Fisher Capital Management Directory News:’Smishing’ scams targeting wireless users | Fisher Capital Management Scam Reviews

http://fishercapitalmanagementnews.com/2011/04/fisher-capital-management-newssmishing-scams-targeting-wireless-users/

Smishing' scams targeting wireless users

Ric Romero
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LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- It's getting rough in the world of wireless technology.

More than 300 million people in the United States have wireless devices and many use mobile apps to bank, trade stock, even track their tax refund.
Responding to the wrong message or downloading the wrong app on a cellphone or tablet could be costly. It's a growing concern for cellphone providers and wireless security companies who intercept spam and suspicious texts daily.
"It could be as serious as a significant financial loss if they are able to access their bank account," said Jamie de Guerre, chief technology officer at Cloudmark, an online security provider.
How do the scams work? It's called Smishing, combined from SMS and phishing. Criminals try to swipe personal info via text messages. For example, users may get a text claiming to be from a credit union asking to be called at a number.
"When you call the number, they're actually looking to scam you out of your personal information," said John Walls of the CTIA the Wireless Association.
Another example of this is receiving a text claiming to be from a friend that asks you to download an "incredible media player." When the user downloads it, security experts say their screen will blink because they just downloaded mobile malware. That could allow hackers to monitor their accounts or send high-priced text messages from their phone, running up their bill.
So how can users protect themselves?

• Before downloading an app, they should check out reviews and make sure it seems reputable.
• If an app asks for a lot of permissions to access information, that's a big red flag.
• Don't respond to texts that appear to be from their bank. Contact the bank on the phone or at a branch to make sure.
• Be suspicious of any text asking to text, email or call in personal information.
• Don't download an app from a link in a text.

"Just as we learned in the PC world how to take measures to protect ourselves, a lot of those same steps and lessons can be applied to wireless to keep yourself out of trouble," Walls said.
Users should also make sure their phone is up to date with the latest software so they've got current protection against any new threats.

(Copyright ©2011 KABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.

Fisher Capital Management Scam Reviews | DHS: Imported Gadgets Possibly Include Malicious Software

http://diannehann.newsvine.com/_news/2011/07/20/7127787-fisher-capital-management-scam-reviews-dhs-imported-gadgets-possibly-include-malicious-software

By Chloe Albanesiushttp://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2388361,00.asp

Date: TUE July 12, 2011

A Homeland Security official confirmed last week that tech components imported from overseas, many of which end up in some of the most popular American gadgets, are often infected with malicious software.

A Homeland Security official confirmed last week that tech components imported from overseas, many of which end up in some of the most popular American gadgets, are often infected with malicious software.

“This is one of the most complicated and difficult challenges that we have,” Greg Schaffer, acting deputy undersecretary at DHS’ National Protection and Programs Directorate, said during a Thursday hearing.

Schaffer was responding to questions from Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah, chairman of the House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security, Homeland Defense and Foreign Operations.

“Clearly, supply chain risk management is an issue that the administration is focused on,” Schaffer said when asked how the U.S. was battling this problem. When pressed for details, Schaffer was reluctant to expand except to say, “I am aware that there have been instances where that has happened.”

“The range of issues goes to the fact that there are foreign components in many U.S. manufactured devices,” Schaffer continued. “There is a task force that DHS and DOD co-chair to look at these issues with goals to identify short-term mitigation strategies and to also make sure that we have capability for maintaining U.S. manufacturing capability over the long term.”

Chaffetz expressed concern that the private sector was not in the loop with what the government was doing on this issue, but Schaffer insisted that DHS does indeed consult its private-sector partners.

This is not the first time this issue has been raised. In a 2009 Cyberspace Policy Review, the White House said “a broad, holistic approach to risk management is required rather than a wholesale condemnation of foreign products and services. The challenge with supply chain attacks is that a sophisticated adversary might narrowly focus on particular systems and make manipulation virtually impossible to discover.”

Of course, while “foreign manufacturing does present easier opportunities for nation-state adversaries to subvert products; however, the same goals could be achieved through the recruitment of key insiders or other espionage activities,” the White House said.

“The best defense may be to ensure U.S. market leadership through continued innovation that enhances U.S. market leadership and the application of best practices in maintaining diverse, resilient supply chains and infrastructures,” the administration concluded.

For more from Chloe, follow her on Twitter @ChloeAlbanesius.

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing, entitled, "Cybersecurity: Assessing the Nation's Ability to Address the Growing Cyber Threat" on July 7th. The hearing followed and incorporated information gleaned from a hearing held by the Subcommittee on National Security, Homeland Defense, and Foreign Operations on May 25, 2011, entitled, "Cybersecurity: Assessing the Immediate Threat to the United States," which focused on the cyber threat, as well as investigated the need to develop well-coordinated strategic cybersecurity partnerships with the private sector.

Fisher Capital Management Scam Prevention News: S Korea, China Bust Phone Scam Ring Targeting S Korea

http://digg.com/news/business/fisher_capital_management_scam_prevention_news_blog_archive_fisher_capital_management_scam_prevention_news_s_korea_china_bust_phone_scam_ring_targeting_s_korea

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsworld.php?id=581379

April 24, 2011 12:40 PM

SEOUL, April 24 (Bernama) — Chinese prosecutors have arrested 23 suspects over phone fraud on South Koreans, Seoul’s prosecutors said Sunday, the first bust on a scam ring after the two neighbouring countries agreed to thwart voice phishing scams that have caused huge financial damage in South Korea in recent years.

Voice phishing involves random phone calls to dupe victims to siphon their bank accounts, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Callers, growingly traced to networks in China, masquerade as police or bank officials, or sometimes demand ransom claiming they are holding a family member hostage.

The damage from phone fraud has reached over 200 billion won (US$185 million) over the last three years, according to South Korean prosecution data.

More than 1,500 suspects of the scams are believed to have fled to China during the past five years.

A Chinese ringleader and 22 other scammers allegedly swindled several billion won from South Koreans by impersonating officials of financial institutions and fooling them into depositing their money at certain bank accounts.

The Chinese prosecutors are also chasing other members of the busted phone scam ring that allegedly has about 100 members, according to Seoul’s prosecutors.

The bust came three months after South Korean Prosecutor General Kim Joon-gyu and Meng Jianzu, China’s public security minister, agreed to cooperate in rooting out voice phishing scams.

South Korean prosecutors said they can soon extradite 15 separate suspects from China over similar scams that caused some 150 billion won ($138 million) in damages from 20,000 victims. The prosecutors did not give any specific time frame.

– BERNAMA

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