Hackers are using children to infect family computers as well as parents' tablets and smartphones, by way of gaming websites. These websites are usually created as legitimate enterprises, an avenue for children to wile away their spare time at home or on the move. Adorned with jovial looking cartoon characters, they often promise hours of 'free' interactive amusement.
Young children are naturally drawn to big, brightly colored buttons - hackers are likely to use this as a ploy to initiate the downloading of a virus. The promise of something for nothing, a common promise that entices the best of us, is another tactic used - 'free games' that are not free is a tried and tested means of trapping young internet users into downloading malware.
Online gaming, by its very nature, requires a lot of clicking, more so than regular browsing. The opportunities for cybercriminals to insert nefarious links into innocent looking webpages abound. Hackers frequently take advantage of javascript vulnerabilities to install infections and induce unwitting users to download unwanted software. Users are advised to be wary of any gaming website that redirects to linuxstabs.com - a favorite haunt for those looking to spread malware.
An Avast study released in 2012 established that the majority of affected sites had fallen victim to hackers and were not built to spread malware. When contacted, some sites shifted the blame for the malware to third party links.
Parents should ensure that all hardware has up to date anti-virus software; that all operating systems are up to date and that all security patches have been installed.
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