CERT mailing list archives
Current Activity - Holiday Season Phishing Scams and Malware Campaigns
From: Current Activity <us-cert () us-cert gov>
Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2010 10:24:54 -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: December 20, 2010 at 9:57 am As the winter holidays are quickly approaching, US-CERT is republishing this entry to increase awareness. 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) iQEVAwUBTQ91Nz6pPKYJORa3AQK6rwgAxXL3P+0QY5Dsw4AV4QBEm9SQ5SATeFWk Wzva57dhDyK2uQ32wRKtYj5jENRkQxz1C5erHgxTiLJSrBbLEBSEm/txw9imTJez LP7MJGTh3FmuhraWe5msxB/pkv8toYkxi7oYR0RSSiCGnc24vfo5U4LkHQnfZWiB hUgVPAw+ma+VXGaaRr5yp3SPYW9ydJqhRd5EXTRwvP5tbWrdHfztYDj1dWi77yQ9 J1JoRYsmpc0RxVi1bfffy6tk9SNf9f0aeIOReQtQkr2MY4SoX2s8qkOYqKg69noY ih/6QppAwvQLVh7Ch458Dw+HOg286A7YtAUradNW4A4k08T3TcldFA== =8JRK -----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)