Everyone who knows anything about the Internet knows it’s all about social networking nowadays. So it really shouldn’t be a surprise that social engineering actively being exploited by cybercriminals to spread malware.
Spammed email messages supposedly from the social networking website hi5, reported to have 70 million registered members, inform users that they received a friend request from someone.
Figure 1. Sample spammed message.
The only thing one gets by accepting that friend is loss of Hi5 credentials. Classic social engineering: the link to Accept Friend, when clicked, leads users not to a profile but to this malicious site instead.
Figure 2.Screenshot of a fake Hi5 site.
At first glance, the URL looks legitimate, but the .vc domain gives it away. Information (even fake ones) entered in the login boxes are also accepted and thus stolen. The following blog entries have details on other social networking sites victimized by malicious users:
- Spammers Come A-Tweeting
- Fake Bebo Profiles Spam Early, Spam Often
- Bogus Windows Live Spaces Accounts Feature Spam
The Trend Micro Smart Protection Network already blocks the spammed message and the phishing site. Users are advised to still be careful of the unsolicited and untrusted email messages they receive. Clicking links in them is a definite no-no. Accessing websites by entering their legitimate URLs in address bars also helps prevent threats like this from affecting users.
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