Midjourney Impostor Tried To Dupe Over 1 Million People Into Downloading Malware
Photo 275005683 © Claudianass7 | Dreamstime.com
Text-to-art of conning is a new thing to be concerned about. Cybercriminals have been exploiting people’s fascination with—and naivety surrounding—generative artificial intelligence tools to infiltrate their computers and steal personal information.
A recent, large-scale scheme discovered by researchers at Bitdefender involved a fake Facebook page impersonating Midjourney, the popular art generator, to target users with malware. The perpetrators disjoobtained a significant following of 1.2 million users by hijacking an existing page in June 2023 and plastering it with Midjourney’s branding. Facebook only shut down the malicious profile on March 8 this year.
The page promoted a downloadable version of the “AI art tool,” a tactic that should immediately raise red flags, since the app is accessed online, not in-app. Clicking on the provided link resulted in the installation of the Rilide v4 infostealer, disguised as a Google Translate extension.
Once in, the malware pilfered sensitive user information, likely targeting login credentials, financial data, and browsing history. If not to commit identity or financial fraud, bad actors could sell this valuable data on the dark web.
Bitdefender’s research report also highlighted the risks associated with engaging with unverified pages on social media platforms. Users are advised to download software only from official developers’ websites and to be cautious of download links from external sources, even on those with a large following.
To stay safe online, keep in mind that legitimate software is rarely, if ever, distributed through social media downloads. Don’t be afraid to research a product or service before engaging with it.
Additionally, it would be a good idea to keep your operating system up to date, as security updates often patch vulnerabilities exploited by malware. And for an extra layer of protection, make sure your computer is hooked up with antivirus and anti-malware software.
[via Bleeping Computer and TechRadar, cover photo 275005683 © Claudianass7 | Dreamstime.com]
