Spam e-mails seen by IT firm Sophos claim to come from the e-mail address service@youtube.com, and attempt to lure users into visiting dating Web sites or offering prizes of the recently released Halo 3 arcade game for the XBOX 360 console. By putting their spam message in the 'comments' section of the 'invite-a-friend' facility on YouTube, hackers have been able to hijack the Web site for the purposes of sending unsolicited e-mail.
"Normally spammers take over innocent people's PCs to send their unwanted messages across the Internet. In this case, however, they don't need to do that. Instead they are using a Web site to relay a message on to their intended audience," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "The criminals are hoping that by embedding themselves inside a YouTube e-mail they will be able to slip past spam filters at the recipient's e-mail gateway."
Experts question, however, how successful the unsolicited messages will be at generating cash for the spammers.
"This is hardly the most compelling example of a spammer advertising his wares to an internet user," continued Cluley. "It may be an effective way of waltzing past some spam defenses by hiding under YouTube's overcoat, but chances are that most people will simply erase the message in their inbox and not visit the site. Nevertheless it doesn't require many positive responses for the spammers' efforts to have been worthwhile."
