Beware - Online Criminals are now buying identities for just 50p

Underground criminals are now obtaining our Credit card information which remains the most valued item with details selling for as little as 40p ranging up to £20 for the most desired credit cards.  Bank account credentials can fetch as much as £675 and full identities which include credit card details, names, addresses and date of births are being bought for between 50p and £40 according to Symantec’s annual Internet Security Threat Report.

It goes on to discuss how in 2008 it created more than 1.6 million pieces of anti software codes a direct response to the rapidly increasing volume and proliferation of new threats.  These codes helped block an average of more than 245 million attempted malicious attacks across the globe each month during 2008.

“The unfortunate reality is that innocent Web surfers can visit a compromised website and unknowingly place their personal and financial information at risk,” said Marc Fossi, executive editor, Symantec Internet Security Threat Report XIV. “Computer users have to be extra vigilant about their security practices.”

So how can we protect ourselves - Symantec offer these top tips for keeping safe online:  

• Keep your personal information safe: don’t respond to emails that ask for personal information.
  
• Always have up-to-date firewall, antivirus and transaction security software on your computer. It’s best to subscribe to a security software service that updates itself regularly to ensure you are protected against constantly emerging new threats.
  
• Don’t open emails from people you don’t know and if you receive an attachment that you’re not expecting, don’t launch it.
  
• Don’t share files with people or computers you don’t know. It could expose you to crime ware.
  
• If you have a home network, protect each computer on the network individually.
  
• Back up your PC regularly so if the worst does happen, you can easily retrieve your digital content. Ideally, use software that saves and restores automatically.
  
• When asked to “allow” or “deny” an application access on your PC to access the internet, always deny unless you are absolutely confident that the site it is accessing is authentic and safe. Ideally, use security software that knows which ones to allow and which to deny.
  
• Don’t allow unknown computers to access your home network.
  
• Ensure all passwords are strong i.e. contain letters and numbers and are not easily guessable. It is amazing how many people use their partner’s birthday or just “password”.
  
• Don’t give your credit card details to unsecured sites. You can tell that the site you are on is secure by looking or https:// at the top of your browser, and the little padlock symbol in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. Also check the site’s certificate.
  
• Don’t download programmes from the web without scanning them with your security software first.
  
• Review your bank statements regularly to check for unusual transactions and flag anything suspicious to your bank. Also, see if you bank offers the facility to alert you every time a payment is made to a new person.