Bogus E-mails Masquerading as booking.com Spotted

Security researchers at Sophos the security company recently spotted numerous hoax e-mails, which supposedly sent from the biggest Internet hotel reservations site across the world namely booking.com, consisted of nasty malicious software.

Displaying a header, "Hotel booking confirmation [random number]," the hoax electronic mail addressing the recipient tells that the website has got one hotel reservation for him whose details he may see from an attached file while answer back citing his agreement for the said reservation.

The e-mail even tries to appear genuine but misleads the unwitting reader by offering some contact details where he could apparently clarify any queries about the particular reservation. The details given are Telephone: Spanish support- 1-866-938-1298, English support- 1-888-850-4649; E-mail id: customer.service@booking.com; and Fax 1-866-814-1719.

Finally, the e-mail signs off from booking.com.

But, anyone viewing the attachment is likely to realize he shouldn't have opened it because the messages actually are not from booking.com.

Moreover, the zipped attachment carries the notorious Trojan viruses ordinarily called Troj/Inject-VI as well as Mal/BredoZp-B.

E-mail scams similar to the above aren't unknown while Internauts who're somewhat technically skilled will perhaps know the way these sorts of ruses play. Nevertheless, it is doubtless understood that such bulk e-mail scams continue to mark an enormous success since cyber-criminals still take the trouble to launch them, according to Sophos.

Senior Technology Consultant Graham Cluley at Sophos suggests Internauts that they must always treat e-mail attachments with suspicion if they arrive from nowhere. Also, they must ensure their anti-virus solutions are up to date, while the security patches are maintained the latest. Above all, they must spread the word amongst friends to pause and ponder prior to viewing any unusual attachment, Cluley advises. Nakedsecurity.sophos.com published Cluley's statement on May 31, 2012.

Meanwhile, cyber-criminals have been executing malware assaults related to hotels earlier too through their malicious ruses like during the 3rd-week of April 2012, when trade was being done through illegal forums of a RAT (remote access Trojan) for $280 that stole credit card information while POS (point-of-sale) applications were made at hotels and which Trusteer another security company's researchers unearthed.

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» SPAMfighter News - 6/11/2012