14 DAY TRIAL // The security of our computers is a continuous problem for both users and security companies because more and more hackers are starting malicious attacks. Symantec released a security advisory sustaining the hackers are currently selling a credit card number, date of birth or other sensitive information for $14 on the Internet. Symantec reported that hackers are using the vulnerabilities discovered in different applications installed on an attacked computer trying to exploit the security flaws directly from a remote connection.
"U.S.-based credit cards with a card verification number were available for US$1 to $6, while an identity - including a U.S. bank account, credit card, date of birth and government-issued identification number - was available for between $14 to $18," Symantec sustained in the security advisory according to Macworld. "A business isn't going to say 'We will no longer accept Office documents received via email. I think productivity would go through the floor at that point. Unfortunately, this is where the security requirement and the business requirement do really clash," said Ollie Whitehouse, a security architect at Symantec according to the same publication.
So, it's obvious our computers' security is threatened by more and more malicious attempts started by hackers located in every corner of the world. Some time ago, another security report sustained Russia is the country that stores the biggest number of hackers, most of the attacks being started from this country. Yesterday, Viruslist announced the rankings have somehow changed because most of the hacker attacks are now launched from the US with 31 percent of the illegal activity, followed by China and Germany.
Most users think it's enough to install an antivirus bundled with a firewall application to secure the computer, but this new security advisory is not arguing with the above statement: we're not secure as long as our applications are vulnerable to attacks.