Online security services firm Exploit Prevention Labs (EPL) is warning of a new phishing scam in which fraudsters use e-cards to infect computers with malicious keylogger malware which is then used to steal personal financial data.
EPL says it has uncovered a major cyber criminal ring operating in Australia using what appear on the surface to be Yahoo Greetings e-cards.
Personal data including credit card numbers, bank accounts and passwords has already been stolen from thousands of people in Australia and the US.
The attacks involve spam e-mail messages that appear to be greeting cards sent by one of the major e-card companies. But recipients who click on the link to view the card are sent to a malicious Web site that checks to see if the user's Web browser has been patched for the latest software vulnerabilities. If it's unpatched, the server silently force-downloads a rootkit and a keylogger onto the PC before redirecting the web browser to an authentic Yahoo Greetings card.
Roger Thompson, CTO, ELP says researchers have also discovered further evidence that malicious e-card spammers have expanded operations beyond Australia and Yahoo Greetings, with confirmed targets in North America, Europe and Asia using a variety of e-card suppliers.