CERT mailing list archives
Current Activity - Holiday Season Phishing Scams and Malware Campaigns
From: Current Activity <us-cert () us-cert gov>
Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2010 14:33:39 -0500
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 US-CERT Current Activity Holiday Season Phishing Scams and Malware Campaigns Original release date: November 18, 2010 at 2:17 pm Last revised: November 18, 2010 at 2:17 pm In the past, US-CERT has received reports of an increased number of phishing scams and malware campaigns that take advantage of the winter holiday and holiday shopping season. US-CERT reminds users to remain cautious when receiving unsolicited email messages that could be part of a potential phishing scam or malware campaign. These phishing scams and malware campaigns may include but are not limited to the following: * electronic greeting cards that may contain malware * requests for charitable contributions that may be phishing scams and may originate from illegitimate sources claiming to be charities * screensavers or other forms of media that may contain malware * credit card applications that may be phishing scams or identity theft attempts * online shopping advertisements that may be phishing scams or identity theft attempts from bogus retailers US-CERT encourages users and administrators to use caution when encountering these types of email messages and take the following preventative measures to protect themselves from phishing scams and malware campaigns: * Do not follow unsolicited web links in email messages. * Use caution when opening email attachments. Refer to the Using Caution with Email Attachments Cyber Security Tip for more information on safely handling email attachments. * Maintain up-to-date antivirus software. * Review the Federal Trade Commission's Charity Checklist. * Verify charity authenticity through a trusted contact number. Trusted contact information can be found on the Better Business Bureau National Charity Report Index. * Refer to the Recognizing and Avoiding Email Scams (pdf) document for more information on avoiding email scams. * Refer to the Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks Cyber Security Tip for more information on social engineering attacks. * Refer to the Shopping Safely Online Cyber Security Tip for more information on online shopping safety. Relevant Url(s): <http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST04-014.html> <http://www.us-cert.gov/reading_room/emailscams_0905.pdf> <http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/telemarketing/tel01.shtm> <http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST07-001.html> <http://charityreports.bbb.org/public/All.aspx?bureauID=9999> <http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST04-010.html> ==== This entry is available at http://www.us-cert.gov/current/index.html#holiday_season_phising_scams_and -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.5 (GNU/Linux) iQEVAwUBTOV/eD6pPKYJORa3AQLXlQgAkxX81ICsFNc3BhjKNBUiDDPIb/zT8J3M 0dFQOUc7Ql6AlnBwKozBUnlWhbodUrTUBYa03T2Ux4kRdosEeAI46a9EbIKrPFoa 1wKZ/3d3HaEmdqZBuYaWGVYdH6zaaXR0Kc6oZUZxppnFxiHT+p/7Bjuqy5/FOhoV T599MBW/wPCAm37R9Y82RtWPiMYKL144kS96qBEDCUuuQ51D+M6BJh18+d85eVtR tN8O1qrQHg3Y6+IurVqsLawixrVcsmP9ozAdRmg8jQ8zRE552Y6s1dg02mUQYFt9 n91Zq+sRp6cGoooe/7PpXx99HOnOR9R8zfnKmquLYd8qzJiK+bPc3g== =HMsb -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
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- Current Activity - Holiday Season Phishing Scams and Malware Campaigns Current Activity (Nov 18)
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- Current Activity - Holiday Season Phishing Scams and Malware Campaigns Current Activity (Dec 20)