's services. Western Union says it can't stop these scammers without putting its own agents at risk. David Lazarus of The Los Angeles Times says catching them is not the only option - Western Union could deter scammers by requesting stricter forms of ID. (Image: ThinkStock)
Faking It
Scammers are trying to profit from the recent surge of publicity over Instagram, the mobile photo app developer that Facebook agreed to buy for $1 billion. A copycat version of the app for Android smartphones is actually a malicious program in disguise . Scammers earlier hid malware in a fake version of the newest Angry Birds game. (Image: ThinkStock)
Going Viral
Apple computers famously get many fewer viruses than Windows PCs - a point Apple has stressed in its advertising - but the recent Flashback malware outbreak may change that perception. Consumers may need to take security more seriously if they bank online from a Mac. (Image: Bloomberg News)
Another Day, Another Threat
Even as Apple was distributing a removal tool for the Flashback malware, another bug has made its way to Macs through a vulnerability in Microsoft's Office software. This bug can take screenshots of online banking sessions and other sensitive information. (Image: Bloomberg News)
Back to Biometrics
Financial companies are starting to take a fresh look at using voice recognition technology for mobile banking. E-Trade's implementation uses voice as a shortcut for complex brokerage instructions, but experts say the next step could be to use voice biometrics for authentication. (Image: ThinkStock)
Too Much Sharing?
Major tech companies, including Oracle, harshly criticized the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council for requiring companies to share vulnerability data. The tech companies say that sharing data makes it easier for hackers to exploit it for attacks. (Image: ThinkStock)
Service Issues
Identity-theft protection providers received a poor grade in a report from the Consumer Federation of America, which criticized the companies for not making it easy for consumers to cancel the service after a free trial ends, among other things. (Image: ThinkStock)
