Tragically there are always people looking to take advantage of a tragedy and spammers are no exception. Hours after the tragedy took place, scammers were using it to target spam campaigns aimed to infect unsuspecting users with their malware. According to Bitfender, Boston Bombing related spam had spread to 20% of all spam within a few hours.
Emails such as “Explosions at Boston Marathon” or “Breaking News on Boston Bombings” with links to what seems like innocent Youtube videos will soon try to execute a file which contains a password stealer. The malware is identified by Bitdefender as Trojan.GenericKDZ.14575.
Always be very cautious of unsolicited emails. If you receive any Boston Bombing related emails, avoid opening them and DO NOT open any attachments or click on any links. Use your normal websites to find the information you are looking for such as CNN or Youtube. Double check ANY organizations before making a charitable contribution to victims. Always check with the BBB for verification.
