A new malware scam is going after pirates, of all people -- preying on file-sharers' copyright violation paranoia.
A new malware scam is going after pirates, of all people -- preying on file-sharers' copyright violation paranoia.The BitTorrent scareware scam is a variation of any number of scams targeting guilt rather than greed.
Works like this: PIRACY DETECTED! alert appears on the screen, bearing news that a subpoena as been issued and will be served within a week.
According to security firm F-secure, the "extortion trojan" offers recipients the chance to make a "pre-trial settlement" of $400 via credit card.
All of it wrapped up in a package filed with strong language about legal protection of intellectual property rights, rights routinely violated by some BitTorrent users.
There's a certain irony to this scam, I suppose, BitTorrent users being among those most frequently singled out not only for legit IP prosecution, but also for clogging Comcast's (among others) pipes.
Pass the word to your people that this one's a scam (and while you're at it, let them know you don't want pirated material on your business's systems, not to mention p2p security issues and losing bandwidth to p2p overload.
About the Author(s)
You May Also Like
Beyond Spam Filters and Firewalls: Preventing Business Email Compromises in the Modern Enterprise
April 30, 2024Key Findings from the State of AppSec Report 2024
May 7, 2024Is AI Identifying Threats to Your Network?
May 14, 2024Where and Why Threat Intelligence Makes Sense for Your Enterprise Security Strategy
May 15, 2024Safeguarding Political Campaigns: Defending Against Mass Phishing Attacks
May 16, 2024
Black Hat USA - August 3-8 - Learn More
August 3, 2024Cybersecurity's Hottest New Technologies: What You Need To Know
March 21, 2024