St. Valentines Day E-Card Virus

I received the following information regarding an e-card virus that may be circulating.

If you unexpectedly receive a Valentine’s Day e-card, be careful. It may not be from a secret admirer, relative or friend, but instead may contain the Storm Worm virus.

With the holiday approaching, be on the lookout for spam e-mails spreading the Storm Worm malicious software (malware). The e-mail directs the recipient to click on a link to retrieve an electronic greeting card (e-card). Once the user clicks on a link, malware is downloaded to the user’s Internet-connected device and causes it to become infected, and part of the Storm Worm “botnet.” A botnet is a network of compromised machines under the control of a single user. Botnets are typically set up to facilitate criminal activity such as spam e-mail, identity theft, denial of service attacks, and spreading malware to other machines on the Internet.

The Storm Worm virus has capitalized on various holidays in the past year by sending millions of e-mails advertising an e-card link within the text of the spam e-mail. Valentine’s Day has been identified as the next target.

Be wary of any e-mail received from an unknown sender. Do not open any unsolicited e-mail and do not click on any links provided.

For more information on e-scams, you can visit the FBI’s website at http://www.fbi.gov/ and click on the “New E-Scams and Warnings” link listed first under the “Be Crime Smart” heading.