Security experts are warning Web-surfing consumers about a rise in cybercrime and scams related to Osama bin Laden's death.
Know of an Internet crime? File a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center, otherwise known as IC3, a partnership among the FBI, NW3C and BJA.
Major news events are often accompanied by an uptick in cybercrime, as perpetrators seek to take advantage of Web searches for content such as pictures and videos. It was also a problem during this recent high-profile wedding.
"The reported death of Osama bin Laden is just too good a lure for cybercriminals and scammers to pass up," wrote Dave Marcus, director of security research for McAfee Labs, in a blog post.
Marcus said emails are circulating with links purporting to lead to photos of bin Laden's corpse. One message teases to a video showing bin Laden disproving his death by holding a newspaper with Monday's date. Clicking on the links generally opens files that install malware on the user's computer. In other cases, cybercriminals have poisoned Google Images results.
This major social networking site is also a fertile breeding ground for these scams, with malicious links being circulated on posts and messages within the site. Researchers at Kaspersky Labs said they noticed scam ads on Facebook promising free merchandise in celebration of bin Laden's death. Users who click on the ads will be redirected multiple times, with each layer asking for more detailed personal information.
Experts at Websense said cybercriminals compromised the website of Sohaib Athar, the Pakistani information technology consultant living in Abbottabad who provided a real-time account of the U.S. operation via his
Twitter feed.
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