Free stuff on the internet

Many sites on the internet offer free stuff to users. Everything from free movies and music to screensavers and desktop wallpaper are offered. Cybercriminals see this as an opportunity to induce the computer user to download malicious software onto their computer and have the program executed when they run the movie/music/image. Another popular way of infecting people’s computers is to infect movies and music through peer-to-peer networks. Many of these sites and services are created by criminals with the intention of drawing internet users to their site so they may infect their computers with malicious software.

How does this work?

Downloading free movies and music by bit torrent software is against the law; however, criminals know attaching malicious software (malware) to the downloaded files is a quick and easy way of infecting a lot of user’s computers very quickly. This malware allows a person located elsewhere in the world the opportunity to take total control of your computer and provides access to all your photos and personal files.

Screensavers and desktop wallpaper are also known ways of infecting a person’s computer. Some criminals create “fan sites” of celebrities knowing there is a large market for people downloading photos of their favourite celebrities. They have previously attached malicious software to the photos knowing they will be downloaded.

Another trick cybercriminal’s use is to create “helpful programs” to clean up your computer, provide security, speed up your processor or keep you safe online. These may appear on your computer through “pop-ups” when the user is alerted there is a virus on their device and the program can delete the virus and keep it safe. The user downloads the program after paying the fees without understanding there was no virus and the program itself is malicious software.

Many instances are known of people downloading free music/ movies with malicious software attached and then doing their internet banking and having their user name and password stolen. Alternatively, the malicious software can incorporate a key logger which records the keys pressed on the keyboard and then send them in a file to the offender. Should you bring work home and use an infected computer, then potentially all this work ends up being viewed by professional cyber criminals.

How do I protect myself?

• Before considering downloading these programs, do your homework and keep only to reputable software. Do not trust pop up messages.
• Understand one of the easiest ways to compromise your computer is to offer people “free stuff” on the internet.