MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The UK Home Office warned on Monday that ostensibly official emails may contain viruses it classified as "ransomware."
The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) advised against clicking on attachments pertaining to information on an "upcoming court case" in emails sent from addresses containing references to the Ministry of Justice or the Home Office.
"The Home Office does not send unsolicited emails and will not ask for personal information or passwords in an email," the public warning stated, adding that all government links use secured protocols and contain official domain names.
The TorrentLocker "ransomware" reportedly surfaced last week, when an email with a Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs letterhead instructed recipients to download supposed protected content.
Earlier this month, tens of thousands of banking customers were targeted in the United Kingdom with email containing Dyre trojan malware.