FIFA World Cup 2014 is one of the biggest sports season and hackers take advantage of the internet users' lack of judgment to steal personal information. Here are a few tips on how to stay digitally secure while enjoying the World Cup.
As the FIFA World Cup 2014 takes the world by storm, it's also the time when most hackers seize the opportunity to launch attacks in the form of scams and malware; phishing attacks elevate. While people are busy looking for sites where they can stream live games on the work PC without having to miss a moment of the excitement, their computers generally fall victim to several Trojans and viruses. Guillaume Lovet, senior manager of the FortiGuard Labs' Threat Response Team shared a few thoughts with PC World reporter Tony Bradley, about how football fans can prevent their systems from being infected by such viruses.
First off, Lovet suggests fans refrain from opening unsolicited mails that claim you have won tickets to a World Cup match. Such mails are very likely to contain malware. Sometimes mails are also sent out claiming to contain a link that offers free live streaming. Lovet suggests avoiding anything that looks too good to be true. He also requests users not to fall prey to retailers offering discounted world cup tickets.
"If you discover an online store that's offering unbelievable specials for tickets, do some digging to make sure it's a legitimate store and not a false front that will disappear later that day along with your credit card information," Lovet warned. "Even if they are legitimate, you'll want to make sure their site hasn't been unknowingly compromised by SQL injection or other server attacks."
Another common occurrence during the tournament is identity theft. Attackers usually send users notifications claiming a large transaction with regards to the World Cup has been approved and under process along with a link to check the transaction status. As the curious users click on the link, it directs to a spoofed website asking for confidential information like name and bank account details.
Lovet also advises to stay away from unsecured Wi-Fi hotspots, especially for users who are in Brazil for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Using such hotspots makes it easier for attackers in the range to capture sensitive information and confidential data.
Earlier last week, the FTC also warned people of World Cup 2014 ticket scams. Listed below are some of the guidelines to stay protected.
- Verify the source to make sure it's legitimate. If in doubt, contact the FIFA ticketing office at mailto:enforcement@match-ag.com.
- Pay by credit card, which gives you a chance to dispute the charges should something go wrong.
- Never wire money - once sent, there's no way to get it back.
- Go online to check the seller's reputation, including running the company's name through a search engine with the words "review," "scam" or "complaint."
- Stay away from travel packages that "guarantee" tickets, since FIFA did not authorize any tour.
