WATCH THE VIDEO HERE Researchers at cybersecurity firm, Bitdefender Labs, have revealed that cybercriminals are now targeting Facebook users with a new campaign leveraging Meta’s advertising network to spread SYS01 infostealer malware. In their latest report, Bifender Lab’s researchers, Ionut Alexandru, BALTARIU Nicolae POSTOLACHI Alina BÎZGĂ, revealed that attackers are impersonating well-known brands like Netflix, Office 365, and CapCut to lure users into downloading malware. This campaign, primarily targeting older male users, seeks to hijack accounts and collect personal information from unsuspecting victims. Bitdefender’s report highlights that hackers have been using Facebook ads to mimic legitimate software from popular brands. Fake ads have promoted Netflix with enticing claims like “free, no ads” streaming, as well as productivity and editing tools, virtual private networks (VPNs), messaging apps, and even video games. “These ads link users to MediaFire, a cloud storage service, allowing direct download of a malicious ZIP file. “The file contains an Electron application embedded with SYS01 malware, which operates in the background while mimicking the appearance of the advertised app,” the report stated. The report explained that SYS01 malware is designed to evade detection from security tools, employing several tactics such as sandbox detection and real-time updates from command and control servers.
Researchers uncover new malware campaign targeting Facebook users globally through ads
