Gangs spreading malicious Trojan horse software are getting smarter, and quicker. In the first big attack of 2007, they tried tricking users into executing files containing the malicious code by using tabloid headlines. Like ones about the storms in Europe, according to news reports.

Other headlines include "Radical Muslim drinking enemies' blood", "U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has kicked German Chancellor Angela Merkel" and "fidel castro dead". You can read them on the F-secure Security Labs website.

The e-mail tries to entice victims into clicking on the malicious attachments which have names such as "Full Story.exe" or "Full Video.exe.

While the latest attacks are no more widespread the ones that have come before, the speed at which the perpetrators have operated has surprised security experts.

"The bad guys are putting a lot of effort into it - they were putting out updates hour after hour," Mikko Hypponen, director of antivirus research at F-Secure told CNET News.com.

More attacks are expected over the next few days. Security experts warn that the botnet could well be be hired out for spamming, adware propagation, or even sold to extortionists to launch distributed denial-of-service attacks.

True, most businesses can strip out the executable files but it's a worrying development. Maybe a sign of what's ahead. Either that, or the Trojan gangs can always get work with the tabloids.