Spam campaign roundup: The Labor Day Edition (Aug 29, 2014)

Labor Day weekend is just around the corner. It is a holiday which pays tribute to hardworking Americans and is celebrated on the first Monday in September. This day also unofficially marks the end of summer and is also one of the best times to go shopping. With the slew of sales launching this weekend and consumers looking to stock up on discounted items, cyber criminals are also gearing up to prey on online shoppers. We have rounded up what you should watch out for so you can protect your web activities when shopping online.

Over the last week, the Dell SonicWALL threats research team has been following all Labor Day related spam emails.

As the weekend approaches, we observed an increasing amount of holiday related spam emails. These emails have a common theme of trying to lure consumers to click on the links, requesting immediate action and provide their personal information in exchange for access to amazing deals and deep discounts. Below are some of the most common email subjects:

• Ray Ban Online!! Labor Day Discount Price!! 90% OFF! Hurry!
• Last chance to activate your $25 SEARS gift before Labor Day Sale
• 1k Home Depot Card (Labor Day Savings)
• All auto makes reduced, Labor Day Blowout
• Lots must clear before Labor Day
• Hurry activate your Lowes Gift Card before the Labor Day Sale Event

Some of these emails are purporting to come from department stores with promises of free gift cards. Clicking the links on the email body will typically lead the user to an affiliate website and will then be asked to enter their personal information and to participate in a number of offers.

It is important to remember that these offers often cost money in fees or subscriptions without the guarantee of ever receiving the products and services or the free gift card at the end of the process.

We urge our users to always be vigilant and cautious with any unsolicited email and to avoid providing any personal information, particularly if you are not certain of the source.

Dell SonicWALL Gateway Antivirus and Email Security service constantly monitor and provide protection against such malicious spam and phishing threats.

Security News

The SonicWall Capture Labs Threat Research Team gathers, analyzes and vets cross-vector threat information from the SonicWall Capture Threat network, consisting of global devices and resources, including more than 1 million security sensors in nearly 200 countries and territories. The research team identifies, analyzes, and mitigates critical vulnerabilities and malware daily through in-depth research, which drives protection for all SonicWall customers. In addition to safeguarding networks globally, the research team supports the larger threat intelligence community by releasing weekly deep technical analyses of the most critical threats to small businesses, providing critical knowledge that defenders need to protect their networks.