Cybercriminals are targeting women to steal payment information and other sensitive personal data, according to Kaspersky.
Capitalizing on International Women’s Day, cybercriminals are deploying enticing scams, insidious malware, and phishing lures to target unsuspecting women on community forums, shopping portals, and educational sites that focus on topics like pregnancy and fertility, the cybersecurity company said.
“It’s essential for women, who often face heightened risks online, to exercise caution when installing software or sharing personal information,” Victoria Vlasova, malware analyst team lead at Kaspersky, said in a press release.
“It’s a reminder to prioritize our digital safety and empower each other by using reliable cybersecurity measures,” she added.
Fake Giveaways, Flower-Gifting Scam
One way cybercriminals target women is by posing as a reputable brand to spread phishing links under the guise of giveaways. In a blog post on Thursday, Kaspersky detailed an example of this scheme where scammers posed as Amazon and promised lavish gifts in a message on WhatsApp.
“Welcome to the Amazon International Women’s Day Giveaway! We have more than 10,000 free gifts,” the WhatsApp message reads. It directs targets to click a link to stand a chance of winning a free gift.
While this offer may seem enticing, the ultimate aim is to infect victims’ devices with malware that gives cybercriminals access to their cameras, microphones, banking apps, contacts, and galleries.
Scammers are also exploiting the age-old tradition of gifting flowers to target women.
“On the eve of International Women’s Day, scammers promise to send women flowers, while the recipient women, they say, will only need to pay for delivery,” Kaspersky explained in its blog post. If victims agree, they’re sent a malicious link that allows the scammers to access their payment information and drain their accounts.
Doxing: Amouranth & Wolfabelle’s Accounts
Doxing is also a major threat to women, Kaspersky said, putting the spotlight on streamers Amouranth and Wolfabelle, who have shared personal stories about being victims of doxing.
“A malicious actor can use data on the victim for catfishing: creating a fake online identity with the victim’s name, face, and other personal details to set up further scams on social networks and in dating services. The least they can do is harass you with text messages, phone calls, fake deliveries, or even swatting,” the cybersecurity company explained.
Amouranth, known for her huge following on Twitch, has revealed that she’s a victim of swatting — false emergency calls leading to the police showing up at her home — several times a month. This form of harassment not only invades her privacy but also poses a real danger to her physical safety.
Another streamer, Wolfabelle, had a harrowing experience where a stalker discovered her home address and threatened to publish it unless she complied with his demands for sexual favors. The stalker even sent Wolfabelle a photograph of her house, a chilling proof of the immediacy of the threat.
Malware Used to Target Women
While threat actors typically create fake sites to spread malware, Kaspersky said some legitimate sites have fallen prey to hackers. These sites are embedded with web skimmers in their code to hijack victim’s payment data.
Kaspersky’s report also highlights two common malware — “Balada” and “SocGholish” — used in attacks against women.
The “Balada” injector malware “automatically redirects the user to bogus captcha pages and prompts them to allow notifications from the website, which results in a barrage of scam content,” Kaspersky explained.
The “SocGholish” malware has been detected on women’s community sites. It tricks victims into downloading malicious scripts disguised as browser updates. This ultimately gives threat actors unauthorized remote access to victims’ devices and allows them to harvest personal data.
How to Stay Safe Online
Here are some valuable recommendations from Kaspersky and our cybersecurity experts on how women can improve their online safety:
- Scrutinize all overly generous offers for signs of a scam. Keep an eye out for any grammatical errors, and check the sender’s address for any oddities. Read our guide to shopping safely for more actionable tips.
- Don’t click on links from unknown sources or accept offers to pay for the shipment of supposed gifts.
- Avoid sharing your location online, and use a VPN to prevent hackers from using your IP address to track your location.
- Set your profiles to private and carefully choose who you follow, as they can easily access information about you.
- Use a trusted antivirus to block malware from infecting your device.
To learn more, refer to our article on how to stay safe online.
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