The 2010 Winter Olympic Games are in full swing and, according to Symantec researchers, cybercriminals are primed to take full advantage. While spamming, hacking and creating botnets are not yet Olympic sports, online followers of the Vancouver event will be well advised to exercise caution.
The researchers confirm that key events such as the Winter Olympics and the Soccer World Cup provide the perfect opportunity to dupe victims around the world with event-related spam e-mails, phishing attacks and other nasty Web tricks that seek to steal personal information and identities.
During the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, spammers enticed e-mail users to open messages with "newsworthy" subject lines and prompted them to click on links hosting malware. Examples of these subject lines detected by Symantec included:
* Are Chinese gymnasts too young for Olympics?
* Beijing Olympics cancelled
* Beijing postpones Olympics due to McCain-Dalai Lama meeting
Users can avoid falling prey to these cyberscams by adopting a few best practices:
* Purchasing official Olympic tickets - When buying tickets online, even from an auction site, be sure it is a reputable online source. For instance, Vancouver2010.com is offering fan-to-fan tickets on a first come, first-served basis.
* If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is - Many cybercriminals use extravagant promises such as "exclusive" Olympic pins and merchandise to lure victims into clicking through to malicious sites and divulging personal information.
* Use caution when clicking links from within e-mails or IM messages - Links can contain viruses or Trojans, or lead users to infected websites. Never click a link in a suspicious e-mail. Rather make it a habit to type the full website URL, such as www.YouTube.com, into your Web browser.
* Never fill out forms in messages - Legitimate 2010 Winter Games organisers/sponsors will never ask for personal, financial or password information through an e-mail message.
* Update your computer - Ensure a hacker-free Olympic experience by ensuring that all personal and work computers are protected with up-to-date antivirus software and the latest operating system and application patches.
2010 Netthreat will monitor cybercriminal activity around the Winter Games and provide regular updates.