Hackers harpoon US executives with phony email subpoenas

0 Comments | AFP, May, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) — US federal court officials on Monday warned that hackers are emailing phony subpoenas embedded with malicious software to high-ranking executives to steal valuable corporate information.

Thousands of powerful US executives have received the bogus emails that contain links which, if clicked on, install software letting hackers take control of computers and swipe passwords or other sensitive data.

Internet security insiders refer to the attacks as "whaling" because they use social-engineering trickery involved in "phishing" but target individual "big phish" instead of casting nets in a sea of Internet users.

The emails are crafted with the seal of the US federal court in San Diego, California, and are addressed to executives using their...