Fake CNN and MSNBC headline attacks - Millions of copies per hour are being sent

While I've been personally receiving and avoiding these malware ladened attacks, I wasn't aware of the overall volume which is estimated to be between 2 to 10 million message per hour. As previously documented, these spammed messages appear to be genuine and have infected folks who are normally very careful in handling email messages.

SPAM CAMPAIGNS TARGET MSNBC.COM and CNN
http://redtape.msnbc.com/2008/08/msnbc-cnn-hit-b.html

http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/archives/00001485.html

QUOTE: The spam unleashed Wednesday follows a massive campaign last week in which spammers impersonated CNN.com. That campaign saw 250 million spam messages sent in one intense 24 hour period, according to spam-fighting firm MX Logic Inc. Those e-mails appeared to include links to CNN's top 10 stories, but Internet users who were tricked into clicking on those links were sent instead to Web sites overseas that were booby-trapped with malicious software.

MX Logic says it captured 850 million CNN spam messages since Aug. 4, and that the volume has steadily increased, suggesting that recipients have fallen for the ploy and their infected computers have been used to send out even more spam.

So far, MX Logic says, it's catching about 2 million msnbc.com spam messages per hour, but the rate is steadily increasing. Security firm Sophos said the msnbc.com spam spiked at one point on Wednesday morning and equaled the total amount of all other spam the firm was trapping.