Email scam targets executives
Thousands of U.S. executives were targeted in a phishing scam with fake e-mail messages that appear to be official federal court subpoenas.
The message commands the recipient to appear before a grand jury in a civil case, The New York Times reported Wednesday. The newspaper said a recipient who tries to view the document ends up installing software that secretly records keystrokes and sends the data to a remote computer. Another piece of software allows the computer to be controlled remotely.
Security researchers said at least several thousand computers have been compromised by the attack. Less than 40 percent of commercial anti-virus programs were able to recognize and stop the attack, the newspaper said.
Copyright 2008 by United Press International