Spammers Turn To Michael Jackson

Symantec has reported that spammers are now using Michael Jackson to spread malware.

Click to enlarge

According to the company, the top spam subject lines containing a reference to Michael Jackson were:  Who killed Michael Jackson, All M. Jackson’s faces, Jackson is still alive: proof, Remembering Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and You…, Tonight: Celine Dion Reflects on Michael Jackson, Remembering Michael Jackson – the King of Pop, Jackson ordered too close Neverland, and The Many Faces Of Michael Jackson.

Symantec has discovered a mass-mailing worm using Michael Jackson’s death as bait. The worm sends out spam e-mails with the subject “Remembering Michael Jackson” and an attachment named “Michael songs and pictures.zip.” The .zip file contains another file called “MichaelJacksonsongsandpictures.doc.exe,” which is a copy of the worm that is executed on the user’s machine when the file is opened.

Spammers also use familiar social network notifications like YouTube, in an attempt to entice recipients to open a malicious URL. In addition, spammers pretending to be a Michael Jackson concert ticket officer based in London, sends out a message that requests the recipient’s information in order to receive reimbursement for the ticket.

See: www.symantec.com