Do Not Access Any Porn Content On Your Cellphone, Beware Of Malware Lurking

Illustration (Unsplash)

JAKARTA - There are many ways that cybercriminals have used to trick victims and take advantage. One of them is through pornographic sites or adult content platforms.

Based on Kaspersky's research, the number of cellphone users attacked by pornographic content has doubled in 2019, reaching 42,973 users compared to 2018 data, namely 19,699 users.

Adult content is one of the most conspicuous ways that cybercriminals infect victims' devices.

"Although we haven't seen much change in the techniques used by cybercriminals, statistics show that this topic remains a source of threat and users need to be aware of it, and take steps to protect access to valuable data stored on it. devices, "said security researcher at Kaspersky, Dmitry Galov in an official statement received by VOI, Wednesday, June 17.

In fact, cybercrimes involving phishing, spam and even ransomware related to "porn" have been around for a long time. Today, the perpetrators continue to expand their attacks and refine their methods.

As the use of mobile devices increases, from work to entertainment, mobile threats related to pornography are becoming more relevant.

Kaspersky checks all files disguised as porn videos or installation packages for adult content on Android and runs 200 popular porn tagging against this database.

The analysis showed that for the 105 tags in 2018 and 99 tagging in 2019, not all pornographic content was used by cybercriminals to target their victims. Meanwhile, additional analysis shows that content that is judged as violent is rarely used to spread malware.

Furthermore, in 2019 less tagging was used to spread threats, disguised as pornographic content. However, the number of users attacked actually increased to 42,973 users compared to 2018.

Interestingly, the opposite trend was seen for threats to PCs, which fell by nearly 40 percent. Leveraging ad content to redirect users to unwanted pages is the most prominent mobile threat in both variation and number of users. Of the top 10 threats related to pornography to mobile users in 2019, seven of them fall into this threat category.

Malware data (Photo: Kapersky Security Network documentation)

In addition, Kaspersky found, privacy concerns are a concern for users when associating them with adult content. From leaked personal images to illegal premium porn site subscriptions, this information remains in demand with the word "sex" which continues to be the topic of use by cybercriminals as an easy way to make money. Sextortion fraud has also gained momentum and is becoming a separate industry.

Here's how you don't get caught up in cyber crime under the guise of pornographic content or fake advertisements, including:

1. Pay attention to the authenticity of the website. Never visit a website until you are sure it is legitimate and visit a site that is in the https format. Confirm that the website is authentic by double-checking the URL format or spelling of the company name and trying to find reviews of sites that appear suspicious to you.

2. Patch the software on your PC as soon as a security update for the latest bugs is available.

3. Do not download pirated software and other illegal content. Even if you are redirected to a web page from a legitimate website.

4. Block the installation of programs from unknown sources in the settings of your smartphone and only install from the official app store.