A simple Zoom call can turn your life upside-down

True cybersecurity is slowly becoming a thing of the past, as hackers are finding more ways of breaking into people’s computers. A new scam is on the rise that is causing people to lose their possessions. This attack uses a phony Zoom call to hack users’ computers and steal their cryptocurrency.

This new attack, called “Elusive Comet,” should be pretty easy to avoid, but the attackers are pretty thorough with how they execute it. While the attackers seem to be targeting people’s crypto wallets, it could be used for other nefarious reasons.

Hackers can use a simple Zoom call to steal users’ cryptocurrency

This is the kind of scam that preys on people’s naivety. Trail of Bits, (via BleepingComputer) a team of cybersecurity researchers, has seen this scam, and it’s a pretty simple one. Firstly, the hacker would seek out notable figures, falsely claiming to be from popular media outlets. Then, they would ask the victim to join a Zoom call under the false pretense that they want to have a discussion with them.

If they agree to the Zoom call, the hacker would send the victim a Zoom call invitation through Calendly. When the victim clicks on the invite, they get a pop-up with the text “Zoom is requesting remote control of your screen.” If the other signs were red flags, this pop-up would be a large glowing neon sign with the words “TURN AROUND!!”

“What makes this attack particularly dangerous is the permission dialog’s similarity to other harmless Zoom notifications,” a researcher at Trail of Bits said. Sadly, most people wouldn’t know that granting remote control of your screen is something they should never do. This is why this attack has actually worked. Once the hacker gains access, they get to work breaking into the system and targeting the users’ crypto wallets. Then… well, you know the drill; They drain them.

One pretty scary thing the hackers do is install malware that maintains the backdoor they’ve established. This means that, while they target crypto wallets, they still have access to their computers. There’s no telling what other information they’ll have access to. This is the kind of hack that can turn a person’s entire life upside-down. It’s why you should always be careful about who you communicate with on social media. Also, don’t grant any program permissions that they don’t need.

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