As the world is in concern over the recent Ebola outbreak, people all over are searching the internet for information about it. In Nicole Perlroth's article, she raises her concern about the rise of Ebola themed emails that have been sent out anonymously to target host computers. It's not uncommon for hackers to take advantage of events in order to take over these computer, but this epidemic is much larger than any other. These cyber-criminals are able to take advantage of the many people who are worried about this virus and infect their computers. In order for people to believe their emails, they say it is from an important organization such as the World Health Organization. Then, once the host opens the email it offers safety tips for preventing Ebola. Once the user has downloads the "safety tips," that is when the host becomes infected with the virus. Perlroth has stated the virus can "grab shots off the victim's webcam, record sounds from their computer's microphone, take control of their desktop remotely, modify and upload files and steal passwords." (Perlroth, 3) That is a lot to handle for any one virus and a very scary one at the least.
In another article from an unknown author, he describes how people have become more aware of cyber attacks. This is why cyber-criminals have started using email as a way of sending phishing emails that have a heading with the most "trending" topics. They specifically design these emails to look as if they were from a professional organization such as the WHO or even CNN. (Tech2 News Staff, 2) The author also published an image (shown below) of one of the emails that attempted to infect a computer.
In another article from an unknown author, he describes how people have become more aware of cyber attacks. This is why cyber-criminals have started using email as a way of sending phishing emails that have a heading with the most "trending" topics. They specifically design these emails to look as if they were from a professional organization such as the WHO or even CNN. (Tech2 News Staff, 2) The author also published an image (shown below) of one of the emails that attempted to infect a computer.
With all of that being said, all I can say is "Wow!" Personally, I am impressed with how these people are able to get people to click their links. I usually never open up any sort of file unless I know it is from a trusted person or website. Usually, big organizations such as the WHO or any government systems do not send emails to anyone, but their workers. I say if you are not part of the organization and you are receiving emails from these people, how can you expect them to be legitimate. One big question that gets me is how they obtained your email address in the first place? They must have a random generator that randomizes emails and sends the same email over again or maybe they just hacked into a database with thousands of emails to different people. If this is true, it is scary how an average person can get into these pools of data where all your personal information is stored. They can find out where you live, your phone number or even your bank account numbers. In my conclusion, these emails are a very high risk for people who are not careful when opening and downloading files, but they can easily be prevented if can tell if it is fake.
This post doesn't necessarily relate to my previous posts. The issue of this online epidemic is it's own problem that just happened to be started by this recent Ebola outbreak. The major difference is that this online virus can spread way faster and further than the real thing.
Nicole Perlroth is a credible source because she specifically writes about technology for The New York Times. She is mainly interested in covering cyber security and privacy, so she has experience in this field of technology. She is also a graduate of Princeton University and Stanford University's Graduate School of Journalism.
This post doesn't necessarily relate to my previous posts. The issue of this online epidemic is it's own problem that just happened to be started by this recent Ebola outbreak. The major difference is that this online virus can spread way faster and further than the real thing.
Nicole Perlroth is a credible source because she specifically writes about technology for The New York Times. She is mainly interested in covering cyber security and privacy, so she has experience in this field of technology. She is also a graduate of Princeton University and Stanford University's Graduate School of Journalism.
Perlroth, Nicole. "Malicious Ebola-Themed Emails Are on the Rise." The New York Times. Bits, 24 Oct. 2014. Web. 9 Nov. 2014.
Tech2 News Staff. "Ebola Virus Being Used as Bait to Spread Malware: Symantec." Firstpost. TECH2, 19 Aug. 2014. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
Tech2 News Staff. "Ebola Virus Being Used as Bait to Spread Malware: Symantec." Firstpost. TECH2, 19 Aug. 2014. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.