Spammers Try Their Last Opportunity off Harry Potter

The last Harry Potter movie, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -Part 2" wasn't yet premiered; but crooks already started disseminating malware among Web-surfers which attempted at taking down the film. Info reported this on July 13, 2011.

States PC Tools that the attack starts when Web-surfers hunt to get the movie's torrent files and subsequently follow the torrent web-link the attacker provides.

But clicking this link produces a compressed archive within it that extracts itself for releasing one text file that states that password has been added to protect the movie file while the user is directed to a different website. This website directs the user that he requires taking down another file so that the so-called Harry Potter (HP) film would become unlocked.

Explains PC Tools that because the user accesses the web-link, he's obliged to comply with the directions for acquiring the password as well as downloading a codec to supposedly play the movie.

Meanwhile, there's other related news wherein security firm Symantec reports that spam distributors have started presenting users with the movie's free tickets through e-mail.

States Symantec that since there's great excitement among HP fans for knowing the story inside the final episode, it's anticipated that the perpetrators of spam will constantly release HP spam campaigns till the launch of the movie's last installment, as there won't be another opportunity for them to manipulate such public enthusiasm.

Moreover, these spam outbreaks aim at digging users' financial and other personal information, Symantec adds.

Symantec further adds that it has seen junk e-mails, which canvass the HP story books along with accessories at low cost, as also online pharmacy and 419 scams involving the teenage hero.

Meanwhile, the use of HP as a medium to distribute spam isn't something new. During June 2009, when the film "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" found release, Internet-fraudsters attempted at deceiving fans into following given web-links to the supposed fresh film free-of-cost. But, the entire campaign was simply one more spam.

Thus security specialists suggest HP admirers for maintaining vigilance and not viewing e-mails from unfamiliar sources alternatively following condensed web-links on social-networking websites.

Related article: Spammers Continue their Campaigns Successfully

» SPAMfighter News - 7/21/2011