Identity Theft News

Anti-phishing group warns internet 'more dangerous'

Monday, October 5, 2009

The threat of online identity theft activity known as phishing has grown exponentially and the internet has "never been more dangerous," according to a report from APWG, the Anti-Phishing Working Group.

The global coalition said new records are being reached in cybercriminal activity using rogue anti-virus software, phishing websites and crimeware designed to target financial institutions' customers.

APWG's H1 2009 report found that the numbers of detected rogue anti-malware programs, fake security software that actually infects computers to steal data such as email passwords, grew 585 percent between January and the end of June 2009.

The number of unique phishing websites detected in June rose to 49,084, a near-record high.

"The internet has never been more dangerous. In the first half of 2009, phishing escalated to some of the highest levels we've ever seen," said APWG Chairman David Jevans. "Of even greater concern is the skyrocketing sophistication and proliferation of malicious software designed to steal online passwords and user names."

Malware programs such as the Zeus trojan exhibit a growing level of sophistication for stealing financial information and concealing the theft from victims.

Another recent report indicated that phishing attacks in targeted spam email campaigns, known as spear phishing, have dropped. But overall phishing activity continues to accelerate as cyber criminals adapt and use new attack vectors.