The latest threat comes by way of a data breach at document validation company DocuSign, as Tom’s Hardware reports. DocuSign was looking into a nefarious email campaign that targeted its customers when the company discovered that someone had hacked into its systems and grabbed some email addresses.
As Tom’s Hardware points out, having access to email addresses by itself is more of a nuisance than a dire circumstance when it is only the email address and no other personal identifying information is involved such as names, addresses, credit cards, and the like. However, having email addresses for a distinct group such as DocuSign customers creates the perfect opportunity to create an effective phishing campaign. Attackers can use DocuSign’s own branding to trick people expecting email from the company into clicking on unsafe sites or opening infected documents.
DocuSign said that its own eSignature document verification service hasn’t been breached and its customers’ documents are safe. But as we saw with a recent phishing scam that utilized Google’s own authentication system to infect users, cybercriminals are aided greatly by the ability to target specific victims who are likely to believe that an emailed link or document is legitimate.
If you’re a DocuSign customer, then be sure to check out the company’s Trust Center for more information. Its security staff has implemented a plan to secure its systems and has notified law enforcement. In the meantime, it offered up some steps to take to further ensure you are not affected. Here are those steps directly from DocuSign’s Trust Center:
- Delete any emails with the subject line, “Completed: [domain name] — Wire transfer for recipient-name Document
- Ready for Signature” and “Completed [domain name/email address] — Accounting Invoice [Number] Document Ready for Signature.” These emails are not from DocuSign. They were sent by a malicious third party and contain a link to malware spam.
- Forward any suspicious emails related to DocuSign to spam@docusign.com, and then delete them from your computer.
- They may appear suspicious because you don’t recognize the sender, weren’t expecting a document to sign, contain misspellings (like “docusgn.com” without an ‘i’ or @docus.com), contain an attachment, or direct you to a link that starts with anything other than https://www.docusign.com or https://www.docusign.net.
- Ensure your antivirus software is enabled and up to date.
- Review our whitepaper on phishing available
The usual tactics for avoiding phishing attacks apply as well. Never open attachments unless you know exactly who sent them and why, and don’t click on links in emails unless the address is valid and trusted. Make sure your browser is up to date and check that a site looks legitimate before entering any personal information.
