Brazil World Cup ticket sales targeted by hackers

The 2014 World Cup in Brazil is attracting the attention of cybercriminals, security experts have warned.

Football fans looking to purchase tickets for this year’s major sporting event could be at risk from phishers, fraudulent websites and malware infections.

“Major sporting events always attract the attention of cybercriminals and there’s no reason to think the Brazil World Cup will be any different,” explained David Emm, senior security researcher at Kaspersky Lab.

“The event has already drawn the attention of phishers – they are obviously trying to cash-in on the huge interest in the event and exploit the interest of soccer fans keen to obtain match tickets online.”

“They do this by sending out e-mails containing malicious attachments or links. Those tempted to click end up becoming infected with malware, or being redirected to a fake web site that captures their personal data – bank or credit card information.”

“We’re currently blocking between 40 and 50 fraudulent sites every day in Brazil alone. Most of the attacks we’re blocking are phishing, fake giveaways and fraudulent websites selling tickets.”

Emm offered the following advice to fans searching for tickets online:

“When opening an e-mail remember to ask yourself whether or not you know the sender. If not – be extra sensitive to the fact that it might be a spam or phishing e-mail.”

“Don’t be caught off-guard by an e-mail that looks official, or seems to be from a legitimate organisation – not all fraudsters generate badly-written messages.”

“Be on your guard for anyone asking you for money, or requesting an unusual amount of personal information, especially bank account or credit card details.”

“If an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”