Cyber criminals exploiting bin Laden death

Tuesday, May 03, 2011

In recent years, cyber criminals have been notorious for exploiting the latest big media events, and, according to recent reports, many are already using the death of Osama bin Laden to trick internet users.

According to reports, it only took cyber criminals a few hours to capitalize on bin Laden's death by swarming the internet with malicious websites seemingly related to the event.

U.K.-based news provider the Daily Mail reported that some scammers have set up fake news articles that can be easily found by searching popular phrases, such as "Osama bin Laden Dead," "Navy Seals" or "Al Qaeda." The search results often lead to fake websites containing viruses and other malware that infect computers and put users in danger of losing personal information.

The most common attacks are Rogue antivirus applications, which inform users that their systems have been corrupted and offer solutions to repair the problem. However, rather than downloading an antivirus program, the user actually installs a virus that can severely impact PC performance and expose data.

Similar attacks occurred around the royal wedding between Prince William and Catherine Middleton, which took place in Britain last weekend. Cyber criminals have also been known to use celebrity names to draw in unsuspecting victims.