Bin Laden Death Video Conceals Malicious Software

COMMENTARY: Phishing scams offering Facebook and email users a glimpse of the Osama bin Laden killing are infiltrating the internet.

Hackers Launch bin Laden Virus

When curious citizens click on the bin Laden death video link in their social networking or email inbox, they expose their computers to hackers, according to a Reuters news report on May 5.

Hackers embedded malicious virus-laden software designed to steal personal, identifiable information within the hoax videos. This attack on internet users isn't unexpected. After nearly all large-scale news events, hackers spring into action to prey on those affected.

Official bin Laden Death video and Images Not Released

After President Barak Obama announced he will not release video or still photos of the bin Laden killing, curious web savvy users are still falling prey to computer hackers. Why is the public curiosity--and desire to see the terrorist dead--so strong, that they risk exposing personal data to hackers?

Perhaps the inclination to click on the bin Laden death video and photo links is the same morbid curiosity that makes it difficult not to look away when passing by a car accident. Citizens simply want visual proof. After all, images of Saddam Hussien's hanging were made public. Why not show bin Laden's final moments?