First Michael, now Patrick. Celebrity deaths yield new spam campaigns

So how does a celebritys death result in more spam? Spammers take advantage of our thirst for information and know that we will be Googling for the latest news and gossip.

Using SEO , spammers create pages with references to the actors name, with the idea of reaching higher ranking in search engine results.

Along comes one of us, innocently clicking on said page after searching for Michael Jackson or Patrick Swayze. Instead of ending up on a valid site like TMZ.com (with all the latest in celebrity news), we are presented with pop-ups that mimic the Windows security screen. We are prompted to update our system and in turn are infected with some kind of virus that could later provide information to turn your PC into a botnet.

Be vigilant: Keep an eye out for URL redirection or stick to known/recognized sites for information instead of clicking around in uncharted territory. You could end up paying the spammers, or worse “ subject your computer to malware.