Tis the season for holiday scams!

Holiday shoppers be aware of banking malware this season.  According to security experts, as Christmas comes around an increase of over 200,000 infections will make its way to the online market place.

Internet-based shopping and online banking will bring the internet scammers out as consumers flood the internet with their holiday spending.

Europe and America are being less hit with malware than other countries like India, Australia, France, Germany, Vietnam, Taiwan and Mexico.  This is likely due to a lack of cyber-security software and identity theft protection in those countries.  Also outdated software and vulnerable computers will have a play in the attacks.

Although, the USA, Brazil and Japan are targeted most with online banking threats.

A Trojan horse named “Zeus” steals banking information by browser keystroke logging.  Zeus is spread mainly through drive-by downloads and phishing schemes.  The Trojan attacks visitors and install the malware if the computer has a software vulnerability.  It can take banking credentials and send all the details to a remote server.

Phishing emails fake Apps, and spoof banks are all being hit on smartphones and tablets.

Photo Credit: ZDNet

The rate of mobile phishing websites created has risen by 53%.  42% of spook websites are designed to portray banks and financial institutions.  Once malware is installed on a mobile device, an array of problems will start to exist.

Photo Credit: ZDNet

JD Sherry, vice president of technology and solutions at Trend Micro said:

“As consumers gravitate to the convenience of online banking, criminals are developing tools at an exceedingly rapid pace to exploit a general lack of awareness. In addition, Apple has been traditionally perceived as a safe-haven against threats, but our findings reveal that personal information can be jeopardized as phishing scams that target the platform continue to gain momentum.
This evidence suggests a potential perfect storm looming in the holiday season as busy commercial and consumer users leverage mobile platforms.”

References:
Online banking, mobile malware on the rise in the holiday season – ZDNet
http://www.zdnet.com/online-banking-mobile-malware-on-the-rise-in-the-holiday-season-7000023084/
November 12, 2013
Banking malware infections rise to highest level since 2002 – PCWorld
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2062600/banking-malware-infections-rise-to-highest-level-since-2002.html