This week, Sophos noted that voice phishing, also known as "vishing", has cropped up again to trick victims into parting with their bank details.
"It is not the first time this type of scam has been attempted. In 2006, PayPal users were targeted by a similar attack," says Brett Myroff, CEO of Sophos distributor, Netxactics.
"Computer users need to be extra vigilant about any e-mails which claim to come from financial institutions, no matter how genuine the correspondence appears," he says.
The warning comes as customers of a small credit union in the UK, Kessler Federal, are being targeted with phishing e-mails that attempt to cash in on a phishing warning posted on the organisation's Web site, and entice worried customers to call a fake phone number to verify their details, says Myroff.
"To add credibility to the phish, the cyber-criminals have stuck very closely to the text used on Kessler Federal's Web site and have included legitimate URLs which link to official advice pages, as well as the proper e-mail address for reporting abuse," he explains. "However, the phishers did change the date, text and phone number at the bottom of the e-mail in an attempt to solicit phone calls to the posted number.
"This makes it very difficult for recipients to realise that it is a phishing scam," Myroff says. "Asking customers to call to verify their information further enhances the 'legitimacy' of the e-mail."
Trojans and worms
According to Myroff, this week also saw the Troj/Cabat-D emerging. It affects Windows users and, once installed, creates the following files: <Current Folder>\vvsg.bat and <System>\krnp32drv.dll.
Low to medium prevalence worms include W32/Braban-H and W32/Forbot-GV. Both affect the Windows operating system.
"W32/Forbot-GV runs continuously in the background, providing a backdoor server which allows a remote intruder to gain access and control over the computer via IRC channels," explains Myroff. It is also occurring as Net-Worm.Win32.Kolabc.b and installs itself in the registry.
The Troj/Small-ELE Trojan has also been detected, and occurs as Trojan-PSW.Win32.OnLineGames.odn and TROJ_SMALLTRO.CD. Troj/Bckdr-QLW is also currently affecting the Windows OS.
"From Sophos's latest reports, it's clear that phishing techniques are becoming a concern and constantly evolving as organisations and customers wise up to old tricks. Any size financial organisation is in fact valuable to phishers, so long as they can make their scams seem legitimate and trick users into handing over their personal details," Myroff adds.
"Users need to protect themselves with a consolidated solution that can defend against the threats of spam, spyware, hackers and viruses. They also need to exercise caution with unsolicited e-mails."
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