The Bree Tanner book comes out June 5th and our friends over at PC Tools know it will only be a matter of time before cybercriminals use the book as baitand then harm fans’ computers. PC Tools kindly sent over the following information. Please take the time to read it, as it also explains other Twilight related scams.
Cybercriminals are leveraging the viral nature of PDFs by inserting
malware into a PDF’s Java Script. As Java Scripting makes PDF documents
more engaging, it provides cybercriminals access into hacking your
computer. Symantec recently reported that Poison PDF attacks skyrocketed
in 2009 to represent 49 percent of web-based attacks.Security software companies, like PC Tools, combat the malware and
threats consumers face each day. Statistics show that there are 30 – 50
new threats each day. Consumers need to run the latest security software
to protect their computers and mobile devices.
What can you do to protect your computer? PC Tools recommends the following steps:
FIVE WAYS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM THE VAMPIRE BYTE!
* DON’T BE FOOLED BY FAKES - If a virus alert or book download site pops
up on your computer screen, don’t click on it. Close the alert and run
your antivirus software. In April Google reported on its analysis of 240
million web pages which uncovered over 11,000 domains involved in Fake
AV distribution – about 15% of the malware domains detected on the web
during a 13-month period.* KNOW WHAT YOU’RE GETTING INTO - If you download a book, application or
other types of files, save it on your computer and scan it before
opening. Never click on the “run” program option. PC Tools Internet
Security(tm) or Spyware Doctor(tm) with AntiVirus can scan your computer
to make sure any file you download is safe.* PROTECT YOURSELF FROM POISON - While PC Tools recommends only opening
e-book PDF’s from people you trust, if you have to open a PDF file with
your reader, make sure you disable the Java Script on your PDF reader
since cybercriminals poison PDF’s by inserting the malware into a PDF’s
Java Script* STAY IN SAFE PLACES – Be careful of book download domains that are not
.net or .com. International domains like those for Russia (.ru) are
frequently used by cybercriminals wanting to avoid prosecution in the
USA and UK. Also, stay away from torrents and other freeware sharing
sites.PC Tools(tm) Browser Guard on products like PC Tools Internet Security
or Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus can tell you which places are not safe.* X MARKS THE MALWARE – Be careful with links with an .exe suffix since
.exe means an executable program that could be malware.The following examples are past threats associated with Stephenie Meyer
and Twilight related searches. PC Tools will provide new threat updates
surrounding the upcoming release of “Eclipse” movie due out on June 30.THE VAMPIRE BYTE SEARCH ENGINE SCAM
* This scam targeted users searching “Stephenie Meyer”
* A result for “Stephenie Meyer at 365Multimedia.com” returned with a
description of “Stephenie Meyer interview on Twilight the movie starring
Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart”* When clicked on, this link redirected users to a window informing them
that they are infected with malware and they are then advised to
download a phony antivirus software product to get rid of the infection.* As Victims downloaded and installed the phony antivirus software they
are asked for credit card information* Malware was then installed on the user’s computer and any financial
information entered is sent off to cybercriminals
THE STREAMVIEWER TWILIGHT SCAM* Fans were baited with websites, chatrooms and blogs that read: “Watch
New Moon Full Movie.” Concurrently, comment posts are filled with
related keywords to attract more search engines.* Search results for the movie then linked users to stolen images from
the movie itself, convincing the fan that the movie is only one click
away.* When victims clicked on the “movie player” they were told to install a
“streamviewer”* The streamviewer, however, installed malware on the user’s compute
Our own recommendation: only read the Bree Tanner book on the official site: http://www.breetanner.com/. The book will be available to read for free from June 7th until July 5th on the official site. If you can’t read it by then, don’t risk your computer and do not download .pdf files from other sources, even if they are forums or communities you trust.
Big thanks to PC Tools for this information!
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