Virus hidden in Hallmark e-card

Surfers should beware of opening emails purporting to be from the popular card company Hallmark as they may carry a virus.

Security firm MessageLabs has intercepted emails from 25,000 IP addresses containing a new virus that arrives from the sender postcards@hallmark.com with the subject line, 'You've received a Hallmark E-Card!'

Along with the email there is an attachment entitled postcard.zip. If opened a Trojan virus will attach itself to the hosts computer and recruit it for a botnet, a web of infected computers.

According to MessageLabs the emails were sent in bursts with a surge of the malicious emails detected on 23 July.

This latest bout of malware is a variation of the Storm botnet which popularised postcard/e-card attacks last year. Web User reported on a similar scam just last month.

"As long as recipients continue to fall for these old tricks, malware authors and spammers will continue to use them," according to Matt Sergeant of MessageLabs.

www.messagelabs.com