- Stofkers exploit tendency issues to deceive viewers to lose cryptography
- BitDefender warns millions at risk of accounts as a kidnapped content
- Cyber attacks now go to influencers on YouTube, Instagram and beyond
Cybercriminals are kidnapping popular YouTube channels at an alarming pace, exposing the spectators to scams, malware and data theft, and with billions of views and millions of followers at stake, an incorrect click can have devastating consequences.
New research carried out by Bitdefender Labs states that social media accounts acquisitions increased for 2024 and continued to evolve in early 2025.
Content creators and influencers with significant followers and significant counts have become main objectives.
Verification before interaction
Bitdefender detected more than 9,000 lively live broadcasts on YouTube in 2024. These are often housed in kidnapped channels that are passed by reliable brands and public figures to spread fraud and malware.
One of those committed accounts had a total vision count of 12.4 billion; If only 1% of the spectators were deceived, 124 million users would be affected.
The attackers often pass popular brands such as Tesla, Ripple or Spacex, which organize false live broadcasts with public figures of public figures such as Elon Musk or Donald Trump to promote scams of cryptocurrencies and phishing links.
Beyond YouTube, Instagram has also been an important goal. The hackers are passed through the goal or instagram support in PHISHING Electronic Posts, clone login pages and manipulate creators to share SMS verification codes.
Malicious sponsorships are another infiltration method. Cybercounts attract creators to download malware files disguised as promotional content. Malvertishing: Ads for false tools or games such as GTA VI – that install information robberies and remote access Trojans in victims devices are also common tactics.
The events that attract the large online public, such as Apple’s key notes, XRP-SEC demand or CS2 tournaments, are frequently exploited. The attackers use these maximum interest moments to launch scams disguised as live broadcasts or official competitions.
For example, during the Cryptographic Summit of the White House 2025, the false YouTube flows promoted fraudulent airplanes to deceive the spectators to deliver confidential or cryptocurrency information.
How to stay safe
To stay safe, creators are urged to use the best browsers with incorporated safety characteristics, enable multifactor authentication (MFA) and closely monitor the account activity for suspicious changes. Examining unexpected sponsorship offers, especially those linked to tendency issues, is also essential.
It is recommended to implement the best protection to protect against service interruptions after account acquisitions and use a reliable proxy service to add a layer of anonymity and safety by administering accounts on all platforms.
BitDefender also advises creators to train team members about current threats and remain updated through official platform safety bulletins and cybersecurity researchers.
Tools such as BitDefender Security for Creators offer dedicated protection, which includes accounts monitoring 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, scam email filters and guided recovery options in case of non -compliance.
