"Black Widow" digital premier a cover for malware and scams, says Kaspersky

2 years ago 314

Phishing, malicious files and different forms of fraud person followed the highly awaited movie since it was archetypal delayed owed to COVID-19. On the eve of its existent release, the scams person begun anew.

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Image: Kaspersky

Superhero movie "Black Widow" is yet getting its authoritative merchandise connected July 9, and Kaspersky is informing that scammers are utilizing the highly anticipated movie arsenic a mode to marque disconnected with watcher's recognition paper accusation and perpetrate different cybercrimes. 

Marvel superhero films are arguably immoderate of the hottest movies successful the world, and nary is presently hotter than "Black Widow," which has had its merchandise pushed repeatedly backmost owed to the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally slated for merchandise connected May 1, 2020, past Nov. 6, 2020, and past May 7, 2021, earlier yet getting its (presumably) last merchandise day of July 9. 

SEE: Security incidental effect policy (TechRepublic Premium)

With the coronavirus pandemic inactive ongoing, Disney is premiering "Black Widow" successful theaters and online, which Kaspersky said has been utilized repeatedly passim the film's delayed merchandise rhythm by cybercriminals to instrumentality vantage of those hoping to get an aboriginal oregon less-than-legal look.

"We person observed intensified scamming activities astir 'Black Widow,' the merchandise of which fans each implicit the satellite person been eagerly anticipating for a agelong time. In their excitement to ticker the long-awaited movie, viewers person go inattentive to the sources they use, and this is precisely what fraudsters payment from. These attacks are preventable, and users should beryllium alert to the sites they visit," said Kaspersky information adept Anton V. Ivanov.

Kaspersky noted spikes successful phishing attempts and malicious downloads for the movie that coincided with the historical merchandise docket of "Black Widow." Spikes successful June and July 2020 and March and April 2021 accompanied expected merchandise dates, and June 2021 turned into different spike that continues to inclination into July. 

A communal maneuver utilized by cybercriminals has been to amusement the archetypal fewer minutes of the movie earlier asking users to registry to spot the rest. Registration requires giving implicit idiosyncratic accusation including name, state of residence, postal codification and recognition paper information, aft which the movie doesn't proceed to play contempt wealth being deducted. 

Aside from phishing, scammers person besides been trying to walk disconnected executable files arsenic downloads of the film. Never unfastened a record that purports to beryllium a movie but has an hold similar .EXE oregon .MSI, Kaspersky warns. Films typically person extensions similar .MP4, .MOV, .M4P, .AVI oregon .WMV, to sanction a few.

Kaspersky besides warns users to wage adjacent attraction to the code of the websites they're utilizing to ticker oregon download movies. Double-check URLs to guarantee determination aren't immoderate hard-to-miss changes that bespeak a fake domain utilized for phishing, and beryllium definite to person an anti-malware solution installed that includes detection of phishing sites.

SEE: How to negociate passwords: Best practices and information tips (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

It's besides not a atrocious thought to debar the temptation of sites promising aboriginal previews oregon leaked copies. While it's ever imaginable the movie has leaked early, the accidental is bully that websites hosting it aren't the astir trustworthy, and adjacent those hosting a existent transcript whitethorn beryllium doing thing other down the scenes to infect your machine oregon bargain idiosyncratic information.

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