Cyber crooks kick off FIFA World Cup scams

Hackers are using the upcoming World Cup to lure unsuspecting users

Security experts are warning of several new attempts by cyber criminals to defraud users and steal sensitive information, this time using FIFA World Cup 2010 and soccer sites to do their dirty work.

Analysts at Symantec Hosted Services warned yesterday of two new scams. The first is a new strategy by 419 scammers using the 'Send this page to a friend' service on the ESPN Soccernet site to insert rambling pleas for money.

"As with webmail, the scammers have been using this technique to add legitimacy to their mails and hide their identity," wrote malware data analyst Dan Bleaken. "It's likely that spammers are abusing other legitimate sites in a similar way."

The second is a targeted attack spotted by Symantec analysts which uses the FIFA World Cup 2010 to encourage the recipient to open a malicious PDF attachment.

The targeted email purports to be a "comprehensive and highly informative World Cup Travel Guide" sent from legitimate African Safari organiser Greenlife.

Symantec Hosted Services warned that opening the attachment could allow the attacker to steal sensitive information, or "use the victim's credentials and social engineering to try and access individuals deeper within the organisation ".

The attack makes use of the recently disclosed critical flaw in Adobe Reader, according to the analysts.