Beware of malware via YouTube links: this is how you recognize it

There is a problem on YouTube with malware being distributed via links below videos. In many cases, it is allegedly free software that you can download, but in reality the tool steals your personal data and passwords.

YouTube malware

In Youtube, content creators can share a link under a video that in many cases points to useful information related to the topic of the video. South Korean researchers have now discovered that malicious parties are abusing web links in the description or subtitles of videos. Once you click on the link or enter it into your address bar, you will be taken to a website where you are essentially downloading malware.

In many cases, this malware proliferation method occurs with YouTube links that allow you to download supposedly free software. As an example, the researchers show a case where you can download an ‘aimbot’ for the well-known shooter game Valorant. An aimbot is a tool to cheat in games because you automatically hit.

The YouTube link will take you to a webpage where you can download a zip file that would contain the aimbot. If you unzip the file, you are in fact bringing in malware. She steals your bank details, personal data and passwords. If you happen to keep crypto coins in a wallet, she can steal them too. ‘RedLine’ is the name of the malware being used.

This is how you protect yourself

If you want to avoid falling victim to this form of malware yourself, you should learn to look critically at links in YouTube descriptions. If it is a link with which you can download free software, be careful. Even when you see in the comments that the free software is being praised, still be critical. Those responses may also be falsified.

And it is important that you look at which YouTube channel places the link. Is it a party you can trust, or a channel you only come into contact with before it happens? Spreading this form of malware has been around for some time, but it has been on the rise since 2021. It knows that Infosec Institute analysis of RedLine†

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