National Cyber Awareness System:
Easter Holiday Phishing Scams and Malware Campaigns
04/11/2017 10:35 AM EDT
Original release date: April 11, 2017
As the Easter holiday approaches, US-CERT reminds users to stay aware of holiday scams and cyber campaigns, which may include:
- unsolicited shipping notifications that may actually be scams by attackers to solicit personal information (phishing scams),
- electronic greeting cards that may contain malicious software (malware),
- requests for charitable contributions that may be phishing scams or solicitations from sources that are not real charities, and
- false advertisements for holiday accommodations or timeshares.
US-CERT encourages users and administrators to use caution when reviewing unsolicited messages. Suggested preventive measures to protect against phishing scams and malware campaigns include:
- Do not click web links in untrusted email messages.
- Refer to the Shopping Safely Online Tip.
- Use caution when opening email attachments. Check out the Using Caution with Email Attachments Tip for more information on safely handling email attachments.
- Review the Federal Trade Commission’s page on Charity Scams. Use the links there to verify a charity’s authenticity before you donate.
- Read the Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks Tip.
Refer to the Holiday Traveling with Personal Internet-Enabled Devices Tip for more information on protecting personal mobile devices.
