Virus wears FBI mask

A mass e-mail purportedly from the FBI is circulating online, carrying with it an attachment that contains a variant of the Sober computer virus.

In an announcement today, the FBI advised computer users that the agency never sends unsolicited e-mails and that they should not open the attachments in the fraudulent messages.

The scam e-mail tells recipients that their Internet use has been monitored by the FBI and that they have accessed illegal Web sites, according to the FBI. The e-mails, which are sent from e-mail addresses including mail@fbi.gov, post@fib.gov and admin@fbi.gov, then direct recipients to open an attachment and answer questions.

The text of the fake e-mails says: “We have logged your IP-address on more than 30 illegal Websites. Important: Please answer our questions! The list of questions are attached.” The messages then include a fake name of an FBI official and the real address and phone number of the agency.

No information was available early today on how many of the e-mails might have been sent or how many computer users might have launched the viruses on their machines.

The FBI said it “takes this matter seriously and is investigating” the scheme.

Recipients of the fake messages are being asked to report them online to the Internet Crime Complaint Center.

Would you recommend this article?

Share

Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you think of this article!
We'd love to hear your opinion about this or any other story you read in our publication.


Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

Featured Download

Featured Articles

Cybersecurity in 2024: Priorities and challenges for Canadian organizations 

By Derek Manky As predictions for 2024 point to the continued expansion...

Survey shows generative AI is a top priority for Canadian corporate leaders.

Leaders are devoting significant budget to generative AI for 2024 Canadian corporate...

Related Tech News

Tech Jobs

Our experienced team of journalists and bloggers bring you engaging in-depth interviews, videos and content targeted to IT professionals and line-of-business executives.

Tech Companies Hiring Right Now