Spam hits Indian Skype users
A “malicious spam” has hit the internet-based
audio-video communicator ‘Skype’ in the Indian cyberspace and
anti-hacking sleuths have asked users to remain alert and cautious.
“A
malicious spam campaign is on the rise targeting Skype users by sending
instant message which appears to come from friends in the Skype contact
list,” a government advisory to ‘Skype’ users in India. Cyber security
experts found the malware content has been lurking in the vicinity of
cyber networks of Indian users who use this popular Voice-over Internet
Protocol (VoIP) service.
A number of Indians use ‘Skype’ to communicate with their friends, relatives and other contacts within and outside the country.
The
government agency mandated to counter such threats - the Computer
Emergency Response Team (CERT—In) under the Communications and
Information Technology ministry, said the spam “eventually controls the
victim machine by opening a backdoor and communicating to a remote
‘http’ server.
“The worm reported as stealing user credentials, engaging in click fraud activities and pose as ransom ware,” the agency said.
Cyber
sleuths have also recommended a number of counter measures in this
regard as it asked the users of this form of web telephony not to
“follow unsolicited web links or attachments in Skype messages and
install latest security updates to Skype”.
“Download
the latest version of the Skype from the trusted markets, install and
maintain updated anti-virus software at gateway and desktop level, use
caution when opening attachments and accepting file transfers, disable
auto play feature as a safe practice.
“Use caution
when clicking on links to web pages and protect yourself against social
engineering attacks,” the agency advised internet users in the country.
- The Hindu News
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