NOW READ THIS
("Security Advisory")
Go Back
Submitted by: Bill Hickey
NCVA Listmaster
NRT-0613 Google's Picasa and Adobe's Flash latest spam tools:
Google's Picasa image hosting service is fast becoming the new tool of choice for spammers to elude e‑mail filters, according to an online press report. Message Labs, an online security firm, recently reported that the Google's Picasa is being used to host the images used in spam messages, and that Adobe's Flash files are being used to redirect users to attacks or phishing Web sites.
The Picasa images can be used for such purposes as pushing fake video files or running text that can elude spam filters. Spammers have long used image files as a way to evade the text‑recognition features in spam filters; however, the use of specialized imaging services such as Picasa could make it even harder to combat.
Because Picasa is a Google service, the domains are rarely blocked by e‑mail filters as they are far more likely to be used to host an image that the user actually wants to receive. The streamlined nature of Picasa, designed to make it easier for users to upload and manage their albums, is also appealing to spammers, according to Message Labs. "The use of these images is very simple ... Firstly, a Picasa Web album is created using the Google account. The album can be marked as private or public and even with a private album the images can still be used in an e‑mail," according to Message Labs.
Message Labs also pointed to Adobe's Flash files as an emerging threat. While some exploits have in the past been launched through Flash flaws, Message Labs found that spammers are now using the Flash files to confuse users and redirect them to attacks or phishing Web sites. "Using this technique, spammers are able to bypass many traditional content filters since the link in the message relates to a legitimate Web site ... lt is expected to appear in spammed messages posted to comment pages of blog Web sites and social networking Web sites," according to Message Labs.
[vnunet.com 05Sep08]
Last Modified: Friday, 10-Oct-2008 12:00:48 EDT
