Ransomware, attention to PEC. The scam could also arrive by certified mail

The news comes straight from ESET scientists who have found out how there is a large distribution of licensed e-mails, i.e. licensed e-mails, complete of hazardous attachments and able to infect PCs or Macs where they are opened. A new way to "cheat" unsuspecting users who somehow feel more than sure about using the PEC precisely but who, on the other hand, are not so safe in such cases.

PEC: what to do and how to protect yourself The accredited electronic mail or PEC is a specific form of electronic mail used in some countries of the globe that gives the same legal significance to a classic email message as a traditional registered letter with receipt acknowledgement, thus guaranteeing evidence of sending and delivery. In Italy, but also in Switzerland and Hong Kong, it has been used for some moment.

In this scenario, a PEC's safety would lead users with attachments to accept any kind of message. Precisely this enabled the cyber criminals to put their hands on the PCs of unsuspecting customers who opened the attachments without having any issues but being infected.

The cyber criminals acted by sending a significant quantity of PEC around Italy, masquerading as "ghost" businesses referring to the supposed PDF invoices. When the files were opened by unsuspecting users, a so-called "payload" was triggered, that is, a system capable of infecting the user's PC or Mac with a dangerous ransomware capable of encoding the documents on the machine, making them inaccessible except with ransom.

The text of the distributed message is usually of this type: "SUBJECT: Invoice issue SS059656 Hello Attached to this email We will send you a PDF copy of the courtesy of the invoice in question. Document without tax value pursuant to art. 21 Dpr 633/72. The original is available at the email address provided by you or in your limited area of the Revenue Agency."