السبت، 6 نوفمبر 2010

New Phishing-Malware attack on RIT email account users


RIT Information Security Alert—New Phishing/Malware Attack on RIT Users

 
Why am I receiving this message?
RIT users have been targeted by a spearphishing/malware e-mail with the subject line: "Hi <YOUR NAME>"
  • Wedding Photos--RIT users have received an e-mail masquerading as a note from an acquaintance. Although the specific emails may vary, they all provide links to look at wedding or other pictures on a website. Following the link may lead to a malware infection and potential harvesting of your email contacts. Here's the text of one email:

Hi Ben, it's Ashley here, it was such a long time , how is it going with you there ? I heard that you got a new job, didn't you? Is everything ok there ? Hey, can you believe it! I got married to Mike ! Yes I did. I tried to call but you did not answer. You have changed your number, haven't you? Just give me your current telephone number if you read this mail. It's really a pity that we did not see you in our wedding. I wanted to invite you so much. Well, here I'm sending you a few pics taken in our wedding :
LINK REMOVED

Let's keep in touch then.
Love,
Ashley & Mike

What is RIT doing to protect me?

  • RIT is working to block the phishing/malware attacks from reaching RIT e-mail accounts.
  • myMail.rit.edu has not been compromised.
  • McAfee VirusScan with up-to-date virus definitions will protect against viruses and many other threats that may be associated with phishing emails. (Antivirus software is available free to RIT students, faculty, and staff for home use from http://www.rit.edu/its/services/security/).
  • MySpam will block many of these phishing e-mails. However, senders actively modify messages to avoid spam traps like Brightmail, and that allows a few to slip through.

What can I do to protect myself?

Delete the e-mail. If you clicked on the link and reached a webpage, change your password NOW, scan your systems for viruses and spyware,  and report the situation to your Help Desk (FAST, COB, NTID, ITS).


General protection against phishing scams 
Safe practices
  • NEVER RESPOND TO A REQUEST FOR YOUR PASSWORD sent by e-mail, even if the request appears legitimate. RIT will NEVER ask for your password through e-mail.
  • Do not provide identity information, including credit card numbers, when you receive an unsolicited e-mail or phone call.
  • Do not open attachments in unexpected or suspicious e-mails or instant messages.
  • Do not click anywhere on the e-mail—even in what may appear to be white space.
  • Delete the e-mail or instant message.
  • If the e-mail or instant message provides a link to a site where you are requested to enter personal information, it may be a phish. The real link may also be masked. Move your mouse over the link and it may show a different address than the one displayed in the e-mail.
  • Be selective in what sites you provide with your RIT e-mail address.
 

Technical solutions
  • Use a limited or non-administrator account when opening e-mail and browsing the Internet. A limited account will help protect you against many malware attacks. FAST (and some RIT colleges) already protect their users by giving them limited accounts. (A demo on setting up a limited account in Windows XP is available at http://security.rit.edu/simulations/102a/102A1.html. Macintosh security instructions are at http://www.rit.edu/its/services/desktop_support/mac/xsecurityaudit.html.)
  • If you're a Windows user, install anti-spyware software such as Spybot Search & Destroy or Microsoft Defender. (COB, FAST, and NTID users should check with your support organizations before installing software.)
  • Add an anti-phishing toolbar to Internet Explorer or Firefox. Anti-phishing toolbars help detect and may block known phishing sites. ITS is providing McAfee anti-phishing tools to ePO-managed users. All users were required to have anti-phishing software after August 1, 2009.


For more information

General scam and phishing information:


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