A few weeks ago, customers of one the UK’s top fast-food brands, Subway, took to social media to complain about suspicious emails they have been receiving from them.
Users have stated they have received an email from the fast-food chain which claims to be an order confirmation email. Links within these emails have been reported to contain malware.
The emails are sent purporting to be from Subway’s loyalty card scheme and apparently have been very convincing due to them containing the recipient’s full name.
Subway have issued this statement on the matter:
“Having investigated the matter, we have no evidence that guest accounts have been hacked. However, the system which manages our email campaigns has been compromised, leading to a phishing campaign that involved first name and email. The system does not hold any bank or credit card details. Crisis protocol was initiated, and compromised systems locked down. The safety of our guests and their personal data is our overriding priority, and we apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused.”
Although a genuine statement, Subway’s email systems being hacked causes large concerns for ongoing phishing email attempts. It has been advised to delete emails from Subway until given the all clear from the company.
The phishing emails that had been sent out via Subway’s hijacked email system are standard phishing email attempts that the world is slowly having to adjust too in these modern times. However, these emails have contained a particular piece of malware called TrickBot that was contained in the email links.
TrickBot has been designed to collect personal data from computers or devices infected. Once a link is clicked it has been reported that an Excel spreadsheet will start to download which then prompts users to enable additional features which then triggers an install of a virus or malware.
A scary thought for customers who thought they may be getting a free sandwich for their lunch!