Outbreak: United Parcel Service notification malware attack spammed out

Cybercriminals are attempting to infect computers around the world, disguising their attack as an email claiming to come from United Parcel Service about a parcel delivery.

But this time they’re not using words, they’re using an embedded image to trick you into clicking on the link.

Here’s what a typical malicious email being used in this malware campaign looks like:

Subject: United Parcel Service notification #<random number>

Attached file: USPS_Document.zip

Message body:
Dear customer.

The parcel was sent to your home address.
And it will arrive within 3 business days.

More information and the tracking number are attached in the document below.

Thank you.
United Parcel Service.

Copyright (c) 1994-2011 United Parcel Service of America, Inc. All rights reserved.

As you can see – it looks pretty professional. …

Read more in my article on the Naked Security website.

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Graham Cluley •   @gcluley

Graham Cluley is a veteran of the anti-virus industry having worked for a number of security companies since the early 1990s when he wrote the first ever version of Dr Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit for Windows. Now an independent security analyst, he regularly makes media appearances and is an international public speaker on the topic of computer security, hackers, and online privacy. Follow him on Twitter at @gcluley, on Mastodon at @[email protected], or drop him an email.