Avast Blog_Security News: IRS alerts public to ‘tax reminder’ phishing scam

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Plus, an Insta-scam snaps up login info, TrickBot makes a grab for your mobile PIN, and Brazil restabilizes after Telegram voicemail hacks

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service issued an alert to taxpayers about a new phishing scam that uses fraudulent emails posing as IRS communications to direct American taxpayers to download malware. With subject lines such as “Automatic Income Tax Reminder” or “Electronic Tax Return Reminder,” the emails allege that there is an issue with the target’s tax account, return, or refund. The target is given a temporary password and instructed to use it to access their file on a phony IRS webpage. In reality, using the password downloads a malicious file onto the victim’s computer. The agency’s release reminds taxpayers that the IRS will never initiate contact through email or text, generally sending correspondence through the mail instead.

Google researchers reveal wide-ranging iPhone hack

Google researchers have revealed that they found hacked websites that slipped malware onto people's iPhones for years, CNET and other news agencies reported. Google reported its findings to Apple in February, and the vulnerability was patched within a week. Google researcher Ian Beer wrote in a Thursday blog post detailing the team's discovery that "We estimate that these sites receive thousands of visitors per week." This hack gave attackers control of iPhones, allowing them to install malicious apps, get GPS data and steal messages. Attacks also sent stolen data without encryption, so anyone on the same Wi-Fi network could see stolen content. The malware was wiped when people rebooted their iPhones. “This is significant research,” said Nikolaos Chrysaidos, head of mobile threat intelligence and security at Avast. “It captures in-the-wild attacks that worked through the browser for an extended period of time. So we see a high level of hacking that could do serious damage. Apple is getting better at alerting and empowering its users about cybersecurity, but the company must improve. For now iPhone users should stay up to date with the latest software updates.”

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