Halloween Trick or Trick: Cyber-ghouls and goblins use fake commercial spam to steal credentials

70 per cent of Halloween spam leads online shoppers astray



Most Halloween cyber-criminals claim to advertise products while actually hunting users’ personal data through fake commercial spam campaigns, according to an analysis by Bitdefender®, the award-winning provider of innovative antivirus solutions.



Up to 70 per cent of spammers who take advantage of Halloween celebrations flood inboxes with images of cars and pharmaceuticals such as Viagra that redirect people to other websites. Users are then asked for passwords, usernames or locations, and may further be infected with malware.



Only 30 per cent of the analysed spam allows users to actually buy Halloween products such as costumes and confectionary. Even then, the online stores’ poor reputations could mean clients will never get the promised products.



“If Halloween commercial spam is actually going to exist and continue to bother people with advertisements for costumes, gifts, and party tickets, it would be nice if it actually had something to offer – but that’s not the case,” said Catalin Cosoi, Chief Security Strategist at Bitdefender. “Halloween cyber-criminals make a better deal by selling spamming lists and credentials for identity fraud.”



Among the Halloween spam samples that try to steal users’ personal information, Bitdefender found several containing commercials for fun cards, gaming websites, cars, trucks and SUVs. It also included some emotional e-mails that advised users to protect their kids from child predators when they go trick-or-treating, and keep their black cats safe, as they are “often target for abuse during this superstitious time.”



As users increasingly celebrate 31st October all over the world, Halloween spam is not only in English, but also in a number of other languages, including Portuguese, Spanish and even Albanian. To reduce the chance of falling victim to identity theft or being infected with malware this Halloween, users should make sure their antivirus software is updated.



For a full list of Bitdefender 2013 features and benefits by product, please visit http://www.bitdefender.co.uk or follow Bitdefender on Twitter for daily malware alerts.



Notes to editor

All product and company names mentioned herein are for identification purposes only and are the property of, and may be trademarks of their respective owners.



About Bitdefender®

Bitdefender is the creator of one of the world's fastest and most effective lines of internationally certified internet security software. Since 2001, the company has been an industry pioneer, introducing and developing award-winning protection. Today, Bitdefender technology secures the digital experience of around 400 million home and corporate users across the globe.

Recently, Bitdefender won a series of important awards and accolades in the global security industry, including “Editor’s Choice” by PC Mag for Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2013 and the “GoldAward” by TopTenREVIEWS that confirmed the software’s top spot among 25 tested security products. Bitdefender antivirus technology has also finished top in leading industry tests from both AV Test and AV-Comparatives. More information about Bitdefender's antivirus products is available from the company's security solutions press room. Additionally, Bitdefender publishes the HOTforSecurity blog, a sizzling blend of steamy computer security stories and stimulating visuals that spotlights the seedy underworld of internet fraud, scams, malicious software – and gossip.

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