UNITED STATES
Better Business Bureau

By
Charles Wood

A fake news story that claims to offer shocking information about newly-appointed Pope Francis is making the rounds via e-mail. Spammers are using the resignation of Benedict XVI and the election of a new pope as an opportunity to spread malware.

Clicking on the fake story leads users to a website that hosts the Blackhole Exploit Kit, according to reports from Yahoo! Finance, cyber-security companies Symantec and Commtouch and others. The Blackhole Exploit Kit can be used to deliver various types of malware.

The spam e-mails have reportedly come from a fake sender email address named “CNN Breaking News.” Reported subject lines in the e-mail include:
• Opinion: Family sued new Pope. Exclusive!
• Opinion: New pope tries to shake off the past
• Opinion: Can New-Pope Benedict be Sued for the Sex Abuse Cases?
•…