Malware attacks use false celebrity deaths
Symantec is currently tracking an eruption on the spam ring of stories of celebrities dying in plane crashes or car accidents. The intention behind distributing such false news is to spread viruses using HTML or zipped attachments.
This is one more in a series of recent virus attacks seen in the last few weeks, said Symantec. This is an old trick to use celebrity names to lure recipients into opening malicious URL or attachments.
This tactic seems to have on-going success as attackers continue use it as a ploy to lure victims into opening malicious files.
In one of the campaigns seen, spammers are using subject lines showing that a celebrity has died. In the message, it adds that the celebrity has died along with 34 other people when their plane carrying the group on a trip crashed into a mountainside while approaching the airport. For further details, recipients are asked to open the malicious attachment.
Subject lines include:
Beyonce Knowles died
Bon Jovi died
Brad Pitt died
Cameron Diaz died
David Beckham died
Gwen Stefani died
Jay-Z died
Jennifer Aniston died
Jennifer Lopez died
Johnny Depp died
Justin Timberlake died
Kanye West died
Miley Cyrus died
Nicole Kidman died
Ronaldinho died
Tiger Woods died
Tom Cruise died
Spammers are known to create curiosity in their spam messages so that users get interested and make an attempt to open and, perhaps, install the executable.
Symantec says that attackers use brand names such as a well known news agency or celebrities to give them the much needed credibility to gain trust in the recipient’s mind.
Users should follow standard practices of not opening any suspicious links and attachments received in an unsolicited mail or from an unexpected source.
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