The Newest Threat in Identity Theft:

Flies vs Spyders

Part 1 of 3 in this series covering the new, world-wide danger to everyone!!

When we hear terminology such as ‘Identity Theft,’ the first thing that comes to mind is a world full of hackers trying to steal our Social Security and Credit Card numbers. While this is frightening to some, not everyone feels as concerned over this issue. For many, not having had it happen to them makes it seem distant and unrealistic. For others, it has cost them their homes, their family and sometimes their lives. But, as technology advances at an alarming rate, so do the types of crimes that can be committed. In today’s modern age of computer dependencies, hackers are using a more direct, personal approach to identity theft: your personal computer.

 Many of today’s computer users see their pc’s as ‘the’ ultimate file cabinet. They can store their finances, write their letters, express their feelings, browse the internet watch live media and do activities that would have otherwise been impossible. Thus, the relationship between home computers and their owners has evolved into an unbreakable and trusting bond. From laptops to desktops, we have learned to trust our computers with our entire lives.  Sure, you might say (and you might very well be amongst the 2% of today’s population that can say this): I can live without my computer! But, do you subscribe to the internet; have a computer where you customize your desktop; send your emails and write all your letters? Are your pens collecting dust in your house? That computer in your home is far more valuable to most people than they are willing – or want – to admit.

 Enter: The Spyder. Taking their cue from the methods used by email spammers and the high-number of vulnerabilities present in all operating systems; a new breed of identity thieves have appeared in the hacking community. Spyders have realized the potential available in taking over the information inside your home computer or laptop beyond just copying your financial data. This is not an act done for anything as simple as money.  Instead, Spyders are looking for your email accounts and hard drive space to disguise their own, malicious activity.

 Where credit card and social security fraud have been aimed at helping a hacker obtain materials and wealth they could not otherwise get, the act of taking over your computer is committed by those who seek or already possess and want to distribute illegal materials or who want to hurt others, but not get caught. In the past, computer users have asked: Why would someone want to steal my identity? This question rose from the lack of concern that an individual had anything of value to offer a would-be thief. With this new type of identity fraud, Spyders are not concerned with their victim’s wealth, but their profiles – and everybody with a computer has one. The article, ‘The Chief’s guide to CyberNightmares and their cures,’ from the United State’s, Florida Police Department is just one example of how Spyders will invade even high-security, high-profile computer systems for the mere pleasure of causing humiliation! If the police are sending out nation-wide bulletins preparing for attacks of this nature, just imagine the danger for the rest of us!

 When you send and receive email from your computer, often times, there are records and logs showing that the email came from your computer. If you have a relative who’s under age and the Spyder in question is a pedophile, they could very well be sending letters from your email account to your friends and family in an attempt to gain access to that person. Perhaps a malicious Spyder just wants to download and distribute illegal software, but doesn’t want the police to trace it to their computer or find it on their hard drive. That’s where you – the ‘Fly,’ comes in. Amongst the different classifications of users, while there are multiple, identifying factors, the most prevalent is a person who has failed to use any level of encryption on their passwords, or uses no passwords at all. The Spyder will go so far as to monitor your computer and make sure that you’re not the type of person that engages in any questionable activities either directly or through background software (including software such as Specter Pro, designed for parents to ‘protect’ their children). This way, there’s less chance of you getting yourself into trouble, and they can continue to take advantage of your computer for a long, long period of time.

 What makes this type of identity theft so attractable to these hackers lies in the way that the current set of laws governing cyber-crimes have been established. Maybe you work in a company where you’ve had to sign an Acceptable Use Policy? One of the key elements of this policy is your password! You are told to share that password with no one, because if something happens on your computer, you are 100% responsible! The law works much in the same way: if it happens on your computer – unless you can prove otherwise – you are 100% responsible.

 The underlying problem to this is that the computer industry is so new, that computer forensics are less accurate than polygraphs, but stand up better in a court of law than samples of DNA!! One might think the authorities would be aware of this, but sadly, that’s just not the case. Making matters worse, nine out of ten times, Judges, prosecutors and even members of a jury lack the basic principal knowledge in the Information Technology field to understand just how inconclusive and non-factual the evidence really is.

 So you’re asking yourself, ‘but what does this have to do with me? Why would someone use my computer? I don’t engage in illegal activities or go to ‘risky’ web sites, so I don’t run the risk of someone finding me!’ The problem is – you’re a perfect Fly!! Your lack of illegal activities makes you more popular – and that’s how Spyders often find their victims. Think that people aren’t watching your computer? While Spyders are not what we would call, ‘big brother,’ they include: your neighbors or people driving through your neighborhood who will hack through your wireless to see if your computer is passcoded well enough; people who randomly monitor unsecured web sites that have nothing to do with illegal activity, waiting to see if an open password or plain text encryption is sent across the internet identifying you, and your computer, as their next, potential target. You can go to Wardrivers.com and see the process in action, and even download the software to do it! If you do a search on YouTube for ‘hack WEP’ (wireless encryption protocol), over 80 videos will immediately come up both showing that it can be done, and how to do it! The Internet site: www.blackhat.com has videos and step-by-step processes showing security professionals from around the world doing the very, same thing!

 On the positive side, about half of these hackers use viruses like Trojan horses or peer to peer connections to commit their illegal acts. So, if you regularly monitor your computer for these types of violations and avoid software such as peer to peer, file-sharing programs, then you’ve gone at least half way toward eliminating the threat from half the problem. But what about the rest of the hackers and their methods? Are their ways to protect yourself, or are we all doomed to be caught up in a Spyder’s ‘web?’ If it isn’t already happening to you, is it really too late to prevent it from happening? Will you find yourself being falsely accused of sending a friend spammed/virused emails or infringing on copyrights? Will you suddenly find yourself in court owing millions of dollars to some big conglomerate that says you stole their software and you have no way of proving otherwise? Remember the credit card commercials where a 40 year old male sounds like a 25 year old woman as he talks about all the great purchases he made with his credit card, including earrings, jewelry and a new car? The same holds true for you if you’re a Fly – except you could find yourself in black and white stripes, a 30 year old male speaking with the voice of a 40 year old hacker who just distributed 100 free copies of Windows – each one costing you $1.5 million dollars in copyright infringement laws.

 Next Article:

Part 2: What types of activities are Spyders involved with and are you at risk?