Barbie malware: India among top five countries facing attacks, says McAfee research

A research by the online protection company McAfee has said that India is among the top three countries in the world that have been facing major malware attacks in the guise of selling Barbie merchandise. The buzz around the Hollywood film has been huge, and the film has also had an impressive weekend opening. (Also read: Barbie box office: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling film drops to ₹2.5 cr)

Barbie related malware

Steve Grobman, CTO of McAfee said in a statement, “A rash of scams have cropped up online, including bogus downloads of the film that install malware, Barbie-related viruses, and fake videos that point people to free tickets—but lead to links that steal personal info with spyware instead.”

He added, “Cybercriminals are always on the lookout for opportunities to make phishing and other scams more attractive and believable. They often leverage popular and well-publicized events such as movie premieres, concerts, or sporting events to trick users into clicking on malicious links.”

US top target, India among top 5

A report on the company’s website said that 100 new instances of malware with Barbie-related filenames have been witnessed over the past three weeks. “Once again, this shows how attackers have latched onto the movie’s hype, hoping the people will click the malicious files because the Barbie name is trending. The types of files varied but included typical types such as .html and .exe. By and large, attackers focused on the US, yet other countries have found themselves targeted as well.”

With consumers searching Barbie-related items online, thereby becoming more vulnerable to falling for a scam, McAfee encouraged caution. The company also shared examples of the scams. These include random links to download the movie in languages such as Hindi and Tamil.

The report added, “In India, McAfee has seen several examples of malicious campaigns that attempt to trick victims into downloading the “Barbie” movie in different languages. By clicking the link, it prompts victims to download a .zip file, which is packed with malware.”

About Barbie movie

Directed by Greta Gerwig, Barbie features Margot Robbie as ‘Stereotypical Barbie’ doll, while Ryan Gosling stars as Ken. The film was released in theatres worldwide on Friday.