Thursday, 22 February 2007

Malicious Ikea Spam Knocks Flat German E-mail Users

Sophos has 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...

Sophos has 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.

"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 organisation.

"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.