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Spammers Announce World War III

Posted by timothy on from the now-that's-not-cricket dept.

schliz writes with the stub of a disheartening article at IT News: "Hackers are deluging web users with malware-laden spam claiming that World War III has started following a US invasion of Iran. Security experts warned [yesterday] that spam emails with subject lines including 'Third World War has begun,' '20000 US Soldiers in Iran,' and 'US Army crossed Iran's borders' have been intercepted. The emails contain links to a malicious webpage that displays what appears to be a video player showing the mushroom cloud of a nuclear explosion."

20 of 334 comments (clear)

  1. Breaking news! by bigstrat2003 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This just in: malware propagators have learned that sending a mass e-mail that will grab the attention of anyone who reads it is the best way to spread malware. More at 11.

    --
    "16MB (fuck off, MiB fascists)" - The Mighty Buzzard
    1. Re:Breaking news! by pitchpipe · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Yup. At least they're doing something new and interesting instead of trying to enlarge my P3N!$, or send a high ranking official in Nigeria my money. I hate spam as much as the next guy, but a least this is fucking different.

      --
      Look where all this talking got us, baby.
    2. Re:Breaking news! by The+FNP · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Or you could just buy oil futures and let it go up on its own since Americans can't let go of their Suburbans, Tahoes, and Hummers, and Toyota can't make priusi fast enough.

      --The FNP

    3. Re:Breaking news! by maxume · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Your comment is delightfully self-contradictory.

      --
      Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
    4. Re:Breaking news! by inkyblue2 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      oil futures aren't exactly a junk stock. good luck making an impact on those prices with a spam email campaign. there's a reason they usually target little stuff you've never heard of.

    5. Re:Breaking news! by zippthorne · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Yeah, but that increase has been priced in for months. If you want to make profit now you have to change the game a little.

      --
      Can you be Even More Awesome?!
    6. Re:Breaking news! by drinkypoo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The nuclear waste issue still hasn't changed, until someone finds a way to filter out the Radio Active stuff from the Non Radio Active stuff, nuclear waste is f'ing dangerous.

      Breeder reactors make that waste dramatically less dangerous and reduce the half-life to something potentially manageable on a human time scale.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  2. How the hell... by HerculesMO · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Did spam make it to the front page?

    It has to be a really slow news day if we get an article explaining what is in specific pieces of spam.

    I'm waiting patiently for Slashdot to post the Nigerian folks that always email for the millions they have to give away. Because you know -- that is real news. For nerds. Stuff that matters.

    --
    The price is always right if someone else is paying.
    1. Re:How the hell... by Michael+O-P · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Seriously. This is a routine virus, and a routine social exploit. This doesn't even qualify as news that doesn't matter, because then it would have to be news.

      --
      I'm Peggy.
  3. I found one of these this morning in my inbox by mzs · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I simply deleted it, just like all the other spam. About once or twice a month I see a clever newish kind of spam subject. Tell me again why this particular spam meme hit the homepage of /.?

  4. Re:Censorship set up? by halsver · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I think you might need to loosen your tinfoil hat there a little bit buddy...

    --
    Roughly half my comments are never submitted. You may be reading the better half...
  5. massively stupid by inode_buddha · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Jesus H Christ, whoever originates this kind of spam is just colossally stupid, for political reasons. No, its not funny. and yes, I'm a USian.

    --
    C|N>K
  6. Re:Fools by theralfinator · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Okay, this is actually kinda funny. But why would this be modded insightful? I mean seriously now.

  7. Re:Doesn't sound like spam... by auspiv · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Any news that sounds like WWIII has begun would sure drive up oil prices... very easy to make money just riding the price up.

  8. Confiscate their computers by clampolo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Everyone who is a part of a botnet should have their computer confiscated. They are too dumb to be allowed to have one.

    We can easily wipe, the machine's hard drive and then install a new OS and you have a computer to give away to schools.

    Two problems solved at once: one less idiot on the net and a free computer for a school.

  9. Spammers started World War III by Mesa+MIke · · Score: 1, Insightful

    ... a long time ago.

  10. Re:Censorship set up? by Ihmhi · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Right, because once e-mail filters out the messages there's absolutely no way for anyone to get information anymore. Well, except for websites, BBSes, Usenet, television, radio, telephone, letters...

    --
    Random Thoughts From A Diseased Mind (Not For Dummies)
  11. Re:Easy by geekoid · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Do you realize how many people get angry, and how many conversation turn ugly becasue someone didn't realize it was sarcasm.
    Sarcasm, while funny, is different then a joke.

    Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested, and the frog dies of it. - E.B.White

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  12. Silly spammers by Duradin · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It can't be WWIII. We don't declare war anymore. Too many hoops to jump through.

    Iran would be YAPA (Yet Another Police Action).

  13. Re:Motives for Spam and Country of origin by Rigrig · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Obviously, there are countries out there that would like the US&As reputation damaged, and this may help do that.

    I'd say the USA is doing that just fine, they don't need any help.

    --
    **TODO** [X] Steal someone elses sig.