Spam, Phishing, and Malicious Code Related to Recent Celebrity Deaths

US-CERT is aware of public reports of an increased number of spam
campaigns, phishing attacks, and malicious code targeting the recent
deaths of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. These email messages may
attempt to gain user information through phishing attacks or by
recording email addresses if the user replies to the message.
Additionally, email messages may contain malicious code or may contain
a link to a seemingly legitimate website containing malicious code.

US-CERT would like to remind users to remain cautious when receiving
unsolicited email. Users are encouraged to take the following measures
to protect themselves from these types of attacks:
* Do not follow unsolicited web links received in email messages.
* Install and maintain up-to-date antivirus software.
* Refer to the Recognizing and Avoiding Email Scams (pdf) document
for more information on avoiding email scams.
* Refer to the Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks
document for more information on social engineering attacks.

Relevant URLs:

http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST04-014.html

http://www.us-cert.gov/reading_room/emailscams_0905.pdf

Originally posted at:

http://www.us-cert.gov/current/index.html#spam_campaigns_based_on_recent