Internet Security firm Symantec has warned of the rise of newer types of phishing attacks, to which broadband users are particularly vulnerable.
Using modified JavaScript (a programming language used to make and run certain websites and web applications), hackers create a website which contains a malicious code which, when accessed, can access your home broadband router.
This in itself is not damaging, as what happens after this is that the code then changes the settings of your router, pointing it toward bogus websites posing as legit ones (banks, pay sites etc), which will ask you to enter security information (passwords, PIN numbers etc). The bogus sites are designed to look exactly like real ones, so that at a glance, it would be impossible to tell the difference between a scam site and an authentic one.
This form of phishing, also known as ‘pharming’ or ‘drive-by pharming’, can be stopped by potentially denying the malicious code access to your router. Refer to the owner’s manual for your machine for information on how to change your default password which will invariably be something along the lines of ‘admin’ or ‘password’. Change it to something that isn’t obvious and uses a mixture of letters and numbers.
If it is possible to change the username of the modem (sometimes changed by default to the name of the company of customer who purchased it). The harder you make it for attackers to gain access to your system, the less likely they are to bother you. As this kind of phishing attack relies on users visiting specific websites, it is a good idea to delete emails, invites, or any kind of pop-up that prompts you to visit a website you are not familiar with or sure about.
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