Cybercriminals are getting sneakier, and millions are falling for it.
Leading cyber safety company, Gen revealed in its latest Threat Report a staggering 614% rise in “Scam-Yourself Attacks.”
These scams manipulate people into unknowingly installing malware through a variety of methods.
- Fake Tutorials – cybercriminals use video tutorials on platforms like YouTube to lure people into installing malware while pretending to provide a free download for a paid software.
- ClickFix Scams – under the guise of “fixing” a computer issue, a fake technical solution prompts people to copy a text into the command prompt, ultimately giving cybercriminals control of their system.
- FakeCaptcha – a fake CAPTCHA prompt that copies text of a dangerous code onto your clipboard and instructs the person to install this malicious content onto their device.
- Fake Updates – malware disguised as a necessary software update guides people to paste a malicious script into their system, giving attackers admin privileges.
Other threats are booming too. Ransomware attacks doubled, and mobile spyware surged 166%, targeting identity theft and banking credentials.
AI is also a double-edged sword—used both to enhance scams like deepfake phishing and to combat them with tools like Norton Genie, which offers real-time scam detection.
