Contributor: Samir Patil

In the last few months, we have seen an increase in the volume of malicious spam. The majority of these new spam emails contain links to the Blackhole Exploit Kit.

Earlier this year Symantec reported on malicious spam during tax season that lead to the Blackhole Exploit Kit. Similar attacks targeting well-known businesses occurred throughout 2012, affecting major brands in various service industries such as payroll, fax, and social media.

The emails claim to be contacting the recipient in regards to account transactions, pending notifications, company complaint reports etc.

The main purpose of these spam campaigns is to lure recipients into clicking on links contained in the emails. These links then lead to malicious code being downloaded, which exploits common vulnerabilities.

Note: Read...

Recently, I wrote a blog describing the current status of Android malware thriving in Japan and much of the focus was on one particular family: Android.Enesoluty. I don’t know whether the authors of Android.Enesoluty read the blog or came across a news article discussing the content of it, but a few days later the app sites distributing the malware contained a user agreement. This was most likely done in an attempt to make the apps legal and ultimately avoid an arrest and prosecution as the Japanese authorities increase their pursuit of Android malware creators.

Until recently, the app pages hosting Android.Enesoluty only contained false descriptions of the apps, fake download counts, fake reviews, and links that download the apps. They did not have anything with regard to a user...

Contributor: Avdhoot Patil

Several phishing attacks using football have been observed during 2012. Phishers have shown their interest in football clubs, football celebrities, and the 2014 FIFA World Cup. In November 2012, the trend continued with phishers spoofing the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazilian Portuguese on a free web hosting site.

In one example, a phishing site prompted users to sign up for a  daily offer to win prizes worth hundreds of dollars, including trips to the World Cup. The phishing page featured the World Cup mascot Fuleco on the right hand side. While signing up for the offer, the user is asked to select from three Brazilian electronic payment brands. After the brand is selected, the phishing site requests the user’s confidential information.

The information required includes the user's:

• Card number
• Electronic signature
• Card holder name
• Password
• Email address...

2012 will be remembered as the year in which Android malware spread widely in Japan and may also be known as the year when some of the developers of the malware escaped punishment for performing the malicious activities.

On October 30, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested a group of five individuals for their involvement in developing and distributing Android.Dougalek. Their goal was to collect personal information stored on Android devices. Coincidently, the Kyoto Prefectural Police also arrested two men on the same day, and then two more at a later date, for the development and distribution of Android.Ackposts, which was also used to steal personal information. Symantec welcomes this news and applauds the police for their efforts.

Symantec was able to assist the Tokyo...