USERS of OnlyFans are being targeted by cyber criminals as part of a new malware campaign that seeks to take over smartphones and PCs.
OnlyFans is an adult content subscription platform where paying users can access private photos, videos, and posts from models, celebrities, and social media personalities.
Boxing star and OnlyFans content creator Elle BrookeInstagram / @thedumbledong
But con artists are trying to take advantage of cheeky OnlyFans users who attempt to search for free pictures on a web browser, according to new research from cyber security company eSentire.
The campaign, which experts believe was launched in January 2023, attempts to trick people into clicking what they think is a premium OnlyFans collection of images and videos.
However, it is instead a Zip file containing a remote access trojan known as ‘DcRAT’.
Remote access malware essentially gives criminals a key into whichever device downloads it, be it your iPhone, Android or computer.
Cyber crooks are able to use this malware to install ransomware and access webcams, documents, texts, images and log in credentials in one fell swoop.
The personal data that is stolen is often sold on to other hackers on the dark web.
“File naming convention suggest the victims were lured using explicit photos or OnlyFans content for various adult film actresses,” experts wrote in their report.
Researchers were unable to identify how victims were served the Zip file.
But the nature of the content means it will be harder for experts to find out, as victims will be reluctant to report such incidences.
“The use of lures related to adult content decreases likelihood of self-reporting by victims,” experts noted, which is part of the reason why the campaign has been successful.
“Public samples linked to the activity mentioned above date back to January 2023 and show no significant changes.
“This suggests the operators… have likely sustained some success over this six-month period.”
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