Warning out vs malware in gruesome Gaddafi photos

News reports of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s death may have given cybercriminals another opportunity to spread malware – by disguising them as photos of the slain strongman. Tech site Mashable warned of possible malware hidden in the photos, including one that appeared to be Gaddafi’s severely wounded body and another that appeared to be his dead body. “Celebrations in Libya and a flood of Twitter updates are treating the announcement of Gaddafi’s death as authentic — including a slew of sharing of the photos allegedly showing his capture," Mashable said. But it noted that in the past, photos like those, such as alleged photos of terror ring leader Osama Bin Laden’s body, had been “easy vehicles for malicious links." It noted search engines decide which links are legitimate partly by looking at user behavior. “When news like Gaddafi’s death breaks, however, there is no history for them to rely on and malicious links masquerading as news can more easily rank high in search results. Another reason is that people often seek such images from unfamiliar sources. Websites or Twitter messages promise to link to a breaking topic and then lead instead to another site or virus. The Gaddafi photo is a prime candidate for this type of malicious links, so it’s wise to use caution when clicking," it said. It also cited warnings from CNN that “Much caution should be used with these reports because false information has come out previously." — LBG, GMA News