World Cup 2014: Phishers and Scammers Target the Global Soccer Fiesta

Petaling Jaya, May 26 - As Brazil makes its final preparations to host the FIFA World Cup 2014, which will kick off on June 12, cybercriminals are building up their scamming campaigns aimed at soccer (aka football) fans. Kaspersky Lab has several tips for how to stay protected from World Cup-themed phishing schemes and malware and safely enjoy the biggest sporting event in the world.

Online fraudsters have been actively creating sophisticated websites imitating authentic domains of the World Cup, its sponsors, and partners – including well-known brands – trying to lure users to share their private data, such as usernames, passwords and credit card numbers.

Fabio Assolini, Kaspersky Lab’s Senior Security Researcher with its Global Research and Analysis Team, said: “We detect 50-60 new phishing domains every day in Brazil alone, and they are often highly sophisticated and very skillfully designed. In fact, for an ordinary user it’s far from easy to distinguish a fraudulent domain from a real one.”

Some phishing websites appear to be safe. For example, their URLs may start with ‘https’, where the ‘s’ stands for ‘secure’, as the cybercriminals manage to purchase valid SSL certificates from certification authorities. Phishing domains also sometimes have mobile versions with an authentic look and feel aimed at users of smartphones and tablets.

Criminals use legitimate SSL certificates also to infect users’ computers with malware. In one scam, users in Brazil would receive a message telling them they had won a World Cup game ticket. If a user clicked on the link to print the ticket, it led to a digitally signed Trojan banker.

Another attack used an apparent customer database breach. Scammers would send personalized e-mails informing recipients that they had won a World Cup ticket. The messages – which included the full name of the recipient, his or her date of birth, and full address taken from an unknown database – had a PDF attached purporting to be a winning ticket, but which was in fact also a Trojan banker.

Cybercrime leveraging the huge interest in the World Cup is not limited to Brazil; it’s global. It’s also not so new: Kaspersky Lab’s experts were reporting on other World Cup-themed spam and Nigerian letter scam campaigns back in February.
Here are some tips to stay secure against phishing schemes and malware that use a World Cup context to stage their attacks:

1.     Always double-check the webpage before entering any of your credentials or confidential information. Phishing sites are deliberately designed to look authentic.
2.     Although websites with the ‘https’ prefix are more secure than those with ‘http’, this does not mean such websites can be fully trusted. Cybercriminals are successfully obtaining legitimate SSL certificates.
3.     Generally, be wary of messages you receive from unknown senders. Specifically, avoid clicking on links in e-mails from sources you are not absolutely sure about, and do not download and open attachments received from untrusted sources.
4.     Make sure you have up-to-date anti-malware protection installed that blacklists phishing websites.

VOLKSWAGEN PRESENTS THE “ONEFOOTBALL BRASIL” APP FOR FOOTBALL FANS

KUALA LUMPUR, 22 May 2014 – Volkswagen today announced the global kick-off of the “Onefootball Brasil” app in anticipation of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ which will take place in Brazil from June 13 to July 14.

Currently available for free on the App Store, Google Play and Windows Phone Store, the “Onefootball Brasil” serves as a one-stop platform for smartphone-equipped football fanatics to get the latest news and information on the biggest single-event sporting competition in the world. Featuring a friendly user interface, football fans can now get immediate updates on their favourite teams and results via a live newsfeed, get involved in each match by casting predictions on match results and even vote for their preferred ‘Man of the Match’ in each game.

Christoph Aringer, Managing Director, Volkswagen Group Malaysia shares, “Whether in Germany or Malaysia, Brazil or England, the entire world will be having football fever this June and July. We believe that this represents an excellent opportunity for Volkswagen to help elevate the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ experience to unify our fans worldwide.”

In conjunction with Volkswagen’s involvement with the most popular sport in the world, Volkswagen Group Malaysia will also be holding a contest giving away a brand new Polo Sedan as the main prize. Running from 22 May to 13 July, Volkswagen fans and discerning motorists alike only need to head to any Volkswagen dealer showroom nationwide and test-drive any of the vehicles in Volkswagen’s extensive range to stand a chance of getting the Polo Sedan.

Launched in 2013, the German engineered - Malaysian assembled Polo Sedan boasts a spirited performance with the best-in-class torque of 153Nm at 3,800rpm whilst possessing extraordinary fuel efficiency; offering a combined fuel consumption of 6.5 litres per 100km, allowing drivers to go a distance of 15.4km per litre. Not content with just offering great drivability, the Polo Sedan also comes with impressive safety features including dual front airbags and dual side airbags, Intelligent Crash Response System (ICRS), anti-pinch windows in all four doors, standard 3-point safety belts for rear outboard occupants, child seat anchor (ISOFIX system), anti-theft alarm system and anti-lock braking system (ABS).

For more information on the Onefootball Brasil app, please head over to www.onefootball.com/brasil-by-volkswagen. If you’d like to find out more about Volkswagen’s extensive range of award-winning vehicles or the location of your nearest authorised dealer, please log on to www.volkswagen.com.my today.