Spammers are getting wilier at infiltrating websites. According to Jerome Segura from Malwarebytes Unpacked, some have slipped past YouTube's filters and successfully uploaded pornographic material to the video-sharing website. It's not simply the appearance of porn on YouTube that poses a serious problem; these uploaded videos further trick users into following a dangerous link.
Once the user clicks that link and leaves YouTube, the scam displays a message asking for age confirmation via SMS. However, sending the SMS message actually charges the victim a fee. The goal of these porn-spammers is to generate traffic from YouTube to external websites.
This onslaught of porn spam is targeted towards Russian viewers, possibly a reason why YouTube did not immediately identify and take down the material. Youporntube.ru and Russiapronz.info, both known for malware and fraud, are two of the redirects after a user clicks on the link within the video. Not surprisingly, the videos that have been found so far were updated within a few hours from same-day or dormant accounts.
Giving Porn A Bad Name?
No matter how you feel about pornography, malware and scam problems aren't singular to this controversial industry. Bob Hansmann, security research marketing manager at Websense, claims that any popular site is at risk for malvertising.
"Past research by the Websense Security Labs has actually illustrated that popular beats porn when it comes to malicious content," he said in a statement.
Want proof? Just look at well-known sites like the New York Times, Huffington Post and Spotify. You might be surprised to find out that within the past year they've suffered from malicious ads and attacks. Facebook was also subject to elaborate scams: one dubbed "Text Girlie" invited victims to a Skype chat and convinced users to sign up for an adult dating service. Spam attacks have breached all different networks from social sites to photo-sharing services. Bottom line is, all sites are at risk for malware threats.
Be Smart In The Face Of Threats
Luckily, there are ways to protect yourself against spam and malware threats. Some solutions are common-sense: for instance, don't send out a text message to someone you don't know. If you decide to send an SMS, Google the short code and see if it's been found in scam reports. To avoid inappropriate material for you and your kids, it's a good idea to use YouTube's "Safety Mode" feature that usually blocks that content.
Another important step to take is securing your computer and mobile devices. Be careful about the information you share on the Internet and look out for suspicious-looking emails in your inbox. Consider using a browser with built-in defenses like Google Chrome, or installing anti-malware software onto your devices.
Fighting spam is not a losing cause if you're armed with the right tools.
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