September 23, 2011 by Eric Weidl

We are seeing a dramatic and sustained increase in the number of fraudulent and malicious emails.

The purpose of these emails is to take control of or otherwise compromise your computer.

The emails either include an attachment or a link to a website. The attachment or link contain malicious software which will enable the sender to take over your computer.

The emails claim to be from the government (for example, the IRS or FDIC), your bank, UPS, or even an office scanner. Here are some of the fake messages we've seen:

From	Subject
The Electronics Payment Association	Rejected ACH Transfer
UPS	UPS: Your Package H5362726920
UPS Manager	Your Tracking Number H1671090019
FDIC Security	Error: Updates your ACH Certificate
FDIC Wire Transfers	ACH Payment Canceled
no reply	FDIC message center
Account Manager	The ACH transaction (ID: 17767627) was canceled
Amber Aguilar	EFTPS Payment Canceled
automailer	Uniform traffic ticket
IRS.gov	U.S. Department of the Treasury
officejet@intersites.com	Re:Scan from a Hewlett-Packard Officejet

If you receive a message like one of these, delete it immediately.

Be suspicious about every email you receive. Do not open any message from anyone you don't recognize and do not open any attachment or click on any link in an email unless you are sure who it is from and what it is about.

If you have clicked a link or opened an attachment in one of these emails, you should assume your computer has been hacked. Do not visit any sensitive site, like your bank or credit card. Stop using the computer until someone can check and verify it is safe to use.

Posted in Alerts!