The Weekly Top 3 are the three most relevant news stories 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 scams related to Nepal, Macro Malware and Mother's Day.
The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) stated that phsihing e-mails related to the earthquake in Nepal, were being circulated with the intent of installing malware on computers. These e-mails were asking for monetary donations via bogus charitable organizations, which appear online following devastating natural disasters. The e-mails either ask the victim to open a malicious attachment or click on a malicious link to a fake webpage. Click on the link below to read more.
http://www.spamfighter.com/News-19608-Cyber-Criminals-take-Advantage-of-Nepals-Recent-Earthquake.htm
Security researchers of Trend Micro stated recently that there has been an upsurge in macro malware, which is being used to attack financial institutions. The attack uses VBA macros within Microsoft Office documents to activate various forms of malware including Bartalex and Dyre. These malicious documents are delivered as attachments in phishing e-mails to the employees of financial institutions. In some cases these documents are hosted on trusted cloud storage services like Dropbox. In instances like these, the hacker would send in the phishing e-mail, the link to the Dropbox folder. Click on the link below to read more.
http://www.spamfighter.com/News-19602-Fresh-Attacks-Launched-Using-Macro-Malware-Trend-Micro.htm
Mother's Day is around the corner. As a result, scams related to this celebration are on the rise. Consumer Reports stated the need for all persons to beware of phishing e-mails related to coupons and vouchers for floral arrangements. They also alerted to be on the look out for bogus jewelry, restaurant deals and fake sites that would be used to steal credit card information. Furthermore, they stated that all customers should ensure that they receive billing information for all their purchases online and that they should ensure that the shopping site is secure before making purchases. Click on the link below to read more.
http://www.nbc-2.com/story/29008855/beware-of-mothers-day-scams
APHC