Retarus: Fake LinkedIn Messages Pose Threat to PCs

Ad hoc Announcement: Social Media Spam is on the Increase

MUNICH, VIENNA & ZURICH, October 7, 2010 - Retarus GmbH has sent out a warning in response to a current wave of fake
contact requests via the social media platform LinkedIn. These well-simulated
e-mail messages present a considerable risk to PC-owners. Unsuspecting users
are lured into a trap via the seemingly well-intentioned e-mails and their
PCs are infected with malware in an attempt to gain access to personal
information.

The e-mails, which have been on the increase since 27 September, feign to
be a contact request sent from the social media platform LinkedIn. Users who
try to access the platform via the link are routed to an intermediary website
- with the simple notification "Please waiting … 4 seconds". From there,
they are then redirected to Google. In these four seconds the spyware ZeuS is
uploaded in the background and secretly installed in the PC's web browser.
Cyber criminals use this new type of spam to gain access to personal
information, such as access data for online banking.

Social media spam is on the increase. Retarus analyses have shown that
one in three spam e-mails are clearly sent in the guise of social networks.
Retarus Managing Director, Martin Hager, warns, "Social media spam is
particularly dangerous because the contents seem well-intended, and the
original e-mails are so perfectly imitated, that lay persons are unable to
identify them as fakes. Mail users who have defined social media platforms as
safe senders, via whitelist entries in their spam filters, are especially
affected."

Retarus security experts, therefore, recommend that users not respond to
contact requests, especially from unknown senders, and delete these e-mails
immediately. To verify the authenticity of contact requests, it is
recommended that users avoid logging in to their social network by clicking
on a link which has been sent via e-mail.

This press release and visual material can be accessed at
www.retarus.com. The caption is: "Fake LinkedIn message". Copy for
editorial purposes is available free of charge under the reference "Retarus".

About Retarus

Efficient business processes as well as smooth and transparent
electronic communication are important success factors for every business. In
order to meet these demands, Retarus has been developing and operating
managed services from its own computer centres since 1992. The portfolio
provides optimized business process communication with maximum security and
high performance. Retarus provides services to over 3,000 international
customers from all sectors, including companies such as Allianz, Adidas,
Banco Santander, Bayer, Continental, Dätwyler, Edeka, Honda, Linde, O2, Puma,
Revlon, Sony and Zeiss. 21 of the 30 DAX companies use Retarus messaging
services. Approximately 200 employees at the headquarters in Munich and in
offices in Dubai, Lyon, Madrid, Milan, New York, Singapore, Sydney, Vienna
and Zurich, strive daily to ensure a high level of client satisfaction by
means of efficient communication processes with instant measurement of
results. Additional information: www.retarus.com

    Contact:

    retarus GmbH
    Peter Kopfmann
    Aschauer Strasse 30
    D-81549 Munich
    Tel.: +49-89-5528-1404
    Fax: +49-89-5528-1401
    peter.kopfmann@retarus.de
    www.retarus.com

retarus GmbH, Peter Kopfmann, Aschauer Strasse 30, D-81549 Munich, Tel.: +49-89-5528-1404,
Fax: +49-89-5528-1401, peter.kopfmann at retarus.de