FBI Issues Travelers' Cyber Warning

[me]

http://www.emergencyemail.org/newsemergency/anmviewer.asp?a=2029&z=29

Recently, there have been instances of travelers' laptops being infected with malicious software while using hotel Internet connections.

In these instances, the traveler was attempting to set up the hotel room Internet connection and was presented with a pop-up window notifying the user to update a widely used software product. If the user clicked to accept and install the update, malicious software was installed on the laptop. The pop-up window appeared to be offering a routine update to a legitimate software product for which updates are frequently available.

Although specifically citing overseas hotels, the same type of intrusion can occur anywhere that someone connects to an unknown network.

Recent analysis from the FBI and other government agencies demonstrates that malicious actors are targeting travelers abroad through pop-up windows while they are establishing an Internet connection in their hotel rooms.The FBI recommends that all government, private industry, and academic personnel who travel abroad take extra caution before updating software products through their hotel Internet connection. Checking the author or digital certificate of any prompted update to see if it corresponds to the software vendor may reveal an attempted attack. The FBI also recommends that travelers perform software updates on laptops immediately before traveling, and that they download software updates directly from the software vendor's website if updates are necessary while abroad.

Anyone who believes they have been a target of this type of attack should immediately contact their local FBI office.

[The Troll]

  I would say anyone who leaves their house and goes on line anywhere else should have backed up everything they have stored on their computer.

  Believe it or not I went to a cooking channel for a recipe and something jumped out and grabbed my computer.  We lost every file and information we had on our computer.