Proofpoint researchers have discovered a Point-of-Sale malware that is targeting retailers worldwide, including Australia. The malware, named ScanPOS is heavily targeting the hospitality sector.

The malware drop is facilitated by several large email campaigns, each with tens of thousands of messages. These messages distribute the Kronos banking trojan, which acts as a loader for the ScanPOS as a secondary payload.

The emails include an attachment or a link to a domain that's under hacker control, but masquerades as Microsoft SharePoint, e.g. "hxxp://intranet.excelsharepoint[.]com/profile/Employee.php?id=[base64 encoded e-mail address]." Clicking the link causes the user to download malicious content.

Proofpoint says that banking trojans and malware are continuing to evolve, even as older campaigns have been replaced largely by ransomware and other payloads.

The Kronos banker malware has experienced an increase in activity thanks to the ScanPOS campaign, the company says.

The ScanPOS malware is also targeting a range of sectors including higher education, financial services, healthcare and entertainment.

Proofpoint says that with the holiday shopping season approaching, organisations should be especially vigilant about malware that may be used to exploit seasonal trends and ensure strong cybersecurity practices.

The company says it will continue to monitor Kronos, ScanPOS distribution and other malware threats as they appear.