Malware Spread by Spam Using New Encrypted Attachment Technique

Purveyors of malware have again discovered a new way to circumvent the security measures implemented by IT professionals.

Malware is a general term used to describe a piece of software that when installed does something you didn't want it to. Sometimes the dirty deed is sending spam or launching a malicious attack upon a website. In more alarming scenarios the installed application may send your confidential data to a hacker who then uses it to commit some form of identity theft.

Malware is sometimes installed under false pretenses as a "video viewer" or packaged with other "free" software. Often the malware is simply sent to the victim as an email attachment with the hope they run it.

The attachment approach has proven more difficult in recent years as most email servers and clients will simply refuse to deliver or open an executable file delivered in a message. Hackers quickly figured they could include the malware within an archive file such as a ZIP file. Fortunately, server administrators quickly countered by configuring email filters to scan archives for potentially harmful content.

In the latest round, hackers have figured out that server software isn't capable of scanning an archive file that's been encrypted with a password.

On the surface, this would appear to offer no benefit to hackers. Since a password is required to open the file - the recipient wouldn't be able to infect themselves even if they wanted to.

Hackers however include the password to the encrypted archive within an image attached to the email. Disappointingly, users seem to be falling for the trick.

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