Top 5 email security blowups of 2008 involve major personalities

Stan Beer
Tuesday, 21 October 2008 10:47

Your IT - Home IT

Email security company Proofpoint has listed some of the more sensational email events of 2008. Among other things, three  of the email security incidents involve some of the world's most high profile personalities.

The top 5 email mishaps are listed below:

1) Phishing Fiasco

In September, it was reported that cyber-criminals were launching fake sites for charities and asking unsuspecting consumers for donations to help in the hurricane disaster efforts. With any phishing site, people can be tricked and treated into revealing financial information and often discover the fraud after it is too late.

The Proofpoint Attack Response Center reports that "themed" phishing attacks continue with the latest threats preying on consumer concerns around the global financial crisis.

2) Preying on Palin's email

A hacker breached the personal Yahoo! account of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and revealed portions of its content on a site called Wikileaks. Security experts note that it can be fairly simple for a determined person to hack into a personal email account, but concerns have been raised about Palin using her personal email for business issues. David C. Kernell, son of Tennessee State Representative Mike Kernell, was indicted earlier this month in the case.

3) Obama's Unsightly Spam

A malicious spam email spread in September claiming to have a link to a sex video of Obama, but instead included spyware to steal sensitive data from the victim's computer. Current events and sensational news headlines -- both real and fictional -- remain popular subject lines for phish and spam attacks because of their potential to lure recipients into opening the email or its attachments.

4) Emails: Dead and Buried

Oracle Corp. failed to unearth CEO, Larry Ellison's emails that were sought as evidence in a class-action lawsuit. According to the US District Judge Susan Illston, Oracle should have figured out a way to comply with the order to produce the information, which was issued in late 2006.

5) Space Encounters

NASA found a computer virus on a laptop aboard the International Space Station, which carries about 50 computers. Email continues to be on of the most common distribution methods for new viruses and other malware, underscoring the need for organisations to deploy anti-virus technology at the email gateway, email server and end-user desktop levels.

"Given all of the potential risks and costs associated with email, it's no surprise that nearly 15 percent of IT executives that Proofpoint recently surveyed said they would eliminate email in their organisations if that were feasible," said Gerry Tucker, Regional Head for Proofpoint in APAC.

"But email has evolved from a business and personal communication tool to the most mission-critical application for most organisations. From courts of law to the race for the U.S. presidency, email security is being taken very seriously. And while email can cause mayhem, there are solutions available that help organisations reduce the substantial risks posed by both inbound and outbound email."