{"id":85070,"date":"2024-05-30T08:37:24","date_gmt":"2024-05-30T08:37:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ainalalam.com\/?p=85070"},"modified":"2024-05-30T08:37:24","modified_gmt":"2024-05-30T08:37:24","slug":"attempted-cyberattacks-exploiting-kids-favorite-brands-grow-by-35-in-q1-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ainalalam.com\/?p=85070","title":{"rendered":"Attempted cyberattacks exploiting kids\u2019 favorite brands grow by 35% in Q1 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"[mhc_section admin_label=”\u0642\u0633\u0645” fullwidth=”on” specialty=”off”][mhc_fullwidth_menu admin_label=”\u0642\u0627\u0626\u0645\u0629 \u0628\u0639\u0631\u0636 \u0643\u0627\u0645\u0644” menu_id=”56″ background_color=”#ffffff” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” submenu_direction=”downwards” fullwidth_menu=”off”] [\/mhc_fullwidth_menu][\/mhc_section][mhc_section admin_label=”section” transparent_background=”off” gradient_background=”off” background_color=”#ffffff” 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\u00a0Ain Alalam – Rashad Iskandrni<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Ahead of International Children\u2019s Day, Kaspersky experts looked into the recent threats using as a bite the mention of gaming and toy brands popular among kids like Minecraft, Roblox, LEGO, Disney, and more. As a result of research based on chosen key words, it was found out that the number of attack attempts grew up by 35% in Q1 2024, compared to the same period of the previous year. Specifically, almost 1.3 million attack attempts were detected from January to March, 2024. <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

A total of 1,264,866 attempts to attack mobile and desktop devices disguised as topics popular among kids were detected in Q1 of 2024. This is an increase of 35% growth compared to Q1 2023, when 936,840 attempted attacks were recorded. According to Kaspersky\u2019s data, desktop threats significantly dominate the number of attacks detected during the reporting period \u2013 98.7% versus 1.3% of mobile threats.<\/p>\n

Based on the research by Kaspersky experts\u2019, the top brands exploited by cybercriminals included the most popular children\u2019s games: Minecraft, Roblox, and Brawl Stars. Besides this, attackers also tried to leverage product names such as LEGO, and a number of popular kids\u2019 cartoons including Paw Patrol, Bluey, and entertainment giant Disney, whose name could be used to search cartoons, movies and popular TV series, and related games or merch. More than 1.2 million of the infections are from downloaders distributed in Q1 2024. While this type of software is not itself malicious, downloaders are often used to load other potentially unwanted apps onto devices.<\/p>\n

Trojans, malicious programs that can enable cybercriminals to gather credit card details, login credentials, modify data or disrupt the performance of computers, ranked second among the most widespread threats masquerading as children\u2019s favorites. In Q1 2024, there were 27,576 attempts to launch Trojans on users’ devices, while adware \u2013 a type of software that displays unwanted irritating pop-up adverts<\/em> on your screen \u2013 resulted in 27,570 attempts.<\/p>\n

The number of increased attacks detected was also accompanied by a drop in the number of unique targeted users. In particular, in Q1 2024, 49,630 unique users were attacked in contrast to 57,873 during the same period in 2023, a decrease of 14%. This may imply that the children may have continued to encounter new threats as a result of repeatedly downloading malicious files from the Internet.<\/p>\n

Analyzing individual cases of attacks on users, Kaspersky researchers found cybercriminals spread malicious Trojan-SMS to mobile devices under the guise of the popular Brawl Stars game. Specifically, they presented it as cheats for the game allowing gamers to gain an unfair advantage over other players. Once installed and launched, the app first asks for permission for numerous features (many of which are not necessary or even risky) and then only pop-ups to unlock access to the content \u2013 without giving the content itself.<\/p>\n

To make it difficult for users to delete the app, cybercriminals made it a transparent icon and an empty name so it could not be simply seen on the home screen. At this time, the application itself, once launched and granted permissions, performs a malicious function, sending SMS messages from the affected mobile device as a spam tool, thereby emptying the victim\u2019s phone wallet.<\/p>\n

Kaspersky researchers also found malicious web pages with toys, dolls and other children\u2019s products. These pages were originally legitimate resources, later hacked by cybercriminals to spread malware. In this case, not only children who want to choose a new toy, but also parents looking for products for children can also become victims.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAs part of the research, we see attacks on children are becoming a traditional vector for cybercriminals that will only become more and more active. Children are often unaware of the basics of cybersecurity and easily fall into attackers\u2019 traps, for example, when trying to download a free version of a popular game, or a new episode of a favorite cartoon. That\u2019s why cyber hygiene education is a must-have for parents who care about their children\u2019s safety in the online environment,\u201d comments Vasily Kolesnikov, Malware Analyst at Kaspersky.<\/p>\n

To keep your kids safe online, Kaspersky recommends users:<\/strong><\/p>\n