Solera Chief Blames Malware-Writers for Using Same Scams Repetitively

Director of Security Research Andrew Brandt of Solera Networks coins a new name for malware-writers viz. "mal-slackers" because of them being lazy while executing the same malware campaigns again-and-again during the approaching 'Thanksgiving' event in USA. Infosecurity-magazine.com published this dated November 25, 2011.

The remark by Brandt follows as USA prepares for its Thanksgiving celebrations during when there's a general holiday countrywide, while malware-writers and hackers typically find it convenient to launch attacks.

Brandt, sarcastically referring to cyber-criminals, expresses gratitude to them for being so poor in crafting never-before-executed scams.

He further says that as the criminals utilize the weary, stale malware scams based on social-engineering for contaminating PCs, it becomes greatly easy for Internet-users in detecting those repetitive, uninteresting assaults as well as getting past them, adding that the criminals' laziness as also shoddy consistency has proved to be a boon.

The chief then states that during many weeks recently, he along with other researchers in his team has been observing crooks boosting their operations using exploit-kits and e-mail spam.

Moreover, according to Brandt, Internet-users may be familiar with a few of the brands that these spam campaigns use such as NACHA the trade conglomerate, DHL and USPS both package handing postal services as well as Internet-shopping centers such as YesAsia and Athleta. Blog.soleranetworks.com published this on November 24, 2011.

And whilst each of the malicious e-mails ultimately results in a malware-contamination, a few have Zip attachments and the remaining seemingly connects with external websites. Often, the e-mails confirm to the recipient about an order he supposedly placed online, therefore either his order has been accepted, it has been dispatched, alternatively the transaction on his credit card has been annulled.

Continuing, Brandt says that certainly during Thanksgiving eve, an average Web-surfer is likely to mistake a spam mail for an authentic communication, the reason understandably, attributed to its forever targeting around the vacations. Thus like always, it's worthwhile for exercising slight caution as also carefully studying e-mail links, particularly if the end-user hasn't ordered the items claimed in the message, and do away with viewing the mentioned Zip attachments, the researcher eventually suggests.

Related article: Seller of T.J.Maxx Data Arrested in Turkey

» SPAMfighter News - 12/3/2011