3,000+ YouTube videos deliver malware disguised as free software

YouTube is arguably the astir fashionable and astir visited level for entertainment, acquisition and tutorials. There's a video for everything connected YouTube, whether you privation to larn however to cook, thrust a motorcycle oregon request assistance with enactment oregon school. But caller probe by Check Point reveals a darker side: a sprawling malware organisation web softly operating wrong the platform. Hackers are utilizing compromised accounts, fake engagement and clever societal engineering to dispersed information-stealing malware disguised successful much than 3,000 bundle cracks and crippled hack videos.

Most victims statesman by searching for escaped oregon cracked software, cheat tools oregon crippled hacks, which is the basal of the corruption chain. This curiosity for "free" bundle opens the doorway to the Ghost Network's traps.

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Cybercriminals are exploiting YouTube’s monolithic scope by disguising malware wrong fake "how-to" and "free software" videos. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

All astir YouTube's shade network

According to Check Point Research, the YouTube Ghost Network has been progressive since 2021, with enactment surging threefold successful 2025. It's built astir a elemental but effectual formula, which blends societal manipulation with method stealth. The network's superior targets are radical searching for "Game Hacks/Cheats" and "Software Cracks/Piracy."

Researchers discovered that these videos often diagnostic affirmative comments, likes and assemblage posts from compromised oregon fake accounts. This coordinated engagement gives imaginable victims a mendacious consciousness of safety.

The fake societal impervious and fabricated likes, comments and subscriber enactment play a cardinal intelligence role. They instrumentality viewers into believing the contented is morganatic and wide trusted, allowing the cognition to persist adjacent erstwhile YouTube removes idiosyncratic videos oregon channels. The network's modular operation and changeless replacement of banned accounts marque takedowns lone temporarily effective.

Once a idiosyncratic clicks the provided links, they're usually taken to file-sharing services oregon phishing sites hosted connected Google Sites, MediaFire, Dropbox oregon akin platforms. The linked files are often password-protected archives, making them harder for antivirus tools to scan. Victims are past asked to disable Windows Defender earlier installation, efficaciously disarming their ain extortion earlier moving the malware.

Check Point recovered that the bulk of these attacks present information-stealing malware specified arsenic Lumma Stealer, Rhadamanthys, StealC and RedLine. These programs harvest passwords, browser information and different delicate information, sending it backmost to the attacker's bid and power servers.

What makes the web peculiarly resilient is its role-based structure. Each compromised YouTube relationship serves a function; immoderate upload malicious videos, others station download links and a 3rd radical boosts credibility by commenting and liking content. When an relationship gets banned, it's rapidly replaced, allowing the cognition to proceed mostly uninterrupted.

A azygous click connected a malicious nexus tin disable your defenses and instal information-stealing malware successful seconds. (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)

Inside the malicious campaigns

Two large campaigns stood retired successful Check Point's investigation. The archetypal progressive the Rhadamanthys infostealer, dispersed done a compromised YouTube transmission named @Sound_Writer, which had astir 10,000 subscribers.

The attackers uploaded fake cryptocurrency-related videos and utilized phishing pages connected Google Sites to administer malicious archives. These pages instructed viewers to "turn disconnected Windows Defender temporarily," assuring them it was a mendacious alert. The archives contained executable files that softly installed the Rhadamanthys malware, which connected to aggregate power servers to exfiltrate stolen data.

The 2nd campaign, involving HijackLoader and Rhadamanthys, leveraged a overmuch larger channel, @Afonesio1, with astir 129,000 subscribers. Here, attackers uploaded videos offering cracked versions of Adobe Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and FL Studio.

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One of these videos gained implicit 291,000 views and dozens of glowing comments claiming the bundle worked perfectly. The malware was hidden wrong a password-protected archive linked done a assemblage post. The installer utilized HijackLoader to driblet the Rhadamanthys payload, which past connected to rotating power servers each fewer days to debar detection.

Even if you ne'er implicit the installation, you tin inactive beryllium astatine risk. Simply visiting the phishing oregon file-hosting sites whitethorn exposure you to malicious scripts oregon credential theft prompts disguised arsenic "verification" steps. Clicking the incorrect nexus tin compromise login information earlier immoderate bundle is adjacent installed.

Strong passwords, two-factor authentication, and regular information scans are your champion defence against YouTube’s Ghost Network. (Cyberguy.com)

7 steps you tin instrumentality to enactment harmless from YouTube's shade network

The Ghost Network succeeds by exploiting curiosity and trust. It disguises malware arsenic "free software" oregon "game hacks," relying connected users to click earlier thinking. Protecting yourself means adopting habits that marque it harder for attackers to fool you. Here are 7 steps to enactment safe:

1) Avoid cracked bundle and cheat downloads

Most infections commencement with radical trying to download pirated oregon modified programs. These files are often hosted connected unregulated file-sharing websites wherever anyone tin upload malicious content. Even if a YouTube video looks polished oregon filled with affirmative comments, that doesn't mean it's safe. Official bundle developers and gaming studios ne'er administer downloads done YouTube links oregon third-party sites.

Besides being dangerous, downloading cracked bundle besides poses ineligible risks. Piracy violates copyright instrumentality and tin pb to superior consequences, portion giving cybercriminals a cleanable transportation transmission for malware.

2) Use a beardown antivirus

Make definite you person a trusted antivirus solution installed and ever running. Real-time extortion tin observe suspicious downloads and artifact harmful files earlier they bash immoderate damage. Schedule regular strategy scans and support your antivirus updated truthful it tin admit the latest threats.

The champion mode to safeguard yourself from malicious links that instal malware, perchance accessing your backstage information, is to person beardown antivirus bundle installed connected each your devices. This extortion tin besides alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your idiosyncratic accusation and integer assets safe.

Get my picks for the champion 2025 antivirus extortion winners for your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices at Cyberguy.com

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3) Never disable your antivirus oregon Windows Defender

If a tutorial oregon installer tells you to disable your information software, that's a reddish flag. Malware creators usage this instrumentality to bypass detection. There's nary morganatic crushed to crook disconnected protection, adjacent temporarily. The infinitesimal a record asks you to bash so, delete it immediately.

4) Be cautious with YouTube links and download sources

Always inspect links earlier clicking. Hover implicit them to cheque the destination and debar shortened oregon redirected URLs that fell their existent target. Downloads hosted connected unfamiliar domains oregon file-sharing sites should beryllium treated arsenic unsafe. If you request software, get it straight from the authoritative website oregon trusted open-source communities.

5) Use a password manager and alteration two-factor authentication (2FA)

Turning connected 2FA for important accounts adds different furniture of protection, ensuring that adjacent if idiosyncratic gets your password, they can't entree your account. Malware often aims to bargain saved passwords and browser data. Storing credentials successful a password manager keeps them encrypted and abstracted from your browser, making them harder to steal. Consider utilizing a password manager, which securely stores and generates analyzable passwords, reducing the hazard of password reuse. 

Next, spot if your email has been exposed successful past breaches. Our #1 password manager (see CyberGuy.com) prime includes a built-in breach scanner that checks whether your email code oregon passwords person appeared successful known leaks. If you observe a match, instantly alteration immoderate reused passwords and unafraid those accounts with new, unsocial credentials. 

Check retired the champion expert-reviewed password managers of 2025 at CyberGuy.com

6) Keep your operating strategy and apps updated

Software updates don't conscionable bring caller features, but they besides hole information flaws that malware tin exploit. Enable automatic updates for your system, browser, and commonly utilized applications. Staying up to day is 1 of the simplest ways to forestall infections.

7) Use a trusted information removal service

Even aft securing your system, your idiosyncratic accusation mightiness already beryllium circulating online from past breaches. A reliable information removal work tin continuously scan and petition deletion of your information from people-search and broker sites, making it harder for cybercriminals to exploit your exposed information.

While nary work tin warrant the implicit removal of your information from the internet, a information removal work is truly a astute choice.  They aren’t cheap, and neither is your privacy.  These services bash each the enactment for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your idiosyncratic accusation from hundreds of websites.  It’s what gives maine bid of caput and has proven to beryllium the astir effectual mode to erase your idiosyncratic information from the internet.  By limiting the accusation available, you trim the hazard of scammers cross-referencing information from breaches with accusation they mightiness find connected the acheronian web, making it harder for them to people you.

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Kurt's cardinal takeaway

Cybercriminals person evolved beyond accepted phishing and email scams. By exploiting a level built connected spot and engagement, they person created a scalable, self-sustaining strategy for malware distribution. Frequent record updates, password-protected payloads, and shifting power servers marque these campaigns hard for some YouTube and information vendors to observe and unopen down.

Do you deliberation YouTube is doing capable to halt malware organisation connected its platform? Let america cognize by penning to america at CyberGuy.com

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