Ads, Promising Photos Of Dead Osama Bin Laden, Deliver Viruses
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - As U.S. officials debate whether or not to release bloody pictures of a dead Osama bin Laden, hackers and scammers are using links and emails promising those pictures to try to infect your computer.
The FBI says these emails could even appear to come from your friends, claiming to show either photos of bin Laden dead or a video of his death.
But it's actually a virus or malware that could steal personal information or cause your entire system to crash.
Officials also warn that internet searches can also direct you to sites with malware or virus. And the bad links are also popping up on Facebook and other social media.
As of now, they say there are no released photos or videos.
Internet security experts say often times, these websites will tell you that you need to download a codec, or video player, to watch the video, but that's actually malware or a virus.
And they say make sure your anti-virus software is to date.
Reported by Jim Melwert, KYW Newsradio 1060
