If you click on a link after watching a video on YouTube, you may become a victim of malware. Security researchers have uncovered a massive malware campaign running on YouTube, known as the YouTube Ghost Network. This network was infecting people’s systems with malware by creating fake tutorial videos and using pirated channels. Check Point researchers recently exposed this.
How did this network work?
According to media reports, this network taught software through thousands of videos. With these tutorial videos, hackers promised to provide cracked versions of software like Microsoft Office. These videos asked viewers to download files from Google Drive or Dropbox. As soon as a viewer downloaded the video from these links, malware was installed in his system. Using this, hackers used to steal passwords, cookies and logins stored in the system.
Fake comments were made to gain trust
Hackers had deliberately created this entire system to appear trustworthy. To do this, they would create fake comments under the videos that looked real. The comments also included passwords to open the files, leading people to believe that other people were also downloading and using these files. This entire network worked in an organized manner, creating new channels as soon as one channel was deleted. Apart from this, they also used to post videos similar to stolen YouTube channels to trap people.
Be careful to avoid such scams
Nowadays many types of scams are going on on the internet. Therefore, do not click on any link sent or suggested by unknown people. The best and safest defense is to avoid links that tempt you with free or cracked software. Even a little temptation can cause great harm.
