Cybercriminals targetting PDA, smartphone users

Customers accessing websites using personal digital assistant or smart phones -- beware -- an increasing number of cybercriminals are targetting them for financial gain, convincing them to purchase 'rogue' software.

This was against the earlier trend of cybercriminals accessing personal computers of individuals for financial gain, says a study.

"With an increase in smart phones, the number of cyber criminals targeting users has increased globally.They convince users to download software, but many PDA phone or smartphone users do not know it is false or rogue security software,", Shantanu Ghosh, vice-president (engineering), Veritas Software India, subsidiary of US based Symantec Corporation told PTI.

He quoted a study by Symantec Corporation during July 2008-June 2009 period, which said cybercriminals use various online tactics enabling customers to purchase 'rogue security software'.

To a query, Shanthanu said cybercriminals could be in some remote destination and still access computers or smartphones through the internet to attract customers.

"It would create a false claim urging the user to follow a link to scan their computer or get software to remove the threat. But users will not know whether their computer or phone has been affected," he said.

"About 800 personal computers get accessed from remote destinations every day in India," he said.

Ghosh said the company has come out with security software for mobile phones and computers and added that there was a need to create more awareness among the public in this regard.

He said many people have started using mobile phones for financial transactions. "Usage of mobile banking facilities has gone up these days and stealing vital details of customers can also be done by cybercriminals".

"On such occasions, usage of trusted security software, either for a mobile phone or for a computer comes in handy and people need to know that such facilities do exist", he said. To ensure that companies offer protected smart phones to their employees, many enterprises now prefer genuine security software so that the device or any vital information cannot be accessed by cyber criminals, he said.