Major Malicious Ecard Campaign Strikes Inboxes
Hackers have spammed out a widespread attack to unsuspecting computer users, disguised as an electronic greeting card.
Hackers have spammed out a widespread attack to unsuspecting computer users, disguised as an electronic greeting card.The email messages, which Sophos is seeing in large numbers in its global network of spamtraps, have the subject line "You have received an eCard" and contain the following message body: "Good day. You have received an eCard
To pick up your eCard, open attached file
We hope you enjoy you eCard.
Thank You!
"
Careful Internet users should notice that the email messages are not personalized with the recipient's name, and they give no hint as to who might have sent the electronic greeting.
Attached to the email is a file called ecard.zip, which contains a malicious Trojan horse that Sophos proactively detects as Mal/WaledPak-A. Users of other antivirus products may need to check that their security software is updated.
Of course, it's never a good idea to open unsolicited email attachments on your PC. But the fact that hackers still persist in schemes such as this one suggest it continues to be an effective way for them to build botnets, steal identities, and con unsuspecting users out of their money.
Graham Cluley is senior technology consultant at Sophos, and has been working in the computer security field since the early 1990s. When he's not updating his other blog on the Sophos website you can find him on Twitter at @gcluley. Special to Dark Reading.
About the Author(s)
You May Also Like
Beyond Spam Filters and Firewalls: Preventing Business Email Compromises in the Modern Enterprise
April 30, 2024Key Findings from the State of AppSec Report 2024
May 7, 2024Is AI Identifying Threats to Your Network?
May 14, 2024Where and Why Threat Intelligence Makes Sense for Your Enterprise Security Strategy
May 15, 2024Safeguarding Political Campaigns: Defending Against Mass Phishing Attacks
May 16, 2024
Black Hat USA - August 3-8 - Learn More
August 3, 2024Cybersecurity's Hottest New Technologies: What You Need To Know
March 21, 2024