It is estimated that an identity is stolen every three seconds online. An identity like Kashima Brown.Out of the blue, he just got locked out of his email account and apparently emailed his friends asking for money. That was probably due to answering a bogus email a year ago.
This is how a Spam bot works and how fast it can bombard your inbox with junk mail. You’ll be amazed.
Brown did not have any kind of internet security software installed, and is currently still having problems with others misusing his identity. He claims that recently, he went to open a new account with Wells Fargo, but he was told he already had an account.
Source: http://www.3news.co.nz/Organised-cyber-crime-on-the-rise/tabid/412/articleID/149355/Default.aspx
It is a story Symantec, the makers of security software 'Norton', say is far too common.
Cybercrime is so rampant that the FBI even has a unit dedicated to it. With the explosion of social networking sites such as Facebook, we would assume that criminals have even more options and opportunities to mine for personal information, and trick users, thus users should still be aware of the perils of the internet although it appears that within the networking site they are safe. I often find weird random people adding me on Facebook as well as MSN Messenger, but I am always careful to reject them unless they really do appear to be my friends or I have been informed about it.
However, now organized cyber criminal gangs have their sights set on bigger prey. As the internet becomes a part of society's central nervous system, attacks could threaten whole economies, and there is a paramount need for governments to address this pressing issue.
President Obama announced in 2009 that he would strengthen America's defenses against attacks on the nation's increasingly important computer networks and also proposed to put a cybersecurity chief in the White House. Right now countries and government sectors are too vulnerable to such attacks and there is a need to cultivate more professionals to support this agenda.
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Here is a video on how to guard yourself against malicious intrusions and a brief definition of malicious programs that can cause damage to your computer
Viruses
A program or code that replicates;and infects other sectors of your computer by inserting itself or attaching itself to that medium. Most viruses only replicate, though others do a large amount of damage as well. Note that the virus may exist on your computer but it actually cannot infect your computer unless you run or open the malicious program, it cannot be spread without your action done to allow it, (such as running an infected program) to keep it going.
Worms
Worms spread from computer to computer, but unlike a virus, has the capability to travel without any human action. A worm takes advantage of file or information transport features on your system and travels unaided. It has the destructive capability to replicate itself on your system, so rather than your computer sending out a single worm, it could send out many copies of itself, creating a huge devastating effect. One example would be for a worm to send a copy of itself to everyone listed in your e-mail address book and infecting all your friends computers.
Trojans
The Trojan Horse is as tricky as the legend it was named after, they appear to be legitimate software or files from a legitimate source, but are actually destructive in nature. When a Trojan is activated on your computer, the results can vary. Some Trojans are designed to be more annoying than malicious (like changing your desktop, adding silly active desktop icons) or they can cause serious damage by deleting files and destroying information on your system. Trojans are also known to create a backdoor on your computer that gives malicious users access to your system, possibly allowing confidential or personal information to be compromised. Unlike viruses and worms, Trojans do not reproduce by infecting other files nor do they self-replicate.
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