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Beware of email scams requesting info: BNM

Posted: 15 Jun 2011 10:54 PM PDT

Beware of email scams requesting info: BNM

KUALA LUMPUR: Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) has advised the public to be wary of the phishing attempts by fraudsters using its name to deceive them in disclosing their personal banking details.

In a statement here today, BNM said the intended victims would receive emails purportedly from the bank informing them that it was now collecting personal banking information to update its database.

"They will be prompted to either click on a link or reply to the email directly.

"Once the person clicks on the link, they would then be directed to a fake website requesting disclosure of personal financial details such as credit or debit cards details including card code verification or other personal identification numbers.

"The public must ignore those emails and refrain from giving personal banking information to anyone under any circumstances," it said.

The central bank said financial institutions, including credit card issuers, banking institutions as well as BNM itself, would never request for personal banking information when contacting customers, be it via telephone calls, short message services (SMS) or emails.

It said the public must use web browsers that were up-to-date with built-in phishing filters.

"They must not trust emails, calls or SMS claiming cash wins or refunds and requesting for personal banking information and contact the respective banks or the Association of Banks in Malaysia's toll-free service, ABMConnect, at 1-300-88-9980 when in doubt of the email, SMS or calls, " it said.

To get more information on financial scams activities, it said the public could visit the financial fraud alert site at http://fraudalert.bnm.gov.my. -- BERNAMA

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Beware of email scams requesting info: BNM

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Hackers disrupt 41 government websites

Posted: 15 Jun 2011 07:51 PM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: At least 41 Malaysian government websites were hacked into overnight but no personal or financial data were compromised, government officials said today, as the Southeast nation becomes the latest target of a cyberwar waged by the activists.

In the attacks, 51 websites were hit and at least 41 of these sites were disrupted, industry regulator Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission said.

The attacks, which began shortly before midnight on Wednesday, follow a warning by Internet vigilante group Anonymous, which said it would attack the government's official portal to punish it for censoring WikiLeaks, the website that aims to expose governments and corporations by leaking secret documents.

"Our monitoring of the situation showed that there was a reduced level of attacks by 4.00 a.m. this morning and upon further evaluation, so far, we gauge that there has been little impact on Malaysian users as a result," the communications commission said in a statement.

It did not name the sites which were attacked but targets included the government's online portal, and the webpages of the fire and emergency services department and the land public transport commission.

Malaysian police chief Ismail Omar told Reuters no personal or financial data had so far been stolen but the authorities were trying to determine the extent of the attacks.

It was not immediately clear if the attacks were launched by Anonymous or other hackers. Anonymous is a grouping of global activists lobbying for Internet freedom who frequently try to shut down the websites of businesses and other organisations that they oppose.

The activists gained prominence when they temporarily crippled the websites of MasterCard and Paypal that cut off financial services to WikiLeaks. A spate of cyber attacks on multinational firms and institutions, from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency to Citigroup to the International Monetary Fund, has raised concerns that governments and the private sector may struggle to defend themselves against hackers.

In an earlier Internet posting, Anonymous said Malaysia's censorship of films and television shows and its blocking of file-sharing websites amounted to a denial of human rights.

The communication commission last week banned 10 file-sharing sites and ordered Internet service providers such as Telekom Malaysia and Maxis to block access. The restrictions have outraged ordinary Malaysians, and several people took to Twitter on Thursday to express support for the cyber attacks.

"Now to count how many sites have gotten whacked so far," said a tweet posted by Rhyden.

"I knew the government's IT defence team was pathetic."

The Southeast Asian country has a vibrant Internet culture that has gained a mass following in an environment where the mainstream media is tightly controlled. The government has in the past charged bloggers with sedition, often detaining suspects for long periods without trial. - AFP

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Rabu, 15 Jun 2011