An unknown criminal cell has managed to breach impressive perimeter security systems defending the Monster and USAjobs websites.

The hackers reportedly stole critically sensitive data, including login names, passwords, e-mail addresses, phone numbers and demographic information. Both websites quickly published warnings advising users to immediately alter their passwords. 

According to Sophos Labs, the stolen passwords could be used to break into various online services, such as e-mail, Ebay, PayPal and Amazon. In addition, cyber criminals may utilise the compromised e-mail addresses and personal information to "mount a realistic phishing campaign, attempting to gather more sensitive information about victims".

Indeed, phishing e-mails that include a recipient's real name and other personal data often succeed in procuring additional details, thereby increasing the risk of identity theft.

Clearly, the scourge of unsolicited phishing spam has evolved from a mere nuisance into a dangerous phenomenon.

"Spam not only promotes medications that may damage your health and impact your wallet, it also puts your computer at risk as we see more and more malware attacks containing a spam component," explained Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos.

"Be a good internet citizen and make sure that you are not adding to the problem by properly defending your computer. If you don't protect your PC, you might be risking infection from a hacker, who will use your computer's resources to plague others with unwanted spam," added Cluley.

The senior technology consultant also noted that criminal elements have shown an increased interest in social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

"Spammers really took to using sites like Facebook and Twitter as a vehicle for their spam antics during the last three months of 2008. Cyber criminals have cottoned on to the fact that social networking users can be more easily fooled into clicking on a link that appears to have come from a trusted Facebook friend, than if it arrived as an unsolicited email in their inbox," said Cluley. X

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