Released: October 27, 2005
Don’t Get Tricked by ‘Zombies’ This Halloween
Consumer Action, the Federal Trade Commission and Microsoft Warn Consumers to Safeguard Their Computers
A joint release from Consumer Action, the Federal Trade Commission and Microsoft
What evil haunts your computer? Internet users beware: Zombies are among us. Timing their effort to coincide with national Cyber Security Awareness Month and Halloween, Consumer Action, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Microsoft are urging consumers to protect themselves from the threat of "zombies," computers infected with malicious code so they can be controlled remotely for illegal purposes. Through technological trickery, criminals use these unconscious accomplices to send illegal spam, launch "phishing" campaigns to steal personal information, attack Web sites and computers and engage in other illegal activities.
Unlike the zombies in B-movies, which are easily identifiable by their gruesome appearance and menacing groans, zombie computers stalk silently. People who use the Internet may never know that their computers have been compromised and turned into a conduit for sending millions of pieces of illegal spam or facilitating other crimes. More than half of all spam is sent through infected computers, according to industry reports.
Ken McEldowney, Consumer Action's executive director, notes that people can take steps to protect themselves, but that raising awareness of the threat of zombies is a first step. "You can learn how to protect yourself from these insidious threats," McEldowney said. "We always stress safety around Halloween. This October, we want to emphasize online safety, too. There are some simple things people can do to help protect their computers, and we're encouraging people to take those steps."
Internet users should follow these steps to prevent their computers from becoming zombies:
- Use a firewall to help protect their computer from hacking attacks while it is connected to the Internet
- Get computer security updates or use the Automatic Updates feature to help shield their computer from viruses, worms and other threats;
- Use up-to-date anti-virus software to help protect themselves from new threats;
- Get anti-spyware software, and beware of trickery to get them to download and install unwanted and sometimes destructive software, such as music or file-sharing programs and free games; and,
- Be cautious about opening any attachment or downloading files, and never open attachments from people they do not know.