Summary
Federal authorities are warning the public about a new e-mail virus. The virus is carried by an e-mail message that has been forged to appear as though it comes from the FBI. It instructs recipients to open an attachment to the e-mail, which triggers the virus code. An FBI spokesperson said that the organization would never send unsolicited messages to the general public.
Original source:
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5587012.html
Details
The FBI is warning the public about malicious e-mails designed to appear as if they were generated by the law enforcement agency.
In a statement released late Tuesday, the FBI detailed the threat, which attempts to lure e-mail users into opening an attachment containing a computer virus.
The mail is disguised as correspondence warning people that their Internet use has been monitored by the FBI's Internet Fraud Complaint Center and that they have "accessed illegal Web sites."
The e-mails then direct recipients to open the virus-laden attachment to answer a series of questions.
The FBI said it is currently investigating the origin of the malicious e-mail and indicated that it would never send unsolicited messages to the public.
The agency further warned people against opening any e-mail attachment sent to them from an unknown sender.
Spoofing, or the practice of sending unsolicited e-mail meant to appear as if it were generated by a reliable or known source, is a problem that continues to plague everyone from the world's largest financial services companies to government agencies to individual e-mail users.
The issue has gained renewed attention as the number of spoofing campaigns linked to identity theft scams--also known as phishing attacks--has increased significantly in recent years.
The FBI has been dealing other tech-related problems recently.
Earlier this month, in an audit of the agency's computing infrastructure, Justice Department officials said that the
FBI has failed to adequately address problems identified after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Much of the criticism centered on the FBI's inability to install its Virtual Case File system, software meant to improve the manner in which FBI workers share information.
About the author: Mike Adams is an award-winning journalist and holistic nutritionist with a passion for sharing empowering information to help improve personal and planetary health He has authored more than 1,800 articles and dozens of reports, guides and interviews on natural health topics, and he has created several downloadable courses on survival and preparedness, including his widely-downloaded course on personal safety and self-defense. Adams is an independent journalist with strong ethics who does not get paid to write articles about any product or company. In mid 2010, Adams produced TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural health video sharing website offering user-generated videos on nutrition, green living, fitness and more. He's also a noted pioneer in the email marketing software industry, having been the first to launch an HTML email newsletter technology that has grown to become a standard in the industry. Adams is currently the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit, and enjoys outdoor activities, nature photography, Pilates and martial arts training. Known on the 'net as 'the Health Ranger,' Adams shares his ethics, mission statements and personal health statistics at www.HealthRanger.org
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Sunday, March 06, 2005
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