TMCnet News
'Twitter users likely to be infected with viruses'AMMAN, Aug 19, 2011 (Jordan Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Twitter users in Jordan are more likely to be infected with viruses and Trojans that take advantage of the social network to replicate, according to Kaspersky Lab, an IT security company. The highest growing threat in the Kingdom in July was the Trojan-Downloader.JS.Twetti.k, which is a malicious script that gets injected into websites and infects computers while at the same time forcing them to post links to other malicious websites on Twitter, Costin Raiu, director of the Global Research and Analysis Team at Kaspersky Lab, said in an e-mail interview. The second highest growing threat in Jordan in July was the Net-Worm.Win32.Kolab.anen, a malicious programme that is distributed together with game cracks. It has the ability to steal private information, launch DoS (denial-of-service) attacks and give the attacker the ability to fully control the infected machine, he added. Many users get infected with Trojan-Downloader.JS.Twetti.k from Twitter, which seems to indicate that this social network is indeed popular in Jordan, Raiu noted. "One of the most active malware at the moment in Jordan does seem to take advantage of the social network Twitter to replicate," he said in the interview, adding that there are malicious programmes spreading throughout the Middle East. Facebook users are also vulnerable to Trojans and viruses, he said, adding that there are many social networking worms such as Facebook worms, phishing attacks designed to target the users of such communities. There are an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 Twitter users in Jordan, according to the ICT Association of Jordan--int@j, while Facebook subscribers stand at 1.8 million, according to www.checkfacebook.com. Cyber attacks trends in the Middle East have changed very rapidly over the past years, Raiu said, adding that they target devices such as smartphones and tablets. "We have seen the decline of gaming Trojans and an increase in the number of targeted malware," he said. "Additionally, malware on social networks grew and we are now seeing the first notable attacks against smartphones running the Android platform." "We need to watch for more and more kinds of malware, when previously we only had to worry about ours PCs. Nowadays, Macs are attacked, in addition to tablets and smartphones," he said. In July, Kaspersky users in Jordan encountered about 51,000 malicious programmes, which represent about 5 per cent of all the attacks recorded in the Middle East. Calling for more awareness and education on the fight against cyber crime, viruses and Trojans, he highlighted the importance of practising safe computing on social networks, by maintaining a strong password, using HTTPS everywhere and not giving your passwords to anybody else. Abed Shamlawi, CEO of int@j, agreed. "There is a lack of awareness among social network users in Jordan on the threats that they might be exposed to. Many people simply click on links on Facebook or Twitter without knowing what these links are. They open e-mails without verifying who sent them and these might be viruses and Trojans," he told The Jordan Times over the phone on Wednesday. "Awareness about online security among Jordanians is still developing. It will take time and that means many will fall victim to such viruses and Trojans," Shamlawi said. Kaspersky Lab delivers protection against IT security threats, including viruses, spyware, crimeware, hackers, phishing, and spam. The company is ranked among the world's top four vendors of security solutions for endpoint users, according to a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times. To see more of the Jordan Times or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.jordantimes.com. Copyright (c) 2011, Jordan Times, Amman Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. |