Windows 7: Timing is Everything for New Tax Malware Scam

AppRiver's Troy Gill describes the threat. "The messages we are seeing, claim to be from the IRS and state that "Your Federal Tax Payment has been rejected". The message contains an attachment that you are asked to open for more information. The attachments contains an .exe file that if run will infect your computer instantly."



Gill explains that many tax returns were held, and that the IRS just began accepting them yesterday. "Most of these individuals would have received an email yesterday stating that their tax return has been "sent" to the IRS and that they would receive another email confirmation once the return had been "accepted" by the IRS. In other words--millions of Americans are likely expecting to hear whether or not their tax return has been accepted or rejected via email within the next 48 hour period, so this attack could really not be better timed."