A successful spam campaign is infecting computers with ransomware and other malware like cryptocurrency miners and botnet software that can send spam messages from your accounts without you noticing.
Phishing attempts are usually easy to catch, but it tricked enough users to open spam messages and download malicious Zip files that it was the second most reported malware in June 2020, according to cybersecurity firm Check Point (via ZDNet)
So what is the campaign’s tremendously successful trick? Sending emails with a wink as the subject line. Seriously.
The campaign is powered by the notorious “Phorpiex” botnet. Botnets are large groups of computers that have been infected with bot malware and used by hackers to send malware by email and other mass messaging applications. A computer can be part of a botnet without the user’s knowledge and does not have to be infected with the same malware that is spreading to other machines. There is also no central “host” computer, so as long as at least one device is infected with bot malware and exploited, the botnet still technically exists.
So if you suddenly get an email with a cute blinking emoji called zip file, don’t open it. Whatever you are think the zip file may contain, it is probably only malware and downloading it is a major risk to your security and privacy. If it was sent by someone you know, contact them differently (don’t reply to the email) and tell them that your computer may have been compromised.
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We also have tips for detect and block phishing Fake emails and websites, and guides on how to prevent and respond to possible ransomware or malware attacks—How to use competent antivirus / antimalware software and Ad blocking with malware and shady web crawlers—Which can help you maintain your security and that of your data.
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