GLENDALE, Calif., Dec. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Panda Security, a leading provider of IT security solutions, today announced the availability of a guide containing practical tips to help consumers safely do their holiday shopping online. Panda Security's practical guide, which explains the main security threats and how to protect against them, is available for free download here: http://www.pandasecurity.com/emailhtml/Guide_for_secure_Christmas_shopping.pdf

More people now look to the Internet to find that original holiday present to give to friends or family. In the US alone, online transactions during 2008 are projected to top $204 billion, over 17 percent more than in 2007(1). For 2009, the Forrester consultancy forecasts worldwide growth of online transactions of 12.2 percent(2). However, many of these purchases will be made from fraudulent websites. According to CyberSource, fraudulent transactions are growing at a rate of 20 percent per year, and in 2007 cyber-crooks benefited from these operations to the tune of 3.6 billion dollars(3).

Among the most dangerous threats to users over the holiday period are banker Trojans. These malicious codes are designed to steal confidential data such as banking passwords, account numbers, etc. and make this information available to criminals who can then steal money directly from user accounts. This type of malware accounted for 20 percent of all new malware that appeared during 2008.

Phishing is another type of fraud that users should be on the lookout for. These attacks use emails that appear to come from banks or other financial entities but really redirect users to spoof Web pages where they are prompted to enter their confidential bank details to log into their account.

Fake online stores represent another common threat, designed to steal users' bank or credit card details. They often offer products at incredibly low prices to attract potential victims.

Spoof greetings cards created to distribute malware, infected P2P downloads and fake online auction offers are just a few of the many other consumer security threats abundant on the Internet during the holiday season.

To keep out of harm's way, PandaLabs advises:

-- Keep your computer free from threats -- Before carrying out an online payment, make sure your computer is not infected by viruses, Trojans, etc., which could steal your credit card details or passwords. Make sure you have an antivirus installed that can detect all types of threats, and keep it up to date.

-- Only visit secure websites -- If you are going to make an online payment, make sure the Web page is secure. Check that the address in the browser's address bar starts with "https." Also, a small closed padlock icon must be displayed in the status bar of the browser.

-- Investigate online stores -- Before buying something from an online store, make sure the company is reliable. Do what you would do in real life: get the opinion of other customers. On the Internet, this is as simple as typing the name of the store in a search engine and reviewing the opinion of other buyers. If it is bad, don't buy there.

-- Get a second opinion -- Even if you have antivirus software, make sure your computer is genuinely clean by getting a second opinion. Visit Infected or Not (http://www.infectedornot.com) and run a free scan of your computer with ActiveScan 2.0, capable of detecting even the most elusive malware that may have evaded detection from other traditional antivirus software products.

-- Trust your instinct -- Beware of bargains, on the Internet as well as in real life. If something looks too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true. Follow your instinct and if something looks like a fraud, don't buy it.

For more information on secure online shopping over the holidays, get the Panda Security guide at: http://www.pandasecurity.com/emailhtml/Guide_for_secure_Christmas_shopping.pdf

About PandaLabs

Since 1990, its mission has been to detect and eliminate new threats as rapidly as possible to offer our clients maximum security. To do so, PandaLabs has an innovative automated system that analyzes and classifies thousands of new samples a day and returns automatic verdicts (malware or goodware). This system is the basis of collective intelligence, Panda Security's new security model which can even detect malware that has evaded other security solutions. Currently, 94% of malware detected by PandaLabs is analyzed through this system of collective intelligence. This is complemented through the work of several teams, each specialized in a specific type of malware (viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware, phishing, spam, etc.), work 24/7 to provide global coverage. This translates into more secure, simpler and more resource-friendly solutions for clients.

More information is available in the PandaLabs blog: http://www.pandalabs.com and the Panda Security website: http://www.pandasecurity.com/usa.

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(1)

http://www.shop.org/c/journal_articles/view_article_content?groupId=1&articleI

d=702&version=1.0

(2) http://www.forrester.com/ER/Press/Release/0,1769,1233,00.html

(3) http://www.internetretailer.com/internet/marketing-conference/43240-e- payment-fraud-reaches-36-billion-2007-or-14-sales-study-says.html

SOURCE Panda Security