Cyber Scam Targets NY Airlines and British Airways

Of recent, security experts have warned netizens to remain cautious of the spam e-mails masquerading New York (NY) Airlines and British Airways. At present, these kinds of spam e-mails are on circulation through the internet, as reported by softpedia.com on October 27, 2012.

Researchers at GFI Labs have already come across such notifications like "Your Flight Order AL [13121312]". The addressee of this mail seems to be someone called LAKENDRA Abel of NY Airlines.

The e-mail opens in a very authentic manner offering the page to be downloaded for a print out of the ticket. It reads like this "Dear Customer, FLIGHT NUMBER I 1594639, DATE & TIME / DEC 24, 2012, 11:18 PM, ARRIVING: NEW YORK JFK, TOTAL PRICE: 945.64 USD. Please download and print out your ticket here: DOWNLOAD"

Automatically, the next step to download directs the person to a compromised website set up to serve a piece of malware.

AppRiver experts have also come across a spurious British Airways e-ticket claiming the completion of booking with British Airways. It also claims the customer that the e-ticket is ready and the receipt of the same is also ready. It says that the ticket is kept held in the systems for which the customer would not receive a paper ticket. However, it assures them that their itinerary is attached along.

Though the attached file seems to be an uncomplicated PDF inside an archive, in reality it is an executable that unleashes the notorious information stealing Zeus.

Nevertheless, while scrutinizing the e-mails, experts unleashed the mystery that there is no connection of at NY Airways or British Airways with the mails.

The scam was designed with the intention that the cybercriminals who could be surprised to obtain an announcement about a flight reservation not even made by them would at least click on the link to check reservation details. Thus, they would end up infecting their system in the process. Some of the people who had actually made a reservation on contrary would be swayed away with the motion and follow the link unintentionally without much attention.

Of recent, such malware attacks using the names of Airlines biggies like Delta Airlines and American Airlines are rampant.

Thus, to alleviate the scope of falling prey to such scams, people are advised not to click on any of the links or open any of the attachments.

Related article: Cyber Attackers Move To Abandoned Sites

» SPAMfighter News - 11/3/2012