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Phishing Attack Hits Microsoft Outlook Users

by Caleb Johnson on June 5, 2009 at 07:29 AM

In the past, we have warned you about phishing e-mails requesting personal information. Lately, it seems many of those phishing scams have moved to social networking or microblogging sites. Recently however, a phishing e-mail popped up in the inbox of Microsoft Outlook users. According to TrendLabs Malware blog, the message asks users to re-configure their e-mail account by clicking a link that leads to a phishing Web site.

By having users click this link, phishers can obtain not only a user's name and password, but also mail server information -- the most critical part of the scam. This gives phishers complete access to a user's e-mail account, which facilitates the theft of important personal information (credit card numbers, social security number, bank account numbers,etc.).

The easiest way to avoid e-mail phishing scams is to avoid clicking suspicious or unfamiliar links. You should also exercise extreme caution when sending personal information via e-mail. This particular scam is more dangerous than most because so many folks use Microsoft Outlook. [From: TrendLabs Malware Blog, via CNET News]

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Tags: email, identitytheft, microsoft, outlook, phishing, scam, security

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