Oscar Nominated Movies, High-profile TV shows and films Featured in Phishing, Malware Attacks

mood · Feb 6, 2020

Oscar Nominated Movies Featured in Phishing, Malware Attacks
February 6, 2020
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/ne...-movies-featured-in-phishing-malware-attacks/

Attackers are exploiting the hype surrounding this year's Oscar Best Picture nominated movies to infect fans with malware and to bait them to phishing websites designed to steal sensitive info such as credit card details and personal information.

High-profile TV shows and films are frequently used as lures in social engineering attacks promising early previews either in the form of fake streaming sites or via malicious files disguised as early released copies.
Over 20 phishing sites use Oscar baits
Kaspersky researchers who discovered these ongoing attacks "found more than 20 phishing websites and 925 malicious files that were presented as free movies, only to attack the user."

"The uncovered phishing websites and Twitter accounts gather users’ data and prompt them to carry out a variety of tasks in order to gain access to the desired film," a press release published today says.
The researchers also discovered that 'Joker' was the most popular movie to use as a malware lure among threat actors with over 300 malicious files being camouflaged as a Joker preview.
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Movie fans urged to proceed with caution

"Cybercriminals aren’t exactly tied to the dates of film premieres, as they are not really distributing any content except for malicious data," Kaspersky malware analyst Anton Ivanov said.
"However, as they always prey on something when it becomes a hot trend, they depend on users’ demand and actual file availability.
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Kaspersky: Kaspersky discovers movie malware disguised as best picture nominees

mood · Apr 28, 2020

Microsoft warns of malware surprise pushed via pirated movies
April 28, 2020
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/ne...f-malware-surprise-pushed-via-pirated-movies/

Pirate streaming services and movie piracy sites have seen a huge surge of incoming traffic during the COVID-19 pandemic with most people now having to stay inside due to shelter in place and lockdown orders.
Microsoft warns that malicious actors are taking advantage of this trend trying to infect potential victims with malware delivered via fake movie torrents.

"With lockdown still in place in many parts of the world, attackers are paying attention to the increase in use of pirate streaming services and torrent downloads," the Microsoft Security Intelligence team said.
"We saw an active coin miner campaign that inserts a malicious VBScript into ZIP files posing as movie downloads."

After the targets launch the VBScript on their computers, it will download additional malicious payloads in the background by abusing living-off-the-land binaries (LOLbins) such as the legitimate command-line BITSAdmin tool.
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mood · Jun 23, 2020

Be wary of malware from free video streaming websites
June 23, 2020
https://www.straitstimes.com/tech/be-wary-of-malware-from-free-video-streaming-websites

Beware of websites offering free streams or downloads of Brooklyn Nine-Nine or The Invisible Man because chances are, these websites are rife with malware, according to a study released today by cyber-security firm McAfee.

The study found that movies that were released this year account for nine out of the top 10 movies identified as having a high risk of being targeted by cyber criminals.
McAfee says these illegal streaming websites often contain malware disguised as pirated video files.
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Half of the top 10 television shows targeted by cyber criminals are original content produced by Netflix.
McAfee suggests the exclusivity of these shows means that non-subscribers to streaming services that have these shows are searching for other ways to watch them, making these shows attractive targets for cyber criminals.

About 1,000 potentially malicious websites targeting Singaporeans looking for free movies and television shows were identified during this process.
Cyber-security experts warn that users should take extra precautions while browsing free streaming websites.
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McAfee: Beware When You Search for These TV Shows and Movies

mood · Jul 16, 2020

The Streaming Wars: A Cybercriminal’s Perspective
July 16, 2020
https://securelist.com/the-streaming-wars-a-cybercriminals-perspective/97851/

For cybercriminals, the switch to streaming means a new, lucrative attack channel has opened up. In fact, just hours after Disney + was launched, thousands of users’ accounts were hacked and their passwords and emails changed. The criminals then sold these accounts online for $3-$11.
And not only new streaming services are vulnerable. Popular services launched years ago, like Netflix and Hulu, are prime targets for distributing malware, stealing passwords, and launching spam and phishing attacks.
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In this report, we analyzed several different types of threats—malware associated with streaming platforms and the original content they release, as well as phishing emails and fake websites/login pages.
Malware for streaming platforms
When it comes to streaming platforms, malware and other threats (like adware) are most often downloaded when users attempt to gain access through unofficial means—whether by purchasing discounted accounts, obtaining a “hack” to keep their free trial going, or attempting to access a free subscription. Many times, these unofficial links or files come bundled with other malicious programs, such as Trojans and backdoors. [...]
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mood · Jul 14, 2021

Cybercriminals using Marvel’s Black Widow movie to spread malware
Apart from malware, offers to watch the online premiere of the Black Widow movie are being used to steal payment card data
July 13, 2021
https://www.hackread.com/cybercriminals-marvel-black-widow-movie-malware/

It’s a proven fact that cybercriminals leave no chance to exploit anything of public interest, and TV shows or movie premieres provide them the best opportunities among all.
Kaspersky alerts of Black Widow movie-themed malware
The movie was released in the United Kingdom on July 9th while it is yet to be released in several other countries. However, researchers have identified malicious files under the guise of the new Black Widow movie that are already circulating across the web.

According to the company, several Black Widow-themed phishing sites are operating to steal user credentials. One of the sites analyzed by researchers promised the users an early preview of the movie and to do so they had to register to the website. [...] they noticed that money was debited from their card while they still didn’t get full access to the movie.
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Spike in scams in the name of Black Widow movie
Kaspersky researchers claim that they have observed a spike in the attempts to infect users eagerly awaiting the launch of the new movie.

“Right now, we have observed intensified scamming activities around Black Widow, the release of which, fans all over the world have been eagerly anticipating for a long time. In their excitement to watch the long-awaited movie, viewers have become inattentive to the sources they use, and this is exactly what fraudsters benefit from,” wrote Kaspersky security expert Anton V. Ivanov.
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