Security News > 2024 > June > Malware peddlers love this one social engineering trick!

Attackers are increasingly using a clever social engineering technique to get users to install malware, Proofpoint researchers are warning.

Getting users to install malware on their computers was always a matter of finding the right lure and bypassing security protections.

If the desire or need to see the webpage/document is great, many users will go through the outlined steps to "Install the root certificate", "Resolve the issue", "Install the extension", or "Update the DNS cache manually".

"Although the attack chain requires significant user interaction to be successful, the social engineering is clever enough to present someone with what looks like a real problem and solution simultaneously, which may prompt a user to take action without considering the risk," the researchers noted.

Various attackers - including an initial access broker and at least one actor using leveraging fake updates - have been using this particular trick since March 2024.

The visual lures and instructions change, but the goal is the same: get the user to run PowerShell and install malware.

News URL

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2024/06/17/social-engineering-malware-installation/