14 DAY TRIAL // Earlier this month, a German law firm called Urmann and Colleagues (U+C) started sending out threatening letters, on behalf of copyright holders, to German users who had been surfing a popular adult website. Cybercriminals are now leveraging the story to distribute malware.
The case has been highly controversial, since it’s uncertain how U+C obtained the information on the site’s visitors.
Bitdefender warns that cybercriminals have started sending out fake U+C emails in an effort to trick users into downloading a piece of malware.
The fake notifications inform recipients that they face fines and even imprisonment for unlawfully streaming copyrighted content. They instruct users to download the attachment for more information.
In reality, the attached file hides a backdoor which Bitdefender detects as Gen:Variant.Kazy. Once it infects a device, the threat downloads additional pieces of malware.
U+C are aware of the fake emails. The company has posted a notice on its website to warn users. The advisory says that warnings are delivered exclusively by mail.