The recent FIFA World Cup brought another wave of bad actors exploiting the popular game’s streaming demand.
Instead of providing links to legitimate ways to watch, those who took the bait were sent to malicious websites that installed malware on their devices.
That’s the problem with linking to seemingly free sources of streaming and downloading movies, videos, and music.
Blind linking can introduce more dangers to your device than you realize.
Criminals and hackers around the world look to trick people into giving them money, private information, or both.
(Kurt Knudsen)
What are the risks of downloading movies illegally?
Criminals and hackers around the world look to trick people into giving them money, private information, or both.They do this by offering movies and popular online entertainment download link Looks super convincing. The people who end up clicking on them often think they can consume what they want to watch for free.
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In fact, many of these links contain various malware that can give hackers access to your information. To make matters worse, hackers are working overtime to find ways to sneak these downloadable files past any antivirus software that might stop them in their tracks.
What will happen to my device?
When you try to download these pirated movies, your device might not change immediately. But eventually, you may notice your device getting slower and slower, apps randomly opening and closing without your knowledge, or even your battery draining rapidly.
For example, back in 2021, rational laboratory A new form of malware has been discovered masquerading as a way to watch the latest Spider-Man movie online for free when it hits theaters. This is a malicious file that contains cryptocurrency mining malware that can steal your device’s resources and look for online currencies.
See my expert reviews of the best antivirus protection for Windows, Mac, Android, and Android. Search CyberGuy.com for “Best Antivirus” for iOS devices.
(Kurt Knudsen)
Amazingly, this app is responsible for nearly 50% of all MACOS malware – remove now
When consumers download the file, the code blocks antivirus software from tracking any suspicious activity and mines the cryptocurrency Monero (XMR). You can imagine the headaches this caused for those who thought they were just getting a chance to watch a new movie for free.
How can I protect my device from malicious files?
The most important and necessary way to protect your device from all types of malware is to install reliable antivirus software. Downloading antivirus software will allow you to scan any file on your computer for malware before you accidentally click on it.
Search CyberGuy.com for “best antivirus” to see my expert reviews of the best antivirus protection for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS devices.
Is there a website that I can use to check if a file is malicious?
yes it is called VirusTotal.com. The site is owned by Google and is able to scan links to files that may contain malware. All you have to do is follow the steps below:
- Get a direct link to the downloaded file and copy it by right-clicking on the link and selecting Copy (Be careful not to accidentally click and open the link).
- go VirusTotal.com
- Click on the URL tab and paste the link into the box
- Press search to start scanning
- VirusTotal will give you the results
Additional warnings: If you are going to use VirusTotal.com, be sure to keep your antivirus software running in the background just in case You accidentally clicked on that link.
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