Scammers customize news to deliver you malware

Security experts warned on Monday of a new insidious e-mail scam that features false information about a bomb explosion in the recipient's hometown and leads to a malicious Web site.

The subject lines include "Take Care!" and "Are you and your friends in good health?" The e-mail includes a link to what looks like a news article on a Reuters page about the bombing. But the Web page and the news are fake, according to e-mail security provider Marshal8e6 and antivirus firm Sophos.

The scammers are using IP address geolocation techniques to figure out what city the recipient lives in and are localizing the fake bomb news to that location.

Meanwhile, clicking on the fake Reuters video page leads to malicious Waledac code being downloaded on the computer, the security firms said.

Earlier this year, the Waledac worm tricked people with fake Valentine's e-mails.

The fake page circulating now also includes Wikipedia and Google search links as "Related Links" at the bottom in an attempt to make the page look legitimate. However, missing words in the text of the story and poor grammar are giveaways that the page is fake.

Attackers are using IP address geolocation techniques to tailor fake news to the home town of the e-mail recipient in the latest Waledac scam.

(Credit: Marshal8e6)

[theteofscuba]

I would like to get on a mailing list for these things..email [e-mail]

[sparrowhyperion]

I would love to have 5 minutes alone in a room with the moron who came up with this scam. Just me, him, and a lead pipe.....

[gertruded]

The scam and malware only affect Windows users. Switch to Ubuntu for on line activity. It dual boots with Windows easily.

[carrumba]

instead of complaining you could be glad you know how they procede and try to cheat and deceive you. Nice, really nice to involve IP geolocation.

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www.megapanzer.com

[Stefaninafla]

The sad part is that many genuine news stories use equally poor grammar these days.