FIFA World Cup 2014: Watch out for Malware Attacks and Scams!

Around the world, while billions of fans are anticipating the biggest sporting event in the world, malware artists are webbing plans to turn soccer fans into victims. The FIFA World Cup 2014 is two weeks away, and scammers are all prepped up to launch a fresh wave of attacks.

Who’s At Risk?

– The primary targets of attackers for this event are fans who are traveling to Brazil for the event. For these fans, searching for tickets online, hotel reservations, and other information about World Cup 2014 would be a natural course of action – a perfect opportunity for online scammers. Several phishing websites have already come up that look deceivingly professional and legitimate. For a normal user, telling these fakes sites from the original ones can be impossible or extremely difficult. It has been reported that, many of these sites have URLs that begin with ‘https’ (which is supposed to be an indication of a secure connection). So, landing on any of these sites and giving away personal or financial information can be very lucrative for an online scammer.

– Another target group for attackers are followers of campaigns and promotional events surrounding the World Cup. This group usually fall prey to scams through fake free tickets and fake giveaways. In most cases, these fans receive emails containing links to websites containing the free ticket, or simply an attachment of the ticket. Clicking these links will either redirect them to a phishing website or websites that will drop a malware infection in the user’s computer. And downloading any of these attachments makes this process even easier.

What can you do?

As mentioned earlier, it may be impossible for a normal user to tell a spoofed, phishing site from a real one. So, visiting a website assuming it to be safe and legitimate, might be risky. Instead, being proactive and vigilant will serve to be a better defense strategy against any World Cup scam. Here are some tips and facts that may help you enjoy the event without getting scammed.

#1. Treat every mail that talks about the World Cup 2014 with suspicion, especially those about offers, prizes, lottery, and tickets.

#2. Note that www.FIFA.com is the only authorized source from where you can get tickets for the event. Do not trust other websites or third parties claiming to do the same.

#3. FIFA has not authorized any tickets as a part of any travel packages to Brazil or elsewhere.

#4. As the event is nearing, tickets are soaring in prices. So, watch out for advertisements, popup ads, websites or emails offering tickets at a discounted rate.

#5. If you should visit any site, do not give away any personal or financial information.

#6. Although, usually websites having ‘https’ in their URLs are secure, this might not be the case here.

#7. Be wary of Facebook posts that claim to get you free tickets or footage of the World Cup. Do not click such posts or share them with your friends.

#8. Always download songs, wallpapers, etc., from official websites and trusted sources.

#9 . Do not respond to any text messages about World Cup 2014 from unknown numbers.

Have your computer and mobile devices secured with a reliable security software that offers multiple layers of defense and protection against spam, phishing, malicious websites, malware infection, etc.

Quick Heal Total Security significantly reduces the risk of you landing on a phishing site or a site containing malicious codes. Besides other advanced features, it offers real-time protection from phishing, fake, and compromised sites. So, your team may or may not tackle its way to victory, but we make sure that hackers never do.

Rajiv Singha