Malware is (probably) coming … If you hacked Game of Thrones

One of the most hacked TV shows could also be the most likely to give unauthorized downloaders a bad malware case.

The security firm Kaspersky on Monday released a new report on the use by crooks of popular TV shows to spread malicious programs. The report shows the probabilities of infecting computers with major pirated programs.

Kaspersky's results show that Game of thrones was the most risky to hack, followed by The Walking Dead and Arrow. Other at-risk shows include Suit, The Vikings, The Big Bang Theory, Supernatural, The anatomy of Gray, and That's us.

In 2018, Game of thrones Pirated downloads would have accounted for 17% of infected downloads – 20,934 users – although Game of thrones did not even publish new episodes in 2018. The first and last episodes of each season were most likely to contain malicious programs. And the first episode of the series, "Winter is Coming" is the most dangerous of all episodes.

Kaspersky found 33 types of threats related to Game of thrones pirated downloads.

Of course, the best way to avoid infection is to watch a TV show through an authorized streaming service. But if you plan to hack, Kaspersky recommends being vigilant when carrying out the act: make sure the website is legitimate before you download it, check the format and spelling of it. URL to make sure that it is not fake. Make sure the file does not end with .exe and check the comments regarding a downloadable file to make sure that they are related to the TV show.

Kaspersky notes that last year, 126,340 people were affected by malicious TV programs, one-third less than the number of people affected in 2017. But the company expects to "A new wave of malicious activity accompanying the release of the last season of Game of thrones in April 2019. "

[Kapersky via Torrent Freak]