Topic: Norton Warns: Lindsay Lohan viral infections spread across a Net

[Samker]

One week after Lindsay Lohan was handed a 90-day jail sentence, the actress is scrambling to warn the public about computer viruses that might result from infected search results.

A statement released this morning by Norton warned users that as much as 50 per cent of Lindsay Lohan-related search results could be “poisoned” by cyber criminals looking to infect computers with viruses, spyware and malware. Web users are being warned about search terms like ‘Lindsay Lohan Jail,’ ‘Lilo in Prison,’ and ‘Lohan Sentence.’

“I know I am very newsworthy, especially with everything going on and I’d hate to see my current situation cause frustration or damage to my fans,” said the 24-year-old in a statement.

She added that fans and friends should either follow the news or her Twitter feed for accurate and virus-free information.

Marian Merritt, Internet Safety Advocate for Norton, says the company has been monitoring poisoned searches for over two years and has noticed that cyber criminals tend to migrate towards to popular topics like Twilight. Hackers will often either hijack existing sites or quickly assemble fake ones.

Norton reached out to Lohan after noticing a recent spike in search results relating to the actress’ 90-day jail sentence.  She quickly took action by posting a warning on Twitter and issuing a joint advisory with Norton.

“I think she’s done a good public service by spreading awareness about the issue,” said Merritt.

Infected search results are expected to spike in the following days, according to Merritt.

“Today’s malware tries to be silent,” she said. “More often you might never find out about [the malware] until money starts disappearing from your credit card account.”

(NP)