We all know that it is dangerous to open a file in an attached email. But, how many times have we routinely clicked "yes" to an update for Adobe Flash or other browser software. New emails are taking advantage of our trust.
This past week, as series of emails with subject lines like "Barack Obama Wins" and "Election Night Results" or "Fear of a Black President" arrived in mailboxes across the country. The messages linked to what purported to be a video of it along with election results. Click on the link, and you were presented with a realistic looking pop-up for an Adobe Flash update. In fact, the download unleashed the malware program onto the user's unprotected computer.
According to a scan of the malware at Virustotal.com - which scans any submitted files against three-dozen anti-virus products - only 14 out of 36 products detected the file as hostile.
If you are presented with an upgrade request from a web site -- DO NOT CLICK ON IT. From now on, go to the vendor's web site to get your updates.
Subscribe by Email
