It used to be that hackers would write and distribute their malicious programs so as to attack the largest number of users around the world. The criminals craved the global attention that often resulted. This is no longer always the case, accourding to security company McAfee.

Over the last few years, the company has noticed a new trend. More and more is tailored specifically to a region or country. As users become more wary and knowledgeable, the hackers are creating more realistic and compelling , adjusted for local customs.

For example, online banking is very popular in Brazil, so attacks there focus on trying to acquire your banking login information. In China, online games are all the rage, so malware tries to steal game passwords.

I get a flood of every day. Over the past year, I have noticed more and more of this junk appears to be addressed to me personally. My name appears in the Subject Line, to catch my attention. And it definitely works; I promptly delete all this stuff, without opening it! You should do the same.

Here is an idea of how big this problem is, and where it is going. In 2006, McAfee caught 53,537 pieces of malware. In 2007, the total rose to 131,862 examples. For 2008, the number could double again.

New technologies to filter email are (hopefully) coming. Read about one possible solution in my recent blog post here:
http://mypcsecurityblog.com/news/a-solution-for-those-endless-phishing-scams
Even so, wherever you are in the world, be on your guard, and always practise safe surfing!

Syd Tash is a noted computer security consultant and author of How to Protect Your Computer Online. He has been keeping Internet surfers safe and secure since the last century. Find out how he does it; protect your own computer with five layers of protection right here:
= > http://MyPCSecuritySite.com

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