IT Radix SPAM Tip of the Month

Our computers are being hijacked, and we may not even know it!  The term “hijack” means to illegally seize in transit and force to a different destination or use for ones own purpose, which is exactly what is being done right under our fingertips.  Time to familiarize ourselves with a few new terms:

Clickjacking – the malicious activity of taking control of an Internet user's actions by making them click on hidden links.  A clickjackedpage tricks a user into performing undesired actions by clicking on a concealed link.  On a clickjacked page, the attackers load another page over it in a transparent layer.  The users think that they are clicking visible buttons, while they are actually performing actions on the hidden page.  The hidden page may be an authentic page, therefore the attackers can trick users into performing actions which the users never intended.  There is no way of tracing such actions to the attackers later, as the users would have been genuinely authenticated on the hidden page.

Cursorjacking – Cursorjacking is a clickjacking scam that displaces the cursor from the location the user perceives.

Likejacking – Likejacking is a clickjacking scam perpetrated through Facebook by exploiting the Facebook "Like" button.  In likejacking, scammers share a compelling video, image or discount deal by clicking "Like."  This posts the deal on all of the user's friends' Facebook feeds, thus spreading the scam.  The more people "Like" the post, the more it spreads.  Although the effect of these scams is not clear, some Internet security experts believe that scammers may be looking to gain access to a Facebook account or to users' personal information.

So…be careful what you click on!  IT Radix is here to help you avoid being hijacked!