Destroy PC Viruses

The Mozilla Foundation has released Firefox 3.6.2 to address multiple security issues, including a critical vulnerability that may allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code.

US-CERT encourages users and administrators to do the following to help mitigate the risks:

• Review the Firefox 3.6.2 release notes.
• Review Mozilla Foundation Security Advisory 2010-08.
• Upgrade to Firefox 3.6.2

Additional information regarding this vulnerability, including a workaround for users who cannot upgrade, can be found in the Vulnerability Notes Database.

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In the past, US-CERT has received reports of an increased number of phishing scams and malware campaigns that take advantage of the United States tax season. Due to the upcoming tax deadline, US-CERT reminds users to remain cautious when receiving unsolicited email that could be part of a potential phishing scam or malware campaign.

These phishing scams and malware campaigns may include the following: information that refers to a tax refund, warnings about unreported or under-reported income, offers to assist in filing for a refund, or details about fake e-file websites. These messages, which appear to be from the IRS, may ask users to submit personal information via email or may instruct the user to follow a link to a website that requests personal information or contains malicious code.

At this time, US-CERT is aware of public reports indicating that there is active circulation of a tax season malware campaign. This malware campaign may be using malicious code commonly known as Zeus or Zbot.

US-CERT encourages users and administrators to take the following measures to protect themselves from these types of phishing scams and malware campaigns:

• Do not follow unsolicited web links in email messages.
• Maintain up-to-date antivirus software.
• Refer to the IRS website related to phishing, email, and bogus website scams for scam samples and reporting information.
• Refer to the Recognizing and Avoiding Email Scams (pdf) document for more information on avoiding email scams.
• Refer to the Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks document for more information on social engineering attacks.

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