Keylogging, phishing, ID theft all surging, says McAfee

By

Online identity theft has skyrocketed in recent years - a result of organised gangs moving to the web to commit fraud - according to new figures from McAfee.


A company white paper on

Hackers are increasingly using keyloggers to install malicious code onto PCs, tracking typing activity to steal passwords and other sensitive personal information.

The report also found that the number of phishing attacks has soared in recent years. Figures gathered by the Anti-Phishing Working Group show that the number of strikes has multiplied 100-fold in the past two years.

In the United States, the cost of identity theft to the economy is US$49 billion each year.

"More and more, people are carrying out transactions on the internet, and as we move online, the criminals are following us," said Greg Day, senior security analyst at McAfee.

"We will probably see a saturation of phishing attacks over the next few years. But smarter hackers will move away from targeting banks and use a more subtle approach. However, identity theft is here to stay and will evolve and, possibly, get worse."
Got a news tip for our journalists? Share it with us anonymously here.
Tags:

Most Read Articles

India's alarm over Chinese spying rocks CCTV makers

India's alarm over Chinese spying rocks CCTV makers

Hackers abuse modified Salesforce app to steal data, extort companies

Hackers abuse modified Salesforce app to steal data, extort companies

Cyber companies hope to untangle weird hacker codenames

Cyber companies hope to untangle weird hacker codenames

Woolworths' CSO is Optus-bound

Woolworths' CSO is Optus-bound

Log In

  |  Forgot your password?