Malicious spam knocks flat German email users

Hackers disguise their Trojan-infected emails
 
Experts at SophosLabs have warned German computer users to be on their guard against a malicious email which claims to come from home furniture giant Ikea.

The emails, which have been widely spammed out, pose as a communication from Ikea Deutschland, but opening the attached file launches the Troj/Clagger-AZ Trojan horse.

The email claims to come from Ikea:

"Users may be so surprised to receive an unexpected bill from Ikea that they will open the attached file without thinking twice," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "If the attached file is run, the Trojan will attempt to download further malware from the web which could open up the computer for abuse. It's vital that users ensure their anti-virus software is up-to-date, or they could risk compromising both their PCs and their personal data."

In the past, German internet users have been bombarded with similar malicious emails claiming to come from the likes of 1&1, Walmart and the German television licensing organization.

"By turning to the Swedish furniture superstore as their disguise, the hackers are showing they have no intent to shelve their plans anytime soon," continued Cluley. "Attacks like this aren't just a problem in Germany, they are hitting internet users around the world in different forms every day."

In January, Sophos published its Security Threat Report 2007, which revealed the rise in use by hackers of downloading Trojan horses. The report can be downloaded from the Sophos website.

About Sophos

Sophos is a world leader in IT security and control. Sophos offers complete protection and control to business, education and government organizations - defending against known and unknown malware, spyware, intrusions, unwanted applications, spam, policy abuse and uncontrolled network access (NAC). Sophos's reliably engineered, easy-to-operate products protect more than 40 million users in more than 150 countries. Through over 20 years' experience and a global network of threat analysis centers, the company responds rapidly to emerging threats and achieves the highest levels of customer satisfaction in the industry. Sophos is a global company with headquarters in Boston, Mass., and Oxford, UK.