The Internet Threat Landscape

Sly Spam Run Targets Hotmail Users

Hotmail users are advised to pay attention to this particular spam targeted at them. Noteworthy is the fact that the links were slyly crafted to look very similar to file attachments. There are subtle differences between such spam email and a legitimate email message, which users must watch out for should they receive a suspicious email message. The malicious URLs which are now blocked by Trend Micro Smart Protection Network, leads to the download of the malicious file fotos.com which is now detected as TROJ_DLOADR.AQJ. The said file, in turn, downloads a wide variety of information-stealing malware.

Read more: http://blog.trendmicro.com/sly-spam-run-targets-hotmail-users/

Malicious Twitter Posts Get More Personal

Twitter users be warned again as a recent report shows that malicious twitter posts are getting more personal and dangerous due to the difficulty to be identified.  For starters, spambots have created twitter accounts that look more like legitimate accounts. These accounts then post tweets which seem harmless and share interesting websites or music to listen to. Additionally, the spambot uses the URL shortener Doiop.com to mask the original URL in the posts. Unsuspecting victims will get redirected to malware download or FAKEAV purchases.

Read more: http://blog.trendmicro.com/malicious-twitter-posts-get-more-personal/

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Photos From Michael Jackson’s Memorial Mask Malware

Again, another spam effort takes advantage of The King of Pop’s death. A recent Portuguese spam mail claims to offer pictures of MJ’s memorial service that redirects victims to download an .exe file instead. All aspects of the Smart Protection Network work together to help neutralize this threat. The spam messages and malicious website involved are all blocked, and the file foto.exe is detected as TROJ_DLOADER.ZRC.

Read more: Photos From Michael Jackson’s Memorial Mask Malware

Koobface scams have been affecting social networking applications, are you a victim?

Koobface has been affecting several social networking applications such as Facebook, Myspace, Twitter etc. Koobface scams by promoting what appears to be a YouTube video and then you will be asked to ‘upgrade’ your flash player which actually downloads a malicious .exe file which will in turn infect the victim. The virus can automatically start tweeting out the malicious link. The tweets spreading the link usually advertised as “My Home Video”.  Twitter has already started to temporarily suspend accounts that spread the link.

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Click here to read more about how Koobface has affected twitter users.

 

MSN Bot Plays on Controversy over Michael Jackson’s Death

As investigators are still looking into the cause of death for Michael Jackson, his older sister La Toya Jackson claims that “The King of Pop” was murdered and formed her own theories on it. MSN bot also plays on the controversial death of the superstar with malicious links that claims to show his final moments in the hospital. Clicking on the links will result in an infection, ultimately leading to the download a PUSHDO variant. PUSHDO is a botnet responsible for a huge amount of spam activity. Trend Micro clients are rest assured that all URLs are already blocked through the Smart Protection Network.

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Related Aricle:

• MSN Bot Plays on Controversy over Michael Jackson’s Death

MYDOOM Code Re-Used in DDoS on U.S. and South Korean Sites

A different version of the MyDoom (the earlier version was discovered in 2004) virus is responsible for a large scale DDOS (Distributed Denial of Service) on many high profile US and South Korean sites.

Spam Speculates Michael Jackson’s Murder

Even when Michael Jackson’s memorial service has past, there are still a lot of speculations regarding his death. With millions and millions of fans worldwide concerned over the death of the superstar, spammers spared no time to exploit his death with spam messages with subject title that suggests that Michael Jackson was murdered. Clicking on URL in the spam message leads to a website where user is asked to run an .exe file which is actually a Trojan that is in fact a data stealer.

Read more: http://blog.trendmicro.com/spam-speculates-michael-jacksons-murder/

"Critical Update" Leads to Critical Info Theft

Spam mail claiming to be a security update for Outlook and Outlook express turns out to be a bogus and malicious attempt that leads to Trojan that logs keystrokes and harvest information like username and passwords. As Microsoft frequently issue updates for its full spectrum of software, unsuspecting users may fall victim to this particular scam. Users are advised to get their updates from trusted official URLs and avoid clicking on hyperlinks from unknown sources.

 

Read more: http://blog.trendmicro.com/critical-update-leads-to-critical-info-theft/