Spammer zet tanden in crocodile hunter video
Audiovisueel eerbetoon Steve Irwin is spam campagne
Gorinchem, 18 september 2006 - IT beveiligingsexpert Sophos ontdekt nieuwe manier waarbij spammers email adressen verzamelen. Deze keer wordt de internetgebruiker naar een website gelokt met videomateriaal als eerbetoon aan onder andere de 11/9 slachtoffers, de beroemdheid Anna Nicole Smith en krokodillenjager Steve Irwin die onlangs door een pijlstaartrog werd gedood.
Om de volledige video te kunnen bekijken, moet de internetgebruiker een email adres ingeven. Dit lijkt misschien onschadelijk, maar op die manier geeft het slachtoffer de spammer het recht om gepersonaliseerde marketinginformatie en reclame te versturen. Wanneer de video wordt aangeklikt, wordt de mogelijkheid aangeboden om nog eens vijf vrienden uit te nodigen een bezoek te brengen aan de website.
"Emoties zoals vreugde en verdriet, maar ook nieuwsgierigheid, bieden steeds opnieuw draagvlak voor succesvolle spam campagnes en het verzamelen van email adressen.", verklaart Marnix van Meer, directeur Sophos Benelux.
Gelieve hieronder tevens het volledige Engelstalige persbericht te vinden.
Voor meer informatie en/of een telefonische toelichting, gelieve contact op te nemen met:
Sophos Benelux
Marnix van Meer
Tel: +31 655700255
m.vanmeer(at)sophosbenelux.com
Creative Strategies
Elke De Ridder
Tel: +32 2 267 41 60
Ederidder(at)creative-strategies.be
MEDIA ALERT
SPAM CAMPAIGN USES STEVE IRWIN VIDEO TRIBUTE TO COLLECT EMAIL ADDRESSES, SOPHOS REPORTS
IT security firm Sophos has warned of a spam campaign designed to harvest email addresses by attracting readers to websites offering topical "video tributes".
The sites offer a range of teasers offering video tributes to 9/11 victims, troubled celebrity Anna Nicole Smith and "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin, who was killed on 4 September by a giant stingray while filming a documentary in shallow waters off the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
To view the videos in their entirety, computer users are requested to provide their email addresses - something which seems harmless enough unless they read the site's privacy policy, which is accessible via a link at the bottom of the page.
In this policy, the operator of the page reserves the right, among other things, 'to send you personalized marketing information via electronic delivery', 'to send you targeted advertising', and to 'sell and/or license the personal information that you provide...to third party businesses,' including 'providers of direct marketing services and applications'.
If users click through to the video, they are given an opportunity to invite five friends along to view it too, by providing their email addresses to the site's operator.
"The message is simple: don't stitch up your friends by dishing out their email addresses - no matter how keen you think they might be - and always think carefully before giving your email address to any website, especially if it has just spammed you. Websites like this are preying on public interest in news stories like the death of Steve Irwin and the troubled life of Anna Nicole Smith in their attempt to collect email addresses," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "If you really can't resist, then be sure to read the small print. Your personal information is valuable, so be wary of giving companies the right to collect it and then to dispose of it however they want."
Sophos recommends that companies protect their email gateways with a consolidated solution to defend against viruses, spyware and spam, as well as secure their desktop and servers with automatically updated protection.
For further information and graphics of the video tribute website can be found at:
About Sophos Benelux
Sophos Benelux, a Sophos distributorship located in Gorinchem, is dedicated to providing Sophos solutions and services to its partners, resellers and customers in the Benelux region. Sophos is a world leader in integrated threat management solutions, developing protection against viruses, spyware, spam and policy abuse for business, education and government.
About Sophos
Sophos is a world leader in integrated threat management solutions, developing protection against viruses, spyware, spanm and policy abuse for business, education and government. Sophos's reliably-engineered, easy-to-operate products protect more than 35 million users in more than 150 countries. Through 20 years' experience and a global network of threat analysis centers, the company responds rapidly to emerging threats - no matter how complex - and achieves the highest levels of customer satisfaction in the industry.