Fake “Secure Document” notice will compromise your email account

Phishers have lately shown a penchant for using the “secure / confidential document / message” lure for making users share their login credentials.

The latest large scale phishing campaign includes a fake email from “the Gmail Team”, which says that the users’ “financial institute” has sent them a secure document via Google Docs.

But following the offered link leads them to a phishing page hosted in Thailand, warns Sophos’ Chester Wisniewski, and points out that the phishers are looking for any account credential they can get (click on the screenshot to enlarge it):

The entered credentials are, of course, forwarded to a remote server controlled by the phishers, and will be used to hijack the users’ email account.

“Many organizations are using Google and other cloud service providers to provide critical IT services. At first glance this could be very believable,” says Wisniewski, and adds that creating shortcuts for all sensitive services in your browser – and not following links this one from unsolicited emails – is the best way to avoid becoming a victim of similar phishing attacks.