Hackers can use many ways to steal information, passwords and compromise our network security. Sometimes they use methods that you do not expect. One of them is to use the YouTube comments, of any video, to attract the attention of the victim and take you to a page where they sneak some malware or even steal your passwords without you noticing.
YouTube comments to strain viruses
It is another strategy. After all, cybercriminals tend to adapt to what users use the most. They are based on programs, social networks or any online service that is very popular and thus achieve success. And yes, that is what they do with YouTube and the comments that anyone can make.
But what exactly do they do? A clear example is when they post a comment with a link to a fraudulent website. They take advantage of the fact that a video is popular and there may be many users watching it, to sneak Spam or any link that leads to a malicious website. It is true that there are filters to avoid this type of message, but some always slip through.
Such a fake link can lead to a page where the victim downloads a malicious file. For example, a supposed program, video file, document… Cybercriminals can use anything as bait to sneak in a virus and gain control of the device.
In addition, in this way they could also use fake links to carry out Phishing attacks. For example, the victim arrives at a website to log in to a social network, in the mail or on the YouTube platform itself. However, by putting the data they are actually sending it to a server controlled by the attackers.
Beware of links in descriptions
In the descriptions of the videos, the creator can leave links of interest. For example to see another related video, a product they talk about in the video, a website to have more information, etc. But of course, that link could be malicious and lead to any site full of malware.
Keep in mind that several things can happen. One is that this YouTube channel has been created with the aim of scamming visitors. They use any hook to make people click on those links in the description and thus steal information or sneak some kind of virus.
But it could also be that this YouTube channel is legitimate, even very popular, but a cybercriminal has stolen the account and has access to it. You could modify the description of the videos at your whim and be able to put fake links there and everything you want to fool anyone who enters.
Therefore, as you have seen, they can scam you and sneak malware or steal passwords through YouTube. The methods are basically through public comments that anyone can post, but also links that may be in the description. In both cases, they can cause serious problems, since we could be downloading dangerous files or logging in to pages controlled by attackers.
