When Does a Big Lie Become a Big Headache?

 By Catherine Powell

Image courtesy Pixabay

Over the past couple of years, it's becoming increasingly hard to tell what's true online and what's a big lie.  Everything from fake news to deep fakes that use software designed to mimic the looks, voices, and mannerisms of real politicians and celebrities have flooded Cyberspace.  If all that isn't bad enough, consumers now also have to be doubly sure that emails, ads, and software updates are the real deal as well.  Click on a link from one of these poison pills and you'll be in for a world of hurt.  To help keep you from having your data stolen, your device hijacked, or your life ruined, I've listed ten big lies you need to be made aware of if you hope to safely surf the web.

#1: Big Head ransomware being spread via fake Windows updates. - While ransomware is nothing new, Big Head is something quite recent that's designed to trick you into loading ransomware onto your Windows device.  Disguised as a legitimate Windows update, once installed it not only loads malicious software that will encrypt the device's hard drive, but it also disables Task Master to prevent users from detecting or deleting it.  You'll soon know you've been had when the device's wallpaper morphs into a screen demanding a ransom.  While the source of Big Head has yet to be pinpointed, the perpetrators are obviously located either in or around Russia, since the malware automatically aborts if it detects the Cyrillic alphabet.  Think twice if you see a popup telling you to click to update Windows. 

#2: This Zip file can zap you! - As if email phishing wasn't bad enough, hackers are using phishing kits that emulate zip files but are packed full of malware and detection evasion algorithms.  Recently, Google introduced eight new top-level domains including .zip & .mov that can confuse web surfers into thinking that the websites using the extensions are legitimate.  Visitors are then open to attack by receiving poison emails or by clicking on ads or links used to deliver malware.  Since the amount of sophisticated phishing attacks increased by more than 350% in 2022, those who confuse URLs with file names are three times as likely to get hacked as those who take care when surfing the web.

#3: Qbot malware spells bad business for your business. - If your business uses the Microsoft 365 suite, Qbot is a Trojan designed to steal your business' banking credentials.  It can also be configured to install additional malware including ransomware on compromised networks.  Qbot is typically delivered via email which may contain links to documents, attachments, and password-protected archives.  The email is designed to trick recipients into opening it and enabling the content, at which point the payload will be delivered.  Once infected, the malware deploys sophisticated algorithms designed to evade detection and install itself on other machines connected to the network.  Since Qbot is engineered to avoid detection by anti-malware, the best way to protect your system is to install Advanced Threat Protection for Microsoft 365.

Image courtesy Pixabay

#4: This is one note that does not sound sweet. - Windows OneNote users need to be on the alert for a weaponized variant that's being used to deliver malware.  In January 2023, more than 50 attacks were attributed to spurious One Note attachments.  Since OneNote is used to make it easy to share your notes with others, this makes it a perfect stalking ground for phishing attacks.  The way the majority of attacks take place is by embedding a rogue VBScript or HTA file within an OneNote document.   The malware activation image is craftily disguised as an innocuous looking button.  The attack is commenced only if the recipient engages the attachment by clicking on the button.  

#5: DeathNote can spell the death knell for your cryptocurrency. - The Lazarus Group out of North Korea has been using phishing and clickbait related to bitcoin-mining in order to implant backdoors designed to harvest keystroke and clipboard data that reveal private crypto keys. This state-sponsored hacking collective has been evolving its tools and tactics to facilitate a hacking campaign called DeathNote.  These hackers will send victims messages from spoofed crypto experts to gain their trust.  Then they'll send the victim a macro-laced document.  Sometimes they've even been known to use Skype to send weaponized PDF applications to their intended victims.  If you value the security of your cryptocurrency and you don't want to fatten North Korean coffers, be wary of who you deal with when it comes to cryptocurrency information.  

#6: A face only a mother could love? - Not if cybercriminals have any say in the matter.  They've started using deepfakes to swindle people and companies out of their hard-earned money.  Artificial intelligence has evolved to the point where hackers can create online clones of people that look, sound and act like the real McCoy.  What started out as a font of fake news stories involving cloned politicians and online movies starring facsimiles of Hollywood stars has transmogrified into a scam factory of epic proportions.  Both here and abroad, citizens have been duped into shelling out money to fake friends, spouses, and bosses who were cloned online.  If your mother, brother, or significant other calls to ask you to wire money, you'd better double check to make sure it's the real deal if you don't want to get scammed by deepfake perpetrators.

#7: How do I love thee? - At one time or another, we're all looking for love.  However, if you frequent online matchmaking sites, you'd better watch out if you don't want to get taken for a ride.  That's because con artists are trolling them for suckers.  Instead of taking you on a date, these slippery Sams are looking to take you to the cleaners.  Their objective is to gain your trust before eliciting information that can be used to steal your identity.  Others will try to sweet talk you into sending them money directly after telling you a sob story.  Some of these tricksters have been known to keep an online relationship going for years in order to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from their victims.  If you're into online dating, check out this blog by Cybercrime Support Network.

Image courtesy Pixabay

#8: The Loan Arranger - Everyone needs to borrow money at one time or another.  Whether you're looking to take out a loan for personal or business purposes, you need to be wary when it comes to sourcing credit online.  That's because for every legitimate lender there are two fakes who are out to do you harm.  Some of these scammers are so adept at the game that they'll spawn cloned websites that are carbon copies of legitimate lenders.  Their aim is to get you to fill out a form that will get you to divulge enough personal information to enable them to steal your identity.  Others will contact you to tell you that your loan has been approved, provided you pay a handling fee, which they will then pocket.  The bottom line is that you need to make sure that you're dealing with a bonafide lender and not a con artist when you need a loan.

#9: Pay up or go to jail - If you ever receive a call from the IRS, the FBI, or the police telling you that you will be prosecuted or arrested unless you pay a fine over the phone, don't believe it.  Not even if the call seems to originate from a legitimate law enforcement agency. Cybercriminals can easily clone a phone number to trick consumers into believing that they're dealing with an authority figure.  If you ever get a call demanding payment, tell the caller you'll have to consult with your attorney and hang up.  Don't ask them for a callback number, since it's all too easy for them to forward you to a co-conspirator. Report any such call, text or email to local law enforcement.

#10: A whole new you. - Like it or not, there are people out there who aren't just looking to steal your identity, they're also out to clone you or your business for fun and profit.  Online imposters have been known to clone other people's social media pages, business websites, phone numbers, and email accounts.  Armed with your clone, a con artist can solicit information or money from your friends and coworkers. They can send out fake invoices, and they can contact your friends or clients to try to get them to divulge sensitive information.  If you suddenly get a call, text, or email from a friend, coworker, or client who calls you on the carpet for a transgression you didn't commit, you've probably been cloned.  The key to stopping this kind of activity is to find out the source of the bogus information.  If your social site has been cloned, let them know about it so they can take down the fake.  If your business website has been cloned, do a Whois lookup of the cloned site so you can report the abuse to have the site shut down. You may also go to the Better Business Bureau's Scam Tracker page to report this kind of problem.

Catherine Powell is the owner of A Plus All Florida, Insurance in Orange Park, Florida.  To find out more about saving money on all your insurance needs, check out her website at http://aplusallfloridainsuranceinc.com/