Cybercriminals are exploiting the civil war in Syria to spread malware by disguising their spam email as news alerts from US-based Fox News, a security firm warned Tuesday.
Bitdefender said its researchers found the emails sent by the scammers incorporate malicious links on several buttons, including "Unsubscribe."
"To lure readers into clicking on the malicious URL, scammers promise exclusive videos and articles about the Syrian conflict. They also create a sense of urgency by promising information about World War III," it said in a blog post.
According to Bitdefender, the cybercriminals spoofed the Fox News addresses, and make the newsletter seem legitimate.
"To make more victims, cyber-criminals managed to imitate the authentic newsletter that the media corporation sends to its readers," it said.
It said the subject lines vary from “U.S. Military Action in Syria—is it WW3 start?” to “Obama Sending US Forces to Syria,” and “US deploys 115,000 troops in Syria.”
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