Olympic Spammers Go For The Gold
Any high-profile media event always sets off a rash of attacks, especially if that event is viewed around the globe. And the 2008 Summer Olympic Games were no exception. During the games held in Beijing, spammers targeted millions of viewers in an attempt to distribute spam and malware. Numerous viewers were solicited by e-mail messages that offered discounted Olympic tickets. However, scam victims never actually received the tickets after they entered their credit card numbers and credentials into the application.
Other phishers attempted to distribute malware by luring victims with fake news headlines about the Summer Olympic Games. One of the headlines included "Millions Dead in Chinese Earthquake," accompanied by a link to a .cn domain Web site announcing that the 2008 Summer Olympics were in danger of being cancelled due to the natural disaster. Users were invited to click on a link to a video allegedly showcasing additional details of the tragedy. The link was used as a way to distribute the malicious Trojan Nuwar-E worm on victims' computers, once they tried to open the file.
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