Recently, Symantec has observed an increase in .eu domains contained within pharmacy and dating spam messages. The spam emails observed so far are predominantly in the German language. The specific patterns and characteristics demonstrate that the attacks employ a "hit-and-run" technique.

In "hit-and-run" attacks, spammers quickly rotate through the IP addresses and domains that are being used. Unlike 80% of spam attacks, these messages are not sent from botnets of compromised computers, but from mail server IP addresses with a previously unknown reputation.

Recent data obtained from the Symantec Global Intelligence network shows that the number of spam emails that contain .eu domains increased slightly in the first and third week of June. Furthermore, the number of spam emails containing .eu domains written in the German language increased considerably in the last week of June.
 

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If you have not heard of this term yet, I guarantee you will in the months to come. The term is market spam. This is not a new term or an issue that affects one or two app stores; this is a systemic problem that impacts app stores at large, where spammers focus on getting around rules and screening processes of the app stores with the goal of making a quick buck. The goal of most market spam is to get to a mass audience in the shortest time possible and to prolong its presence on a device. Regardless of how it is done, the long term effect is monetary gains for the rogue publisher at some cost to the end user.

To increase the revenue earning potential, the app developer has to maximize the length of time that they have access to a user device....

Last week I was jolted with a mail that says:
 

My first reaction was: "Did I ever interview or converse with any such person? Then why am I receiving this email?". I immediately began analyzing the email and found that it is nothing but a variant of a Hitman spam which tries to threaten the user after initiating a conversation and then extorts money in the bargain.

The discussed spam mail is a reply to an email thread which was never received or replied to before. (Although the spam message says that the recipient was part of the email communication sent a few months back.) The email comes with an attachment containing the candidate’s resume. Suprisingly, the attachment has no...

Co-Author: Avdhoot Patil

Lottery scams are not new to the world of phishing, so phishers are always seeking new fake lottery strategies. Phishers gained interest in schemes that involved donating to charity using lottery prizes. They utilized the idea in a phishing site which claimed that a popular bank was organizing a lottery for its customers and that a portion of the prize money would be donated to charity. Phishers believed that customers would be duped by the twin advantages: winning prizes and donating to charity. The phishing site was hosted on servers based in Iowa Park, USA.

A link to login was provided on the phishing site urging customers to enter their credentials. The link lead the customers to a phishing page that prompted the customer for their name, ticket number, and email address:
 

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