Spam emails are commonplace these days, we all know that, and most of the time our spam filters or our own eagle eyes can spot a spam message without too much difficulty.
The problem with spam is that the spammers are always thinking of new ways to dupe us into believing that their latest attempt is the real deal. Complacency can have dire consequences so anyone using email has to always be on guard.
The latest dodgy spam email doing the rounds is aimed at Verizon and Vodafone customers so look out for an email arriving in your inbox telling you that your account is over the limit.
The email looks like it has come from either Verizon wireless or Vodafone with the subject heading “Your credit balance is over the limit” and will offer you a “balance checker” to review your payments but the attached zip file is actually a Trojan that can do more damage than any over the limit account ever could.
The body of the email to both Verizon and Vodafone customers is the same except for the references to the mobile service operator.
“Please use the attached [Operator Name] Balance Checker Tool to review and analyze your payments,” it reads.
“If you run the tool, obviously, your computer is toast” said Nick Bilogorskiy, the manager of antivirus research at SonicWall.
“You get infected with a Trojan that SonicWall catches under the name of Regrun.”
Anyone who does happen to download the so called Balance Checker will open up a backdoor in their computer where other malicious software can be downloaded from the Zbot botnet.
“There is a danger that unsuspecting mobile phone owners might fall for the trap, perhaps convinced by the use of Vodafone’s logo which is embedded in the email, and launch the file attachment, thus infecting their computers” said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos,
The version of this Trojan is detected by Sophos’ products as Mal/Zbot-P.
The Zbot botnet is infamous for capturing online banking details and emptying bank accounts, which can be highly lucrative for the spammers.
Recently the US Federal Bureau of Investigation said that around $100 million USD has been withdrawn from bank accounts in the US using this method.
This latest billing cycle scam is simply the latest tactic that criminals are using in order to trick people into downloading their software Bilogorskiy said.
The usual advice always applies. Be suspicious of any unsolicited emails containing attachments or asking you to download something.
