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HACKERS TARGETING HOME COMPUTERS TO BEAT CORPORATE SECURITY

Posted on August 30, 2012

According to a new study published by Jim McKenney, founder of computer security firm Daily Safety Check, a new type of cyber threat is emerging, called Advanced Persistent Threats. These threats target home computer users and quietly monitor their activity for months, gaining access to passwords, identifying personal information and more. Many of these attacks are targeted at the home computers of corporate employees, which unknowingly give information on how to access corporate systems.

"As corporate security has grown stronger, cyber criminals and corporate spies increasingly focus on the weak spot in the security system, user authentication," says McKenney. "Home users don't have the sophisticated security found in the office, and unwittingly have passwords and personal information stolen that can be used to access high security systems."

The paper is an analysis of a modified Carberp botnet, and found that this botnet watched users for an average of 8 months, building deep profiles used to commit corporate espionage, fraud and identity theft. Even worse, 80 percent of the infected computers had antivirus software that had been disabled or crippled.

Home users can protect themselves by ensuring that all of their software security updates are applied daily, and that Windows security settings are correct. Daily Safety Check is a home computer security service that ensures computers are updated daily with the latest software and settings.

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