The techniques hackers use to trick users and steal their data are becoming more complex. The most common is that they impersonate well-known companies to use them as a “hook” and get users to enter a certain link, download files or provide them with their data. It is usually easy to distinguish these emails and realize that they are a scam. But sometimes pirates are able to hide so far that they can even supplant official emailsas has happened with YouTube in this new scam.
This past week, millions of users have received an email, which supposedly came from YouTube, informing of a series of changes in the rules and policies of the platform. This email apparently comes from the official YouTube address, no-reply[at]youtube.com, so, in theory, we could think that it is an official email.
⚠️ heads up: we’re seeing reports of a phishing attempt showing no-reply@youtube.com as the sender
be cautious & don’t download/access any file if you get this email (see below)
While our teams investigate, try these tips to stay safe from phishing: https://t.co/x9Ysnm9SSm https://t.co/MNQtrB7zbx
April 05, 2023 • 00:20
At the bottom of the email, as can be seen in the screenshot, we can find a link, which takes us to Google Drive to download a document where these new policies are reported in detail. The link is protected by a code, so to download the document we will have to enter the password, which is also included in the text at the bottom, before the link.
Although they have not provided data on what is behind said link, everything indicates that it will be a document with macros, or an executable that, when launched on the PC or on the mobile, will infect us with a Trojan, which will steal our personal data, our passwords, and bank details.
It’s not YouTube, it’s a scam
From YouTube they assure that it is not an official email, but that it is a complex phishing campaign, quite difficult to detect since they use, as the sender, the official email account of the platform. And how is this possible? Because, within the upload panel of the platform, there is an option that allows us to share a private video by email. By abusing this function it is possible to give rise to emails, such as the one above, impersonating YouTube’s identity.
Again, a legitimate feature of a service, like YouTube, being used for malicious purposes. Worst of all, there’s not much we can do about it, as as long as YouTube continues to allow this feature, hackers will take advantage of it to carry out their phishing attacks.
In case you have received this email, we do not have to worry. The email itself is harmless, and it’s not going to be a problem for us. As long as, of course, we have not accessed the link, downloaded anything, and we have not provided any personal information either.
In this link, Google explains how to keep our YouTube account safe and secure, avoiding falling for the scams that come to us through emails.
