CeBIT 2009: In the sights of the cyber mafia
G Data warns trade fair visitors against spy attacks and data theft
The theft and trade in confidential company information is a lucrative business for cyber criminals. Huge fairs, such as CeBIT in Hannover, offer the perpetrators an enormous hunting ground. I.e. big business for cyber gangs, who, according to the assessments of G Data, will, in particular, be targeting the owners of netbooks and notebooks at Hannover. The criminals' scam: data thieves create their own access points and happily pose as the providers of free hotspots at airports, stations and trade fairs. Thus the criminals are free to intercept the entire data traffic. In principal, G Data advises against use of an unsecured WLAN. To minimize the consequences of the theft of a computer in worst case scenario, a backup should be mandatory prior to travel for all CeBIT visitors. Likewise, users should in general encrypt sensitive data on the hard disk - thus corporate secrets remain effectively protected against criminal access.
„For online criminals, data trade is a business that is worth millions. The price depends on the quality of the data - thus unsorted data packets with several hundred megabytes change hands for less than 50 dollars. Of course, for important business data the value is significantly higher. If the criminals do manage to get hold of sensitive data such as construction plans, research results, customer lists or business plans, then in individual cases, a couple of million is not an unreasonable profit,“ says Ralf Benzmüller, manager G Data Security Labs.
Three tips for CeBIT visitors:
1. Be careful when using public WLANs
For attackers it is easy to pose as a WLAN hotspot and read all the data from totally unsuspecting victims. If sensitive data is to be transmitted at all, it should only be sent in encrypted format. Where possible, all data traffic should be transported via a secure VPN tunnel or a UMTS connection. Both can only be intercepted with disproportionate effort.
2. Data encryption
Users of mobile computers should choose a high-performance encryption software, or set Vista's BitLocker function, in order to make data on the machine unusable to thieves. When doing so, sufficiently long and complex passwords must be used. This also applies to data on USB sticks and hard disks. The physical loss of a device can be painful, but compared with the consequences arising from the loss of sensitive data its effect is insignificant.
Data hygiene and backups: If you want to be really safe, all data which is not required when travelling should be deleted.
3. Physically protecting data
A cable lock should be in every notebook bag. This will at least stop opportunistic thieves, who would happily grab the machine while walking past. Moreover, mobile computers should not be left unattended, even temporarily. Particularly sensitive data should not be saved on the machine itself, rather, for example, on USB sticks or compact removable hard disks, which the user can continuously carry with him and use only when he has to access the data they contain.
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Ignacio Heras
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