Bin Laden Virus To Wreak Havoc, Warns FBI

Osama is dead but is still wreaking havoc. If you get an e-mail containing bin Laden links, then it's a fake, says the FBI.

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The FBI has issued a warning to computer users "to exercise caution when they receive e-mails that purport to show photos or videos of Osama bin Laden's recent death."

It warns users not to open unsolicited e-mails or click links contained within such messages, as it could be from an unknown sender.

There are several email and Facebook scams doing the rounds, one shows a Facebook page, claiming to be a video of "Osama bin Laden killed live on video."

Other emails have links saying: "See video in which Osama bin Laden is shown holding a newspaper with today's date and disprove his possible death reported by OBAMA" and another says "pictures-of-osama-dead.exe."

The news of the demise of bin Laden, the godfather of terrorism and leader of al-Qa'eda, and on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List for more than a decade was met with jubilation across the world.

The emails, if opened, could contain a virus that could damage computers and the "malware" can embed itself in computers and spread to users' contact lists, thereby infecting their systems and could also capture personal information.

Users should also ensure they have up-to-date firewall and anti-virus software running on their machines to detect and deflect malicious software, the US's Internet Crime Complaint Center recommends.

IT security experts McAfee agrees, branding the mails "expected lures" in a blog.

"Beware of any verbiage, subject lines in emails, or links via Facebook or Twitter that contain words like these–as they will almost certainly get you into trouble," it warned. 

 

News of the death of bin Laden, confirmed by a simple tweet by a former White House staffer from his BlackBerry at 10.25 EST on May 02 sent news outlets around the world into a frenzy of activity and online searches in the US surpassed the recent interest in the British Royal Wedding.

The attack on the al-Qa'eda leader by US forces was first reported on Twittter by an IT consultant based in Abbottabad, Pakistan, who said "Helicopter hovering above Abbottabad at 1AM (is a rare event)."

He was finally caught in a hideout suburb near the town of city of Abbottabad, Pakistan.

"So I'm told by a reputable person they have killed Osama Bin Laden. Hot damn," Keith Urbahn, the former Chief of Staff of Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld wrote on Twitter.

However, Urbahn who also describes himself as a  Navy Reserve intel officer came in from criticism from one follower, who criticised the casual nature of the post without getting confirmation first, retweeting "I gotta say...you broke this first. Everyone was crediting you before it was confirmed. Nice work."

However, it did turn out to in fact be true, although Urbahn downplayed the significance of the event, later tweeting "Stories about the 'death of MSM [mainstream media]' because of my 'first' tweet are greatly exaggerated."

He also cited his source his source as being from the media from "a connected network TV news producer."

 

Following the tweet, The White House confirmed the death soon after, which was followed by an official address by President Obama at 11.00 EST.  

 

 

Postcard from Hallmark Virus Hoax

By Mary Landesman, About.com Guide

Description:

A hoax. The Postcard from Hallmark virus hoax is a knock-off on the old A Virtual Card for You hoax. It contains many telltale signs of a virus hoax. The Postcard from Hallmark hoax includes a link to a Snopes article which is worded in such a way that it appears the hoax warning is legitimate. It isn't. While greeting card scams do exist, they don't bear any resemblance to what's outlined in the hoax. Following is one example of the Postcard from Hallmark virus hoax:

Example of hoax email:

THIS ONE IS FOR REAL...

http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/postcard.asp

Hi All,
 

I checked Snopes (URL above:), and it is for real!!

Get this E-mail message sent around to your contacts ASAP.

PLEASE FORWARD THIS WARNING AMONG FRIENDS, FAMILY AND CONTACTS!

You should be alert during the next few days. Do not open any message with an attachment entitled 'POSTCARD FROM HALLMARK,' regardless of who sent it to you. It is a virus which opens A POSTCARD IMAGE, which 'burns' the whole hard disc `C' of your computer. This virus will be received from someone who has your e-mail address in his/her contact list. This is the reason why you need to send this e-mail to all your contacts It is better to receive This message 25 times than to receive the virus and open it.

If you receive a mail called' POSTCARD,' even though sent to you by a friend, do not open it. Shut down your computer immediately.

This is the worst virus announced by CNN. It has been classified by Microsoft as the most destructive virus ever. This virus was discovered by McAfee yesterday, and there is no repair yet for this kind of virus. This virus simply destroys the Zero Sector of the Hard disc, where the vital information is kept.

COPY THIS E-MAIL, AND SEND IT TO YOUR FRIENDS. REMEMBER: IF YOU SEND IT TO THEM, YOU WILL BENEFIT ALL OF US.

Remember: Hoaxes are a waste of both time and money. Do your friends and family a real favor and please don't forward them on to others. And if you are tempted to forward something 'just in case', read the article Toxic Excuses instead.

Online banking virus Zeus v3 fleeces thousands

By Tom McTague 12/08/2010

Hackers have raided thousands of online bank accounts in a sophisticated sting.

The scammers have stolen about £675,000 from customers at a top high street bank, which remained unnamed last night. About 3,000 people are thought to have been hit between July 5 and August 4 - and the theft is said to be still going on.

Accounts have been raided after people had their computers infected by a new Trojan virus - known as Zeus v3 - as they surfed the net.

The software steals a customer's online banking ID and, if there is more than £800 in the account, money is transferred to a different account. Internet protection firm M86 Security discovered the scam which is believed to have been carried out from Eastern Europe.

The company said: "Criminals continuously seek new, sophisticated ways to steal information and money without detection."

Victims of online banking fraud usually have the money refunded.

Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news

Below is a selection of quality Antivirus programs.

The Hallmark e-card virus - A Hoax?

Is The Hallmark e-card virus a Hoax?

There are various opinions on this subject, some caliming that it is a hoax, others that it is true. This blog only provides information from reputable sources. Below is an article on the subject from Web User, UK's best selling internet magazine.

Virus hidden in Hallmark e-card

"Surfers should beware of opening emails purporting to be from the popular card company Hallmark as they may carry a virus.

Security firm MessageLabs has intercepted emails from 25,000 IP addresses containing a new virus that arrives from the sender postcards@hallmark.com with the subject line, 'You've received a Hallmark E-Card!'

Along with the email there is an attachment entitled postcard.zip. If opened a Trojan virus will attach itself to the hosts computer and recruit it for a botnet, a web of infected computers.

According to MessageLabs the emails were sent in bursts with a surge of the malicious emails detected on 23 July.

This latest bout of malware is a variation of the Storm botnet which popularised postcard/e-card attacks last year. Web User reported on a similar scam just last month.

"As long as recipients continue to fall for these old tricks, malware authors and spammers will continue to use them," according to Matt Sergeant of MessageLabs."

The following is what Hallmark themselves have to say on the subject.

"How to retrieve legitimate Hallmark e-cards and identify fradulent e-mails

Consumer security and the integrity of our brand are of great importance to Hallmark. Occasionally, we are made aware of fraudulent e-mails and other deceptive practices, such as the postcard virus currently circulating, which we take very seriously. While Hallmark's legal team addresses these concerns, we want our consumers to be aware of how to spot a fraudulent e-mail, which may contain major greeting card company names such as Hallmark.

These fraudulent e-mails do not originate from Hallmark. The Hallmark name has been used by a third party. All legitimate Hallmark e-cards can be retrieved at www.hallmark.com/getecard with the code provided. A legitimate Hallmark e-card will include the name of the sender, a confirmation number and does not include an attachment to download.

Additional Information

Downloading attachments in these fradulent e-mails could download a virus onto a computer that compromises personal data. Here are steps consumers can take to reduce the chances of this happening:

Delete the e-mail without opening it.

If you have opened it and want to forward it to us, send it to abuse@hallmark.com. Due to the large amount of e-mail we receive at that address we will not be able to reply to your e-mail, but we will investigate. Then delete the e-mail from both your inbox and your sent folder. If you click on the link in the bogus e-mail, you will launch a Trojan virus. This virus installs an Internet Relay (IRC) chat client and causes the infected computer to connect to an IRC channel. Attackers then use that connection to remotely command your machine for the purpose gathering your personal information. An example of this virus is the Zapchast virus.

If you use Windows XP and Internet Explorer you should visit update.microsoft.com to update your browser and operating system. Then you will be less likely to be affected by the virus.

Report suspicious e-mail to your e-mail service provider so they can take action.

File a complaint at http://www.ic3.gov/.

If you are unsure if you’ve received a legitimate Hallmark E-Card, don't click on a link in the e-mail. Instead locate the EG number in the e-mail and use our E-Card pickup.

What Hallmark is doing:

Contacting the Internet providers identified as the source of the spam requesting that they shut down the imposters.

Working with Microsoft to include the virus code in their phishing filter to protect consumers who use their web browser and e-mail client software.

Working with anti-virus software corporations to get the virus code added to virus definition updates.

Reviewing Hallmark's E-Card notification and pickup procedures.

Educating consumers about how to avoid E-Card abuse.

How to tell if a Hallmark E-Card notification is real:

Hallmark e-card e-mails do not include any attachments. To be safe if you receive an e-card notification with an attachement delete it immediately, then empty your "trash" or "deleted e-mails" from your email client.

The sender's first name and last name will appear in the subject line. If you do not recognize the name of the person sending the E-Card, do not click on any links in the e-mail. Delete the e-mail.

The notification will include a link to the E-Card on Hallmark.com as well as a URL that can be pasted into a browser.

The URL will begin with http://hallmark.com/ followed by characters that identify the individual E-Card. Hover your mouse over the words "click here" in your e-mail. If you do not see the URL above, it is not a legitimate Hallmark E-Card.

Hallmark E-Cards are not downloaded and they are not .exe files.

In addition, Hallmark.com will never require an E-Card recipient to enter a user name or password nor any other personal information to retrieve an E-Card.

If you are unsure if you’ve received a legitimate Hallmark E-Card, don't click on a link in the e-mail. Instead locate the EG number in the e-mail. Then go to hallmark.com, click on the "Cards & E-Cards tab," and then on "Pick Up an E-Card" link from the dropdown menu and enter the EG number to retrieve your card.

E-mail Safety Tips:

Don’t open e-mails you know are spam. A code embedded in spam advertises that you opened the e-mail and confirms your address is valid, which in turn can generate more spam.

Don't open e-mails from unknown senders.

Don’t open attachments in e-mails unless you are expecting to receive one. If you receive an attachment that you are not expecting, even if it’s from someone you know, first read the e-mail and make sure the attachment is legitimate. If you’re still not sure, call or e-mail the sender to confirm, but do not reply to the original e-mail.

Don't click on links in e-mails that appear to be from financial companies (PayPal, banks, credit card companies, etc.) that direct you to verify or confirm account details. Instead, call the company if you are concerned about your account."