Ebola advice emails from 'World Health Organization' are used by hackers to spread malware

Hackers and spammers are trying to take advantage of the recent Ebola epidemic by sending unsuspecting computers users emails that appear to be from the World Health Organization (WHO). If you’ve got an email in your inbox from the World Health Organization offering “information and prevention” tips about Ebola, don’t click on its attachment – you’re likely to end up with a nasty digital infection.

Online Security firm Trustwave’s SpiderLabs team of ethical hackers published details of the scam on their blog yesterday. The scam aims to install DarkComet Remote Access Trojan (RAT) on victims’ computers, a malicious program which cannot be detected by antivirus software. Once installed, RAT gives cybercriminals remote access to infected devices including webcams, passwords, and keystrokes and other sensitive information.

Trustwave’s security researchers say the bulk of Ebola emails are run-of-the-mill spam that contain links to ads, gaming forums, or pharmaceutical websites. Emails with subject lines like ‘So Really, How Do You Get Ebola?’, ‘Ebola, GMO, What They Don’t Want You To Know’ and ‘The #1 Food Items You’ll Need in An EBOLA Crisis’, con Ebola-fearing victims into installing the attached malware, according to Trustwave.

Cybercriminals have long exploited newsy events to send out malicious email and spam. Researchers  Team advises users to be wary of unsolicited links or attachments, turn off features that automatically download email attachments and keep their antivirus settings up to date.