Windows 7: Phishing Attacks Snag E-mail Marketers

Spear Phishing Attacks Snag E-mail Marketers

Criminals have been conducting complex, targeted e-mail attacks against employees at more than 100 e-mail service providers (ESPs) over the past several months in a bid to hijack computers at companies that market directly to customers of some of the world’s largest corporations, anti-spam experts warn.

The attacks are a textbook example of how organized thieves can abuse trust relationships between companies to access important resources that are then recycled in future attacks. According to multiple sources, the so-called “spear phishing” attacks in this fraud campaign arrived as virus-laden e-mails addressing ESP employees by name, and many cases included the name of the ESP in the body of the message.

The poisoned missives used a variety of ruses, but generally included an invitation to view images at a Web site URL included in the message — such as a link to wedding photos or an online greeting card. Recipients who clicked the links were redirected to sites that attempted to silently install software designed to steal passwords and give attackers remote control over infected systems.