FBI: Online file converters leveraged for malware distribution

Organizations and individuals have been warned by the FBI's Denver office regarding the increasing prevalence of scams that use fake online file converter sites to facilitate the spread of malware, ransomware, and other malicious payloads, CBS News reports. Aside from obtaining access to victims' computers, such bogus file converters also enable the theft of Social Security numbers, credentials, financial account details, and other personal data, said FBI Denver, which noted the global scope of the malicious scheme. Such a technique may have been leveraged in the cyberattack against major U.S. local newspaper publisher Lee Enterprises last month, which was later claimed by the Qilin ransomware operation. "The best way to thwart these fraudsters is to educate people so they don't fall victim to these fraudsters in the first place," said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek, who urged victims of such a scheme to immediately report to the agency.