The following terms are ones that you may hear on the news and through your friends – usually in the form of a warning of what to watch out for when online:
Phishing:
An email designed to impersonate a real system and organization. These emails often appear to be from the government or a major corporation and can include logos and branding.
Baiting:
This method involves offering something enticing to an end user in exchange for private data. The “bait” comes in many forms, such as music or movie download.
Quid Pro Quo:
Similar to baiting, quid pro quo involves a request for the exchange of private data for a service. Pretexting: A hacker impersonates a co-worker or a figure of authority within the company to gain access to private data.
Piggybacking:
Also called tailgating, piggybacking is when an unauthorized person physically follows an authorized person into a restricted corporate area or system.
Malvertising:
Hackers will insert code into a legitimate site, which then redirects unsuspecting users to their malicious site.
Note that these are not viruses, per se. These are techniques hackers and thieves use to take advantage of unsuspecting people. These may be home users or your employees. It is extremely important that these techniques are known, understood, and watched for whether on your home computer or on your work machine. Anti-malware can protect you from malicious code and programs, but these scamming techniques will only be battled by your understanding and care.