Steve Jobs gone, phishing?

News of the Apple chief's resignation made headlines around the world and had gone viral across social networking sites.

And if history was anything to go by, criminals would surely capitalise on the news.

Phishing scams that exploit big news stories were a favourite of criminals to deliver malware to victims, and the Apple story has plenty of opportunity for some choice phishing headlines.

Take the mystery around Jobs'  undisclosed medical condition. The Apple chief had kept mum on the apprent illness that caused him to take medical leave in January 17, and his often-gaunt appearance sparked questions about his health and his ability to continue at Apple.

And there's plenty of speculation to follow around the future direction of the company.

Security malware experts warned users to be vigillant, although they could not say for certain that the news will be exploited.

“We do know that news spam has established itself as a mainstream feature of the internet threat landscape and cybercriminals are often quick to exploit global news events for financial gain,” said Symantec's pacific region managing director Craig Scroggie.

Expect fake Steve Jobs news stories and video to be delivered through email, and circulating on Facebook, Twitter, and search engines.

Sophos cheif technical officer Paul Ducklin said he would wait and see if the news was exploited, but warned users not to click on news links, and rather seek out articles via online web searches.