Countdown to System Infection

COUNTDOWN TO SYSTEM INFECTION CYBERCRIMINALS ANTICIPATE AND RESPOND TO BUZZ-WORTHY EVENTS WITH SCAMS. FAST CAN CYBERCRIMINALS CREATE SOCIAL ENGINEERING E28 28 SCHEMES? Users' Facebook Walls were filled with ads falsely promising free iPads in memory of Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs, 8 HOURS after his death. YEARS BEFORE CYBERCRIMINALS USE BIG-TICKET EVENTS TO ATTRACT USERS' ATTENTION. Facebook pages claiming to contain video footages of Laden's death that led to the execution of a malicious script littered the web Osama bin Cybercriminals unleashed spam related to the "2012 Olympics" 4 YEARS before it was even set to take place. 3 HOURS after the incident. . TICKET OTICKET 2 HOURS after the 3/11 Japan earthquake and tsunami hit, WEEKS BEFORE several links that supposedly pointed to updates instead led to FAKEAV downloads. EVEN CYBERCRIMINALS CAN'T PREDICT THE OCCCURRENCE OF NATURAL DISASTERS AND NOTABLE DEATHS. CYBERCRIMINALS CREATE SOCIAL ENGINEERING SCHEMES A FEW WEEKS AHEAD OF SO-CALLED "SMALLER-SCALE" EVENTS. THE FAE 3 MONTHS even before the start of the tax season, spam campaigns using malware disguised as tax statements flooded users' inboxes. Cybercriminals created a fake Facebook Valentine theme that when installed led to a survey site 2 WEEKS before the event. Social Engineering Lures SOMETIMES, THE DEATHS USED AS BAIT AREN'T EVEN REAL. CYBERCRIMINALS ALSO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OTHER JUICY RUMORS. A Facebook page supposedly pointing to the BBC site hosting a video of Lady Gaga's "death" instead led to a malicious site. Celebrity updates News Social Another fake news site pointing to a malicious URL was also used in a Jackie Chan death hoax. media TIMELESS THEMES Promos/ Freebies Seasonal Scary/ Threatening Sports events ruses SOME SOCIAL ENGINEERING SCHEMES PROVED TO BE A STAPLE IN THE THREAT LANDSCAPE. Common Emotional Triggers Cybercriminals have come to exploit holidays with various scams involving spam, fake e-cards, and the like. o regularly SOCIAL MEDIA HAVE BECOME A POPULAR CYBERCRIME INFECTION VECTOR. Curiosity Shock Fear Cybercriminals often used customizable Facebook themes, fake music player features, and other promos to spread malware. Common Effects Shortened links and trending topics on Twitter are used to lure unwitting users into downloading malware or visiting malicious sites, too. System infection Financial loss Data loss/theft Trend abs TREND M ICRO