Cyber criminals may leverage Gaddafi’s death


21 Oct 2011

Internet users, be warned – cyber criminals may take advantage of people wanting more information about the death of Col Muammar Gaddafi by planting fake websites and links that will install malware on your computer.

Just like other high-profile events, such as the death of singer Amy Winehouse in July, cyber criminals will leverage the news by tricking people into visiting websites infected with malicious software.

Links to photos or video footage purporting to show Gaddafi’s death may show up in internet search results or social networks, such as Facebook.

Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant with Sophos, has previously advised anyone who receives links like these on Facebook to remove the entries from their news feed in order to prevent friends from sharing them by mistake. Additional options are to mark the listings as spam, and to check your profile for any unwanted likes or interests.