US EditionGoogle and Check Point nuke massive YouTube malware network
The campaign used over 3,000 videos to spread infostealing malware via fake and hijacked YouTube accounts, targeting credentials and crypto wallets, Check Point said.
- Check Point reported over 3,000 malware-laced YouTube videos to Google on September 25th, leading to their removal after coordinated efforts.
- Check Point found the network has been active since 2021 and surged in 2025, tripling malicious videos using uploaders, commenters, and link distributors with hijacked accounts.
- Malicious uploads promised cracked software and game cheats; a Photoshop lure drew almost 300,000 views on a channel with 129,000 subscribers, while victims downloaded malware from Dropbox and Google Drive.
- Check Point said the campaign compromised thousands of victims by stealing credentials, crypto wallets and system data, with Eli Smadja warning, `In today's threat landscape, a popular-looking video can be just as dangerous as a phishing email.`
- Check Point warned the approach could be co-opted by nation-state groups, noting the network’s scale and modularity create a blueprint for weaponizing engagement tools; it shared its full report after reporting videos on September 25th.
12 Articles
12 Articles
More than 3,000 videos, disguised as software cracks or game tricks, have been the source of newstealers. A YouTube Ghost Network that relied on compromised accounts and fake comments. deleted by Google. The network used compromised accounts and false comments to install infotealers like Rhadamanthys and Lumma.
Check Point Software Technologies has revealed a large-scale cyber network hidden in one of the most trusted areas of the Internet: Youtube. What looked like harmless tutorials and software demos turned out to be a sophisticated network for the distribution of malware, known as the "YouTube Ghost Network." In summary: Check Point Research revealed the Youtube Ghost Network, a large-scale malware dissemination action, [...] The article Youtube Gh…
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