The Weekly Top 3 are the three most relevant news for the week that are related to phishing scams reported in the media, security blogs and security magazines on the internet. This week, we look at phishing activities related to Google, Virlock and a Woolen Goldfish.
A spear phishing campaign named Operation Woolen Goldfish, was used by hackers earlier this week to distribute malware. The e-mails tricked victims into opening malicious Microsoft Office files. Once the infected file was opened, a keylogger malware would infect the victim's computer. This enabled the hacker to steal the victim's personal information and any login credentials. The report further highlighted that the hackers who were responsible for the Rotten Kitten campaign, may also be responsible for this campaign as well. Click the link below to read more.
Google announced that their company's malware-blocking data is now freely available. This will allow developers to incorporate additional security features into their web and mobile applications. The API allows developers to check URLs and verify whether they are potential phishing sites or websites that contain malware. This ultimately prevents users from accessing malicious sites that have been blacklisted by Google. Click the link below to read more.
http://www.programmableweb.com/news/google-announces-safe-browsing-api/brief/2015/03/26
Its not a phishing campaign, but opening malicious attachments have very far reaching consequences. Ransomware is malicious software that encrypts your files. The victim is then forced to pay the hacker a sum of money to decrypt these files. If payment is not received in a specified time, the hacker deletes the crypto-key. However, a ransomware named Virlock has been reported to go beyond just encrypting files. It has been able to infect other Microsoft Office files. The purpose of this action is to ensure that this ransomware is unwittingly distributed to other people's computers by the victim. Click the link below to read more.
http://www.darkreading.com/hackers-breaking-new-ground-with-ransomware/d/d-id/1319475
APHC