MailGuard Blog

As I write this, the threat of Ransomware is rapidly on the rise. So much so that the Australian Federal Police has formed a task force - Operation Orcus - following in the footsteps of the US Government, in an attempt to combat the specialised criminal infrastructure that is wreaking havoc across large scale organisations here and globally. High profile victims such as Nine Entertainment, JBS and Uniting Care, along with the recent Kaseya interception have been making headlines and may continue to do so without superior intelligence targeting organised crime groups.  

The latest phishing alert sees scammers impersonate the IT department of the targeted organisation in an attempt to steal email credentials and install a malicious file onto the victim’s computer.  Attackers have interestingly used a fake email address from American multi-national and shipping services company FedEx as the trusted name to lure victims into providing their details.  

A notable characteristic of this attack is the scammer's ability to use the name of your company or organisation in order to facilitate the phishing attempt. By purporting to be the victims internal IT services, the email advises the receiver that they have been ‘deactivated’ from a service (actual service not specified) by not having updated their email address. The rectification for this is via downloading the attachment that will apparently assist in updating this information. The wording and instruction in this email, if not looked at closely, attempts to mislead the victim into thinking that their online capability may be deactivated if the instructions are not followed. An easy trap for those who cannot afford to not have access to their company’s internal tech systems (which is usually the whole organisation).  

This recent email attack threatens to steal user login credentials masquerading as trusted Microsoft email web app, Outlook. With over 400 million Outlook users globally, there is a good chance that you and your organisation are at risk of data theft.  

A fraudulent quarantine alert is the bait used for a recent email phishing scam currently being intercepted by MailGuard. Cybercriminals have used Outlook branding to trick unsuspecting recipients into entering their credentials (email username and password) for use in future criminal activity.  

The email arrives as an alert informing the victim of several emails whose delivery has been prevented due to system errors. After which, a link is provided to coerce the victim into reviewing the falsely quarantined emails. Recipients may be tricked into believing that the email is from the ‘Notifications Team’ however it appears to have come from a compromised Office 365 Account.  

In what may appear to be simply a misdirected email, users who click on the ‘Order0076654.xlsx’ attachment are in for a nasty surprise. The attachment is a malicious payload that could result in devastating consequences for the user and their business.

In the latest email phishing campaign landing in inboxes, telecommunications carrier, Telstra, is being impersonated by cybercriminals in an attempt to trick users into handing over sensitive credentials.

Email users take care, MailGuard is intercepting a fraudulent file sharing email scam that uses a Microsoft OneDrive template and links to two different phishing pages, one of which employs Outlook OWA branding, and the other has branding for the recipient company. The campaign is designed to harvest sensitive user credentials that can be used in subsequent attacks and/or sold on the dark web.

MailGuard is currently intercepting a fraudulent USPS (US Postal Service) email scam with the subject line “Missing information and delivery fee, [your name] – Update your informations”.

MailGuard has intercepted a fraudulent email purporting to be from LinkedIn, a popular e-networking tool used by millions of professionals worldwide. This is a phishing email designed to harvest the confidential data of LinkedIn users for malicious intent, such as committing identity theft.

Launching phishing email scams via compromised accounts continues to be a popular technique among cybercriminals looking to deceive users. MailGuard has intercepted a new phishing email scam that originates from a compromised email account belonging to a user at Anglican Care, an aged care facility.

A personalised and targeted email, an opportune offer and the impersonation of multiple brands – some of the techniques employed by cybercriminals in a phishing email scam that resulted in a property buyer losing thousands of dollars as part of a ‘deposit’, supposedly for his new apartment.

MailGuard has intercepted another phishing email that impersonates popular shipping company DHL, masquerading as a delivery alert in order to trick users.

Australia Post continues to be popular among cybercriminals looking to trick users, especially as we approach the End of Financial Year (EOFY).

“By any measure, 2020 was the worst year ever when it comes to ransomware and related extortion events. And if we don’t break the back of this cycle, a problem that’s already bad is going to get worse.”

- Acting Deputy Attorney General John Carlin, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), April 2021

As we head closer to the End of Financial Year (EOFY), cybercriminals continue using parcel delivery related lures to trick users.

MailGuard has intercepted a phishing email scam that claims to deliver ‘remittance advice’ in order to trick users.