YouTube and Social Media Fuel Info-Stealer Threat: Why Corporate Email Accounts Should Never Be Used for Private Use

Attackers are increasingly using phishing emails and fake software installers to distribute info stealers, often posting malicious links on platforms like YouTube and social media. In South Africa, these scams frequently impersonate trusted brands such as major banks, Takealot, Virgin Active, Showmax, and Netflix, leading users to reputable file hosting services where malware is stored. These files are commonly password-protected or encrypted, evading detection by security systems.

Trend Micro's report "How Cracks and Installers Bring Malware to Your Device" reveals how attackers use YouTube to distribute encrypted malware via trusted hosts like Mediafire. The study warns of the dangers of downloading pirated software, which can lead to data theft.

Threat actors often rely on process injection and DLL sideloading to hide malicious code within legitimate binaries, which helps their operations avoid scrutiny. They also download additional payloads, including frequently observed info stealers such as LUMMASTEALER, PRIVATELOADER, MARSSTEALER, AMADEY, PENGUISH, or VIDAR. Once established on a system, these threats may create scheduled tasks or modify registry entries to ensure persistence even after a restart. Trend Micro’s Managed XDR detects these activities by correlating behaviours and data points across the environment, alerting security teams to suspicious execution and isolating compromised endpoints before the attackers can move laterally.

Organisations must adopt strict usage policies to protect their infrastructures. Staff members should never use their company email accounts for personal communications or rely on corporate desktops and laptops to access social media and unrelated websites.

These measures help limit the risk of credential theft and block malware from entering the corporate environment. The importance of this policy is highlighted by the Telefónica breach, where compromised infostealer logs included staff email addresses. Attackers used the stolen credentials to gain deeper access, exposing the company to significant threats that could have been mitigated with stricter security and email usage guidelines.

Employee education remains a core element of protecting against these threats. Employees should understand why threat actors distribute password-protected files and large installers that appear benign, how legitimate processes can be weaponised for malicious objectives, and what steps they can take to protect organisational data. When employees recognise these strategies, they are less likely to be fooled by installers that promise free applications.