According to Panda Security's security researcher Sean-Paul Correll, cybercriminals are taking advantage by inserting their malware campaigns into Halloween related search results.
"Searching for Halloween costumes, parties, pumpkin carving patterns, and more can land you right in the middle of one of these malicious campaigns", he says.
The hacking campaigns, he adds, include URL routes to `interesting' videos that ask you to download a video codec that includes trojan-driven malware at its heart.
In his security blog on the issue, Correll said he was interested in seeing what keywords were being actively targetted, so he analysed the campaign a bit further, generating five top phrases:
- Halloween costumes
- Halloween decorations
- Halloween ideas
- Adult Halloween costumes
- Free pumpkin pattern
One particularly nasty campaign, Infosecurity notes, is the Halloween Blackhat SEO tag cloud, which the Panda researcher says is one of several targeting the Halloween holiday.
To stay safe online this Halloween, Correll advises that basic knowledge, common sense, and an anti-virus program will take you a long way in staying safe online this Halloween.
In addition, he advises, internet users should:
- Only open emails or social network messages received from trusted sources.
- Type URLs directly into the browser – do not click any links included in email messages, social networks or messaging applications, even if they come from a reliable source.
- Do not download or run files that come from unknown sources especially executable files with Halloween-related names.
- Check that each page you visit is secure – look for the security certificate, usually a small yellow padlock, next to the toolbar or in the bottom right corner of the screen.
- Be wary of any unwanted downloads, even on legitimate sites.
- Make online purchases from sites with a solid reputation and secure, encrypted transactions, and never on a public computer.
- Install an effective security solution installed, like Panda Cloud Anti-virus, and keep it updated to detect the latest security threats.