A type of scam to infect computers with malware was detected on PornHub – a site with adult content that, according to the data analysis company Alexa, ranks 20th among the most accessed in the United States and is already 37th in the world ranking of pages popular.
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The action, discovered by security company Proofpoint and called «Critical Update», showed ads – disguised as fake browser update alerts in pop-up windows – that, when clicked on, infected visitors’ computers. The attack affected people who accessed the adult content site via Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer.
Virus simulates browser update on adult website – Photo: Pond5
On the Google browser and Firefox, the scam showed an ad, which simulated a browser alert, about a critical update. For users of Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge, a fake update of the Adobe Flash Player was used as bait – the plugin is constantly the target of counterfeiting alerts as in the last case of the Bad Rabbit ransomware that I am the same tactic.
Upon clicking, a download button or a small window was displayed asking for authorization to save a file – which infected the computer with viruses.
Ad shows fake updates for browsers – Photo: Playback / Proofpoint
To avoid infections, the recommendations are: be suspicious and not click on update ads and suspicious links (update directly in the browser or on the official website). Also confirm that the link is associated with the developers of the product offered. In addition, another important measure is to keep your antivirus updated and perform frequent scans to ensure your PC is safe.
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