From: www.itworld.com

CNN, MSNBC Latest To Be Exploited By Spammers

by AllSpammedUp.com

October 3, 2008 —

Spammers have long been using lurid headlines based on current events to trick people into opening their messages and clicking on the links they contain. Their latest trick exploits the alert features of both CNN and MSNBC. Users are receiving mail that looks like a breaking news alert from one of the popular news sites. The headlines range from shocking (“Elizabeth Taylor Found Murdered” to amusing “Europeans Dislike Americans’ Attitudes”). While most are fake, some are real,(“NFL Greats Inducted Into the Hall of Fame”) which makes the emails seem legit.

The body of the message contains a link claiming be a video on the news story, but it actually a malicious link that if clicked, prompts the user to download a fake Adobe Flash update. Read the rest of this article