socialmedian: Michael Jackson Death Exploited by Malware Vendors [WARNING]

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Michael Jackson Death Exploited by Malware Vendors [WARNING]

Source: Mashable!

Jun 26, 2009

Summary

Spammers, unscrupulous marketers, and hawkers of malware have no shame. Apparently looking to capitalize on the incredible demand for news and information about Michael Jackson in the wake of the pop icon’s death, spammers are attempting to spread malware under the guise of Jackson-related content.

Online security firm Websense reports that spammers are sending emails that purport to offer links to exclusive video and photo content. But in reality, the links, if followed, ultimately install malware on the user’s computer. Between demand for the news and the tricky way that this particular scam operates, it’s easy to see how at least a novice Web user could fall for it.

From Websense:

“The spam email appears to offer a link to a YouTube video, but instead sends the recipient to a Trojan Downloader hosted on a compromised Web site. The file offered is called Michael.Jackson.videos.scr (MD5: 664cb28ef710e35dc5b7539eb633abca). This file is located on a legitimate Web site hosted in Australia belonging to a radio broadcasting station. Upon executing the file,

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