Information security company Kaspersky said that it has noticed a sudden increase in attempts to access phishing sites impersonating Google services.
The company added that its experts noted in January 2023 that such attempts increased by 189% globally compared to December 2022, and the percentage continued to rise in February.
Kaspersky explained that these phishing pages are designed to trick users into providing credentials to log into services and personal accounts, giving attackers access to many such accounts in the company's ecosystem.
Google's YouTube platform is an important way for scammers to quickly achieve their goals. Kaspersky discovered a deceptive scheme that allowed attackers to gain access to a popular YouTube vlogger's account, change their background and profile picture, and then start broadcasting their videos.
The way a cryptocurrency video was used using an interview with Elon Musk to convince viewers to scan a QR code on the screen that would take them to a phishing site, to hold the price of a cryptocurrency on which user funds and personal information are put at risk.
Roman Dedinuk, a Kaspersky digital security expert, said that phishing attacks are constantly evolving and becoming more sophisticated. Cybercriminals use popular online services such as Google to trick users into revealing their personal information, adding that the increasing attempts to exploit video content will add another layer of deception and make it difficult for users to distinguish between right and wrong. We urge users to take proactive steps to protect their accounts and data, such as setting strong passwords, following a two-factor authentication model to access accounts, and using trusted security solutions.
To protect against digital threats, Kaspersky experts recommend that users set strong, unique passwords for each account, avoid using the same password for multiple accounts, and ensure that passwords contain a mixture of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Which makes it hard for people to guess.
They also recommend setting up a two-factor authentication form to add another layer of security to personal accounts. Using this form requires a second factor of authentication in addition to the password, eg a b-code sent to the user's phone or using an authenticator app.
Users should also be wary of suspicious emails and text messages, avoid clicking links or downloading attachments in messages from unknown senders, and not interact with messages that ask for credentials or information.
You can also use a strong security solution like Kaspersky Premium to protect your device from malware and phishing attacks, make sure your software is up to date and perform regular scans.
It is also recommended to verify the authenticity of pages and other resources on the web before clicking any links or entering any personal information, and to be wary of suspicious websites or unfamiliar domain names.