Threat actors may attempt to distribute malware, including ransomware, by offering free document converters, according to a March 7 report from the FBI’s Denver office. “Agents are increasingly seeing” this type of scam. The scheme has been deployed globally, the FBI warned.
Threat actors behind the document converter scam disguise malicious software as a legitimate tool for file conversion. The software may claim to convert .doc files to .pdf files, merge multiple .jpg files into a single .pdf file, or download MP3 or MP4 audio files. In most cases, the downloaded software performs the advertised conversion. However, it also grants the attacker access to the victim’s computer.
Once installed, the malware allows threat actors to download additional malicious software or access files submitted for conversion. If these files contain identifying information — such as dates of birth, social security numbers, or phone numbers — the threat actor may exploit them for identity theft. The attacker could scrape the submitted files for banking information, seed phrases and other information associated with cryptocurrency wallets, email addresses, and passwords.
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