Fake streaming pages threaten fans during the most important football tournament in the world
Kaspersky warns that, during periods of high sports attention, cybercriminals can take advantage of fans' interest in not missing any moment of the matches to direct them to fake sites and steal their personal and banking data.
With the start of the biggest football tournament in the world, the search for free online broadcasts can become a gateway to new digital scams. Kaspersky warns that, during high-audience sports events, cybercriminals can take advantage of fans' urgency to watch live matches to direct them to fake pages imitating streaming platforms and attempting to steal personal and banking data.
In this type of campaigns, attackers can create fake pages that mimic legitimate sports broadcasting portals or supposed authorized streaming platforms. To attract users, they usually resort to sponsored advertisements, posts on social networks or messages in messaging applications with promises of free access, high-quality live broadcasts, or links to watch matches without a subscription.
Once the victim clicks on the link, they may be directed to a page that appears to be legitimate, where they are asked to register, provide personal data, or enter financial information to enable a supposed free trial or unlock the broadcast. In other cases, the user is induced to download apps or extensions that may contain malicious software capable of harvesting confidential information from the device.
The warning is given in a situation in which many users do not know how to identify malicious links: 39% of Latin Americans do not know how to recognize a fake website, and 11% are not sure how to check if a page is legitimate, even when they already suspect it, according to research from the company.
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"During this period, the most dangerous rival for many fans will not be on the field, but on the internet. Cyber criminals know that millions of people will be looking for last-minute streams and take advantage of this behavior to position fraudulent pages that imitate legitimate streaming services. In many cases, these sites are designed to collect credentials, personal data, or financial information, while others may distribute malicious software capable of compromising the victim's device. What makes these campaigns especially effective is the combination of social engineering and an increasingly convincing appearance of legitimacy, which makes it difficult for users to identify the fraud before handing over their information," says Leandro Cuzzo, a Security Analyst of the Global Research and Analysis Team at Kaspersky.
To avoid falling victim to these scams, Kaspersky advises:
- Connect only to official and authorized platforms to watch the matches. Avoid accessing broadcasts through links shared on social networks, messaging groups, or sites that promise free access to premium content.
- Review the page's address: before entering your information, carefully look at the URL. Fake sites often change a letter, add strange words, or use addresses similar to the real ones to confuse you. If you are in doubt, close the page and enter the official site yourself from the browser.
- Do not download applications, extensions, or players from unknown links: if a page asks you to install something to unlock streaming, close pop-up windows or improve the quality of the video, avoid continuing. These files may contain malicious software or allow theft of information from the device.
- Use an updated security solution on all devices: tools like Kaspersky Premium detect and block fraudulent websites, phishing attempts, and other online threats before the user interacts with them.
For more advice on how to protect yourself in the digital world, visit the blog of Kaspersky.