Hackers massively attack movie and TV buffs on self-isolation: how to defend yourself

In self-isolation mode, watching movies and TV shows has become one of the main home entertainment. The increased popularity of streaming platforms could not help but take advantage of the cybercriminals who created hundreds of fake sites Netflix and Disney +. Details in the report "Voices of America".

Photo: Shutterstock

In the first quarter of 2020, Netflix alone, thanks to the general quarantine, expanded its audience by 16 million subscribers, and the number of active Disney+ users almost doubled to 50 million. Cyber ​​fraudsters have also begun to actively take advantage of the coronavirus situation by creating fake streaming sites.

“In the first three weeks of March alone, American consumers watched 400 billion minutes of content,” said Baker Nanduru, vice president of MCAfee. - A stunning figure! This is an 85% increase compared to the same period last year. Cybercriminals are always watching consumer behavior and looking for ways they can steal your money, personal data or install malware on your gadgets.”

Cybersecurity-based MimeCast has discovered over 700 fake sites on the Internet that mimic Netflix and Disney +. Many of them look pretty convincing, says Carl Weirle, head of the anti-cybercrime division. Users can well take them for the original ones, register and enter their personal data, including credit card information.

“Criminals now often try to take advantage of a person’s state in the moment,” Whirl says. — Perhaps now, because of the pandemic, you are tired, stressed, and not so vigilant. You think you're signing up for Netflix, but you're actually going to a fake website. Hackers can gain access to your bank account very quickly this way. Such fake sites look extremely believable; they can almost completely imitate a real website. It is very difficult for the average person to detect the difference. Be vigilant, especially when accessing the site from your smartphone."

Internet fraudsters create not only fake sites, but also links offering free content downloads for users who are trying to save on a subscription. MCAfee, an antivirus software developer, has ranked the most dangerous films and television shows. The company's specialists analyzed the frequency of queries in search engines for a particular film and compared it with the risk of a computer being infected with malware.

On the subject: COVID-19 pandemic increases online scam activity: how to protect yourself

Thus, among the films in the top ten are the 2011 sports drama “Warrior”, the post-apocalyptic comedy “Zombieland” and the animated film “The Incredibles”. TV series include Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Elite and Courtesans. Interestingly, 9 of the 9 most dangerous movies to download are for children. Experts attribute this to the fact that children are now spending more time on screens.

“Be careful, especially with free streaming content,” says Nanduru. — It is very important to explain this to your children, because they do not know which links are safe and which are not. Subscribe to legitimate streaming services. Don't click on unfamiliar links. Install antivirus programs that will tell you whether the site is safe or not.”

“Practicing good cyber hygiene is more important than ever now that most people are working from home,” Whirl says. “They don’t have cybersecurity experts around them like they would in an office setting.” Don’t use the same password or click on strange links in email.”

Well, you can still figure out fakes if you want, if you pay attention to spelling errors that are often found on such sites or a slightly different design.

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