FBI Cautions Computer Users of Three Fake E-mail Scams Installing Malware

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has alerted that three separate e-mails are circulating on the Internet and attract people to access FBI terrorism reports but in reality they are harmful software looking to steal private details.

Two of the e-mails claim to have come from the FBI. The first has subject line "Intelligence Bulletin No. 267" and seems to be a secret report on new patterns of Al-Qaeda financing. The mail carries an attachment "bulletin.exe."

Another (second) fraudulent e-mail has claimed that it carries a secret report from the FBI "Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate." Subject line of this e-mail is "RE: Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate," and carries an attachment "reports.exe." In fact, this message and related messages may carry a file linked to "W32.Waledac" Trojan. This Trojan is designed to pilfer user confirmation details or forward spam messages to the e-mail address available in his contact book.

The final (third) e-mail claims to have come from the Department of Homeland Security or the FBI Counterterrorism Division and carries the subject line "New DHS Report." The text has details about a "New Usama Bin Laden Speech Directed to the People or Europe" and has an attachment "audio.exe."

The attachment is allegedly an audio speech from Bin Laden, but it actually contains harmful software aimed to steal details from the system.

The agency alerts that all the e-mails are bogus and attachments may contain viruses. It also informed that the FBI does not send unsolicited e-mails to anyone. Officials have asked computer users not to open any unfamiliar e-mail.

Additionally, the malware alert comes on the heels of an FBI report that attackers are targeting social networking websites at high frequency rate and users should take safety measures.

Earlier, the FBI cautioned that attackers would continue to target social networking sites and spread harmful programs by using different methods. Besides, infected users are spreading malware unknowingly by letting others to post infected sites on their webpage without their consent.

Related article: FBI’s ICCC Annual Report Discusses Fraudulent and Non-Fraudulent Complaints

» SPAMfighter News - 10/26/2009