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Hackers prepare to attack with hurricane Gustav scams

Internet users have been warned to watch out for phishing scams related to hurricane Gustav, which swept across some US states earlier in the week, reports Vnunet.com.

According to the US Computer Emergency Readiness Team and online security firm Sans, a rise in the registration of domain names related to relief efforts for the storm has been noted signifying possible attacks from cyber crooks.

"This time around it looks like the people who like to register domain names in anticipation of a storm's arrival have already started registering them for Gustav and Hanna," stated Sans researcher Marcus Sachs.

"I'm not suggesting that they are up to no good, but simply pointing out that the rush has started and we need to make sure our users are aware of the potential for scam sites appearing online in the next few days."

According to internet security expert Sophos, cyber crooks routinely target highly publicised events, such as disasters or sports like the Olympics to target internet users with phishing scams.

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