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28 March 2024

Fake Etisalat email carries 'Ebola' virus

Published
By Joseph George

Ebola has emerged as a serious threat, this time around it is a different kind of virus that is affecting computers and networks rather than human bodies.

Security expert Symantec has issued a warning that malware and phishing attacks, disguised as Ebola alerts, are on the rise.

According to it, attackers send presentations in the name of UAE’s telecom service provider Etisalat to get into the systems of unsuspecting users.

As a first step, attackers send out an email with a fake report on the Ebola virus to entice victims and what users actually get is an infection of the Trojan.Zbot malware, Symantec said in its alert.

“In the second campaign, cybercriminals send out an email that impersonates Etisalat, a telecommunications service provider in the United Arab Emirates with footprints in 18 countries across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa,” it said.

The email claims to offer a high-level presentation on the Ebola virus. “An attached zip file with the title “EBOLA – ETISALAT PRESENTATION.pdf.zip" actually executes Trojan.Blueso on the victim’s computer,” it added.

The third campaign it said piggybacks on some fresh Ebola news. “In the last two weeks there has been talk of Zmapp, a promising Ebola drug still in an experimental stage. The crooks entice their victims with an email claiming the Ebola virus has been cured and the news should be shared widely. The email attachment is Backdoor.Breut malware,” it added.