Hackers need a beautiful image of space to send you nasty viruses. But how does that even work?
There are plenty of scammers online who mainly want your money and accounts. Sometimes the hackers are so bad that entire MMORPGs have to be shut down due to hackers.
The scammers use every conceivable trick to get to your data. One trick is particularly nasty right now, because the tool for it looks pretty harmless at first glance.
The image from the most modern telescope is being misused as malware
Which image is it? The James Webb Space Telescope is considered the most modern telescope of its kind and was launched into space at the end of 2021. On July 11 and 12, 2022, the first images from the device were presented to the public.
However, exactly one of these images is now being used by hackers to send you malware. This was reported by the security service Securonix on its blog.
How does the nasty trick work? Hackers use the photo from the James Webb telescope to spread malware. However, the dangerous part is not in the image file itself but rather the code that is hidden within it that downloads and installs the virus.
The image file is often distributed via phishing emails in the form of a Microsoft Office attachment, often titled “Geos-Rates.docx”. The malicious attachment downloads the malware hidden in the image and then executes it. However, you must actively open the macro contained in the Word document.
What is particularly nasty about this: Many antivirus scanners do not pick up on the virus because it is so elegantly hidden in the code of the image file.
Hackers regularly target gamers as well
Gamers are also interesting for hackers and scammers. Because often, game accounts are worth many thousands of euros if there are characters with valuable equipment. With digital currencies like Bitcoin or other coins, which have now entered many online games, such games are becoming increasingly interesting for scammers.
Recently, hackers pulled off a big coup in a Pokémon-like game. After all, over half a billion euros were stolen here:
Hackers steal €550 million from NFT game – Pokémon-like game was unfortunately too successful
