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Security News
Avira warns: sport events are a paradise for cyber criminals
Tue, 03 June 2008
The days when hackers and spammers spread their harmful and nasty content by email is in the past. During the international sporting events Avira recommends users to be particularly careful.
Tettnang, 3 June 2008 – When soccer fever is rife in Europe and the fans are cheering for their countries at the Olympic Games, cyber criminals have been in their starting blocks for some time. Popular mass events such as the European Football Championship or the Olympic Games are perfect occasions for online criminals to spread undesired content. “The Internet is the most important source for information when we want current news and sport results”, explains Tjark Auerbach, founder and CEO of Avira. “Commercial spam emails that are bound to special events such as the EM 2008 or the Olympic Games, are rapidly spreading.“
Spammers have other methods to spread harmful code besides sending infected emails, for instance through Instant Messaging (Spim), Weblogs, SMS or fake services to optimize search engines (Spamdexing). Another threat for users are websites that take advantage of vulnerabilities from older software to infiltrate Trojans”, adds Mr. Auerbach. “We call these drive-by-downloads. Avira’s integrated WebGuard and the heuristic module which has special protection against websites, comprehensively protects the user from these dangers.”
Avira’s heuristic module reports HTML files and script files that include encrypted information with suspicious functionality and offers reliable protection against drive-by-downloads. The analysis is based on the composition of the file, on the order of significant code sequences and on special bahavior samples. Suspicious functionality can be, for instance, the download of Trojans, linking to other infected sites, spying on the user or faking relevant bank content. “Because of the repeated attacks on web servers, the owners should examine their websites for vulnerabilities“, recommends Auerbach. “Users should preserve a natural level of caution and distrust and never open attached files or links from dubious senders.”
About Avira
Avira is a worldwide leading supplier of self-developed security solutions for professional and private use. With more than 20 years of experience, the company is one of the pioneers in this field.
The security expert has several locations in Germany and partnerships in Europe, Asia and America. At its headquarters in Tettnang near Lake Constance, Avira is one of the region’s largest employers with more than 180 employees. Worldwide more than 250 persons are employed and their work regularly wins awards. Avira AntiVir Personal, used by millions of private users, represents a significant contribution to security.
Avira’s national and international customers include renowned corporations listed on the stock exchange but also educational institutions and public authorities. In addition to protection of the virtual environment, Avira also provides for more protection and security in the real world by supporting the Auerbach Foundation. Founded by the founder of the company, the Auerbach Foundation promotes charitable and social projects as well as the arts, culture and science.
Company contact:
Avira GmbH
Juliane Brielmaier
Lindauer Str. 21
D-88069 Tettnang
Tel.: +49 (0) 7542-500 252
Fax: +49 (0) 7542-525 10
Email:
Contact for the press:
LEWIS Global PR
Elisabeth Rothbart
Baierbrunner Str. 15
D-81379 München
Tel.: +49 (0) 89 1730 19 33
Fax: +49 (0) 89 1730 19 99
Email: avira@lewispr.com
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