Prince Williams and Kate Middleton’s Wedding over, but Facebook scams continue to spread

The Royal Wedding is finally over. While thousands of people were present at The Westminster Abbey in London, there were millions who so wished to be there. Well, some really smart hackers are trying to cheer people who couldn’t make it for the wedding by offering them to play a new game on Facebook that may sound fun but actually steals user’s personally identifiable data (PII).

Here’s a typical message that is currently being spread by well-meaning users across the social network:

In honor of the big wedding on Friday, use your royal wedding guest name. Start with either Lord or Lady. Your first name is one of your grandparents’ names. Your surname is the name of your first pet, double-barreled with the name of the street you grew up on. Let’s do this! Post yours here. Then cut and paste it into your status.

Regally yours,

Lady Edith Spanky-Rushmoor

Do you see the problem?

By playing the game, you might be unwittingly making life easier for identity thieves and hackers.

Look at it this way. Think of all the websites which ask you to give it a “secret question” which can confirm your identity in the event of you forgetting your password.

If you tell everyone your Royal Wedding Guest name then you are giving away information which might help someone break into, say, your email account.

So, here’s an advice from Graham Cluley, Senior Technology Consultant at security firm, Sophos:

Firstly, don’t post this kind of personal information onto the internet – the few seconds worth of amusement you may get by telling people your Royal Wedding Guest name are not worth the potential pain of having your identity stolen.

Secondly, when websites ask you for a “secret answer” to reset your password… lie. You don’t need to tell the truth when you’re asked by a website what your mother’s maiden name was, or the name of your favourite TV show. So, say something random but memorable that no-one is likely to guess like “Xena Warrior Princess” or “Artichoke Sandwich”.

How to avoid scams and malware during the Royal Wedding

There are few non-sporting events that draw as much attention from all over the world as the wedding of an heir to the British monarchy. When Prince Charles married Diana, television told the story. For the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Internet will not only broadcast the images it will also allow us to engage in a global conversation in real-time.

Until the ceremony takes place on April 29 and for a few days after, you’ll probably see the word “wedding” more often than an avid reader of Jane Austen does. Most of the headlines and links featuring “the wedding” will lead to legitimate sites—but some will invariably lead to a variety of scams and malware. This is true when celebrities die, when disaster strikes and you can expect the same when Catherine says “I do” to William.

If you’re actively avoiding the wedding, you’ll avoid most of the risks. But for you royal watchers out there, here are a few tips for avoiding digital wedding crashers from F-Secure:

1. Follow the official site, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and YouTube pages.

• http://www.officialroyalwedding2011.org/
• http://twitter.com/clarencehouse
• https://www.facebook.com/TheBritishMonarchy
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/britishmonarchy/
• http://www.youtube.com/user/TheRoyalChannel

These official sources are going your safest sources of information. Of course, users can post links in the comments. So avoid links users post unless you trust the domain being linked.

2. Search for Royal Wedding news using Google and Bing’s News Filters.
Google has recently changed its algorithm to deliver safer, higher quality results. However, during breaking news rogue sites use the dark arts of search engine optimization to zoom up search results. This doesn’t happen, however, in Google and Bing’s news sites. Why? The news sites listed there have all been vetted and verified. Click on news, if it is available in your area, and click without worry.

3. Make sure your PC is patched and protected.
Every month, at least, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe and the world’s biggest software makers release updates to their products that plug security holes. These updates are often crucial for your online safety.

Royal wedding scams surface ahead of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Wedding

One of the most common ways to propagate malware through social engineering is to piggyback it on some attention-catching news event. Millions of people these days are scouting the web to get the latest updates as there just 8 days to go for the big day, the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton and that’s what scamsters are targeting.

The royal wedding is fast becoming a major international event. As modern technology enables people worldwide to follow the young couple and impending wedding festivities closer than ever before, this is truly an “e- Royal Wedding!”

A new study from Norton (Symantec) shows people are flocking to follow news of the royal wedding all over the world.

In fact, 62percent of Americans surveyed said they are likely to follow the British royal wedding, with32 percent of those already keeping up with the royal wedding news at least every few days (some as often as once a day, or even multiple times aday!).

As the big day nears and media attention increases, people will look to online searches and outlets to keep up on all-things “Will & Kate.”

Of respondents,38 percent will be going online for their royal wedding news; more than a quarter will be watching the wedding on a computer, laptop or mobile device live or after the fact, and 53% will potentially share their thoughts about thewedding online.

Online wedding-followers and well-wishers need to be cautioned that this global event is –as other major global events have done previously – attract cybercriminals looking to capitalize on the deluge of online activity.

When searching keywords relating to this event (e.g., “middleton wedding dress idea”) in your search engine, malicious links are among the top results. And the category of malware which sits behind them hardly comes as a surprise – rogue anti-virus apps.

Here is a quick check-list for those royal wedding fans to help them steer clear of cybercriminals:

• Think before you click – Beware of emails or links that promise “leaked” footage, offer “scandalous” pictures, or purport to have “secret” information. Cybercriminals take advantage of sensational and shocking headlines to get you to click on links that could infect your computer.
• Go with what you know – While any site could potentially be risky, it’s best to avoid clicking on sitesyou’ve never heard of that show up in your search results. Stick to theofficial royal wedding website or go directly to reputable news sites to getthe latest news and videos of the wedding.
• Protect your computer– Use trusted security software on your computer to block threats and make sureyou’re keeping it up-to-date.