Regardless of how much antivirus software developers want to convince us that we’re entirely safe online if we use their products, hackers will also always be updating their evil schemes as well. Getting your device infected with malware is a dangerous game to play, as that can lead to massive data theft.
According to TechRadar.com, Avast researchers discovered that over 16,000 websites were hijacked for phishing attacks. Some of those websites are hosting adult content, which is another proof that not everything that causes you pleasure is also truly beneficial. However, we’re absolutely sure that none of our readers would ever access such content.
Jokes aside, for now! It’s obvious that the websites themselves aren’t to blame in this case. In fact, you would be surprised to find out about the ingenious phishing method that the hackers were using.
Watch out for fake update warnings
When a person accesses a certain website, he or she could be prompted with a fake warning that the browser is outdated. Next up, downloading of the “update” begins, resulting in the person installing malware on the device without having a clue. That’s how the ingenious method of hackers works. They set up a Traffic Direction System (TDS), Parrot TDS after they get their hands on the websites that they’ll be exploiting. A Remote Access Trojan (RAT) known as NetSupport Manager will do its evil thing once the victim tries to update the browser.
Pavel Novak, one of the two Avast researchers who were involved in the work of tracking down the hackers’ scheme, declared as TechRadar.com quotes:
The only thing the sites have in common is that they are WordPress and in some cases Joomla sites. We therefore suspect weak login credentials were taken advantage of to infect the sites with malicious code,
The robustness of Parrot TDS and its huge reach make it unique.
Hopefully, as many people as possible will remain safe from any cyberattacks in the future!
