Security News > 2020 > February > Beware of malware disguised as Oscar-nominated movies including Joker and Parasite
Joker was the hottest film among cybercriminals with 304 malicious files named after Batman's arch-nemesis, says security firm Kaspersky.
Looking at malware inspired by the Oscars, researchers at Kaspersky discovered more than 20 phishing websites and 925 malicious files that were presented as free movies.
For its research, Kaspersky analyzed malicious content masquerading at nominated films during the first four weeks after the public premiere of the film.
1917 came in second with 215 associated malicious files, leaving The Irishman in third place with 179 malicious files, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood with just over 150 files.
"Cybercriminals aren't exactly tied to the dates of film premieres, as they are not really distributing any content except for malicious data," Anton Ivanov, Kaspersky malware analyst, said in a press release.