Don’t click that link to watch that movie: Fraudsters exploit new secret spy film

New film premieres have always boosted the activity of cybercriminals, as many film fans are interested in being the first to watch the latest movie and can become inattentive to the sources they use to view it. The new James Bond film ‘No Time to Die’, Daniel Craig’s last mission as the spy, is no exception, with Kaspersky experts having observed intensified activity from fraudsters ahead of the film’s premiere on September 30^th, 2021.

To get a clearer picture of how cybercriminals try to monetise the interest of film fans, Kaspersky experts analysed malicious files disguised as the new movie and movie-related phishing websites. Kaspersky experts found that there were attempts to infect users with various types of malware and unwanted software, downloaded under the guise of the new James Bond movie. Although not many users attempted to download these files, the threats detected were not limited to Adware, and were quite versatile and dangerous. They included Trojans, malicious programs that can enable cybercriminals to gain backdoor access to your sensitive data, and Trojan-PSW – stealers capable of gathering login data, and even ransomware.

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Kaspersky experts also found a number of phishing websites set up to steal viewers’ bank details. Users visited a website in the hope of watching the long-awaited ‘No Time to Die’ movie. After seeing the first few minutes of the latest film, they were asked to register to continue watching. During the registration, victims were asked to enter their credit card information. However, after registration is complete, the user can’t continue watching. Money is debited from their card and the payment data ends up in the fraudster’s hands.

An example of a phishing website offering to stream ‘No Time to Die’

“Various sources of entertainment, including movies, have always been an attractive lure for cybercriminals to spread threats and phishing pages. With the premieres of new films and TV series moving online, this has fueled interest not only for cinephiles but also among scammers and fraudsters. Inevitably, such a long-awaited premiere as ‘No Time to Die’ causes a stir. The audience is in a hurry to see the movie, causing them to forget about Internet security. Users should be alert to the pages they visit, not download files from unverified sites and be careful with who they share personal information,” comments Tatyana Shcherbakova, security expert at Kaspersky.

To avoid falling victim to malicious programs and scams, Kaspersky advises users:

• Avoid links promising early viewings of films or TV series. If you have any doubts about the authenticity of the content, check with your entertainment provider.
• Check the authenticity of website before entering personal data and only use official, trusted webpages to watch or download movies. Double-check URL formats and company name spellings.
• Pay attention to the extensions of files you are downloading. A video file will never have a .exe or .msi extension.
• Use a reliable security solution, such as Kaspersky Total Security, that identifies malicious attachments and blocks phishing sites.