Windows and Android Malware Delivered Through Fake Antivirus Websites
Threat actors are using fraudulent antivirus websites to spread infostealer malware to Android and Windows devices. Learn more about the threat and how to mitigate the risks.
- Threat actors have been using fake antivirus websites, impersonating legitimate antivirus products to distribute infostealer malware variants.
- Similar malware campaigns have used SEO poisoning and malicious advertising strategies to improve success rates.
Security researchers at Trellix have uncovered fake websites impersonating legitimate antivirus solutions, which threat actors use to distribute malware. The malware is primarily being used to steal sensitive data from Android and Windows devices. Such websites can be viewed as a significant cybersecurity threat due to their predatory nature toward general consumers looking for cybersecurity solutions.
The fake websites impersonate antivirus software such as Malwarebytes, Avast, and Bitdefender. The fraudulent websites are named avast-securedownload, bitdefender-app, and malwarebytespro, which are used to distribute the SpyNote trojan, Lumma malware, and StealC malware. The research team also discovered a binary called AMCoreDat.exe, which works as a medium for deploying stealer malware.
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Trojans and malware from these websites allow malicious actions such as accessing SMS messages, call details, screenshots, deleting or installing apps, mining cryptocurrency, tracking real-time location, and more. While it is unclear how these website addresses have been distributed, malicious advertising and SEO poisoning strategies have been suspected.
To mitigate the risks arising from such campaigns, complete security measures and best practices, such as checking URLs, source verification, and avoiding pop-ups, are some of the recommended measures.
The discovery of these websites continues to highlight the growing threat of stealer malware, which is becoming increasingly common, each with multiple variants and levels of complexity. It also shows a rising demand for such malware by bad actors and the presence of black markets for such offerings.
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