F-Secure says it can not prove which country was behind the hack but the group had links to 'entities ' in China , Russia and Ukraine The UK Foreign Office was targeted by a group of determined and well-funded hackers over several months last year . Research published by cybersecurity firm F-Secure suggested the attack was a “ spear-phishing Attack.Phishing ” campaign in which people are sent Attack.Phishing targeted emails with a link to a false login page to trick Attack.Phishing users into giving up their username and password . The hackers created Attack.Phishing websites that looked like Attack.Phishing legitimate Foreign Office websites , including those for accessing an internal email account online . The scam is believed to have been perpetrated by hackers who call themselves the Callisto Group . F-Secure said it did not know whether the attack was successful and the National Cyber Security Centre did not say whether data had been stolen Attack.Databreach . It was discovered after the spy agency analysed a successful attack on the French broadcaster TV5Monde in 2015 . The group forced the channel ’ s scheduled programming off air for 18 hours and replaced them with a screen showing the terror group ’ s flag . The inference with the UK ’ s government follows on from an ongoing probe into the Kremlin ’ s influence on the US elections last year . Hacking groups such as DC Leaks , Fancy Bears and Guccifer 2.0 who were responsible for the leaking Attack.Databreach of damaging information about the Democrat party . The most significant attack Attack.Databreach , the leaking Attack.Databreach of thousands of private emails between senior members of the DNC to Wikileaks by Fancy Bears , lead to the resignation of DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz .

A fraud chief at Britain ’ s biggest bank has admitted scam texts are now so sophisticated even he sometimes can not tell if they are genuine . Paul Davis , retail fraud director at Lloyds Banking Group , told Money Mail criminals can mimic Attack.Phishing the exact format of messages – which appear as though they are sent Attack.Phishing from a bank ’ s number using a technique called ‘ spoofing ’ . With fake banking texts now so difficult to spot , Mr Davis said customers should be taught how to respond to them to avoid being lured Attack.Phishing into a scam . He added : ‘ It ’ s the new “ don ’ t talk to strangers ” . 'We teach children how to cross the road and we also need to teach everyone how to be aware of and stay safe from scams . It ’ s the new basic life safety advice we all need to know. ’ Mr Davis said the key to avoiding falling for scams was to treat all messages with caution . ‘ It ’ s about what you say when you reply , ’ he said . ‘ Don ’ t ever give out your bank details and never give more than a simple answer like yes or no. ’ The context of messages could be crucial , he explained . For example , when shopping online , if a customer is texted at the same time to confirm they intended to make this exact purchase , it is more likely to be genuine . But if a person receives a text out of the blue saying they have made a payment and can they confirm the purchase , it is more likely to be a scam . Mr Davis accepted it was hard to know what messages to trust because even genuine ones can appear suspicious if they come from a variety of numbers . ‘ If in doubt , don ’ t reply and ring the number on the back of your card , ’ he said . Customers were also warned never to click on links in texts or open email attachments claiming to be from the bank , as this could download malware which can spy on their phone or computer to find out their password . The Daily Mail is campaigning for fairer treatment for customers who fall prey to so-called authorised push payment fraud – sophisticated scams where victims are tricked Attack.Phishing into transferring money . In the first six months of this year alone , around £145million was lost to this crime – of which only £31million was refunded . There is currently no obligation on banks to reimburse customers who authorise payment in this type of fraud – and many say the victim is to blame for allowing the transaction to go through . But consumer campaigners argue most scams are now so sophisticated even the savviest customers can fall for them . Mr Davis said Lloyds examined each case on an individual basis and ‘ often ’ refunded victims as a gesture of goodwill . He said : ‘ The key to stopping this type of fraud is working together . There ’ s a shared responsibility . The bank needs to do things to protect its customers but the victim also needs to take steps to protect themselves. ’ He added : ‘ Helping keep our customers ’ money safe is our priority and we fully support Money Mail ’ s campaign. ’ Yesterday , new rules were announced proposing greater protection for scam victims , in a victory for the Mail ’ s campaign . The guidelines say banks must flash up warnings if a customer is making a questionable transfer and should carry out greater checks to ensure they are paying who they think they are . Banks should also delay payments if they are concerned they may be fraudulent and refund vulnerable victims , such as those who have been recently bereaved – even if the bank was not at fault . But there was no agreement on who should bankroll the cost of refunds for victims – and some campaigners criticised the code for not going far enough . The voluntary agreement between most banks and consumer groups follows an eight-month consultation by a steering group appointed by the Payment Systems Regulator , following a super-complaint by consumer group Which ?

Flipkart has recently posted a story to make people aware of fake Flipkart websites . The e-commerce giant on its blog 'Flipkart stories ' said that people need to be beware of email , call , SMS , WhatsApp message or any social media message which claims to be Attack.Phishing offering unbelievable discounts and offers from Flipkart . Flipkart said : “ Be warned that these messages are not sent Attack.Phishing by official Flipkart channels , but by fraudsters and scammers who intend to deceive Attack.Phishing you . If you are not careful , you may be at the receiving end of fraud . Fraudsters intend to make a fast buck by misappropriating the familiar Attack.Phishing and trustworthy name of Flipkart . You are advised not to trust these fraudulent individuals or agencies with your money , or your personal and financial information . Always check with authentic and original Flipkart sources first. ” The content of the fake messages or calls sent Attack.Phishing by the fraudulent may include references to tempting deals , discounts and offers on Flipkart . The fake messages may closely resemble Attack.Phishing the Flipkart ’ s official logos , typefaces and brand colour while some may also contain the word ‘ Flipkart ’ in the URL . Then how can you catch them ? 1 ) Fake websites : The websites such as ‘ flipkart.dhamaka-offers.com , flipkart-bigbillion-sale.com ’ contain the name of the company in their URL . Such websites pretend to be Attack.Phishing associated with Flipkart by using similar-looking and similar-sounding names . However , they are not authorised by Flipkart . 2 ) WhatsApp , Facebook Messenger and/or other social messaging platforms : Fraudsters may try to send Attack.Phishing the customers messages via social messaging platforms and many have also reported the same . These imposters will ask for your personal details or will be asked to share these fraudulent messages with friends and family members to win prizes . Apart from these customers might also be offered products at ‘ unbelievable ’ prices such as a 32 GB pen drive for Rs 25 . Customers will be asked to make payments via online wallets , bank transfer or other means to avail free gifts . To this , Flipkart has directed the customers to not reply to these messages or click any of the links the fake messages contain without verifying it with the company . “ Flipkart has no connection with these fraudulent senders , and we have no control over any information that you share with them . Any details that you share with these fraudulent senders that impersonate Flipkart can compromise your personal and financial information . Payments once made to these accounts can not be retrieved or reversed , and you may be cheated of your hard-earned money , ” the e-commerce website said . 3 ) Fake Calls or SMS to customers : Sometimes , customers may also receive calls from an unknown number . The may speak in any language such as English , Hindi among others . The person might lure Attack.Phishing customers by offering free gifts or by saying that your mobile number has been selected via a lucky draw , etc . To avail these gifts , the imposter will ask you for your personal details and access to bank account numbers among other things . They may also lure Attack.Phishing you to a website appearing very similar to Flipkart or send Attack.Phishing you a fake fabricated certificate . They may also claim to be Attack.Phishing Flipkart employees or partners and may display fake identifiation as proof . “ It is easy to fabricate such documents in order to make you believe that they are genuine . You may also be asked to transfer money to certain digital wallets to claim prizes or gifts . Note that these accounts are not managed by Flipkart , but by fraudsters who want to cheat you , ” Flipkart said . 4 ) Phishing ( Fake Emails ) : Phishing Attack.Phishing is a fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames , passwords , and credit card details for malicious reasons by disguising as Attack.Phishing a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication . Phishing emails are sent Attack.Phishing by fraudsters . The emails may ask you to visit malicious links through which your personal and/or financial information can be obtained and be used without your consent to carry out fraudulent transactions . You may lose money , personal and sensitive information and your systems — desktop computers , laptops or mobile phones — can get potentially compromised by malware/viruses upon opening or clicking on links in such emails . 5 ) Online games/websites ( discount coupons/gift vouchers/offers/online games ) : Online scams of this type reach out to customers , asking them to play games such as ‘ spin the wheel , ’ which promise free gifts , cash prizes , and other tempting bait . The players are often asked to share the game with their contacts to be able to avail the prize , which , of course , never materializes . 6 ) From Marketplace Sellers : While you may have received an order placed on Flipkart , you may receive a pamphlet or inserts , asking you to make future purchases on some other online shopping site or portal to avail higher discounts . Similarly , sellers/callers posing as sellers may ask you to place an order directly with them and may ask for payment to be made directly . Often , they may ask you to cancel your Flipkart order . Once you agree to any such deal with these fraudulent sellers , Flipkart will not have any control over any information you might share with them . You are at risk of fraud if you accept such offers .

Criminals are attempting to trick Attack.Phishing consumers into handing over passwords and credit card details by taking advantage of the flood of emails being sent out Attack.Phishing ahead of new European privacy legislation . The European Union 's new General Data Protection Regulation ( GDPR ) come into force on 25 May and the policy is designed to give consumers more control over their online data . As a result , in the run-up to it , organisations are sending out Attack.Phishing messages to customers to gain their consent for remaining on their mailing lists . With so many of these messages being sent out Attack.Phishing , it was perhaps only a matter of time before opportunistic cybercriminals looked to take advantage of the deluge of messages about GDPR and privacy policies arriving in people 's inboxes . A GDPR-related phishing scam Attack.Phishing uncovered by researchers at cyber security firm Redscan is doing just this in an effort to steal data with emails claiming to be Attack.Phishing from Airbnb . The attackers appear to be Attack.Phishing targeting business email addresses , which suggests the messages are sent Attack.Phishing to emails scraped from the web . The phishing message addresses the user as an Airbnb host and claims Attack.Phishing they 're not able to accept new bookings or send Attack.Phishing messages to prospective guests until a new privacy policy is accepted . `` This update is mandatory because of the new changes in the EU Digital privacy legislation that acts upon United States based companies , like Airbnb in order to protect European citizens and companies , '' the message says , and the recipient is urged Attack.Phishing to click a link to accept the new privacy policy . Those who click the link are asked to enter their personal information , including account credentials and payment card information . If the user enters these , they 're handing the data straight into the hands of criminals who can use it for theft , identity fraud , selling on the dark web and more . `` The irony wo n't be lost on anyone that cybercriminals are exploiting the arrival of new data protection regulations to steal Attack.Databreach people 's data , '' said Mark Nicholls , Director of Cyber Security at Redscan . `` Scammers know that people are expecting exactly these kinds of emails this month and that they are required to take action , whether that 's clicking a link or divulging personal data . It 's a textbook phishing campaign Attack.Phishing in terms of opportunistic timing and having a believable call to action '' . Airbnb is sending messages to users about GDPR , but the messages contain far more detail and do n't ask the users to enter any credentials , merely agree to the new Terms of Service . While the phishing messages might look legitimate at first glance , it 's worth noting they do n't use the right domain - the fake messages come from Attack.Phishing ' @ mail.airbnb.work ' as opposed to ' @ airbnb.com ' . Redscan has warned that attackers are likely to use GDPR as bait Attack.Phishing for other phishing scams Attack.Phishing , with messages claiming to be Attack.Phishing from other well-known companies . `` As we get closer to the GDPR implementation deadline , I think we can expect to see a lot a lot more of these types of phishing scams Attack.Phishing over the next few weeks , that 's for sure , '' said Nicholls , who warned attackers could attempt to use the ploy to deliver malware in future . `` In the case of the Airbnb scam email , hackers were attempting to harvest Attack.Databreach credentials . Attack vectors do vary however and it 's possible that other attacks may attempt to infect hosts with keyloggers or ransomware , for example . '' he said . Airbnb said those behind the attacks have n't accessed Attack.Databreach user details in order to send Attack.Phishing emails and that users who receive Attack.Phishing a suspicious message claiming to be Attack.Phishing from Airbnb should send it to their safety team . `` These emails are a brazen attempt at using our trusted brand to try and steal Attack.Databreach user 's details , and have nothing to do with Airbnb . We 'd encourage anyone who has received Attack.Phishing a suspicious looking email to report it to our Trust and Safety team on report.phishing @ airbnb.com , who will fully investigate , '' an Airbnb spokesperson told ZDNet . Airbnb also provided information on how to spot a fake email to help users to determine if a message is genuine or not .

Law firms have been put on high alert as the Solicitors Regulation Authority ( SRA ) warns of new threats impacting hundreds of firms . Benoit Daoust In an update , the regulator said it has experienced an increase in the number of reports of attempted cyber-crime and that some 500 firms may have been targeted in a cunning new scam . It also warned solicitors to take care that they did not fall victim to the attempted infiltration of IT systems . It said that firms were sent Attack.Phishing emails requesting their services and once they reply they are sent Attack.Phishing attachments or links – both of which could contain malware which would allow the perpetrators to obtain passwords or financial details , copy or modify data on the system , and allow hackers to get into the firm ’ s network . Other advice from the regulator includes using cloud-based computing for storing , accessing and processing information as well as keeping software up to date , using anti-virus systems and encryption on mobile devices . It also recommends that files are backed up regularly and firms should ensure at least one back-up that is not directly and regularly connected to the main systems .