Naked Britney Spears Subject of Botnet Spam
When opened, instead of showing Britney Spears, the message content of the spam e-mail merely directs users to click on the attachment, which contains an executable file inside the zip file. Unlike its predecessor, this new form of downloader is not easily detected by antivirus scanners.
Once run, the downloaders retrieve additional malware which has the same signature as spam bots previously used by the celebrity spam gangsters. A few moments later, the infected PC will become part of the malicious spam-sending botnet. And so the Britney bot gift keeps on giving.
Previous to naked Britney, the spam gangsters lured unsuspecting victims with promises of Angelina Jolie before switching to the beleaguered pop princess. The celebrity spam gang is certainly not new to this game. These spammers are estimated to produce about 20 percent of the email spam that is received, according to Marshal, an email, Web and endpoint security provider.
The Britney botnet bombarded PCs in two, eight-and-a-half hour bursts on Sunday and Monday. Logic dictates, however that by not clicking on unknown attachments, users can avoid this particular strain of malware. But really, who could blame them, with the thought of seeing yet another video of Britney Spears in the nude.