Cassandra, was a figure from mythology who has been called the prophet of doom.  Even today, someone who predicts disasters that may or may not occur is often referred to as a “Cassandra.”  However, while the term is often used in mistrusting scorn, it is important to remember that although Cassandra often predicted doom such as the fall of Troy, she was always correct.  I mention Cassandra because over the coming weeks I will be warning you about a major threat to major American banks that has been in the works since 2008 by an organized crime group operating out of Russia.  This group has already stolen an estimated five million dollars from American banks, but this figure pales next to what they have planned for 2013.  Recent attacks against Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase which caused them to temporarily crash may be a harbinger of more major attacks in the near future.  These attacks, as often done in the past are primariily done through botnets where, as I have described previously in www.scamicide.com the hacker remotely takes over your computer and uses it to deliver the malware to banks and other institutions.  I will be updating this particular threat a lot in the upcoming months.

TIPS

Be a part of the solution, not part of the problem.  You can find information about avoiding becoming a part of a botnet in my book “50 Ways to Protect Your Identity in a Digital Age” as well as in postings here on scamicide.com.  The best thing you can do is to prevent your computer from becoming a part of a botnet.  The key to doing this is to make sure that your Firewall and security software are up to date and that future updates are done automatically.  As security patches are issued by your operating system, make sure that you install them.  Be particularly wary of opening attachments or clicking on links contained in emails or found on websites that you may not be sure of.  Make sure family members are not downloading free games or music without being sure that the downloads are clean.  Such free downloads are often carriers of the malware that will turn your computer into a part of a botnet.