YouTube: These Scams Are Creepy, Here's How to Avoid Them

© Unsplash/Szabo Viktor

YouTube is one of the most popular platforms in the world. It is therefore quite logical that this service is a prime target for malicious actors. In this article, we will review the main threats known to date and give you some advice on how to avoid them.

What are the risks on YouTube ?

On the platform, he explains many ways to deceive users' vigilance. We know in particular that some videos presenting themselves as software tutorials or cryptocurrency advertisements are in reality just a way to make you download malware.

Cybercriminals have also taken to posting comments under videos that lead to malicious sites that pretend to be authentic. The goal is always the same: to scam you or steal your personal data, or both at the same time.

YouTubers are particularly at risk

As welivesecurity explains in a blog post, videographers are prime targets for these fraudsters. By taking control of their channels, they can benefit from their firepower to reach a large number of Internet users who sometimes don't see a thing.

To do this, they use classic methods such as phishing. This is especially easy to achieve when content producers have not enabled two-factor authentication (2FA).

Experts cite the case of a very popular channel with 800,000 subscribers that was hacked. In this context, hackers took advantage of the situation to try to get Internet users to download malware.

How to avoid the worst?

Faced with these risks, analysts therefore advise using strong and unique login credentials. Activating 2FA is also essential, as it complicates the task of cybercriminals.

It is also advisable not to click on unknown links accidentally and to keep your software up to date to benefit from the latest fixes. By monitoring the activity on your accounts, you can also spot a hack in progress. Finally, the use of effective antivirus is recommended. We have put together a very comprehensive guide on this subject.

Aware of the risks, YouTube continues to improve its security, as evidenced by the recent announcement of a new feature. The addition of community notes will indeed allow users to be warned that it is better not to trust the information presented in a video. To learn more about this initiative, you can always reread our dedicated article here.

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