Just when you think the hackers couldn't get any lower, they plumb new depths.

Cybercriminals hell bent on infecting users with scareware by displaying fake anti-virus scans are hacking legitimate webpages and stuffing them with keywords related to the 9/11 terrorist attack on the United States.

Using search engine optimisation (SEO) techniques, the hackers hope to push their poisoned webpages higher up in Google's search results.

Sophos has discovered a number of such hacked pages in the last 24 hours.

In the below example, the hackers are using the name of Tania Head, a woman who claimed to have been in the Twin Towers when they were hit, but was later found to have fabricated her story.

Read more: Scareware scammers exploit 9/11

==

US-CERT warns:
US-CERT is aware of public reports indicating that attackers are using legitimate web pages to run malicious code on victims' machines.

Reports, including a posting by Sophos, indicate that these messages

* Include keywords and names related to the 9/11/2001 terrorist attack
* Prompt users with a fake virus scan that attempts to make users believe they have a security issue. The users are then asked to download fake security software that is actually malicious code.

Please note that these characteristics may change at any time.

READ MORE >>