Through Star Wars film, cybercriminals create fertile soil to distribute malware

Through Star Wars film, cybercriminals create fertile soil to distribute malware

Cybercriminals have again created fertile soil through Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker film to distribute malware even before the official release on Thursday with fraudulent websites and malicious files of the film flooding the internet.


Online streaming, torrents and other methods of digital distribution often infringe upon content copyright, and yet they remain popular as a source of free content.


Kaspersky researchers found over 30 fraudulent websites and social media profiles disguised as official movie accounts (the actual number of these sites may be much higher) that supposedly distribute free copies of the latest film in the franchise. These websites collect unwary users’ credit card data, under the pretence of necessary registration on the portal.


Torrent-trackers and illegal streaming platforms pose a threat to users’ cyber-safety as they can host malicious files, masked behind the name of movie recordings and files. Given this tendency, Kaspersky studied how the world-famous sci-fi franchise’s name is being abused by cybercriminals to fool fans of the Rebel Alliance.


 “It is typical for fraudsters and cybercriminals to try to capitalise on popular topics, and ‘Star Wars’ is a good example of such a theme this month. As attackers manage to push malicious websites and content up in the search results, fans need to remain cautious at all times. We advise users to not fall for such scams and instead enjoy the end of the saga on the big screen,” Tatiana Sidorina, security researcher at Kaspersky, said.


Black SEO

The domains of websites used for gathering personal data and spreading malicious files usually copy the official name of the film and provide thorough descriptions and supporting content, thereby fooling users into believing that the website is in some way connected to the official ..

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