CyberDefender offers tips to protect teens and their families

With school out and teens spending more time searching online for videos and celebrity news, teens are more likely to become victim to malware that redirects their search results to fraudulent scam pages.

LOS ANGELES, June 29, 2010 -- CyberDefender Corporation (NASDAQ: CYDE), an Internet security solutions provider of security software and remote PC repair services, today warned parents of the increasing threat from scams and malware traps aimed at teens. With school out and teens spending more leisure time searching online for videos promoting popular movies and celebrity news, teens are more likely to become victim this summer to malware that redirects their search results to fraudulent scam pages.

“Cyber criminals have increasingly focused on youth, realizing their naiveté,” said Chief Information Officer of CyberDefender, Igor Barash. “Teens will search any rumor about Justin Bieber, the 16-year-old singing sensation, or comb the search engines for news about upcoming teen flicks like ‘Eclipse,’ the new Twilight franchise movie, and cyber criminals know that."

Identity theft is creating more than $50 billion in consumer and corporate losses a year, according to Identity Theft Daily, a newsletter that follows the issue. Every login represents an opportunity for data and money to be stolen. Proper security software protection on home computers and education for the kids is key to preventing an attack, says Barash.

CyberDefender offers the latest tips to protect teens and their families:

• If you download movies or videos clips, make sure they’re from well-known and trusted sources.

Unreleased movies are not available for legitimate download for months after their release. In addition to being illegal, these pre-release downloads often carry viruses or spyware. Be especially cautious when asked for your credit card information.

• Don’t click on search results for images of celebrities unless you can verify where the image is coming from.

More and more rogue spyware directs consumers from image search results to links that take the unsuspecting user to web pages that offer free anti-virus or anti-spyware, but actually download malware – viruses, antispyware and other malicious software.

• When searching for popular movies or celebrities, know how to spell names correctly.

Slightly mistyped names can present search results with bad Web sites. Typo “squatters,” as they’re called, will often buy URL’s with slightly different spelling to capture unsuspecting visitors. They might drop malware on your computer just from visiting the site (drive-by download), or request personal information for financial gain.

• Purchase your gear from well-respected online retailers.

Reputable online retailers such as eBay and Amazon.com will monitor phishing and impersonations of their Web sites. They will look for typo squatters and other cybercriminals that are responsible for fraud and take them down.

• Be wary of clicking on links in Twitter—shortened links make it difficult to confirm legitimate and recognized Web sites.

Twitter allows users to post shortened URLs, making it easier for users to keep the messages within the prescribed character limit. URL shortening is similar to URL re-direction and can be abused by malware authors.

• Entering a contest online? Here’s what to look for to make sure it’s legit:

Make sure that the Web site for the contest specifies that it encrypts your data when sending it over the Internet. In this case the URL starts with “https” instead of “http.” Additionally, some Web sites have the trust seal issued by VeriSign to Web sites that meet its standards. You should be able to click on the VeriSign Trust Seal that opens up a window displaying information about the company you are about to do business with. Always check the URL to verify that you are on the Web site you think you are visiting. You can also copy the domain name and verify the ownership using tools that can be found online. These tools will give you information about the domain you are visiting.

Comprehensive security software such as CyberDefender Early Detection Center (EDC) will go a long way toward keeping home PCs safe, even if the user occasionally goes to a hacked site. All CyberDefender security suites are also connected to CyberDefender’s peer-to-peer network, assuring that the PC receives regular security updates and blocks malware threats identified by the company.

“We estimate that 55% of online users are already infected with spyware. To maximize security, we urge consumers to ask for professional assistance in identifying system issues and installing any new software,” says security expert Brian Yoder. “An on-call service such as CyberDefender Tech-on-Call will remotely scan the entire system to find any other unrelated hardware issues and correct them first and then properly install the security package.”

Source: www.cyberdefendercorp.com