Kaspersky: Cybercriminals exploit streaming services and TV series for their attacks

Between January 2020 and June 2021, i Kaspersky products have detected over 93,000 infection attempts globally masked by the five most used streaming platforms (Netflix, Disney +, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and Apple TV +). Of these attempts, over 2,000 concern Italy. In our country the most exploited series to carry out these attacks were Rick and Morty and The Mandalorian.

Data from Kaspersky’s investigation into cyber threats related to streaming platforms

Kaspersky’s investigations into the use of cyber attacks that exploit the brands of streaming platforms confirm that it is a real threat to users. Netflix appears to be the most used platform to carry out such attacks. According to the data, in the period considered, about 89% of the cyber attacks in this category detected by Kaspersky exploited the Netflix brand. Users are affected while they are looking for content related to the service in question.

The most exploited titles, according to Kaspersky data, to carry out attacks that exploit the brands of streaming platforms are Rick e Morty (36,41%) e The Mandalorian (23,36%). The Italian Top 5 of the most exploited series includes La Casa di Carta (14.67%), Peaky Blinders (8.15%) and Wanda Vision (4.89%). The attacks are carried out using the phishing system to attract users and steal data and information of various kinds. The full survey is available at Securelist.

The company comment

Anon V. Ivanov, security expert di Kasperskyhe states: “Cybercriminals are able to adapt quickly to new trends and engineer new types of fraud. Comparing the data of 2021 with that of 2020, we can observe that the download of malicious files disguised as TV shows has become much less common, but this does not spare users from other types of cyber threats, such as phishing related to streaming, with which cybercriminals can steal credentials and money “