Fake CNN, MSNBC spam claims Elizabeth Taylor murdered, Mary-Kate Olsen killed Ledger

With dozens of Nigerian lottery scammers now off the streets and better-informed Internet citizen perhaps a tad less likely to click on phishing emails, disaster relief solicitations and credit card ripoffs, the ever-inventive spammer-hacker community has pioneered a new approach to online grifting: fake news alerts.

Maybe you've seen recent e-mails claiming to be from MSNBC and CNN with sensational headlines like "Elizabeth Taylor Found Murdered at Home" and "Mary-Kate Olsen guilty for Heath Ledger's Death" (see above") -- and even the alarming, "Europeans dislike Americans attitudes [sic]."

Graham Cluey, a security specialist at Sophos, made a video about a new trend of CNN News Alerts like "Michael Jackson is sued by his own dog"--that lure users to a rogue site that will attempt to infect their computers with malicious software posing as a video plug-in.

In my own e-mail account today, I counted 42 fake news e-mails--though Gmail is apparently catching on, as it refused to give me the option to click on the nasty links. 

At his security blog, Gary Warner has a list of the titillating headlines the phony CNN spammers are using -- some of which refer to actual stories -- like the "real"  95-year-old Batman from Texas -- and others that don't, such as  "`Dark Knight' - download it instantly fo free [sic]."

One more reason never to believe anything you read.

Comments

[Spacequad AntiSpam Services]

BotNet herders getting desperate

From pushing Pharmaceuticals to fake lottery scams, these bot-masters have done it all. It seems now thru the success of social engineering sites like Facebook, Yahoo360, and others, they (the spammers) have honed their skills at finding what people are most likely to hit their mouse button on

Fortunately up until this morning, we here at Spacequad had never experienced this type of email. Well, we could be so lucky for ever and not get any. But, we did, and we checked it out and, sure enough. It was a fake update to the Adobe flash player.

Read full article at Spacequad AntiSpam Services.

[Just Me]

I recieved one of these yesterday that stated Microsoft had purchased AOL. I knew it was a fake when it tried to get me to upload a flash pluggin from a site called WWW.JohnathanWheat.com.
Glad I was paying attention. I would have gotten hell from the IT department for months if I had let that one in.

[David Bryant]

How much lower can spammers stoop with subjects? Wonder when one of them will create an "international incident?" LOL Seems like I am seeing an upswing lately. My SpamBully has been working overtime battling this garbage!

[susy zelaya]

WHEW! I thought the Last of the Great Stars thank goodness it's a hoax and she's still here not actually moved to the next level of heaven, she's the beauty of the world, the goddess of the silver screen and the flash in the flickering lights, Elton Jon & Micheal Jackson would be devastated without her mindfulness, they look up to her and so do I. She's not afraid to remarry her men after dreadful ones, and she is a legendary lover of Montgomery Cliff & Richard Burton. Her work and outspoken demands to raise money for AIDS care and research surpasses all others. LONG LIVE THE GODDESS! She must live to be a hundred to bring her deep comforts and wisdom to the world, and ooooo, white diamonds perfume and ahhhhhhhhh