Norton Fights On New Frontiers Against Online Crime

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 21st April 2011 - More than ever, users in the Middle East are using new gadgets for entertainment, to communicate with friends and family, and to perform their jobs. Thanks to technological advances, streaming movies, downloading music and emailing can be done with the tap of a finger.
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, the makers of Norton Internet Security, recently released its sixteenth Internet Security Threat Report. Among the top findings, the report revealed that mobile devices and social networks are among the hot new targets for crooks looking to make a quick buck.
Two of the most popular technology trends over the last couple of years are the ever-increasing use of mobile devices, like smartphones and tablet computers, and social networks. Together, the improvements have allowed people to broadcast information and interact with their friends and family, anywhere and anytime. According to the SymantecSymantecSymantec Corporation
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 report, of the total number of dangerous links found on social networking sites, 66 percent of them were hiding in shortened links.
Unfortunately, while new devices and new ways of connecting have made getting online much easier, they're also providing cybercriminals with new, creepy ways of targeting victims. As more people use their "smart" devices to access the Internet and stay up-to-date with their social networks, online thieves have more opportunities to steal personal information, which can then be used or traded for their financial gain.
One of the latest scams involves cybercriminals taking popular smartphone applications (or "apps"), and creating "poisoned" versions. The versions may look like the originals, but after unsuspecting users have downloaded them, a number of things can happen - potentially damaging or dangerous software may be installed onto your phone, unnecessary personal information may be requested, or the application (and the cybercriminals controlling it) may be able to see, and even control, all of your mobile phone activity.
"Many people aren't even aware that these kinds of mobile threats exist," said Tamim Taufiq, Head of Consumer Sales MENA. "Taking precaution can be as simple as using a mobile security application and sticking to legitimate app marketplaces."
On social networks, once a cybercriminal has access to someone's account, they can post links to other websites on the victim's profile. These links will show up on the news feeds of the victim's family and friends and lead them to infected sites with viruses and other nasty items. The popularity of using shortened links also works in the scammers' favor, since people aren't able to easily tell if the link connects to a "bad" site.
Whether you are on a mobile phone, social network or just surfing the Web at home, it's important to remember that cybercrooks are constantly stepping up both the complexity of their attacks and the ways they target victims.
Here are some tips you can follow to protect yourself:

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