Bitdefender Labs has published research showing how spam campaigns and online scams are exploiting the conflict in Ukraine to attack networks and steal money. Here’s how to recognize and block these sleazy attempts in the bud.
Spam, malware and war-related scams in Ukraine: how to defend yourself
Bitdefender Labs reports a wave of malicious emails trying to install malware on your computers. Among these, notorious RAT (Remote Access Trojan) Agent Tesla e rows. As for Agent Tesla, it appears that the attachment attacking the manufacturing companies is a zip called ‘REQ Supplier Survey‘. Opening it, you risk having your credentials and password stolen. The attacks appear to come from Dutch (86%) and Hungarian (3%) IPs.
Malware rows instead he impersonates a company South Korean health care, specializing in diagnostics. They talk about how orders are being blocked due to the conflict and she asks to be put on hold. 89% of emails come from Germany.
Scams are also on the rise, with spam campaigns posing as operators of the gUkrainian overno, Act for Peace, UNICEF and other projects that should be in support of Ukraine. Instead they are just scams. You can recognize them for the itemwhich could be:
- Support the people of Ukraine. We now accept Bitcoin, Ethereum and USDT cryptocurrency donations.
- HELP UKRAINE stop the war!
- Humanitarian donation for Ukraine
- Donate to Ukraine, Help Save a Life: Please Read
- Urgent! Help children in Ukraine
To avoid falling into these scams or installing viruses, remember never to click links that ask you to urgently read news: this is not the way serious associations communicate. Donate only to nonprofits you trust or know, making sure you do it directly from their site or through your bank. Check your checking accounts for anomalies.
Furthermore, the same safety rules apply, which are always good: do not use the same password and use security solutions to monitor devices and networks. For example, you can take advantage of the free 90 days of Bitdefender Total Security.