Web malware scams go primetime

[GaryW]

Shaun Nichols in San Francisco, V3.co.uk, Tuesday 9 March 2010 at 02:21:00
Attackers target Oscar interest and television premieres
Interest in primetime TV shows has become a favourite lure for cyber
criminals, according to security experts.
The Academy Awards and upcoming premieres of new television shows are being
targeted in search engine optimisation attacks.
Security firm Sophos said that malware writers had loaded web pages with
keywords relating to the Awards in order to achieve higher placement in search
results.
Users visiting what they believe to be news sites about the awards are then
subjected to an anti-virus scam that attempts to trick them into purchasing fake
security software.
Researchers at Sans reported that a similar scam is targeting searches for
reality show Billy The Exterminator which premieres in the US tonight.
The targeting of current events and news items for malware infection has
become a favourite technique for web-based malware attacks. Malware writers have
long sought to lure victims by capitalising on interest in natural disasters,
news events and cultural phenomena.
Search engine optimisation has also become a
favourite
tactic in recent years as malware writers seek to tailor attack pages to
current search trends.


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