The Russian Interior Ministry warns of new schemes to steal personal data used by fraudsters in public places. Experts from the department for the fight against the illegal use of information and communication technologies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation have identified four main ways of information theft.
The main threat lies in open Wi-Fi networks, which may turn out to be fake "duplicates". Criminals create such access points with names similar to the real ones and without a password so that users can log in without being identified. As a result, logins, passwords and payment data were intercepted, making the use of banking apps and personal accounts on such networks extremely dangerous.
The second method is fake QR codes posted in public places. When scanned, such codes take the victim to phishing sites or fake payment pages. The Ministry of the Interior recommends checking the authenticity of the QR code by having it published by the official owner of the establishment or service.
The third channel of danger is malware that can spread through flash drives and power banks found in public places. Such devices can steal information from a smartphone or block the system. It is not recommended to use other people's gadgets for charging or transferring data.
The fourth vulnerability is related to the activated Bluetooth module. If it is active, attackers can access contacts and messages on the device. The Ministry of the Interior recommends turning off Bluetooth when not needed and not accepting unknown connections.
In addition, the police are alerted to "shoulder surfing" methods, when fraudsters steal PIN codes and passwords in transport, in cafes and near ATMs.