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Beware of that gadget, internet users warned

Security experts have highlighted the online threats posed by internet add-ons or gadgets such as calendars or daily photo feeds saying they can be a doorway for hackers and cyber crooks.

The gadgets, which internet users can use to customise their personalized Google home pages, may be good for enhancing web use but the experts say hackers are increasingly targeting them.

According to Robert Hansen of online security consultant SecTheory and Tom Stracener of security testing software maker Cenzic, the gadgets, some of which can be shared can be exploited by hackers to spread malicious code.

"How do you know it's a legitimate gadget?" Hansen asked, "Because someone uploaded it? There's no moderation, there's no way to guarantee it won't turn bad."

They said many users would trust anything they download from a recognised brand like Google and demonstrated an attack using a malicious gadget to break into a user's web browser.

They were speaking at the Black Hat hacker conference in Las Vegas. Online security experts say that apart from having proper internet security, it is also important for ignorance of online threats to be eliminated.

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