The emails appear to come from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Aug 27, 2013 13:24 GMT  ·  By

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has published an advisory to warn users about malicious emails that appear to come from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Titled “Search for Missing Children,” the spear phishing emails carry a zip file that contains three malicious files.

“Spear-phishing attacks are often used by individuals conducting targeted, rather than opportunistic, attacks. Those responsible for the attack may be seeking precise information stored on an organization’s network or systems rather than monetary gain,” the advisory reads.

The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) advises organizations to educate their employees about social engineering and email phishing, monitor for suspicious activities, measure expected network traffic so that they can detect changes in patterns, and treat unsolicited or unexpected email with caution.

Users are advised to report any suspicious emails received at work to their organization. The FBI also recommends that they file a complaint with the IC3.