According to the July 2011 analysis, GFI says that – amongst the top 10 threat detections for the month – there was a malware-riddled 'autowhaler' designed to infect cybercriminals stealing from phishers, as well as a rogue anti-virus offering up a fake codec suite for sale after it disables users’ video players.
Chris Boyd, GFI's senior threat researcher, says that the fake autowhaler, rogue codec suite and other threats that he and his research team uncovered in July underscore the growing sophistication and creativity of malware authors, as well as the steady evolution of cybercrime tactics.
“The autowhaler is especially telling because it demonstrates that even cybercriminals are not safe from infection on the internet. If you are online, you are a target. Users need to remain vigilant because malware writers are constantly finding new ways to camouflage their scams”, he said.
Alongside these developments, GFI says that search engine poisoning, malicious URLs and spam attacks remain a popular disguise, with malware masquerading Adobe Flash and Skype being observed, along with successful attacks on legitimate sites such as SourceForge, where hackers have installed links to another site distributing the FakeRean rogue anti-virus software.
Against this backdrop, Boyd – aka PaperGhost on Twitter – warns that internet users should continue to be wary of any unsolicited pop-ups, emails, texts or messages delivered via social networking sites asking them to submit personal information or alerting them to problems with their PCs.
If there is any doubt as to where a message originates or what information it requests – even if looks legitimate – h warns that users should no not respond or click on any links.
“If you do get a message that appears to be from a bank, retailer or vendor you do business with, but they are asking for personal information, passwords or account numbers, don’t respond”, he said.
“If it’s something that users feel requires a response or further investigation, they should contact the purported sender through a known and trusted phone number to verify if the request is legitimate”, he added.