Angelina Jolie has become the unwitting star of a new malware campaign.
Two days ago Forbes named Jolie the highest-paid actress in Hollywood.
This new spam campaign, discovered by researchers at ThreatTrack Security Labs, takes advantage of that news to try to trick you into clicking on some malicious links, Discovery News reported.
The spam comes in the form of an email supposedly from CNN.
The subject line is "CNN: Forbes: Angelina Jolie tops list of highest-paid actresses" and the body of the email is a screen capture from the CNN Web page on the story.
Click any of the email's links, and you'll be prompted to download a file that looks like an Adobe Flash Player update (named "update_flash_player.exe"). But it's really a piece of malicious software.
Once installed, the software will download another malicious program that ThreatTrack Security identifies as a variant of a Zbot/Zeus, a type of Trojan that steals banking information.
The Royal Baby was also recently used as malware linkbait in a very similar scheme, according to ThreatTrack.
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
