Cybercrooks fake the death of Bill Cosby

An online hoax claiming that Bill Cosby has died is now being used to push a malware attack.

Researchers at security vendor Sophos have reported a new round of websites claiming to offer news of the comedian's death. The company said that the pages attempt to mimic CNN's web site and upon loading, users are presented with phony error messages attempting to push fake antivirus packages.

"Hunting for information about the story can lead your computer into a nasty malware infection," wrote Sophos senior technology consultant Graham Cluley in a blog posting.

"These poisoned webpages are appearing high in search engine results, bringing the hackers a steady stream of traffic in the form of unsuspecting computer users searching for information about Bill Cosby."

The attacks follow a recent hoax which has spread through the web, particularly on Twitter, reporting that Cosby had died. The rumours spread so far that Cosby himself issued a statement on his website debunking the talk.

"As you well know, a dead person cannot rebuttal," he wrote.

"Therefore, I am rebuttaling to tell you that when I heard the news I immediately began rebuttaling and went into denial."