New Apple ID Phishing Effort Compromises Over 100 Sites

[MacRumors]

As highlighted by The Next Web, security firm Trend Micro yesterday outlined a new phishing scam that has seen the perpetrators compromise over 100 sites in their attempts to gain access to users' Apple ID accounts. While Apple IDs are relatively popular targets for phishing scams, Trend Micro's analysis offers some interesting detail on the approaches used by the criminals.

We've identified a total of 110 compromised sites, all of hosted at the IP address 70.86.13.17, which is registered to an ISP in the Houston area. Almost all of these sites have not been cleaned. [...]

We've seen attacks targeting not only American users, but also British and French users. Some versions of this attack ask not only for the user's Apple ID login credentials, but also their billing address and other personal and credit card information. It will eventually result in a page that states that access has been restored, but of course the information has been stolen.

Trend Micro's sample of a spam message designed to trick recipients into sharing their account information at the compromised sites shows a very poor attempt at copying Apple's email style, but inexperienced Internet users are undoubtedly still falling for the scheme.

Trend Micro offers a number of suggestions to help users protect themselves from phishing scams, including checking for consistent domains throughout email addresses and links included in an email and checking for indicators that the user is at a secure site associated with the correct company.

While phishing scams rely on the gullibility of users to direct them to fake account management sites, Apple has sought to increase account security on its own site with its recent introduction of two-step verification to help minimize the possibility of an unauthorized party gaining access to a user's account. That feature is, however, only available in a handful of countries for the time being.

Article Link: New Apple ID Phishing Effort Compromises Over 100 Sites

 

[Kaibelf]

Oh for Pete's sake! LOOK at the email. Putting a stupid Apple logo on the top doesn't mean people should suddenly lose the ability to see this obvious phishing attempt. By the way "inexperienced internet users" is irrelevant. The broken English and crazy wording should have been enough of a tip to ANY sensible person.

 

[macnerd93]

that has to be the most unApple looking email ever. What was it made in MS paint? It would have looked legit in about 1997 LOL. Apart from the bad wording LOL

 

[WestonHarvey1]

Why you email he sent, indeed.

 

[Creep89]

Why you email he sent?

Yay, better enter my Apple ID.

 

[edolecki]

These things mostly seem to have really terrible grammar. So easy to spot I would think.

 

[Xavier]

Read before you click? I mean, come on, seriously?

 

[MonkeySee....]

If any of you fall for that email, raise your hand and hit yourself with it.

 

[Frign]

Oh for Pete's sake! LOOK at the email. Putting a stupid Apple logo on the top doesn't mean people should suddenly lose the ability to see this obvious phishing attempt.

It is bloody hilarious that the Apple-Logo not even has the right aspect ratio, let alone proper use of upper- and lowercase.

For reference:

Who falls for this?

 

[andalusia]

I've received this before. I cannot believe anybody could fall for it. It's such a pathetic attempt to look official... well I guess they all are. People are numpties.

 

[jafingi]

Yeah that looks legit!

Hahahahaha, it's so hilarious with that Apple logo aspect ratio

The guys who send these should have used 10 minutes to just create a legit e-mail.

 

[narimonk]

You'd really think the fact that the very first word isn't capitalized would make it obvious.

 

[Laird Knox]

That email true is. They fix helped me my Loging correctly. You should send infos by next 48 hours!

 

[Waxhead138]

I Disagree Completely!

Why you email he sent, indeed.

Oh come on people, of course this is real....I'd answer an email from Yoda's retarded cousin any day of the week and give them whatever they ask for!

 

[dXTC]

"...otherwise your session using Apple id and password."

Otherwise your session using Apple id and password what? Wow, you'd think the criminals trying to phish here would use at least somewhat complete sentences.

On the other hand, anyone saying that this is oh-so-easy to spot might just be overestimating the IQ of some e-mail users. There are people who still fall for the Nigerian scams.

 

[See Flat]

You'd really think the fact that the very first word isn't capitalized would make it obvious.

It's a test of Darwin's law.

"Why you email he sent?"

Time to weed out people who should not have computers.

 

[Kaibelf]

It is bloody hilarious that the Apple-Logo not even has the right aspect ratio, let alone proper use of upper- and lowercase.

For reference:

Who falls for this?

Here's who falls for things like this:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...vings-playing-carnival-game-article-1.1331161

 

[madsci954]

All your base are belong to us.

 

[ryansimmons323]

When you try to pull off a scam like this, use at least good spelling and grammar!!

 

[dejo]

We've identified a total of 110 compromised sites, all of hosted at the IP address 70.86.13.17, which is registered to an ISP in the Houston area. Almost all of these sites have not been cleaned. [...]

I don't understand what this means.

Anyone care to enlighten me?

 

[ravenstar]

You know, lately I've seen so many poorly worded spams, that I wonder if it's not intentional? Are the spammers trying to get people to feel so gullible for falling for such obviously bogus messages that they won't dare complain about being swindled? Can you imagine going to the authorities and saying you received this message so you entered all your personal information and it was stolen?

 

[Digital Dude]

Oh, that looks totally real and legit to me! Only an idiot would respond to an unsolicited email like this.
BTW, I love 1Password which authenticates whether a site is real or not before it will post your pass & I.D. No, I don't work for these guys.

 

[sulpfiction]

Anyone who falls for this fully deserves it. C'mon now.

 

[burnout8488]

Outlook Express.

That is all.

 

[KPJLK]

You know, lately I've seen so many poorly worded spams, that I wonder if it's not intentional? Are the spammers trying to get people to feel so gullible for falling for such obviously bogus messages that they won't dare complain about being swindled? Can you imagine going to the authorities and saying you received this message so you entered all your personal information and it was stolen?

There is a theory that the presentation is deliberately bad so that only the stupidest people will respond, resulting in fewer pull-outs and thus a higher success ratio from the responses. Spammers/scammers don't like their time being wasted