FDIC malware attack targets businesses

Graham Cluley
Graham Cluley
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 @grahamcluley.com
 @[email protected]

FDIC logoOnce again, internet users are being warned to be suspicious of unsolicited emails, as a malware attack poses as a communication from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to businesses.

SophosLabs has intercepted a large number of malicious emails, pretending to come from FDIC that claim to have important information about the recipient’s bank.

Attached to the emails is a ZIP file which contains a malicious payload, designed to infect Windows computers.

Here is a typical message:

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Malicious email claiming to come from FDIC

Dear Business Customer,
We have important information about your bank.
Please refer to attached file to view information.
This includes information on the acquiring bank (if applicable), how your accounts and loans are affected, and how vendors can file claims against the receivership

The emails' subject line is "FDIC: About your business account", followed by a random code number. The attached filename, containing the malware, is FDIC_Information_About-your-business-account-JAN2012-XXXXX.zip (where 'XXXXX' is a random number).

Sophos anti-virus products detect the attachment proactively as Mal/BredoZp-B and Mal/Zbot-EZ.


Graham Cluley is an award-winning keynote speaker who has given presentations around the world about cybersecurity, hackers, and online privacy. A veteran of the computer security industry since the early 1990s, he wrote the first ever version of Dr Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit for Windows, makes regular media appearances, and is the co-host of the popular "The AI Fix" and "Smashing Security" podcasts. Follow him on Bluesky and Mastodon, or drop him an email.

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