New Bogus E-Mails Supposedly from US Airways Push Malware

According to an alert by Webroot the security company, cyber-criminals are distributing fake e-mails claiming as confirmation of online-registration with the US Airways while duping Internauts into following malevolent web-links within one most recent spam campaign.

The cunningly-crafted messages tell the recipient that he must arrive at the airport within 24-hrs for a maximum time of 1-hr prior to his flight, which will span for 2-hrs incase of a journey to a foreign country. After all, he only requires taking a print out of his boarding pass followed with heading towards the gate, the e-mail ends.

Researchers at Webroot disclose that the incident involves web-links that connect with sites harboring BlackHole the notorious attack toolkit that picks security flaws within software programs the victim runs, so malware can be thrust.

They highlight that the malware, which's planted, represents Cridex the data filching Trojan namely Worm:Win32/Cridex.E. Presently, 24 anti-virus engines out of the total 46 of VirusTotal have identified the particular malware.

Luckily, the e-mails contain plentiful spelling mistakes, which clearly indicate their fraudulent nature; however, many people blinded to images inside the e-mails that seem genuine fail to routinely check for the alleged errors.

Moreover, the e-mail id related to a sinister domain utilized within the spam campaign bears a connection with other likewise mass e-mail outbreaks, including those which associated with bogus Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and eBay e-mails.

Disturbingly, there've been other spam campaigns masquerading like certain airline previously too. Bogus e-ticket confirmation and flight reservation e-mails get dispatched daily since they hardly involve much expense to execute as also the cost can be easily recovered. Indeed, spammers recover the cost numerous times mores despite a very minimal percentile of recipients becoming convinced with the scheme followed with having their PCs contaminated, the researchers add.

Finally, within a likewise spam attack against US Airways, during April 2012, Kaspersky intercepted fake electronic mails offering some check-in information supposedly by the Airways. Following one small description of how to do the check-in, the e-mails provided a hyperlink apparently taking onto "online reservation particulars," however, in reality took victims onto one ZeuS Trojan-serving web-page.

Related article: New Spam Mail Charges For IPod

» SPAMfighter News - 1/15/2013