Five Cyber Risks to Avoid to Enjoy London Olympics Safely

5. PhishingPhishing Attacks Alles zu Phishing auf CIO.de

If you happen to be in London during the Olympics you might feel compelled to try and attend an event or two. Be very, very careful with searching for or buying tickets. Cyber criminals will use the lure of tickets to draw victims to malicious sites, and more traditional grifters may actually sell fake tickets for a quick buck.

There will most likely be other phishing attacks aside from ticket scams. Cyber criminals will use Olympics news, photos, video clips, and other Olympics-related information as bait to get users to either visit malicious websites, or con them into sharing personal or financial information.

It sounds scary. It might even make you think twice about watching or following the Olympics over the Internet or mobile devices at all. It's not that bad, really.

"All of the cybercrime risk associated with the Olympics can be overwhelming to consumers," said Andreas Baumhof, chief technology officer, ThreatMetrix. "However, simple steps can be taken to avoid malware attacks associated with the Olympics. These steps include keeping all software up-to-date, using only official Olympic sites and applications and being hyperaware of all web and mobile device activity. Don't click on any link that comes your way, even if it looks interesting--it may be a costly click."