Fake news used by spammers
Monday, June 23, 2008
A new brand of storm worm is using fake news headlines to get users to trigger the malware virus, experts have warned.
Research revealed that fabricated headlines such as 'Donald Trump kidnapped, feared missing' and 'Eiffel Tower damaged in massive earthquake' have already been seen.
Within the body of the email are links that supposedly lead to more information on the story but instead take users to a website resembling adult site Pornotube.
If users then click on any of the videos, an executable is activated which installs storm malware on to the computer.
Kevin McGhee from McAfee said that this technique "plays on people's inquisitiveness about news of natural disasters and celebrities".
He added that spammers have moved from real world events to "creating their own fictional events".
"This high-volume spam campaign is using some wacky subjects to lure people into clicking on the links," he added.
Other headlines to look out for include 'DA rolls over on Britney foot-fault case', 'Dutch disqualified from Euro championships' and 'Opponents to gay marriage stay quiet'.
Related News:
Gmail security concerns provoke moves toward strict measures - 1.18.2010
After an attack by Chinese cyber criminals penetrated the network security and email systems of U.S. corporations and Chinese human rights activists living abroad, Gmail was quick to announce that it would bolster its security by making HTTPS access the default method.
Security flaw in IE used to target U.S. firms in cyber attack - 1.15.2010
Microsoft announced yesterday that the cyber criminals who launched a large-scale assault on network security at multiple American firms did so via a vulnerability in the company's Internet Explorer browser software.
Cyber attacks prompt probable Google withdrawal from China - 1.14.2010
An attempt to crack the email security protecting the accounts of several human rights activists in China and elsewhere has caused search giant Google to end its cooperative relationship with the Chinese government, and, experts say, probably cease operations in China altogether.
Spam sticks around because it works: Report - 12.29.2009
Although anti-spam utilities have grown more sophisticated and email users have grown more savvy, email spam shows no signs of slowing down, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
FBI: Law firms and PR agencies high on hacker target lists - 11.18.2009
Using complex email scams, cyber criminals are increasingly targeting sensitive information held by law firms and public relations companies, according to an FBI advisory released earlier this month.
|
