Australians are being warned about a new scam which can take control of your phone or laptop. Infected photos captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope are being sent out via email to unsuspecting users. The images are being used to disguise and distribute malware from hackers. One of the images contains a hidden link inside its metadata. The link “downloads a malicious template file” onto the user’s device.
The scam was uncovered by cybersecurity firm Securonix. “Initial infection begins with a phishing email containing an attachment,” said the Securonix Threat research team. The scam is so complex, it is unlikely to be detected by antivirus software. That means the scam email is more likely to be delivered to your inbox, rather than spam or junk folder.
Once the malware is downloaded onto the device the hackers are able to spy on, or remotely take control of the infected device.
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