INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Enterprise Security
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Thousands of users attacked
by malware disguised as
Billie Eilish in Nigeria
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C
ybercriminals were actively abusing
the names of artists and songs
nominated for a Grammy 2020
award, in order to spread malware.
Kaspersky protection technologies detected
a 39% rise in attacks (attempts to download
or run malicious files) under the guise of
nominees’ work in 2019, compared to 2018.
Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift and Post Malone
were attackers’ favourites, with these
nominees’ names used most often in 2019
as a disguise for malware.
Music has universal appeal – it is not just
entertainment, but a form of therapy
and education, as well as providing an
atmosphere and message platform.
Its popularity and widespread availability is
the reason why, even in the age of streaming
services, music is not free from malicious
activity: criminals use popular artists’ names
to spread malware hidden in music tracks or
video clips.
evident in the case of newer artists such
as Billie Eilish. The teenage singer became
hugely popular in 2019 and the number
of users who downloaded malicious files
with her name has risen almost tenfold
compared to 2018 – from 254 to 2,171, the
number of unique distributed malicious files
– from 221 to 1,556.
For instance, while the number of users
attacked by malware disguised as Billie Eilish
songs in Nigeria accounted for only 381 in
2018, 2019 saw this number increase to
9,722. Overall, Nigeria accounted for only
381 in 2018, 2019 saw this number increase
to 9,722. In total, Nigeria saw 55 of such
malicious files distributed in this region in
2019, with 94,630 attacks.
However, while nomination for a prestigious
award and recognition connected to it
affects users’ interest in specific artists and,
as a result, a growth in malicious activity,
this is not necessarily the case for more
established artists such as Lady Gaga, whose
name use also experienced a rise in attacks
in the past year.
Kaspersky also analysed which records and
songs, nominated for a Grammy in 2019,
received most attention from cybercriminals.
Post Malone’s ‘Sunflower’, Khalid’s ‘Talk’
and Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road’, led the way
for songs with the most malware attacks.
“Cybercriminals understand what is popular
and always strive to capitalise on that,” said
Anton Ivanov, Kaspersky security analysis.
“Music, alongside TV shows, is one of the
most popular types of entertainment and,
as a result, an attractive means to spread
malware, which criminals readily use.
“However, as we see more and more users
subscribe to streaming platforms, which do
not require file download in order to listen
to music, we expect that malicious activity
related to this type of content will decrease.” n
In light of the biggest music awards of
the year Kaspersky researchers analysed
Grammy 2020 nominated artists’ names
and song titles for malware.
As a result, Kaspersky found 30,982
malicious files that used the names of artists
or their tracks in order to spread malware,
with 41,096 Kaspersky product users
having encountered them. Analysis of the
nominated artists showed that the names of
Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift and Post Malone
were used most to disguise malicious files,
with over half (55%) of detected malicious
files named after them.
The connection between the rise in
popularity and malicious activity is very
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