Security watchers are reporting a surge of phishing attacks targeting European banks. Phishing attacks against over two dozen European banks were detected by security firm Websense last weekend (17-18 September).

Traditionally, fraudsters have targeted North American banks in phishing attacks. "This is the first time we have observed a significant number of European victims over a short period of time. The banks being targeted are predominately located in Spain and Italy," Websense notes.

Scam emails that form the basis of phishing attacks commonly pose as 'security check' emails from well-known businesses. These messages attempt to trick users into handing over their account details and passwords to bogus sites. The latest messages are composed in the primary language of the bank, indicating some degree of sophistication to the attacks.

Screenshots of a half-dozen example sites are here.

Separately, Trend Micro reports that keystroke-logging Trojan software originating in Brazil has tipped up in the UK and Ireland. The TSPY_BANCOS.AFG Trojan began in the land of the Samba but has now spread internationally. The malware is designed to capture bank passwords and forward this information to fraudsters. ®