Symantec Security Response: Sandy Storms inboxes

Hurricane Sandy, one of the most devastating Superstorms in decades to affect the US, has now added spam to its list of misery. Symantec Security Response has observed spam messages related to the hurricane, with a typical spam attack that tugs at the heartstrings through donation requests.

Below is a screenshot of the one of the spam samples:

The following are examples of subject lines seen in the spam messages:
• Help Sandy Victims and get $1000 for Best Buy!
• Sandy Strikes... [WARNING]

More information is available in Symantec’s Security Response blog post here.

Spammers taking advantage of disasters is nothing new. Symantec anticipates that fake news, photos, Nigerian scams, phishing campaigns, and malicious video link attacks will be seen more frequently in the coming weeks. Symantec will be continuously updating its anti-spam filters to block these emails from reaching users.

Symantec also advises internet users to type website addresses directly into their internet browser for any online videos rather than clicking on links contained in emails. In addition, users should reach out to the storm victims through legitimate and secure channels and refrain from donating money or buying products through wire transfer services or similarly untraceable methods of payment.

ENDS

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