News Insights: Kaspersky discovers movie malware disguised as best picture nominees

Kaspersky has publicized new research that 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.

News Insights:

Colin Bastable, CEO of security awareness and training company Lucy Security, commented:

“And the winner is…cybercrime! The multi-billion dollar cybercrime industry shows how to pick the winners as well as the losers, who think that bootleg movie-watching is a victimless crime.  When people are on the internet, they default to the delusional attitude of “It looked legitimate!” This originates from a deep-seated desire to get something for nothing. People trying to get free content think that, “after all, Hollywood can afford it, right?” It’s our job to help shake people free of these delusions.”

Paul Bischoff, privacy advocate with Comparitech, advises:

“Learn how to spot phishing emails. Check the sender’s domain, don’t click on links in unsolicited emails, and never include sensitive personal info in an email. Don’t trust link preview images or text, and do not click on links in unsolicited messages. To inspect a link, long-press the link and copy it to your clipboard, then paste it into a text editor.”

Comparitech also published stats on phishing: https://www.comparitech.com/blog/vpn-privacy/phishing-statistics-facts/