A flood of e-mails pretending to be from CNN & MSNBC contain links to malicious software, security companies warned. Emails with subject lines always start with “msnbc.com – BREAKING NEWS” then are followed with a variety of possible headlines, including: “Google launches free music downloads in China”; “Plane crashes into school, hundreds of kids killed”; “CNN.com Daily Top 10”; “Tropical Storm Edouard moving toward Texas coast”; and “Tehran says it launched nuke missile.”
The Web address http://breakingnews.msnbc.com is valid if you type it into your browser; however, clicking the link within the body of the e-mail will take you to another site entirely. The bogus site will then ask you to download a Flash video file. It is the file adobe_flash.exe that contains a malicious Trojan horse.
Additional News Articles:
Massive faux-CNN spam blitz uses legit sites to deliver fake Flash
Hackers spoof MSNBC alerts in new twist on massive malware ruse
