A mass-mailing worm is using Jackson's death as bait, computer security company Symantec has discovered.

The worm sends out spam emails with the subject ''Remembering Michael Jackson'' and an attachment named ''Michael songs and pictures.zip.''

The .zip file contains another file called ''MichaelJacksonsongsandpictures. doc.exe'' which is a copy of the worm.

When opened, the worm automatically downloads on to the user's machine, then spreads through its email program and also on to removable drives such as USB sticks.

It's just one of a plethora of online scams taking advantage of the Michael Jackson tragedy. Other examples include spam messages posing as breaking news alerts from trusted news sites. AAP