Article contributed by Emily Liu, Symantec Security Response Technician

Most of the Russian spam emails we usually encounter are about online advertising, product promotion, and training workshops. These spam emails typically are sent out unsolicited from free or hijacked personal email accounts, without opt-out, and have randomized subjects to avoid being caught in spam filters. Despite the use of random subjects, we continue to observe spammers who like to list phone numbers in the email as the only available means of contact instead of direct URL links.

Here is an example of a recent Russian event promotion spam:

Here is the English translation:

Figure 1. Russian-language spam promotion...

Co-Author: Avdhoot Patil

When phishing through social media, fake applications are a key technique used by phishers to introduce new kinds of baits. In October, 2011, phishers launched a new fake application named "Maldivian App". The phishing site was hosted on a free webhosting domain. It should be noted the legitimate site does not provide such an application.

Phishers put in more creative thought and time than usual in designing this phishing page. The phishing site contained an image with details about the application and included a form for Web users to enter login credentials. The image presents a ribbon in the tricolors of the Maldivian flag accentuated with the logo of a social networking brand and a Maldivian flag T-shirt. A prominent description of the application boasts that, after logging in, users would receive "cool news" about the Maldives.

For those interested in learning more about Maldives, wouldn’t it be...

Co-author: Avdhoot Patil

Celebrity promotion has gained momentum in the world of phishing. In October 2011, we observed Indonesian rock star Ahmad Dhani was being used as phishing bait and phishers continue their stream of celebrity bait with popular singers Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato. Celebrities with a large fan following are phishers’ favorites (because they believe a larger audience will mean more duped users).

In today's example, phishers created phishing sites that spoofed the login pages of a popular information services website. The phishing pages contained a picture of the singer and the page altered to give the impression that users could gain access to additional content about the celebrity after entering their own login credentials. It should be noted good websites will never alter the format of their login page for celebrity promotions. After the...

Thanks to the co-author of this blog, Avdhoot Patil.

In the month of January 2011 Symantec reported adult scams that targeted Indonesian Facebook users. These scams claimed to have an application in which users could view adult videos of Indonesian celebrities, taken from hidden cameras.

It seems that phishers are now using specific celebrities as bait for their phishing sites. This is unlike the previous Indonesian adult scams whose phishing pages gave the impression that the adult video would be of a random celebrity. In October 2011 phishers continued their adult scams on Facebook, but this time they chose the Indonesian rock star Ahmad Dhani in particular. Dhani is the frontman of the rock bands “Dewa 19” and “Ahmad Band”. The phishing site contained a photograph of Ahmad Dhani and Indonesian singer Dewi Persik. The Indonesian caption of...