Just when I thought I knew everything about identity theft, I was introduced to a new term: Crimeware. Crimeware is software that’s sole purpose is to help identity thieves steal information for financial or political purposes. It’s different from spyware or the run of the mill virus that is used either to track activity for selling ads or to just mess with your machine.
There are five classes of software that earn the Crimeware distinction:
1. Keystroke loggers that can capture passwords and other personal information as you type them in
2. Programs that can make your Internet browser redirect from a legitimate site to a counterfeit one without your noticing
3. Software that can search through your browser’s cache to find passwords
4. Programs that can take money out of your account when you’re connected to your online banking provider
5. Software that can give thieves VPN access to your machine so they can type on it from their computers as if they were sitting at your desk
Of course, no one would willingly install any of this software on their machines. So how does it get there? The sad truth to this is that in most cases you downloaded it yourself. Thieves often bundle this software with other files they distribute via peer to peer networks or as free downloads on less than legitimate websites.
If you don’t download files from third party sites, you can still get the software if you open email attachments from questionable sources. You may think you’re simply looking at a photo or video while all the while the Crimeware is making itself comfortable on your C drive.
Antivirus software can take care of some of the Crimeware problems you may encounter, but since thieves know people scan their machines they are constantly changing the programs to make them less vulnerable. So, yes, do that monthly or weekly scan and keep your virus protection package up to date. But that should not be your only line of protection.
The next thing you should do to keep Crimeware off your machine is stay out of peer to peer networks and stop downloading attachments unless you know and trust the person sending them to you. Even if the email looks harmless, or says something sweet like “I love you,†that doesn’t mean it gives you permission to open it.
Sometimes your antivirus will even tell you that an email is suspicious. Take this as a red flag to delete it. If it says it is from Aunt Sue, just give her a call and tell her what happened. I’m sure that she will understand, and most likely not remember sending you an email. When a virus takes over someone’s computer it often takes control of the person’s email address book and sends messages that appear to be from them but really aren’t. She may even thank you for alerting her to the fact that she needs to clean up her machine.
Another big source for Crimeware is, er, adult sites and any other sites that you go to that have about a billion popup windows. Stay away from these and run a virus scan immediately if you visit one by accident.
Finally, get extra protection, meaning an identity theft protection package. Not sure what that is? Don’t worry. We can help. Learn about identity protection by reading our article – Identity Protection – Do I Really Need It? or simply visit our homepage to compare identity theft protection services. Links to full reviews of the best identity protection companies are provided on these pages.