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Beware of malware in YouTube comments


youtube malware

Think downloading cracked software is harmless? Think again. Attackers are increasingly targeting people searching for pirated and cracked software downloads—especially kids or individuals who can’t afford expensive software.


How Does It Work?

Cybercriminals pose as helpful "guides" offering free installation tutorials for popular software. Their videos look professional and convincing, but the links in the video descriptions or comments lead directly to malicious downloads.


What We Found

In less than 10 seconds, we discovered one of these videos on YouTube by simply searching for [Software Name] + "crack." Here’s an example of a description we found:


youtube malware scam

It asks you to disable your antivirus software (because their software is clean!) and disable Windows Smart Screen, a Microsoft feature that protects you from malicious software.


And by the way, this video has been up since October of last year and has had over 51,000 views. Not to mention lots of fake comments as testimony of the "hack" being real. Yikes!


The Takeaway


What allows these files to evade early detection is that they are often password protected and encoded. As you can see in the sample above, the password o open the "crack" is 1231.


Once downloaded, these files can wreak havoc. Here’s how:


Password Theft: Malware hidden inside can steal saved passwords from your web browser.


Backdoor Access: Attackers gain unauthorized access to your computer.


Network Infiltration: In a work environment, they can exploit this backdoor to infect other machines, steal sensitive files or deploy ransomware, holding your business hostage.


Saving money by downloading pirated software simply isn’t worth the potential costs of a cyberattack. But there are legitimate, affordable solutions available:


Nonprofits: Check out TechSoup.org. They provide nonprofits, charities, and libraries with productivity software at significantly discounted prices.


Educators and Students: Microsoft offers Office 365 Education for free. This includes web versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Teams, along with additional classroom tools.


In short, don't be tempted by downloading pirated or cracked software. Choose legitimate software options. The bad guys after those that can least afford a hack.


Stay safe out there.


-Attila


Reminder: The Riskara 360 Employee Security Risk Assessment is almost ready. It reveals the employee behaviors and habits that could be putting your organization in jeopardy and gives you a step-by-step plan to making critical improvements.


We're looking for feedback - click here to request early access.



 

New Friday Funnies

 

How many YouTubers does it take to change a lightbulb? I’ll tell you... but first, a word from our sponsor

I asked my daughter if she’d seen my newspaper. She told me that newspapers are old school. She said that people use tablets nowadays and handed me her iPad.

That fly didn’t stand a chance.


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