Malware writers piggyback on 9/11 anniversary

Computer users should be wary of bogus anti-virus scans

Malware writers are exploiting the anniversary of the 11 September tragedy in the US to spread malware via false virus messages.

The criminals are either registering new web pages and filling them with terms relating to the event, or breaking into existing web sites and adding terms to push the pages higher on search engine rankings.

The pages are used to host false virus alerts, where users see a window telling them that they are infected and offering to sell them a solution. The actual software is useless from a security standpoint and contains malware.

"Cyber criminals hell bent on infecting users with scareware by displaying fake anti-virus scans are hacking legitimate web pages and stuffing them with keywords related to the 9/11 terrorist attack on the US," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos.

"Using search engine optimisation techniques, the hackers hope to push their poisoned web pages higher up in Google's search results. Sophos has discovered a number of such hacked pages in the last 24 hours."