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Watch Out For Those Online Postcard Greetings
Players report electronic postcard scams increasing
Ever had one of those unexpected "you have a greeting card
waiting" emails from unknown persons? You're in good company,
as hundreds of players report the same scammer experience, which
has now become the subject of an official warning from IT security
firm Sophos.
Sophos is warning computer users to be wary of unsolicited emails
and defend their web gateways, following the discovery of a spam
campaign that poses as an electronic postcard, but is really an
attempt to lure the unwary into being infected by a web-based Trojan
horse.
Sophos has intercepted hundreds of the spam messages being sent,
which contain the subject line 'You have received a postcard !'.
Part of the body text reads as follows:
"Hello friend ! You have just received a postcard from someone
who cares about you! If you'd like to see the rest of the message
click here to receive your animated postcard!"
Users who follow the web link are taken to a downloadable executable
file (postcard.exe). The file is designed to allow remote hackers
to gain access to the infected Windows computer.
"Despite the text's ambiguity and poor spelling, the lack
of an attached file means some recipients may believe the email
to be harmless. In fact, this is how more and more malicious attacks
operate today - using a mixture of email and the web to deliver
a dangerous payload to the desktop," said Graham Cluley, senior
technology consultant for Sophos.
Last week, Sophos published research revealing the rise of web-based
malware in the first three months of 2007. With computer users becoming
increasingly aware of how to protect against email-aware viruses
and malware, hackers have turned to the web as their preferred avenue
of attack.
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