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Credit:
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Phishing emails masquerade as security alerts from Apple about rogue iTunes purchases, researchers from Symantec said
By Lucian Constantin
Sep 8, 2014 7:41 AM
PT
‘);//–“;
var adDivString = “”;
placementDiff = applyInsert($(this), adDivString);
if (debug) {
console.log(“Just placed an ad and the placementDiff is: ” + placementDiff);
}
placementTarget = cumulativeHeight + placementDiff + interModuleHeight + adHeightBuffer;
}
else {
var moduleDivString = “”;
var elementId = “drr-mod-“+moduleCounter;
moduleDivString = “”;
modules.push(elementId);
placementDiff = applyInsert($(this), moduleDivString);
if (debug) {
console.log(“Just placed a module and the placementDiff is: ” + placementDiff);
}
placementTarget = cumulativeHeight + placementDiff + interModuleHeight + moduleHeightBuffer;
moduleCounter++;
}
loopCounter++;
}
// Avoid placing elements too soon due to non-large figures inflating the cumulative height
if ($(this).is(“figure”) !$(this).is(“figure.large”)) {
cumulativeHeight += grafHeight;
}
else {
cumulativeHeight += $(this).height() + grafHeight;
}
}
});
// clone Related Stories module m-15 to come in after 2nd para in article body for mobile breakpoint display
var $relatedStories = $(‘.related-promo-wrapper’);
if ($relatedStories.length) {
var $relatedStoriesClone = $relatedStories.clone();
$relatedStoriesClone.insertAfter( “#drr-container p:eq(1)”);
}
var $insiderPromo = $(‘.insider-promo-wrapper’);
if ($insiderPromo.length) {
var $insiderPromoClone = $insiderPromo.clone();
$insiderPromoClone.insertAfter( “#drr-container p:eq(1)”);
}
//place left side element
cumulativeHeight = 0;
var leftPlacementTarget = tagHeight = leftPlacementTarget) {
if (debug) {
console.log(“congratulations… we’ve passed the initial start point”);
}
if (leftPlacementIndex == null) {
//it’s not good enough to not be a left avoid – it also shouldn’t be a
with an immediately preceding small or medium image left avoid.
if (!isLeftAvoid($(this)) noPrevFigures($(this)) ) {
leftPlacementIndex = $(this).index();
$leftPlacementElement = $(this);
leftPlacementLookaheadStart = cumulativeHeight;
if (debug) {
console.log(“is not a left avoid and no prev figures. ########## set placementIndex (“+leftPlacementIndex+”) and lookaheadStart (“+leftPlacementLookaheadStart+”) ##########”);
}
} else {
if (debug) {
console.log(“is a left avoid or has previous figures. continue”);
}
}
} else {
if (debug) {
console.log(“#### leftPlacementIndex already set to “+leftPlacementIndex+”. looking ahead…”);
}
//not null; has been set
if ((cumulativeHeight – leftPlacementLookaheadStart) leftIntervalHeight) {
if (debug) {
console.log(“###### THRESHOLD REACHED. LOOKAHEAD COMPLETE. END ###### (cumulativeHeight – leftPlacementLookaheadStart) (“+(cumulativeHeight-leftPlacementLookaheadStart)+”) leftIntervalHeight (“+leftIntervalHeight+”).”);
}
return false;
} else {
if (debug) {
console.log(“threshold not reached: (cumulativeHeight – leftPlacementLookaheadStart) (“+(cumulativeHeight-leftPlacementLookaheadStart)+”) tags
if (!(isLeftAvoid($(this)) ($(this).hasClass(‘small’) || $(this).hasClass(‘inline-small’) || $(this).hasClass(‘medium’) || $(this).hasClass(‘inline-medium’) || $(this).hasClass(‘apart’) ))) {
cumulativeHeight += $(this).height() + grafHeight;
}
if (debug) {
console.log(“——————– set cumulativeHeight(“+cumulativeHeight+”) —————“);
console.log(“”);
}
}
});
}
if (leftPlacementIndex != null elementNotNearEnd($leftPlacementElement, leftPixelWindow)) {
if (debug) {
console.log(” insert into index “+leftPlacementIndex);
}
$(“#drr-container”).children().eq(leftPlacementIndex).before(“
“);
}
IDG.GPT.trackOmniture();
// Add Right rail module content
for (var i=0; i= 0) {
var a = document.createElement(‘a’);
a.href = document.referrer;
var uriParts = a.pathname.split(‘/’);
a = ”;
if (typeof uriParts[3] == ‘undefined’) {
epoParams += “typeId=” + defaultTypeId + “referrer=home”; // default is ‘home’ behavior
}
else {
var refCatSlug = uriParts[3];
epoParams += “catSlug=” + refCatSlug + “referrer=article”;
}
}
// From SEARCH: Show article with catId same as current article
else if (document.referrer.indexOf(“google”) = 0 || document.referrer.indexOf(“yahoo”) = 0 || document.referrer.indexOf(“bing”) = 0) {
var categories = [2206, 3676, 3298];
if (categories instanceof Array categories.length 0) {
var primaryCatId = categories[0];
epoParams += “catId=” + primaryCatId + “referrer=search”;
}
else {
epoParams += “typeId=” + defaultTypeId + “referrer=home”; // default is ‘home’ behavior
}
}
// Default is to show like coming from homepage
else {
epoParams += “displayId=11referrer=home”;
// default is ‘home’ behavior
}
return epoParams;
}
/**
* @param jqo Original jquery object target
* @param divString The div to be inserted.
* @return Difference in height between original placement target and final target.
* Checks first 6 elements for an allowable placement (600 pixel window).
* If none, check nearby for elements that are not right avoids.
* If none, place element before current target.
*/
function applyInsert(jqo, divString) {
if (debug) {
console.log(“applyInsert at top and jqo index is: ” + jqo.index());
}
for (var i=0; i 0) {
children = $(“#drr-container”).children().slice(jqo.index(), allowElement.index() );
}
else {
children = $(“#drr-container”).children().slice(allowElement.index(), jqo.index());
}
if (children != null) {
children.each(function(i) {
if (debug) {
console.log(“About to add this element’s height to heigh diff offset”);
console.log($(this));
}
height += $(this).height() + grafHeight;
});
}
if (offset 300) {
if (debug) {
console.log(“isRightAvoid: found pre. return true”);
}
return true;
}
if (jqo.is(“figure”) jqo.hasClass(‘large’)) {
if (debug) {
console.log(“isRightAvoid: found figure.large return true”);
}
return true;
}
if (jqo.is(“figure”) jqo.hasClass(‘medium’) jqo.hasClass(‘inline’)) {
if (debug) {
console.log(“isRightAvoid: found figure has class medium and inline.”);
}
return true;
}
if (jqo.is(‘div’) jqo.hasClass(‘table-wrapper’)) {
if (debug) {
console.log(“isRightAvoid: found div with class table-wrapper”);
}
return true;
}
if (jqo.is(‘aside’)) {
if (jqo.hasClass(‘sidebar’) !jqo.hasClass(‘medium’)) {
if (debug) {
console.log(“isRightAvoid: found aside with class sidebar, without class medium”);
}
return true;
}
if (jqo.hasClass(‘statsTable’)) {
if (debug) {
console.log(“isRightAvoid: found aside with class statsTable”);
}
return true;
}
}
if (jqo.hasClass(‘download-asset’)) {
if (debug) {
console.log(“isRightAvoid: found class download-asset return true”);
}
return true;
}
if (jqo.hasClass(‘tableLarge’)) {
if (debug) {
console.log(“isRightAvoid: found class tableLarge return true”);
}
return true;
}
if (jqo.hasClass(‘reject’)) {
if (debug) {
console.log(“isRightAvoid: found class reject. return true”);
}
return true;
}
if (jqo.is(‘table’) jqo.hasClass(‘scorecard’)) {
if (debug) {
console.log(“isRightAvoid: found div with class scorecard”);
}
return true;
}
}
return false;
}
// Return true if element has class ‘reject’: will not place drr modules/ads next to these elements
function isRightReject(jqo) {
console.log(“in isRightReject”);
if (jqo != null) {
if (jqo.hasClass(“reject”)) {
if (debug) {
console.log(“isRightReject: found ‘reject’ class”);
}
return true;
}
return false;
}
return false;
}
// Returns true if height of all elements after this one is more than 500; false otherwise
function elementNotNearEnd(element, pixelWindow) {
if (pixelWindow == null) {
pixelWindow = 500;
}
if (element == null) {
return false;
}
var remainingHeight = 0;
var children = $(“#drr-container”).children().slice(element.index());
if (children == null) {
return false;
}
children.each(function(i){
remainingHeight += $(this).height();
});
if ( remainingHeight pixelWindow) {
return true;
}
else {
if (debug) {
console.log(“Element too close to end. Remaining height is: ” + remainingHeight + ” and window is ” + pixelWindow);
}
return false;
}
}
/**
* Return true if need to avoid this element when placing left module.
*/
function isLeftAvoid(jqo) {
if (jqo.is(“figure”)) {
if (debug) {
console.log(“isLeftAvoid: found figure. return true”);
}
return true;
}
if (jqo.is(“aside.pullquote”)) {
if (debug) {
console.log(“isLeftAvoid: found pullquote. return true”);
}
return true;
}
if (jqo.is(“pre”)) {
if (debug) {
console.log(“isLeftAvoid: found pre. return true”);
}
return true;
}
if (jqo.is(“div.gist”)) {
if (debug) {
console.log(“isLeftAvoid: found github code block. return true”);
}
return true;
}
if (jqo.is(“aside”) jqo.hasClass(“sidebar”) jqo.hasClass(“medium”)) {
if (debug) {
console.log(“isLeftAvoid: found medium sidebar. return true”);
}
return true;
}
if (jqo.hasClass(“statsTable”)) {
if (debug) {
console.log(“isLeftAvoid: found class statsTable. return true”);
}
return true;
}
return false;
}
/**
* return true if there are no figures before the target placement that might bleed down into placement element
*/
function noPrevFigures($originalTarget) {
var targetIndex = $originalTarget.index();
var numElementsLookBack = 5;
var figureIndex = null;
var figureHeight = null;
var startIndex = targetIndex – numElementsLookBack
The hackers behind the Kelihos botnet are trying to capitalize on users’ increased awareness about the security of Apple online accounts through a new phishing campaign.
According to security researchers from Symantec, the Kelihos botnet has started sending spam emails that purport to be security alerts from Apple informing recipients that a purchase was made using their Apple ID from the iTunes Store. Apple IDs are the accounts that customers use to access Apple’s online services.
The rogue emails bear the subject “Pending Authorisation Notification” and claim that the purchase was made from a computer or a device not previously linked to the user’s Apple ID, the Symantec researchers said Friday in a blog post. The emails list an IP (Internet Protocol) address from where the purchase was allegedly initiated and a corresponding physical location of Volgograd, Russia, they said.
The fake messages instruct users to click on a link if they didn’t initiate the purchase. The link leads to a phishing site that masquerades as the Apple ID log-in page and harvests credentials inputted by users for later misuse.
The use of fake security alerts as phishing bait is not a new technique. However, because this particular attack comes shortly after a widely publicized event where a number of celebrities had their iCloud accounts broken into, it might trick a larger number of users than a typical phishing campaign.
One week ago news broke out that hackers stole nude photographs from the iCloud accounts of a number of female actresses and models and leaked some of them on public websites.
There was initial speculation that the leaks might have been the result of a brute-force password guessing attack via the “Find My Phone” feature, but Apple later said that the leaks were the result of a “a very targeted attack on user names, passwords and security questions” and not that of a breach of the company’s cloud-based systems.
The incident received so much attention online and in the media that it even prompted a response from Apple CEO Tim Cook, who told the Wall Street Journal that the company will start sending security notifications to users via email and push messages when iCloud account changes occur.
“It is possible that the timing of the [phishing] campaign is not a coincidence and the controllers of the botnet are attempting to exploit public fears about the security of Apple IDs to lure people into surrendering their credentials,” the Symantec researchers said.
The Kelihos botnet authors are adept at exploiting current events. In August they launched a spam campaign that encouraged Russian-speaking users to install a program on their computers so they can be used in distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against Western government websites in response to the recent international sanctions against Russia. The emails actually linked to a variant of the Kelihos malware, not a DDoS program.
To prevent unauthorized access to their accounts even when their user names and passwords are compromised, users are advised to turn on two-step authentication for their Apple ID accounts.
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