Russian crooks are stealing YouTube accounts — what to do
Russian crooks are stealing YouTube accounts — what to do
Google has busted a Russian gang that was dedicated to swindling YouTube content creators out of their accounts.
The gang's tactic was to befriend successful YouTube "creators" or "YouTubers" — those YouTube uploaders of original content such as PewDiePie who accept enough followers to earn a lot of coin through ads, merchandising and affiliate links — and propose partnerships or other types of financial or promotional agreements.
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According to a post yesterday (Oct. 20) by Google Threat Analysis Grouping's Ashley Shen, the gang would and so send poisoned files to the creators to steal passwords and session cookies, enabling the crooks to have over the creators' accounts.
"The actors behind this campaign, which we aspect to a group of hackers recruited in a Russian-speaking forum," Shen wrote, "lure their target with fake collaboration opportunities (typically a demo for antivirus software, VPN, music players, photo editing or online games), hijack their channel, and so either sell information technology to the highest bidder or utilize it to circulate cryptocurrency scams."
The stolen accounts, Shen said, could be resold for upward to $4,000 each.
How to protect your YouTube business relationship
To protect your YouTube and other social-media accounts from hackers and hijackers, Google recommends:
- Paying attention when your browser warns you lot that a website might not be safe to access
- Scanning all downloaded files with some of the best antivirus software before opening them
- Turning on Enhanced Prophylactic Browsing Protection in your Chrome security settings
- Using ii-gene hallmark (2FA) to protect your accounts from hackers who might accept your passwords
Tom'south Guide would besides recommend using ane of the best countersign managers as well, because storing passwords in a browser makes them ripe targets for information-stealing malware.
Shen provided an example of an email message sent to a YouTube creator proposing to pay the YouTuber to promote a brand of antivirus software. The bulletin said the YouTuber would need to install and demonstrate the antivirus software on video.
If the YouTuber agreed, the crooks would then ship the creator an instant bulletin, email message, PDF or document with links to a website where the creator could download the software.
Shen said more than ane,000 malicious websites and social-media accounts were created for this purpose, many of which mimicked legitimate brands such as Cisco or Steam.
Only the software the YouTuber would download and install contained malware that stole passwords and session cookies, those tiny bits of data that proceed you logged into online accounts for long periods of time. Armed with those stolen items, the crooks could take over the YouTube accounts.
The masterminds behind this scheme used Russian-linguistic communication online forums to recruit lower-level crooks to exercise the dirty work, promising between 25% and 70% of the revenue from the hijacked aqueduct depending on the corporeality of evil deeds they'd exist willing to practice.
Shen said that beginning November. 1, YouTube content creators whose channels earn coin will need to have 2FA enabled on their Google accounts to access certain YouTube tools.
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Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/news/youtube-creator-hacks
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