According to a new report in the last three months there have been 140 times the number of malware threats on the platform compared to the same period last year, 17 thousand in all
Photo: via Unsplash The Discord messaging platform is not a tool preferred only by gamers around the world, but also by hackers, as new research suggests.A report from security firm Sophos shows that Discord - which has grown in popularity in recent years - now comes regularly used by cybercriminals to host, distribute and control different types of malware.
Over the past two months, Sophos has detected nearly 140 times the number of malware threats on Discord compared to the same period last year. In the second quarter of this year, the company discovered 17,000 unique malware URLs on Discord's content delivery network, nearly 5,000 of which were active at the time of writing. Most of these were programmed to steal account credentials and other personal information.
But why is it on Discord that these attacks proliferate? According to Sophos researcher Sean Gallagher, Discord has become an increasingly attractive tool for cybercriminals largely due to its vast channel infrastructure and growing customer base.
Hackers often disguise malware as tools to help gamers cheat in video games aimed primarily at a younger audience, such as Fortnite or Roblox. In other cases, victims are offered the chance to try a game that is still in development.
In the report, Sophos praised Discord for the speed with which it responds to takedown requests, but also advised users to take some steps to protect themselves from potential scams on the platform, such as multi-factor authentication, as well as making sure your device is protected by an updated antivirus service. However, the company has advised against users to download unlicensed software, regardless of the reputation of the source.
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