F.B.I. Warns of Storm Worm Virus on Email
A Warning Has Been Issued: Malware on "FBI vs. Facebook" Link
The Feberal Bureau of Investigation has issued a warning about the Storm Worm Virus. The FBI and its partner, the Internet Crime Complaint Center, have received reports of malware, in recent spam emails that spread the Storm Worm malicious software. The email contain the phrase "F.B.I. vs. Facebook." When people click on the link, thinking that they will see an article about the popular networking site, the malicious Storm Worm Virus is downloaded on their computer.
During the past year, the Storm Worm has sent millions of emails advertising an e-card link with the text of an e-card. These infected e-cards were often related to holidays. When recipients clicked on the link the virus was downloaded on their computer through the Internet.
Unsuspecting victims click on the link and the malware is downloaded onto their computer. Owners of the compromised computers unintentionally allow unauthorized access and use of their computers to facilitate other crimes, including identity theft, phishing, denial of service attack, click fraud and mass distribution of spam and spyware.
The computer with the downloaded malware becomes infected with the virus and becomes part of the Storm Worm botnet. A botnet is a collection of compromised computers that are under the remote command and control of a criminal 'botherder.' Botnets are a growing threat to national security and economy, because of their wide distribution capabilities.
The FBI National Press Office has released some simple security practices that reduce the risk of being infected by the virus.
- Do not respond to unsolicited email, or spam.
- Be skeptical of emails that solicit personal information.
- Do not click on links contained in a unsolicited e-mail. Only open attachments from known senders.
- Do not provide personal of financial information to anyone who solicits such information.
- Validate that organizations are legitimate, by accessing their website directly, instead of following a link in an email.
The FBI recommends being wary of any email from an unknown sender. People who have received emails that mention "F.B.I vs. Facebook" can file a complaint at IC3, The internet Crime Complaint Center.
IC3: The Internet Crime Complaint Center
The IC3 link leads to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, which works in partnership with the Feberal Bureau of Investigation, the National White Collar Crime Center and the Bureau of Justice Assistance The mission of IC3 is to serve as a vehicle to give victims of cyber crime a convenient and easy to use reporting system to alert authorities of suspected criminal or civil violations.
Since its inception, in 2000, the IC3, originally the Internet Fraud Complaint Center, has investigated matters of internet fraud, including" hacking, theft of trade secrets, intellectual property rights, international money laundering, online extortion, identity theft and a growing list of internet related crimes.
The FBI Tips offers information about preventing fraud in FBI 8 Tips to Avoid Internet Charity Fraud .
