Emmanuel Marshall 16 November 2017 14:51:47 AEDT 3 MIN READ

Scammers Going After Your Login Info - Threat Update

 

This morning MailGuard detected a new phishing email using a fake message pretending to be from telecommunications company Vocus.

The initial contact with the intended victim is an email which asks them to advise the payment status of an ‘attached invoice.’

vocus5.png

The link provided in the email takes the victim to a fake Microsoft Office 365 login page where they are asked to enter their email and password.

If the victim enters their credentials, they are asked to verify them by submitting their name and password a second time.

vocus4.png

Once the victim of this scam has entered their login credentials they are directed to a screen telling them their account has been verified, so they probably won’t realise their account has been compromised. You will notice though, that in the screenshot below the word ‘microsoft’ is deliberately misspelled
rnicosoft’ to help the scam evade detection. Small details like this are clues that the page you are looking at is not authentic.

vocus1.png

 

What is the Objective of This Scam?


This phishing email is an attempt by cybercriminals to harvest MS Office 365
login credentials. Once they have gained access to their victim's Office 365 accounts, criminals use them to send out yet more phishing emails. They also collect email address lists from the compromised accounts to compile spamming lists which can then be sold on the black market.

Email addresses and login credentials are valuable commodities in the online blackmarket. Cybercriminals don’t always need to collect credit card details or install ransomware to get a pay-day. It’s possible for scammers to make good money just by harvesting login data and email addresses and selling them to the highest bidder; usually, other criminals who will use that data to perpetrate more criminal attacks.


Think Twice BeforeYou Login


To cybercriminals, your login credentials and email address list are valuable data. Never enter login information unless you are 100% sure the site you are on is legitimate.

MailGuard prevented this criminal-intent email from reaching our client’s inboxes, but there are always new scams like this appearing, so we have to stay vigilant 24/7.

If your company is using an integrated productivity platform like Office 365, then you already know the benefits of cloud-based technology. Doing business online opens up opportunities for collaboration communication on an unprecedented level, but with that opportunity can come significant risk. 
Cybercriminals utilise sophisticated AI technology to monitor business and social networks and they exploit the data they collect to infiltrate organisations. All criminals need to break into your business is a cleverly worded email; if they can trick one person in your company into clicking on a malicious link they can gain access to your data.

For a few dollars per staff member per month, you can protect your business with MailGuard's cloud-based email and web filtering security. 
Talk to an expert at MailGuard today about making your company's network secure: click here.

 

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