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New phishing message distributed on campus

Friday, May 6th, 2016

This morning we received word of a new phishing e-mail being distributed on campus. (see example below) Please note that the message below is NOT from the University’s IT department. All our e-mails will be branded and in both Afrikaans and English. Ignore these e-mails and delete them. Other signs to look out for are:

1. The e-mail is never addressed to you personally – it’s a generic heading. (e.g. Dear client)
2. It asks the receiver to divulge personal information, for example your ID number, password or username.
3. The e-mail asks you to click on a link to “activate” your account. Don’t click on any links in e-mails (unless it’s an official IT e-mail) and also don’t copy and paste it in your web browser.
4. Usually a short time limit is given, for example “within 24 hours”.
5. Make sure the request is official and legal by calling the company and confirming.
6. Do not send sensitive information by e-mail. Legitimate companies won’t ask you to send data by e-mail.

—————————————————————————————————————————

From: a University staff member [mailto:scammers-email@outlook.com]
Sent: 05 May 2016 11:52 PM
Subject: Outlook WebAccess

Today Thursday 5th  May, 2016. we are upgrading our email system to Outlook Web App 2016. This service creates more space and easy access to email. Please update your account by clicking on Activation below, fill information for activation and submit.

Click for Activation

Inability to complete the information will render your account inactive. 

Thank you.

IT Admin Desk

Discovery phishing scam

Wednesday, April 6th, 2016

Please take note that a new phishing e-mail is being distributed to SU addresses. It seems to be from Discovery, coincidentally also SU staff medical aid, but is in fact a phishing e-mail.

 

Do not be tempted by the promise of R1700. If Discovery owed you money, they would probably deposit the outstanding amount in your bank account directly. They wouldn’t ask you to do anything from your side.

 

Ignore and delete the e-mail. Do not click on the links and do not enter any personal information on the site if you do click on the link. If you’ve already done so, immediately change the relevant password to prevent your accounts from being hacked. 

 


 

 

 

Hello Valued Customer,

 

Your Discovery Card was credited with 17000 Miles (R1700) as a reward for been a loyal customer last  2 weeks today ( Final notice) , but you did not claim it, we are giving you another chance. Follow the instructions below:- 

1. Click this link http://www.discovery.co.za/portal/individual/login  

2. Then enter your www.discovery.co.za Username and Password and click login 

3.  Update your Discovery Credit Card  details and click update after you have completed it( Note:-Do not fail to enter the full details correctly).

 

Regards,

Discovery Miles Team

The history of malware,Trojans and worms (part 3)

Thursday, March 17th, 2016

Two weeks ago we explored lesser known malware, Trojans and worms, after 1985. This time around, we look at more recent threats, starting with zombies…

2003 Zombie, Phishing
The Sobig worm gave control of the PC to hackers, so that it became a “zombie,” which could be used to send spam. The Mimail worm posed as an email from Paypal, asking users to confirm credit card information.

2004 IRC bots
Malicious IRC (Internet Relay Chat) bots were developed. Trojans could place the bot on a computer, where it would connect to an IRC channel without the user’s knowledge and give control of the computer to hackers.

2005 Rootkits
Sony’s DRM copy protection system, included on music CDs, installed a “rootkit” on users’ PCs, hiding files so that they could not be duplicated. Hackers wrote Trojans to exploit this security weakness and installed a hidden “back door.”

2006 Share price scams
Spam mail hyping shares in small companies (“pump-and-dump” spam) became common.

2006 Ransomware
The Zippo and Archiveus Trojan horse programs, which encrypted users’ files and demanded payment in exchange for the password, were early examples of ransomware.

2006 First advanced persistent threat (APT) identified 
First coined by the U.S. Air Force in 2006 and functionally defined by Alexandria, Virginia security firm Mandiant in 2008 as a group of sophisticated, determined and coordinated attackers. APTs are equipped with both the capability and the intent to persistently and effectively target a specific entity. Recognized attack vectors include infected media, supply chain compromise and social engineering.

2008 Fake antivirus software
Scaremongering tactics encourage people to hand over credit card details for fake antivirus products like AntiVirus 2008.

2008 First iPhone malware
The US Computer Emergency Response Team (US-CERT) issues a warning that a fraudulent iPhone upgrade, “iPhone firmware 1.1.3 prep,” is making its way around the Internet and users should not be fooled into installing it. When a user installs the Trojan, other application components are altered. If the Trojan is uninstalled, the affected applications may also be removed.

2009 Conficker hits the headlines
Conficker, a worm that initially infects via unpatched machines, creates a media storm across the world.

2009 Polymorphic viruses rise again
Complex viruses return with a vengeance, including Scribble, a virus which mutates its appearance on each infection and used multiple vectors of attack.

2009 First Android malware
Android FakePlayerAndroid/FakePlayer.A is a Trojan that sends SMS messages to premium rate phone numbers. The Trojan penetrates Android-based smartphones disguised as an ordinary application. Users are prompted to install a small file of around 13 KB that has the standard Android extension .APK. But once the “app” is installed on the device, the Trojan bundled with it begins texting premium rate phone numbers (those that charge). The criminals are the ones operating these numbers, so they end up collecting charges to the victims’ accounts.

2010 Stuxnet
Discovered in June 2010 the Stuxnet worm initially spreads indiscriminately, but is later found to contain a highly specialized malware payload that is designed to target only Siemens supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems configured to control and monitor specific industrial processes. Stuxnet’s most prominent target is widely believed to be uranium enrichment infrastructure in Iran.

2012 First drive-by Android malware
The first Android drive-by malware is discovered, a Trojan called NotCompatible that poses as a system update but acts as a proxy redirect. The site checks the victim’s browser’s user-agent string to confirm that it is an Android visiting, then automatically installs the Trojan. A device infected with NotCompatible could potentially be used to gain access to normally protected information or systems, such as those maintained by enterprise or government.

2013 Ransomware is back
Ransomware emerges as one of the top malware threats. With some variants using advanced encryption that makes recovering locked files nearly impossible, ransomware replaces fake antivirus as malicious actors’ money-soliciting threat of choice.

Take note that information below is an extract from the Sophos Threatsaurus, compiled by Sophos, a security software and hardware company.

How to avoid spam

Thursday, March 17th, 2016

Spam is unsolicited and often profitable bulk email. Spammers can send millions of emails in a single campaign for very little money. If even one recipient out of 10,000 makes a purchase, the spammer can turn a profit. Unfortunately spam is more than a mere nuisance. It is also used to distribute malware. 

Here are a few tips to prevent your mailbox from being flooded with unwanted, dubious e-mails.

Never make a purchase from an unsolicited email.
By making a purchase, you are funding future spam. Spammers may add your email address to lists to sell to other spammers and you will receive even more junk email. Worse still, you could be the victim of a fraud.

If you do not know the sender of an unsolicited email, delete it.
Spam can contain malware that damages or compromises the computer when the email is opened.

Don’t use the preview mode in your email viewer.
Spammers can track when a message is viewed, even if you don’t click on it. The preview setting effectively opens the email and lets spammers know that you receive their messages. When you check your email, try to decide whether a message is spam on the basis of the subject line only.

Don’t overexpose your email address.
How much online exposure you give your email address is the biggest factor in how much spam you receive. Here are some bad habits that expose your email address to spammers:
– Posting to mailing lists that are archived online
– Submitting your address to online services with questionable privacy practices
– Exposing your address publicly on social networks (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.)
– Using an easily guessable address based on first name, last name and company
– Not keeping your work and personal email separate

Use the bcc field if you email many people at once.
The bcc or blind carbon copy field hides the list of recipients from other users. If you put the addresses in the To field, spammers may harvest them and add them to mailing lists.

Use one or two secondary email addresses.
If you fill out web registration forms or surveys on sites from which you don’t want further information, use a secondary email address. 

Opt out of further information or offers.
When you fill out forms on websites, look for the checkbox that lets you choose whether to accept further information or offers. Uncheck if you don’t want to receive any more correspondence.

Take note that information below is an extract from the Sophos Threatsaurus, compiled by Sophos, a security software and hardware company.

Phishing attack on same day as migration of Tygerberg accounts

Friday, March 4th, 2016

Today, between 07:00-08:00 the Tygerberg personnel accounts were migrated to the STB domain. E-mail, logins, etc. were affected and hopefully most of you were moved with relatively few issues.

The phishers do not stop their attacks and e-mails to try to get you to reveal your usernames, passwords etc,  and still flood many people’s mailboxes.

However, today there was another attack, which is particularly sinister, because apparently it is from from “HELPDESK” and asks you to log in to a page and give your username and password so you can enjoy the *improved* services. It is sent from the “Webmail Upgrade Team”.

An unfortunate coincidence that on the same day we are migrating, we receive a phishing scam about “upgrading”, hence its danger to Tygerberg.

Please don’t respond, or go to the site that you are being asked to go to. Do not fill in your username, password or ANY other details on any site. The Stellenbosch University Information Technology migration took place without there being any need for users to provide user names and passwords. Any issues with the migration can be reported telephonically to the IT Helpdesk at 021-8084367.

Here is an example of the phishing mail that many are receiving. If you are in doubt about any e-mail you receive, call your local computer geek or at least ask the IT HelpDesk.


—–Original Message—–

From: Webmail Upgrade Team [mailto:phisher@scam.com]

Sent: 03 March 2016 12:23 PM

Subject: HELP DESK

ATTN: Outlook Web Access User,

Take note of this important update that our new webmail has been improved with a new messaging system from Outlook Web Access which also include faster usage on email, shared calendar,web-documents and the new 2016 anti-spam version. Please use the outlook web access link below to complete your update for our new Outlook Web Access improved webmail.

http://link.to.phishing.site/

NOTE: Failure to do this within 24 hours of receiving this notice we will immediately render your Outlook Web App account deactivated from our database and you cannot hold us responsible since you fail to adhere to our request.

___________________

Regards,

IT Service Desk Support.

Admin Team

Miss Annie Phisher

[INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY DAVID WILES]

 

 

 

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