Internet security service provider F-Secure has found numbers of Christmas card malware in circulation around the globe. The links, embedded in an email, are masked and point to a fake Yahoo greeting card website, run in conjunction with American Greetings.  

The site prompts the user to click the URLs in the message, a fake website appears with a request to download the latest Adobe Flash Player, which in fact is a malicious software called ‘macromedia-flashplayerupdate.exe.’
 
F-Secure detects this file as an Agent variant. It collects various types of information from the infected machine and sends it back to the malware author via a website.
 
"The popularity of e-cards provides a fertile ground for malware authors,” said Patrik Runald, Senior Security Specialist, F-Secure Security Labs APAC. “Spammers have a long tradition of trying to lure people from emotional responses like e-cards. We suggest users to pay attention to suspicious email and keep update your anti-virus software or use manual removal tool to delete any .exe file."