By Vladimir Amarante

Brazil arguably has the most passionate soccer fans in the world and, according to the Internet Security Threat Report – Volume XV recently launched by Symantec, it is also the 3rd country in the global ranking in terms of virtual malicious activity.

Before every World Cup, the country is flooded by a plethora of football promotions and collectables, which are highly prized by soccer fans. During World Culp 2006, the most desired item proved to be a promotional collection of cups with photos of main soccer players distributed by a famous brand of soft drinks.

The Panini range of player stickers are always popular and, as mentioned in a previous article, cybercriminals are using botnets to get their albums filled now that the World Cup is around the corner.

Last week, a lot with 675 thousand stickers was stolen in São Paulo (see article). The theft generated huge comment on social networks and on important online and printed publications, nationally and internationally.

So far, Panini has sold more than five million sticker albums in Brazil and expects the country to become the global leader of sales till the end of the World Cup, with sales estimates of more than 500 million!

As a result, new websites and online communities appear everyday offering an easy channel for the collectors to exchange repeated stickers. Unfortunately, some of them are used by cybercriminals to get personal information from users and, in some cases, solicit online payments for stickers. Readers should always be aware when transacting online and should be safe if they follow the following rules of safe practice:

  • Keep your security solution updated;
  • Use security solutions that include antivirus, firewall, intrusion detection and vulnerabilities management;
  • Avoid giving personal or financial information through online channels, unless you’re absolutely sure that the request is legitimate.