New fake Social Security emails flooding the globe

Feb 20
2 min read

Happy Friday!

The scammers are at it again. According to the latest research from Forcepoint X-labs, attackers are impersonating the Social Security Administration (SSA) to bypass security and take total control of computers.

It all starts with an email from the the SSA. Here's what one of them looks like:

If a you open the attached .cmd script, it's bad news. It quickly disables Windows Smartscreen, your system's built-in defense against this just sort of thing. Next comes Connectwise Screenconnect, which should sound familiar. It's a tool that scammers have been using a lot lately as it gives complete, backdoor access to your system. A few weeks ago I wrote about it in "You've been invited to party with scammers!"

The Takeaway

Cybercriminals are smart and sometimes a little lazy. In this case, they didn't bother writing a new exploit, just hijacked the same tool your IT department might already be using. And Social Security scams are nothing new. Keep this in mind:

Do not click links or download attachments from emails that claim to be from the SSA unless you are absolutely sure they are real. Scammers use fake emails to install harmful software to take control of your computer.
Always check the sender’s full email address, not just the name that appears. Real government emails usually end in .gov, and the SSA will not ask for personal information through email.
Never give out your Social Security number, bank details, or payment information because of a threatening email. If you're unsure, contact the Social Security Administration directly through their official website or phone number.

Stay safe out there

-Attila

New Friday Funnies!

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Social Security.

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Toe-knee.

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The Cairo-practor.

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One you will see later, the other after a while.