Cyber robot steals more than your heart

The next time someone flirts with you on a dating website, beware. He could be a 'flirting robot', the latest tool used by hackers to gain access to your personal details and passwords.

Named CyberLover, the piece of software developed in Russia, masquerades as a real man or woman who is seeking love online. It is capable of conducting flirtatious conversations with people in chat-rooms and on dating sites as a means of luring vital information from its unwitting victims. According to its creators, it can establish a new relationship online with up to 10 people in just 30 minutes.

Security experts said they were concerned that internet users were being lured into a false sense of security before parting with personal information such as their address and date of birth which can be used to access bank accounts.

As a tool that can be used by hackers to conduct identity fraud, CyberLover demonstrates an unprecedented level of social engineering & without human intervention. Internet users today are generally aware of the dangers of opening suspicious attachments and visiting URLs, but CyberLover employs a new technique that is unheard of. That's what makes it particularly dangerous.

Although the software is currently targeting Russian websites, social networkers and online daters should be aware of giving away information to strangers.