It’s really stupid to hack the latest James Bond movie – here’s why

Cyber ​​security researchers have discovered a new wave of online scams designed to trick people looking to watch the latest James Bond film, No time to die.

Released on Thursday, the new Bond film garnered a lot of attention in the press and on social media, creating an opening for cybercriminal actors.

According to analysis by security firm Kaspersky, threat actors are taking advantage of the excitement surrounding the film to spread malware and steal personal data that could be used to hack online accounts.

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The company has identified numerous malicious download links for the new movie, which hide various types of malware, including adware, Trojans, password stealers, and ransomware.

Meanwhile, on other websites, visitors are allowed to watch the first few minutes of the movie, but are then prompted to enter personal information and credit card information. This data is then used to debit the victim’s bank account.

The spy who harassed me

It is a common tactic among cybercriminals to hang on to the latest trend or event to trick people into making mistakes. In the same way that the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic has been exploited, for example, hackers are using the appetite for the latest Bond movie to infect devices and steal sensitive data.

“Various sources of entertainment, including movies, have always been an attractive lure for cybercriminals to spread threats and phishing pages,” said Tatyana Scherbakova, security expert at Kaspersky.

“Inevitably, a premiere as long overdue as No time to die caused a sensation. Audiences are in a hurry to see the film, which makes them forget about Internet security. “

To protect against such scams, Kaspersky recommends that Internet users avoid sites promising early viewings of movies or TV series, verify the authenticity of a website before entering personal information, and wearing a badge. pay special attention to the type of files they download (for example, a video file will never end with “.exe”).

For an extra layer of protection, the company advises users to protect their devices with a anti-virus product.