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Mobile threats disguised as porn doubled in 2019

While the likes of MindGeek tried to tempt internet denizens onto the likes of Pornhub and associated websites, cybercriminals have been using the allure of adult content for many years.

However, the popularity of adult content as an attack vector has climbed significantly in the last year according to Kaspersky.

While Kaspersky noted 19 699 attacks on mobile users which used porn as a disguise in 2018, the firm saw this figure climb to 42 973 attacks on mobile users in 2019.

“As users are becoming more mobile, so are cybercriminals. We have seen that although PC malware distribution has been dropping, mobile malware is on the rise. While we have not witnessed many changes in the techniques used by cybercriminals, statistics show that this topic remains a steady source of threats and users need to be aware of that, taking steps to protect access to the valuable data they keep on their devices,” explains security researcher at Kaspersky, Dmitry Galov.

Interestingly, while mobile threats disguised as porn increased in 2019, porn-related PC threats fell from 135 780 attacked users in 2018 to 106 928 attacked users in 2019.

The most popular threat appears to be Adware. Kaspersky says that 35.18 percent of mobile users targeted in 2019 were targeted by Adware.AndroidOS.Agent.f. This malware tries to show a user as many adverts as possible and can even install new adware.

On a slightly better note, instances of malware hunting for credentials used to access porn websites has dropped. This is as malware attacks continue to grow.

“Privacy becomes an even bigger concern for the users when it comes to adult content. From leaked personal images to stolen premium pornography sites subscriptions, this information remains in high demand with sex continuing to be a topic used by cybercriminals as an easy way to make money. On top of that, sextortion fraud is gaining momentum and is turning into separate industry'”, says Kaspersky.

Stay safe out there folks. Make sure you’re visiting legitimate websites and only using legitimate apps on your smartphone. The last thing you want is your personal information being compromised as you tend to your, erm, private matters.

[Image – CC BY 2.0 Trending Topics 2019]

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