Infostealer deployed via TikTok videos

Infosecurity Magazine reports that potentially artificial intelligence-created TikTok videos have been leveraged by threat actors to deploy the Vidar and StealC information-stealing payloads as part of a new malware campaign.

Malicious short-form videos with AI voice-overs purporting to have instructions for activating Microsoft Office, Spotify, and other widely used software lure targeted users into executing a nefarious PowerShell script that conceals files from Windows Defender, downloads Vidar or StealC, ensures execution via retry logic, and establishes persistence, according to a report from Trend Micro, which noted that all TikTok accounts associated with the videos have since been inactive. Such findings should prompt organizations to bolster defense strategies with advanced threat detection mechanisms. Aside from maintaining vigilance on social media posts with technical instructions potentially associated with malicious activity, organizations should also adopt behavioral detection tools and strengthen user education programs on social engineering tactics, said Trend Micro.