Another virus could be spreading faster than swine flu: swine flu spam.
The world’s largest international police organization, Interpol, warns web users against clicking links in emails that purportedly sell unlicensed or counterfeit medicines for swine flu.
Web security experts estimate that 3 to 4 percent of spam mails that turn up in users’ inboxes are related to swine flu. They say the volume of swine flu spam mails is expected to rise as the influenza strain spreads in more parts of the world.
Officials of the Lyon, France-based Interpol say cybercriminals are taking advantage of the global swine flu scare by creating hundreds of web pages offering information or medicines.
“It has been seen time and time again that following a global threat or natural disaster, criminals exploit the situation for their own financial gain and in this situation they are searching to take advantage of people’s fears about their health,” says Jean-Michel Louboutin, Interpol’s executive director of police services.
Louboutin warns web users to treat unsolicited emails that offer deals or contain links to websites that sell swine flu medicines with “extreme caution.”
He further warns users against unscrupulous manufacturers of fake antiviral drugs out to exploit people’s fears of getting infected with swine flu. The Interpol, which operates in 187 countries, has yet to receive reports of phony antiviral medicines being produced, but the agency is strictly monitoring the market for possible emergence of such drugs.
The Interpol’s warnings were echoed by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB). David Pruce, RPSGB’s director of policy, says counterfeit versions of Tamiflu and Relenza may soon sprout all over the Internet in response to the swine flu outbreak.
Another reason why the public should avoid clicking on swine flu-related links in emails is that cybercriminals are also using these links to infect computers with malware.
Symantec Security Response has detected a malicious attachment in swine flu-related emails. The malicious attachment is in PDF format and supposedly contains information about the swine flu influenza.
When users try to access the file, a malware then gets planted into the computer. Adobe has a new patch which can prevent a PC infection, while an anti-spam software can block the emails in the first place, says Marc Fossi, manager of Symantec Security Response.
Fossi says the public’s eagerness to get updates and information about swine flu may cause them to drop their guard and try to access dubious links and files contained in swine flu-themed emails.
Some of these emails tempt users with such questions as: “”Are you in Mexico or the US? Do you know someone who has been affected?” The recipient is then prompted to click on a link wherein they will be required to provide their name, email and home address, and telephone number.
As of late, authors of swine flu spam emails have started using the names of Hollywood celebrities to lure users to their sites. Some examples include: “Salma Hayek caught swine flu!” and “Madonna caught swine flu!”
Symantec also reports that some emails don’t contain any malware or offers of anti-swine flu drugs, but merely want to scare recipients.
According to McAfee, the volume of swine flu-related spam mails has exploded in recent weeks, most of them coming from Brazil. Some of the emails originate in the United States and United Kingdom. Other than those using names of celebrities, the emails contain subject lines as “US swine flu statistics,” and “Swine flu in USA.”
To be on the safe side, the Interpol says web users looking for information about the swine flu should only rely on the World Health Organization website for updates. For countries’ individual guidelines on swine flu, users may consult the website of their national health authority.
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