Johnny Depp Allegedly Died in a Car Crash, Malware Spreaders Already On It
Rumor on the web has it that 46-year old actor Johnny Depp was involved in a car accident in France, car accident that lead to his early demise. This is nothing but a hoax, according to the actor’s publicist, Robin Baum. Johnny Depp is very much alive, enjoying his life alongside his wife Vanessa Paradis and his two your children. The hoax, as Robin Baum put it, is the work of an irresponsible and unconscionable person, seeing how children and families are involved.
The rumor spread on the internet like wildfire. And since this is a hot topic, hackers are already using the rumor to propagate malicious software says Sophos, company that specializes in providing antivirus, anti-spam, spyware removal software, network and internet security, data protection, and computer security solutions.
The bogus reports that claimed Johnny Depp died linked to a webpage which resembled CNN.com, with a big emphasis on resembled. It was in fact a bogus website. Furthermore, hackers have been exploiting the hoax to spread malware. They set up sites which claim to contain video footage of the car crash that lead to Johnny Depp’s death. When the user attempts to view the video, he is asked to install a “new version of Video ActiveX codec.” That is nothing more than a Trojan posing as codec.
“Hackers have a taste for the macabre - feeding off the public's interest in celebrity deaths as well as sex scandals,” explained Senior Technology Consultant with Sophos, Graham Cluley. “Even if, as in this case, the story isn't true they can take advantage of the wave of interest in a possible death and use it to infect as many computers as possible. Computer users should always check the news on legitimate news websites, and be wary of downloading unknown code onto their PCs.”
Here’s a snap of the bogus article that claims Johnny Depp died in a car accident.
The rumor spread on the internet like wildfire. And since this is a hot topic, hackers are already using the rumor to propagate malicious software says Sophos, company that specializes in providing antivirus, anti-spam, spyware removal software, network and internet security, data protection, and computer security solutions.
The bogus reports that claimed Johnny Depp died linked to a webpage which resembled CNN.com, with a big emphasis on resembled. It was in fact a bogus website. Furthermore, hackers have been exploiting the hoax to spread malware. They set up sites which claim to contain video footage of the car crash that lead to Johnny Depp’s death. When the user attempts to view the video, he is asked to install a “new version of Video ActiveX codec.” That is nothing more than a Trojan posing as codec.
“Hackers have a taste for the macabre - feeding off the public's interest in celebrity deaths as well as sex scandals,” explained Senior Technology Consultant with Sophos, Graham Cluley. “Even if, as in this case, the story isn't true they can take advantage of the wave of interest in a possible death and use it to infect as many computers as possible. Computer users should always check the news on legitimate news websites, and be wary of downloading unknown code onto their PCs.”
Here’s a snap of the bogus article that claims Johnny Depp died in a car accident.
