A new fake invoice scam “brandjacking” accounting software company MYOB has been detected, with the circulation of an email message designed to look like a legitimate invoice delivery email.
Security firm MailGuard says the fake invoice has MYOB branding on it, and a ‘view invoice’ button and carries a message purporting to be from ‘ESIB Pty Ltd,’ displaying the sender address ‘ account[at]esib[dot]com[dot]au’.
“As can be seen in the screenshot, this hoax email is quite well written and formatted,” says MailGuard.
“But if the recipient were to click on the ‘view invoice’ button they would be directed to download a .zip file containing JavaScript malware.”
{loadposition peter}MailGuard – which detected a similar attack using MYOB branding earlier this month - warns that it’s never a good idea to open email attachment files in .zip format, especially if they come from unfamiliar senders.
“Scammers employ email scams like this to deliver JavaScript malware payloads like ransomware, spyware and viruses,” MailGuard cautions.
According to MailGuard fake MYOB invoice emails are a commonly used scam format.
“MYOB is a very popular platform, so their brand is a valuable asset for cybercriminals who want to gain the trust of their intended victims.
“If your company is using an integrated productivity platform like MYOB, then you know the benefits of cloud-based technology. Doing business online opens up opportunities for collaboration on an unprecedented level, but with that opportunity comes significant risk.
“Cybercriminals routinely use the familiar brand names of trusted products like MYOB to deceive victims and deliver malware to their computers.
“All criminals need to break into your business is a cleverly worded email; if they can trick one person in your company into clicking on a malicious link they can gain access to your data,” MailGuard warns.