Information Protection and Security

The government agency that insures US banks has warned its members to be on the lookout for an increase in money mules used to launder money that's been electronically stolen from deposit accounts. In a memo issued last week, the federal deposit insurance corporation told member banks the mules can often be spotted by common characteristics. 

“Without the help of O’Hara and Perez, the Madoff fraud would not have been possible,” said George S. Canellos, the director of the S.E.C.’s New York Regional Office. “They used their special computer skills to create sophisticated, credible and entirely phony trading records that were critical to the success of Madoff’s scheme for so many years.”
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The age-old tactic of fooling users into downloading fake and malicious antivirus software is still on the rise, and cyber-criminals are now more cunning than ever. To learn more, and for 4 tips for avoiding the threat.
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Customers of several banks and at least one credit union in southeastern Wisconsin, as well as one credit union in Hawaii, report receiving automated phone messages that appear to be coming from their institution, telling them their debit card has been compromised. It then prompts the customer to enter their card information.

Scam email messages being generated at a rate of 1,000 per minute.

Phony LinkedIn invitation from 'Bill Gates' lands in smartphone inboxes.
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 Yesterday I received a "hot tip" from a friend in the form of an email offering a free laptop from Sony-Ericsson if I forwarded the offer to 8 people on my address list.  I'd get even a better laptop if I sent it to 20.  Too good to be true, right?  Right!  A quick visit to snopes.com answered my question and straightened out my friend.  Not only was there no laptop, but the person's name on the offer never existed.  It was a pretty picture of a nice laptop!  Urban legends, they're also in email.  Check before you send, or you might be sorry!  Stop. Think. Secure IT!

"This is a very, very unusual event. My message in terms of meeting people from the internet is 'please do not do it unless you are absolutely certain it is safe'."

A triple-payload e-mail attack that uses a fake shipping confirmation notice with a supposed attached label is making the rounds, according to Webroot.
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