Fans of the Breaking Bad TV series are being lured to download purported leaked versions of the show's upcoming finale which, if accessed, can compromise machines.
Viewers taking to Twitter to discuss the show were being added to spammer-controlled Breaking Bad lists from where they were targeted with spam links.
Once added to the list, users were lured to affiliate advertising schemes with the promise of leaked versions of the show finale.
Links pointed to online clipboard site Pastebin which contained further web addresses for cyber lockers that were said to contain the shows.
"In order to open the large file, users are instructed to download the latest version of 7-Zip," Symantec security response manager Satnam Narang said.
"The link directs users through an affiliate program, which is how scammers make money. The affiliate program directs users to an installer that comes bundled with other applications. Users can choose not to install these applications," he said.
In addition to the "Breaking Bad" ruse, Narang warned that spam campaigns using Twitter's "list" function were “gaining quite a bit of traction.”
“If you find yourself added to a Twitter list, you can remove yourself from the list by reporting the user that added you,” Narang advised.
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