Malware behind top Grammy Award nominees

Malware at the Grammys: Cybercriminals are actively misusing the names of artists and songs nominated for the 2020 Grammy Awards to spread malware. The technologies Kaspersky security experts detected a 39% increase in Grammy attacks compared to 2018 (attacks that attempt to "download" or "run" infected files and pretend to be the work of Grammy nominees).

Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift and Post Malone were the attackers' favorites, as they used their names as disguises in most similar malware cases.

Music is universally accepted… It is not only entertainment, but also a way of healing and education, as well as through it a separate channel of communication is created between artist and audience. Its popularity and widespread availability is why, even in the age of streaming services, music is not free of malicious activity: criminals use the names of popular artists to spread malicious software hidden in music tracks or music videos. .

In the light of the biggest music awards of the year, Kaspersky's researchers analyzed this year's Grammy 2020 artist and song nominations by detecting malware that exploits their names. As a result, Kaspersky has detected 1 malwares that use the names of artists or their tracks to spread malware, with 30.982 users of Kaspersky products being exposed.

Artists and Singles candidates for Grammy analyzed for malware

 The analysis of the candidate artists showed that the names of Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift and Post Malone were used more to disguise malicious files, with more than half (55%) of the detected malicious files containing their name.

Unique malware that uses selected candidate names for Grammy identified by its products Kaspersky.

The number of attempts to "download" or execute files containing the names of these pop stars has also increased significantly for almost all of the artists surveyed.

Attacks on product users Kaspersky using files with selected candidate names for Grammy  

Η connection μεταξύ της αύξησης στη δημοτικότητα και της κακόβουλης δραστηριότητας είναι αρκετά εμφανής στην περίπτωση των νεότερων καλλιτεχνών όπως η Billie Eilish. Η έφηβη τραγουδίστρια έγινε εξαιρετικά δημοφιλής το 2019, και ο αριθμός των χρηστών που “κατέβασαν” κακόβουλα αρχεία με το όνομά της σχεδόν δεκαπλασιάστηκε σε σύγκριση με 2018 από 254 σε 2.171. Ωστόσο, ενώ η υποψηφιότητα για ένα υψηλού κύρους βραβείο και η αναγνώριση που συνδέονται με αυτό επηρεάζουν το ενδιαφέρον των χρηστών για συγκεκριμένους καλλιτέχνες και, ως εκ τούτου, την ανάπτυξη κακόβουλης δραστηριότητας, αυτό δεν είναι απαραιτήτως η περίπτωση για πιο καθιερωμένους καλλιτέχνες, όπως η Lady Gaga, της οποίας το όνομα χρησιμοποιήθηκε για ακόμα περισσότερες επιθέσεις σε σύγκριση με το προηγούμενο έτος.

Malicious activity related to Billie Eilish

Kaspersky also analyzed which recordings and songs were nominated for a Grammy in 2019 and attracted the attention of cybercriminals. The Sunflower of Post Malone, the "Talk" of Khalid and the Old Town Road of Lil Nas X's were used for more attacks than any other song.

"Cybercriminals understand what is popular and always try to take advantage of it. Music, along with TV shows, is one of the most popular forms of entertainment and, therefore, an attractive means of dissemination. malware, which criminals easily exploit. However, as we see more and more users subscribe to music streaming platforms, which do not require downloading files to play music, we are hopeful that the malicious activity associated with this type of content will decrease.” Anton Ivanov commented, security Kapsersky analyst.

To avoid falling prey to malicious programs that pretend to be popular music files, the Kaspersky recommends following these steps: 

• If you want to listen to or "download" songs from well-known artists, use trusted ones services όπως η Apple Music, το Spotify Premium και η Amazon Music. Ή δοκιμάστε να βρείτε έναν δωρεάν και αξιόπιστο ιστότοπο μουσικής που σας επιτρέπει να κάνετε λήψη τραγουδιών νόμιμα.
• Try to avoid suspicious links, which promise exclusive music content. Check out official music social media accounts or read reputable music blogs like Pitchfork to make sure there is such content.
• Check the file extension you have downloaded. Even if you are going to "download" an audio or video file from a source that you consider reliable and legitimate, the file should have mp3, .avi, .mkv or .mp4 extension among other music and video formats, definitely not .exe or .lnk.

Use a reliable security solution for complete protection.