Malware Scam Purports to be from FBI

Researchers at AppRiver the security company have warned of one fresh malware scam that's presently dispatching fake e-mails while posing as communication from FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation).

Bearing the caption "You visit illegal websites," the fraudulent electronic mails seem to claim they are of high priority, the security company outlines.

Also addressing the recipient as Madam/Sir, the fraudulent message says that the FBI has logged her/his Internet Protocol address on over 40 unauthorized Internet sites, so the recipient may kindly respond to certain queries that are given in an attachment.

The attachment titled "document.zip," though carries a malicious executable, it poses to be a PDF file.

The said .exe file, nevertheless, isn't a questionnaire; however, is a hostile installer belonging to the Bredolab group of Trojans.

And since this kind of Trojan does its malicious task invisibly, its detection is difficult. Moreover, Bredolab is highly perilous as the malware pulls down other malicious programs. The Trojan of its own doesn't cause damage, but it potentially plants PC viruses, which are extremely destructive.

Remarking about what Bredolab in the current instance is tasked with doing, Fred Touchette security researcher at AppRiver stated that it aimed at bypassing all human safeguards as well as opening one backdoor for good on the target computer so that more malware like spyware and keyloggers could be downloaded. Net-security.org published this on May 4, 2011.

Certainly, according to the specialists' remark, the majority of people will possibly perceive that the FBI does not conduct investigations via electronic mails. For, they're equipped enough for visiting the person physically and making any query they have.

Nevertheless, users are suggested that they should always verify dubious assertions within e-mails that government agencies or organizations seemingly make, via phoning them directly.

Eventually, it isn't new to have cyber-criminals abuse FBI with a scam, as they've impersonated the agency along with its high-ranking officers earlier too. For instance, an advance-fee type of scam persuaded a woman for wiring more than $400,000 to scammers in Nigeria during a period of 2-years wherein the e-mail posed as arriving from Robert Mueller, Director of FBI.

Related article: Malware Authors Turn More Insidious

» SPAMfighter News - 5/10/2011