Beware of ‘pastejacking’ scams where cybercriminals send urgent emails tricking you into running malicious PowerShell code.
In this week’s scam, cybercriminals are trying to trick you into running malicious code using PowerShell, a powerful tool for executing commands on your computer. This technique is known as “pastejacking”, which involves copying and pasting malicious code into your computer and then allowing it to run.
This scam begins when you receive what appears to be an urgent email that contains an attachment. If you try to open the attachment, an error will display that says, “Failed to connect to the ‘OneDrive’ cloud service, to fix the error you need to update the DNS cache manually.” The message also provides a few lines of code and instructions on how to copy and paste it into a Windows PowerShell Terminal. The message urges you to take action, which is exactly what scammers want. If you follow their instructions, you will run a malicious command on your machine. The code will install malware, giving the scammers access to your personal data.
Follow these tips to avoid falling victim to pastejacking:
- You will never receive a legitimate email that tells you to open an attachment using PowerShell. If you receive an email instructing you to use PowerShell, immediately report it to your IT team.
- Be cautious of any emails that prompt you to take urgent action. Creating a sense of urgency is a common technique that scammers use to trick you.
- If you are unsure about the legitimacy of an email or attachment, contact your organization’s IT or security team for further instructions.
Stop, Look, and Think. Don’t be fooled.
KnowBe4 is the world’s most popular integrated platform for awareness training combined with simulated phishing attacks. Let Keller Schroeder show you how KnowBe4 has helped thousands of organizations just like yours manage the continuing problem of social engineering. Contact us today to learn more.
DISCLAIMER : Any non-technical views expressed are not necessarily those of Keller Schroeder or its employee-owners.
