The Marketing companies collect a lot of information from our IP as we surf the internet, which they use for advertising purposes. Security researchers point out that we must be especially careful, as this data can be exploited by hackers. By gathering information about us, they can carry out more effective attacks and easily infiltrate our computer. Targeted advertising has evolved to such an extent that now, the moment we browse websites, relevant ads are displayed. Just a little browsing allows advertising companies to harvest information from our IP and start their work.
The company F-secure, known in the field of network security, has identified many such cases: Recently a user, while discussing a trip he would take to San Francisco, received an email from an airline, with an offer.
Hackers target advertising companies' databases
By gaining access to databases, such as those of marketing companies, hackers can obtain extremely useful information and carry out much more effective attacks. Imagine someone knowing that we are looking for a plane ticket and sending us an email with a corresponding offer, which contains malware.
The greatest possibility is that we open it and our computer is infected with malware.
This seems to have been the case in the case mentioned above. F-Secure's investigation revealed that the email was not from an airline, but from a hacker who exploited information from a database. Needless to say, the message contained malware (of the Trojan.Krypt.AU) and was aimed at the recipient himself.
Hackers, seeking ways to increase the effectiveness of their attacks, target advertising companies by gathering information about us. Therefore, we must be especially careful with our computer's security settings and cautious with the emails we receive so that we do not become victims of internet criminals.
