ISC Warns: Phishing Emails Abusing Google Docs Circulating on Internet

The ISC or (Internet Storm Center) at the SANS Institute is notifying about a new phishing scam using 'Google Docs' as a bait, reported ZDNet on November 14, 2013.

Notably, Google offers Google Docs within its Google Drive service that's a freeware web service.

Google Docs has been quite famous as a depository for sharing malware but it is increasingly being used for phishing assaults.

The attack begins with an email that says "Hello" to the recipient and tells him that he was sent an attachment of his booking by using Google Drive.

The email urges the recipient to click the link to have a glimpse of the attached file.

The aforementioned text is followed by a link.

If you click the link in the e-mail, you are brought to a web page probably on some botnet, ISC notes. The actuality that the link will surely not be a Google link come from the evidence that the mail highlights a graphic that tells the email's recipient to login with his email id to have a glimpse of the shared doc. The Webmail services promoted include: Yahoo!, Gmail, Outlook and AOL.

Security experts of ISC highlight that clicking on any of these (referring to Webmail services) will ask the recipient for his username and password for that service.

Although it is quite an unsophisticated attempt, this scam may trick some less experienced or unwary users to comply with directions and login to the bogus site. But, experts highlight that some Internauts maybe so inquisitive to see the attachment that they follow the link without due precaution.

The crooks can compromise these accounts to further launch such attacks on victims and would also be capable to access and misuse personal information stored in these webmail services.

Hence it is always advisable to have a good look at the email and phishing pages to mitigate the chances of being a victim of above kinds of phishing attacks. In case you have seen something of this type, avoid it but if you are already a victim then change your passwords for all your accounts.

» SPAMfighter News - 11/28/2013