Industry News Home More stories like this... RSS Feed

Emma Watson rumour scam threatens online security

Online security has been threatened by the spread of rumours about Emma Watson.

The actress of Harry Potter fame has been the target of viral internet rumours following the release of the new film: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Cybercriminals have reportedly been using search engine optimisation principles in creating web pages concerning the rumour that Watson had died.

By utilising key search terms, the pages ranked highly in searches, taking web users to malicious sites.

Some of the sites contain warnings that computers have a security problem, advising users to purchase rogue anti-virus software, which, when downloaded, infects the PC being used.

Alternatively, the third-party site will contain a malicious JavaScript, which could infect the machine with spyware to steal the personal details of the user.

According to a report by Panda Labs, the number of computers being infected by malware posing as anti-virus software is increasing, estimating that as many as 35 million computers are infected every month, Cnet.com reports.

PC Tools internet security, safeguards your PC against cyber threats with proactive defence. Visit www.pctools.com to upgrade your protection