Press Releases & News
E-Xmas cards are a front for online crime, warns internet security firm AVG Technologies
Amsterdam, December 8th,2008 - Employees working for growing businesses are opening e-Xmas cards without being aware those cards might be ‘phishing’ for personal information or bearing computer viruses, a new questionnaire-based survey of 200 staff working at small businesses has found.
According to the survey, conducted by international internet security company AVG Technologies, criminals are deliberately trading on people’s trusting nature, abusing e-card sites to illegally access private personal data or corrupt users’ PCs.
The dangers to smaller businesses are real. The survey found that 70 per cent had not been warned by their employers to take extreme caution opening electronic Xmas cards.
This is worrying, as three quarters of the staff surveyed (74%) admitted they would ‘automatically’ open an e-card if it appeared to be from a friend or colleague.
While only a quarter (22%) of the 200 SME employees polled by AVG planned to send an e-Xmas card this year, 64 per cent had sent or received one in the past.
Of the 74% who would automatically open an e-card, nearly half (49%) said they were unaware that an e-card could contain a threat even if it came, or appeared to come, from a trusted source. Eighty percent of staff polled by AVG called for their employer to remind them more regularly about the dangers of opening E-Xmas cards.
Mike Foreman, Managing Director AVG Technologies UK, says at Xmas people must take extra care.
“Criminals are using e-greetings cards to deliver viruses and other security threats to the computers of their unsuspecting victims. Because the e-cards often appear to be sent from an email address owned by a trusted party, usually a friend or relative, they fool the recipient into opening them.”
Mike added:
One of the common e-card scams is that the terms and conditions on some websites offering e-card services allow the company to send emails to everyone in your address book as well as the intended recipient. “We therefore recommend you make sure you know what you are agreeing to and if in any doubt, don’t open the e-card or click on the link.” According to AVG, an estimated 500 million e-cards and greetings will be sent this Christmas.
About AVG Technologies
www.avg.co.uk
AVG is a global security solutions leader protecting 85 million consumers and small business computer users in 167 countries from the ever-growing incidence of web threats, viruses, spam, cyber-scams and hackers on the Internet. Headquartered in Amsterdam, AVG has nearly two decades of experience in combating cyber crime and one of the most advanced laboratories for detecting, pre-empting and combating Web-borne threats from around the world. Its free online, downloadable software model allows entry-level users to gain basic anti-virus protection and then to easily and inexpensively upgrade to greater levels of safety and defense in both single and multi-user environments. Nearly 6,000 resellers, partners and distributors team with AVG globally including Amazon.com, CNET, Cisco, Ingram Micro, Play.com, Wal-Mart, and Yahoo!.
PR contacts:
Robert van der Meulen
Robert@citysavvy.com
+44 207 395 1000
+44 791 777 5164