Resources

Ecard Exploit

Ecards are growing in popularity; they’re an easy and inexpensive way to send greetings, but they’re also becoming a tool for scammers. The Ecard Exploits we’ve seen have generally fallen into 2 categories.

  1. Email is sent notifying the recipient that they have and ecard waiting for them. The recipient follows a link to the site to see the ecard. The recipient is told that they have out-of-date software and need to update it in order to view the ecard. The “software” may actually be a virus or spyware or a Trojan that can damage the computer or start collecting sensitive information from the user. 
  2. Recipient gets card. Recipient goes to the link, the site they go to has malicious software that exploits vulnerabilities in their web browser. Recipient’s computer is compromised automatically without their knowledge.

In general, if you get an email claiming you've received an ecard from a generic 'friend' or 'family member' rather than from someone whose name or personal e-mail address you recognize, the e-mail is likely fraudulent and should be immediately deleted.