Monday, April 30, 2007

Virginia Tech footage -- Delete email - DO NOT open

Good morning! Something here for your information. Not sure if this is another one of those much-ado-about-nothing thingy but I figured it's better to be safe than sorry.


Beware..Beware..
This warning is put out by the Information System Operations Center.
While interest in the subject may be there, Do Not fall for this. If you get an email promising video footage of the VT shootings, delete it and
DO NOT follow the link.

What:
In the wake of recent events at Virginia Tech groups of unscrupulous persons have begun circulating an Email promising Video Footage of the massacre. This Email directs the user to a link to download the footage then loads a banking Trojan on to the users system and from there attempts to steal banking account, password, and PIN information from the users system.

Action: Urgent
All organizations and users should immediately delete all Emails regarding the Virginia Tech Massacre that offer camera phone footage of the incident.

An IT Coordinator

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Malware spam promises Virginia Tech video

Hackers have begun cashing in on the Virginia Tech university tragedy by spamming out malware-infected emails.

Hackers have begun cashing in on the Virginia Tech university tragedy by spamming out malware-infected emails purporting to offer cameraphone footage of the attack which resulted in more than 30 deaths.

Email messages carry a photograph of gunman Cho Seung Hui and claim to link to a Brazilian movie website carrying footage of the campus shootings.

But clicking on the link downloads a malicious screensaver file which installs a banking spyware Trojan.

The Trojan attempts to steal passwords, usernames and other information from online bank users, opening the possibility for identity theft and allowing bank accounts to be raided by cyber-criminals.

"It is pretty sick that cyber-criminals use tragic events like this in their attempts to make cash, but sadly it is not the first time and unlikely to be the last," said a senior technology consultant.

"It is of paramount importance that everyone treats unsolicited emails with suspicion, and thinks twice before they run a unsolicited program or click on a link.

"Regular antivirus updates, firewalls, security patches and a good serving of common sense is a must."

Past malware and spam campaigns have taken advantage of headline breaking news stories such as Hurricane Katrina, the Indian tsunami and the terror bombings in London.

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