Hackers Respond To Help Wanted Ads With Malware 113
itwbennett writes "The FBI issued a warning Wednesday about a new twist on a long-running computer fraud technique, known as Automated Clearing House fraud. With ACH fraud, criminals install malware on a small business' computer and use it to log into the company's online bank account. In this latest twist on the scam, the criminals are apparently looking for companies that are hiring online and then sending malicious software programs that are doctored to look like job applications. One unnamed company recently lost $150,000 in this way, according to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center. 'The malware was embedded in an e-mail response to a job posting the business placed on an employment website,' the FBI said in a press release. The malware, a variant of the Bredolab Trojan, 'allowed the attacker to obtain the online banking credentials of the person who was authorized to conduct financial transactions within the company.'"
How small is small? (Score:4, Informative)
A common mistake is to assume that in tUSA, "small business" means "mom and pop." In fact, the Small Business Association (SBA) defines a business as small based on number of employees, and though it depends on industry, it typically is 500 (source [sba.gov]).
It's true that, by sheer quantity, most businesses are small. There's only 500 Fortune 500 companies, but a zillion hot dog stands. In terms of number of employees or revenue or profits or any other number of factors, many small businesses aren't so small after all.