New worm -- infected email looks like FBI document

[Starfighter]

Beware new computer worm

Bogus email looks like FBI document
Spreads to contacts in address book

It's being called the worst computer worm of the year — a fast-spreading Internet threat that looks like an official email from the CIA or FBI but can leave your computer wide open to intruders.

Full story can be read here:

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Render&c=Article&cid=1132786213516&call_pageid=968332188492

[DavidR]

This has already got a thread in the forums here - http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=17584.0;topicseen

[PigDog]

It must be a very effective social engineering method.  My corporate e-mail address has been getting hit about 10 times an hour and I keep it well guarded.  Must mean that other company systems are getting infected, not just individuals. 

[polonus]

Hi PigDog,

As you may read here: http://labmice.techtarget.com/security/socialengineering.htm, social engineering is still one of the most effective forms of hacking, especially with end-users that are not trained to react in an appropriate way.

It works through the Shiva method. For instance you go for the low hanging fruit first, phone  someone, say you see their computer is at danger, they will try to help you any way you want. The computer is a rock solid bastion, the person behind it maybe is another  n33b, then the data on this secured computer maybe not so secure at all. Use your fantasy or train the end-user to work according to strict protocols: never talk to strangers, always say you will call back, secure hardware physically, etc. etc., else the human firewall is broken.

polonus