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Current Activity - Holiday Season Phishing Scams and Malware Campaigns
From: Current Activity <us-cert () us-cert gov>
Date: Tue, 20 Nov 2012 11:10:45 -0500
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 National Cyber Awareness System US-CERT Current Activity Holiday Season Phishing Scams and Malware Campaigns Original release date: November 20, 2012 Last revised: -- Since the winter holiday are quickly approaching, US-CERT is republishing this entry to increase awareness about phishing scams and malware campaigns. In the past, US-CERT has received reports of an increased number of phishing scams and malware campaigns that take advantage of the winter holidays and holiday shopping season. Users who are new to making seasonal online purchases are encouraged to take care and use safe online shopping habits. 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: * Refer to the Shopping Safely Online Cyber Security Tip for more information on online shopping safety. * 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's 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. 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> ____________________________________________________________________ Produced by US-CERT, a government organization. ____________________________________________________________________ This product is provided subject to this Notification: http://www.us-cert.gov/privacy/notification.html Privacy & Use policy: http://www.us-cert.gov/privacy/ This document can also be found at http://www.us-cert.gov/current/#holiday_season_phishing_scams_and1 For instructions on subscribing to or unsubscribing from this mailing list, visit http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/signup.html -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.5 (GNU/Linux) iQEVAwUBUKurfHdnhE8Qi3ZhAQKiGgf7Bi+odecgYmBA2fGXGkyEuTF6ab9eN1cs P2+gbpQMBv72Tz9pFaaNopRfBhDHVpcH5+a/rsSwq2YZ9Hf0jnf/uvDPISHyaQxm nWniaz6VP6amFtKz8q8TKBkC06lhmbVo+qsQhxmSQjqtev4ax8n4WsX2hUJ7F9IX GTrGQWKkdfyjW894F5QRZQD0vpEPcqBOySFVvg5FaaTjZyJarmaKfWQxUQTIOuFj hs6yPrL18SqGfnuVCznpq0Pdt1mjOZ/pGCgLNmROTY+ugN/5Hu/QKyixMHywuXlc Q6hMo8fhmk9fr0mDUQ2vPQWUbC0vb7MhBmoG5lCT2dLGXEi0Y63O8g== =XTj/ -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
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- Current Activity - Holiday Season Phishing Scams and Malware Campaigns Current Activity (Nov 20)