While not as massive as earlier Web attacks that have used similar social engineering techniques, a new spamming operation has malware criminals using the logo of Trend Micro to lure unsuspecting Web users to “Trojanize” themselves.

Here’s a screenshot of a bogus email message that potential victims in Brazil have been receiving in the past several days:

Figure 1. Portuguese spam using the Trend Micro, Inc. logo

These messages, written in Portugese, inform the recipient that they contain pictures supposedly requested by those who received the mails themselves. The bogus “picture” purportedly available via download from a link found in the email body.

The message also carries the Trend Micro logo as a sort of “guarantee” to users that the file they are about to download is legitimate.

The link, when accessed, does not lead to any image file but installs a Trojan Horse program instead.

Users are perpetually reminded to be careful in handling links in the messages they receive. Just the mere mention of an online security company or the appearance of its logo does not guarantee that the message and its contents are legitimate and not harmful to systems. Logos after all are easy to copy or fake.

Trend Micro Smart Protection Network already blocks the spammed email messages involved in this threat. It also protects users from TROJ_GENERIC by detecting the Trojan at the desktop level and by providing solutions for its removal.

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