Malware Foes Exploit Sandra Bullock's Marriage Woes

Newspaper headlines about problems in Oscar-winning actress Sandra Bullock's marriage to Jesse James are (predictably, perhaps) being exploited by cybercriminals.If you're one of the hordes of people who can't get through your day without a celebrity gossip fix, then make sure you're not searching too feverishly for information about Sandra Bullock, Jesse James, and tattoo model Michelle "Bombshell" McGee right now.

That's because you might find the pages your search engine springs up are actually poisoned by hackers trying to direct you to infection by fake antivirus software.

Poisoned Sandra Bullock search result

Hackers are time and time again exploiting interest in hot news stories -- underlining the importance of running a security solution that scans every single Web page you visit, and the necessity to keep up-to-date with patches.

It's a similar tactic to what we saw used by hackers after the deaths of Natasha Richardson and Patrick Swayze, and when they exploited interest among the public on the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack last year.

Cybercriminals will carry on using SEO poisoning for as long as it brings them a fresh crop of victims. I don't see them dropping the technique anytime soon.

Graham Cluley is senior technology consultant at Sophos, and has been working in the computer security field since the early 1990s. When he's not updating his award-winning other blog on the Sophos website, you can find him on Twitter at @gcluley. Special to Dark Reading.