Kaspersky detects phishing scams in Oscar nominated works
This Sunday, April 25, after some date changes due to the pandemic, the wait is over and the world will finally stop to see the 93rd Oscars.
[dropcap]W[/dropcap]ith all the restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus, the organizers want to make the virtual ceremony as exciting as possible. Thus, for the first time in the history of these famous awards, the ceremony will be held not only in the United States, but also in open hubs in London and Paris. And, while the ceremony travels the world through online, cybercriminals are willing to make the most of this event, disseminating malicious files disguised as the nominated works.
Kaspersky experts found a number of phishing sites that offer free streaming of nominated films to the Oscars, before the awards are presented, and this offer is just a scheme to steal users’ credentials.
In the hope of being able to see the nominated films, several users visited websites where they were shown the first minutes of the intended film. After these short minutes, they were asked to register in order to continue watching.
During registration, to confirm the region of residence, the victim was asked to enter his bank card details. After some time, the money was debited from the user’s account, and, as expected, the film did not continue to be shown. This type of phishing is widely used and one of the most popular among cybercriminals.
Kaspersky experts also analyzed the malicious files behind those nominated for the 2021 Oscars. As a result, they found about 80 files that disguise themselves as films nominated for the “Best Film” award.
Analyzing the malware detected over the past year, Kaspersky experts found that almost 70% of the malicious files identified appear disguised as just three films: Promising Young Woman, Judas and the Black Messiah and TheTrial of the Chicago 7. The biographical drama Judas and the Black Messiah was the most used source to spread this type of files – 26% of the total infected files are related to this film. Alongside this, the films Promising Young Woman and Trial of the Chicago 7 are also in the top 3, with percentages of 22% and 21%, respectively.
