Explore the latest news and trends  

Sign up for our weekly security newsletter


Be the first to receive important updates on security





Send

Fake Presidential Swine Flu Stories Spread Malware

Researchers at anti-malware company 'Trend Micro' have said that as not a single person is safe from influenza H1N1 (including the world leaders), cyber criminals have discovered a new trick to run their spam campaigns.

A new spam mail states that Alan Gabriel Ludwig García Pérez, Peru's President, and other members of the delegation at the UNASUR (Union of South American Nations) summit have been diagnosed suffering from Swine Flu. Moreover, it (spam mail) informs that both President of Bolivia and Brazil have also been infected by the virus but their condition is now improving.

The spam is written in Spanish and tries to creates curiosity of knowing more information in the recipient by claiming that this information was deliberately kept secret from media. It also lures the user to visit the harmful link, which supposedly contains the audio news of this incident. But when clicked on the link, the victims get an executable file (Alan.Gripe.Porcina.mp3.exe) instead of news. Trend Micro has detected this executable file as TSPY_BANCOS.AEM. BANCOS. Its variants are quite popular for information stealing features.

Apart from this to optimize realism, phony mails have even included in messages which claim to be from the Mexican President 'Felipe Calderon' describing new measures to fight the disease.

Hackers have exploited the global H1N1 hysteria to spread malicious software. For enabling people reading news of the virus, they have started flooding inboxes with mails claiming to provide swine flu news. These mails deliver malware and fake ads promoting anything from male enhancement pills to herbal products.

Moreover, the subject lines of spam mails are very luring like "Swine Flu Outbreak!" and "Madonna Catches Swine Flu!" to grab interest of users and to install malware easily.

In addition, security experts state that since the H1N1 infection has started to spread globally, the hackers have also made a new strain of swine flu-themed malware. For instance, few months back, a Trojan carrying backdoor and keylogger functionality posing as a Word document from the US Centre of Disease Control was giving details about the disease. The infectious file called "Novel H1N1 Flu Situation Update.exe"- appeared with an icon that appears like a word document.

Related article: Fake Spam Mail Announces Australian PM’s Heart Attack

» SPAMfighter News - 9/23/2009

3 simple steps to update drivers on your Windows PCSlow PC? Optimize your Slow PC with SLOW-PCfighter!Email Cluttered with Spam? Free Spam Filter!

Dear Reader

We are happy to see you are reading our IT Security News.

We do believe, that the foundation for a good work environment starts with fast, secure and high performing computers. If you agree, then you should take a look at our Business Solutions to Spam Filter & Antivirus for even the latest version of Exchange Servers - your colleagues will appreciate it!

Go back to previous page
Next