Falling victim to an infostealer, such as Redline, is arguably one of the biggest threats to consumers—individual users who might seem less lucrative targets compared to businesses. Traditional malware often targets enterprises, banking on their urgency to maintain operations and their capacity to pay hefty ransoms. Consumers, on the other hand, might find it more feasible to replace their PC than to negotiate with cybercriminals.
Redline isn't your average malware. It's designed to slip past enterprise-level EDR systems, and its track record includes breaching government and military defences. This level of sophistication spells disaster for the average user, whose PC is a treasure trove of sensitive data: personal information, emails, family photos, financial details, and possibly even identification documents. Worse still, Redline can introduce additional malware, potentially enabling attackers to spy through webcams.
This scenario is alarming for any adult, but the risk to children online is even more concerning.
While some malware distributors might target large corporations out of a misguided sense of ethics, others exhibit no such restraint, targeting anyone within reach, including children. This is particularly alarming given recent findings by Kaspersky, which revealed that Redline stealer is being disguised as game cheats on YouTube—a platform and category with a significant child audience.
Case in Point: A YouTube Distribution Example
Consider the channel PRIERS, as seen above, which boasts a modest following of just 2 subscribers. Within the first 12 seconds of this video, it instructs viewers on disabling their device's protection—ensuring the malware operates unimpeded.
This strategy of masquerading malicious software as harmless game cheats not only underscores the ease with which these threats are distributed but also highlights the vulnerability of a demographic often overlooked in discussions on cybersecurity: children.
A very common stealer malware, like Redline, can be used beyond the conventional understanding of cyber threats. This scenario preys on the common misconception that antivirus software may incorrectly flag legitimate software—like game cheats—as malicious. This grey area provides fertile ground for malware distributors, allowing them to exploit the trust of unsuspecting users. The tactic is alarmingly simple: convince users to disable their antivirus under the guise of overcoming 'false' positives, thereby ensuring malware like Redline can operate unhindered.
A subtle hint to the operational deceit lies in the adversary's choice of language settings—often displayed as EN on the desktop, possibly to align with the target audience or to obfuscate their true location. Delving into the Command and Control (C2) server's location reveals a web of complexities further entangled by the staggering statistics provided by Hudson Rock: over 317,000 Warframe user accounts compromised, a significant fraction of the game's 36 million registered users.
Feb 2023, Warframe Compromised Users, Credits: Hudson Rock
The data, revealing continuous breaches with the last compromised account detected merely hours before reporting, underscores the relentless nature of this threat.
Data Pulled from Naz.API