Virus Spreading as a Hallmark Greeting Card
Web users have identified a PC virus that disguises as an online postcard, as reported by SCMagazine on October 8, 2008. Security specialists disclosed that an e-mail alert is being circulated on internet directing users not to view any e-mail that carries an attachment titled ‘Postcard from Hallmark.’
The e-mail further informs that the particular attachment is a virus that reveals a postcard picture but it could ‘burn’ the entire C-Drive of the user’s computer. The virus simply damages the hard disk’s ‘Zero Sector’ where the main data is stored. Also, the virus r aches everyone who has the sender’s e-mail address in his contact list.
Furthermore, the e-mail message says that the TV news channel CNN has announced the virus inside the attachment as the worst worm so far. Also, Microsoft has classified it as a computer virus with the greatest capability of destroying data. While security company McAfee discovered the virus on October 7, 2008, there is still no repair at hand for such type of virus.
Meanwhile, Carl Leonard, Threat Research Manager at Websense says that the malware is authentic, but it is not a first-time phenomenon, as reported by SCMagazine on October 8, 2008.
Moreover, Leonard also stated that the e-mail and virus that have come to light contained all features of a spoof e-mail that has been sent for many years. According to him, people still witness malicious links leading to bogus greeting cards with file names like postcard.exe, e-card.exe and ecard.exe showing subject lines like "Friend sent you a postcard from Hallmark.com".
He further said that some weeks ago Websense researchers saw the distribution of spam carrying invitation from Facebook. The same spam operation has used Hallmark e-greeting cards as bait, with the malicious trick introducing users’ computers to a spam-spewing botnet.
Moreover, security specialists stated that with the popularity of greeting cards among internet users and given that such users often minimize their guard at the time they find e-greeting cards from ‘friends’, the aspect of social engineering in these threats appears extremely convincing.