Phishing up 52% in July; Hackers get hacked

Posted by kent on August 6th, 2009

Summer, it seems, is for phishing. Internet Security Software maker Symantec posted a report on the state of phishing, finding a 52% increase in July. Incredibly, 63% of the urls identified were created using phishing toolkits.

Courtesy of Symantec

Syamantec defines phishing toolkits as:

automated toolkits that facilitate the creation of phishing Websites. They allow individuals to create and carry out phishing attacks even without any technical knowledge.

It seems like cheating. Hacking your data is not just for hackers anymore.

You can read up on how to protect yourself with our reviews of Internet Security Software, including Symantec's Norton Internet Security 2009.

In other news, getting hacked is not just for everyday computer users anymore. At the DEF CON hacking conference last week, an untold number of attendees had their ATM cards and pin numbers pilfered by a fake ATM set up in the Riviera Hotel lobby. The attendees at DEF CON range from real-world hackers to the Federal agents. Someone suspicious of the ATM machine (and really, who wouldn't be suspicious there?) shined a flashlight inside and found a PC instead of a security camera. Somehow someone snuck the fake ATM in, literally under the nose(s) of hotel security. It was right outside their office, in a place out of view of the hotel security cameras.