CAMPBELL, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
Barracuda Networks Inc., the worldwide leader in email and Web security
appliances, announced it has seen a marked increase in the number of phishing
emails designed to look like Google AdWords Alert emails to subscribers. The URL
contained in the email appears to be the legitimate link to the Google AdWords
account Web page, adwords.google.com. However, when clicked, the recipient is
redirected to a Web site hosted in China that is designed to look like the
Google AdWords account home page.
“Once again, the social engineering technique used in this campaign is quite
sophisticated,” said Stephen Pao, vice president of product management for
Barracuda Networks. “The scammers are leveraging the Google brand in the hopes
that recipients will trust the sender.”
Once on the fake Google AdWords account Web site, users are directed to provide
their Google username and password, as well as prompted to update their account
information including credit card number in order to avoid having their account
suspended. Unsuspecting users who provide this information run the risk of
fraudulent charges to their credit card as well as possibly to their legitimate
Google account.
As of late this afternoon, Barracuda Central was tracking thousands of these
messages sent to Barracuda Spam Firewall customers and the campaign appears to
be increasing in magnitude. The Barracuda Spam Firewall utilizes a powerful
combination of reputation and content scanning techniques to detect and block
phishing email.
However, as the holidays approach, Barracuda Networks warns consumers to be
extra vigilant in responding to unsolicited email including Web links that
request account information or credit card numbers. In November 2007, Barracuda
Networks saw the number of phishing Web sites and subsequent emails increase
10-fold on Thanksgiving in the run up to the holiday weekend. Barracuda Central
researchers warn that the amount of phishing emails leading up to and through
this holiday weekend may be even greater given the continued sophistication of
attacks seen in the past 12 months.
“While not necessarily aimed at the average consumer, in a larger sense, this
Google AdWords phishing campaign signifies that scammers are gearing up for the
holiday shopping days ahead and consumers should be extra cautious when
providing sensitive credit card, username or other account information online,”
said Pao.
About Barracuda Central
Barracuda Central is the 24x7 security center operated by Barracuda Networks to
monitor and block the latest Internet threats. Data collected at Barracuda
Central is analyzed and used to create definitions for automatic Energize
Updates that fuel the Barracuda Networks products.
BarracudaCentral.org is dedicated to providing technical insight for security
professionals. By sharing data, BarracudaCentral.org aims to build a strong
community to collectively fight the latest Internet threats.
About Barracuda Networks Inc.
Barracuda Networks Inc. isthe worldwide leader in email and Web security
appliances. Barracuda Networks also provides world-class IM protection,
application server load balancing, Web application security, message archiving,
and backup and disaster recovery solutions. Coca-Cola, FedEx, Harvard
University, IBM, L'Oreal, and Europcar, are amongst the 70,000 organizations
protecting their networks with Barracuda Networks’ solutions. Barracuda
Networks' success is due to its ability to deliver easy to use, comprehensive
solutions that solve the most serious issues facing customer networks without
unnecessary add-ons, maintenance, lengthy installations or per user license
fees. Barracuda Networks is privately held with its headquarters in Campbell,
Calif. Barracuda Networks has offices in eight international locations and
distributors in more than 80 countries worldwide. For more information, please
visit www.barracudanetworks.com.
Barracuda Networks, Inc.
Kylie Heintz, 408-505-1078 (mobile)
kheintz@barracuda.com
Copyright Business Wire 2008
