An already known virus is back to steal users’ personal data, particularly in France. Named WarmCookie, the latter slips into false alerts to “update your internet browser”.
Vigilance. This week, researchers at Gen Threat Labs drew attention to the return of a threat to our personal data. Very active in France for several weeks, this campaign, with malware called WarmCookie, uses false browser updates to infiltrate the computers of unsuspecting users.
Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Java or even Microsoft Edge, the malware imitates these software used daily.
Typically, WarmCookie hides behind fake web pages. But, in some cases, cybercriminals can display a fake alert window to make these updates.
how to spot the scam?
Once installed, the software is therefore capable of collecting user data but also allows cybercriminals to take screenshots on victims’ devices. These captures make it possible to recover the victims’ identifiers, passwords and bank details.
To avoid being the next prey of one of these malware, known as “FakeUpdate” or “ScreenLocker”, you simply have to keep one thing in mind: browsers are updated automatically. Software will therefore never ask a user to perform an update manually.
You must also remain vigilant when downloading anything from the Internet, by checking the site link for example. Hovering your mouse pointer over it without clicking on it may cause it to appear and show a strange URL link.
WarmCookie was discovered, for the first time, in 2023. Its previous attempt was based on the phishing method, where a user is tricked into providing their personal data. At this time, the scam was creeping into job offers.
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