Skip to main content

This devious phishing scam makes it look like dodgy emails are actually safe

Hackers are using the dreaded “zero font” tactic in phishing emails, instilling a false sense of legitimacy in otherwise malicious threats, researchers are saying. 

Just as the name suggests, zero font is a tactic in which hackers use the size 0 for a font, making certain text invisible to the human eye. At the same time software, and more importantly - antivirus and email protection software - can read it. Threat actors leverage this fact to confuse email security solutions and have otherwise malicious emails end up in the inbox, instead of the spam folder.

In this particular instance, however, it’s not just to confuse software, but to confuse the reader, as well. This is according to ISC Sans analyst Jan Kopriva, who’s seen a sample of a malicious email. When a victim receives a message in the Outlook client, there are three ways to read it - the list of emails, usually located to the left, the preview pane, usually seen to the right, and in a separate window, after double-clicking the message in the email list.

Scanned by a security tool?

By using zero font, hackers can type in text that will show up in the email list, but not in the email itself. In this instance, they used “Scanned and secured by Isc®Advanced Threat protection (APT),” trying to make the recipient think the email message was scanned by an endpoint security solution and was deemed clean. 

That could result in the recipients lowering their guard and clicking on links and downloading any attachments coming with the email. This particular email campaign offered a new job opportunity to the recipients, something we’ve seen Project Lazarus do in the past. 

While in his writeup, Kopriva warned Outlook users, this is not the only email client that displays content in an email list regardless of font size.

Via BleepingComputer

More from TechRadar Pro



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Windows Copilot leak suggests deeper assimilation with Windows 11 features

Key Windows 11 features may soon be customizable as Microsoft further integrates its Windows Copilot AI assistant into the operating system. This tidbit comes from tech news site Windows Latest , which claims to have discovered new .json (JavaScript Object Notation) files within recent preview builds of Windows 11. These files apparently hint at future upgrades for the desktop AI assistant. For example, a “TaskManagerService-ai-plugin.json” was found which is supposedly a “plugin for Task Manager integration”. If this ever comes out, it could give users the ability to “monitor or close running apps using” Copilot. In total, six are currently tested and they affect various aspects of Windows 11. Next, there is an “AccessbilityTools-ai-plugin.json” that gives Copilot a way to “control accessibility [tools]. This would make it "easier for those with [a] disability to navigate through the system.” Third is “ai-plugin-WindowsSettings.json” for controlling important Windows 11 set...
Post a Comment
Read more

Google Chrome releases security fix for this major flaw, so update now

Google says it has fixed a high-severity flaw in its Chrome browser which is currently being exploited by threat actors in the wild.  In a security advisory , the company described the flaw being abused and urged the users to apply the fix immediately.  "Google is aware that an exploit for CVE-2023-2033 exists in the wild," the advisory reads. Automatic updates The zero-day in question is a confusion weakness vulnerability in the Chrome V8 JavaScript engine, the company said. Usually, this type of flaw can be used to crash the browser, but in this case it can also be used to run arbitrary code on compromised endpoints.  The flaw was discovered by Clement Lecigne from the Google Threat Analysis Group (TAG). Usually, TAG works on finding flaws abused by nation-states, or state-sponsored threat actors. There is no word on who the threat actors abusing this flaw are, though. Read more > Patch Google Chrome now to fix this emergency security flaw > Emergency...
Post a Comment
Read more

Samsung's ViewFinity S9 may be the monitor creatives have been searching for

Originally revealed during CES 2023 , Samsung has finally launched its ViewFinity S9 5K monitor after nine long months of waiting.  According to the announcement, the ViewFinity S9 is the company’s first-ever 5K resolution (5,120 x 2880 pixels) IPS display aimed primarily at creatives. IPS stands for in-plane switching , a form of LED tech offering some of the best color output and viewing angles on the market. This quality is highlighted by the fact that the 27-inch screen supports 99 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut plus delivers 600 nits of brightness.  Altogether, these deliver great picture quality made vibrant by saturated colors and dark shadows. The cherry on top for the ViewFinity S9 is a Matte Display coating to “drastically [reduce] light reflections.”  As a direct rival to the Apple Studio Display , the monitor is an alternative for creative professionals looking for options. It appears Samsung has done its homework as the ViewFinity S9 addresses some of...
Post a Comment
Read more