Just a heads-up --
I found an e-mail in my spam folder just now that claimed to be a failure-to-deliver notice from the USPS. It was suspicious because the text looked "dirty" (grayish areas around the letters, instead of clean black type on clean white background), and also because it said the package I'd tried to send on September 19 had failed to be delivered. I checked my journal, and not only did I not mail anything on the 19th, the 19th was a Sunday.
It uses a spoofed e-mail address and appears to come from the USPS. The subject line is "USPS Delivery Problem NR#######," where ####### is a random seven-digit number.
The file it asks you to download is called USPSLabelDoc.zip, and contains the Oficla trojan, which is used to create security gaps that can upload other malware to your computer. The virus, or at least this method of delivering the virus, has been around for a while -- I found references as far back as 2008 -- but they're apparently making a new push nowish. (See articles dated 28 Sep 2010 and 30 Sep 2010.)
Your antivirus software will not necessarily catch it, and if downloaded it may disable your antivirus protection. (Older versions did, at least.)
Just so you know.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Virus warning
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5 comments:
I had a similar message in my spam folder twice in the last couple of weeks. Mine was not USPS, but FedEx. I called FedEx and they told me it was a phony message and to delete it immediately which I did.
Thanks to you I didn't open my email when I saw the subject line. Deleted it and checked out snopes.com as well. Appreciate the heads up.
GG
A PSA from PATSP. Thank you. I know I shouldn't complain, but I only get boring spam. I don't even get suggestions how I can "make her happy allnight". (I assumed that means cleaning the bathroom, making dinner, and feigning interest in a movie that makes my hair fall asleep, but I might have that wrong.)
Thomas:
No, I think "Happy Allnight" is a dessert. It involves chocolate and creme de menthe. They're just trying to give you the recipe, for some reason.
I don't get those e-mails either. Mostly people want me to buy watches.
Thanks for the heads up; always good to know about a virus.
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