Athens, May 23, 2014
As Brazil prepares to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup, which kicks off on June 12, cybercriminals are ramping up their campaigns to defraud fans. Kaspersky Lab wants to share some tips with users on how to protect themselves against World Cup-themed phishing and malware attacks, so they can safely enjoy the world’s biggest sporting event.
Digital fraudsters are constantly creating websites that mimic the authentic domains of the World Cup, its sponsors and partners – including well-known brands – in order to mislead users and extract their personal data, such as usernames, passwords and credit card numbers.
Fabio Assolini, Senior Security Researcher in Kaspersky Lab's Global Research and Analysis team, noted: "In Brazil alone, we detect 50-60 new domains every day. These sites are often highly sophisticated and skillfully designed. In fact, it is not at all easy for an ordinary user to distinguish a fake domain from an authentic one."
Some phishing websites appear secure. For example, their URLs may start with “https” (where the “s” stands for “secure”), as cybercriminals manage to purchase valid SSL certificates from certificate authorities. Phishing domains also sometimes have mobile versions that look authentic, targeting smartphone and tablet users.
Criminals also use legitimate SSL certificates to infect users' computers with malware. In one particular scam, users in Brazil received an email saying they had won a ticket to a World Cup match. If the user clicked on the link to print the ticket, they were taken to a banking Trojan.
In another attack, an apparently compromised database of customer information was used. The scammers sent personalized emails, informing recipients that they had won a ticket to the World Cup. The messages included the recipient’s full name, date of birth, and full address – information that the scammers obtained from an unknown database. The emails included a PDF attachment that purported to be the ticket the users had won. In reality, it was another banking Trojan.
Cybercrime exploiting the huge public interest in the World Cup is not limited to Brazil – it is a global phenomenon. However, it is not new: KasperskyLab experts have reported other World Cup-themed spam campaigns and messages used in Nigerians cam attacks as early as February.
Here are some useful tips to protect users from phishing and malware attacks that draw their theme from the World Cup:
- Always thoroughly check a website before entering any credentials or confidential information. Phishing pages are intentionally designed to look authentic.
- Although websites whose addresses start with “https” are more secure than those that start with “http,” that doesn’t mean they can be completely trusted. Cybercriminals can obtain SSL certificates legally.
- In general, be cautious with messages you receive from unknown senders. In particular, avoid clicking on links in emails that come from sources you are not completely sure of. Also, do not download or open attachments from untrusted sources.
- Make sure you have up-to-date anti-malware protection installed that blocks phishing websites.
More information on phishing and malware scams related to the World Cup is available in Fabio Assolini's blogpost.
About Kaspersky Lab
Kaspersky Lab is the world's largest privately held computer security company. The company is among the top four security providers in the world*. Throughout its 16-year history, Kaspersky Lab has been pioneering security innovations, providing cost-effective solutions to protect consumers, small and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises. Today, Kaspersky Lab operates in 200 countries and regions around the world, providing online security to over 300 million users. For more information, visit: www.kaspersky.com .
- Based on IDC’s “Worldwide Endpoint Security Revenue by Vendor” ranking for 2012. Ranking included in IDC’s “Worldwide Endpoint Security 2013–2017 Forecast and 2012 Vendor Shares” report (IDC #235930, August 2013). The report included a ranking of software vendors based on revenue from sales of computer security solutions in 2012.
Kaspersky Contact
Konstantinos Memos
Advocate/ Burson-Marsteller
210 6931000
kmemmos@advocate-bm.gr
