With the worsening economic situation, unemployment figures have risen worldwide. This has led millions of people to search for jobs, using whatever resources they can find. One of the most common is online job search sites. Email alerts from recruitment agencies are anxiously viewed for future job prospects and hopes dashed when rejection letters are received.

Malicious code writers are making use of this opportunity to distribute their malware. Symantec has recently observed emails with malicious attachments, informing the recipient of a job rejection and including an attached copy of their purported application. These emails pose as though they have been sent from a genuine recruitment agency.

The attached zip file “copy of your CV.zip” contains an executable file, detected as...

While reviewing some Russian spam samples recently, I came across an amusing message. It extols the financial benefits of promotional email messages, also known as “spam” in layman’s terms. The spammer sells it in true snake oil peddler style, all the while quoting Lenin for a great mix of capitalism and communism! The message contains many of the telltale signs of recent Russian language-based spam attacks: short, text-based, and a phone number for a call to action.

As always, be wary of any email received from an unknown or untrusted source. Below is an example of this type of message (translated text follows after the original content):

Subject: Информация для вас

Если вы спросите, Что такое спам?      
То можно с уверенностью ответить, это доходный и стабильный бизнес.   
           ...

As U.S. President Obama focuses on preparing an economic stimulus package, it is clear that spammers are also working on their own unique version of a “stimulus package.” Spam levels are continuing to rise post-McColo shutdown, accounting for over 79 percent of all email in recent days. As the economic situation continues to worsen across the globe (with the unemployment rate in the U.S. expected to have jumped to 7.5 percent in January from 7.2 percent the month prior) it is clear that spammers believe that some clouds have a silver lining. A number of economic stimulus-related spam emails have emerged in recent days.
 
One example claimed to be from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and encouraged the recipient to “Submit your Economic Stimulus Payment form.” This is a common spam tactic used by spammers to try and obtain personal information from a recipient who may be unfamiliar with such attacks. It should also be noted that as the April...

What would your Valentine like this year? Perhaps a shopping spree, a watch, cash, or an assortment of E.D. or weight loss pills?
 
We are nearing the end of January and Valentine’s Day spam is in full swing. Spammers have been busy making sure they have the perfect gift for your loved ones this year.
 
The top 20 Valentine’s Day spam subject lines seem more like a laundry list of solutions for a cast of depressed porn stars than an array of truly romantic gifts. What says "Happy Valentine’s Day" quite as well as "Hi Sweetie, here are some weight loss pills for you this year, maybe you can drop a few pounds!"?
 

The top 20 Valentine’s Day-related subject lines for January

 

Increase your length, the best valentine's gift
Show off your length for valentine's
Get it before Valentine's day and watch her smile
You have been...