'A classic honeypot': Movie fans catching up on Best Picture nominees
targeted by dangerous malware ahead of of Oscars 2026

Date:
Sat, 14 Mar 2026 18:35:00 +0000

Description:
Don't be caught up in Oscars fever, as cybercriminals and scammers are
lurking in the wings.

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Film fans targeted by Efimer malware ahead of Oscars 2026 Malware hosted on fake sites for Best Picture nominees Efimer can steal crypto, passwords and more Film fans looking to catch up on all the year's top films ahead of the Oscars 2026 have been warned to be on their guard against new cyber threats.

Experts at CyberNews have revealed a malware campaign dubbed Efimer, which targets people searching online for illegal downloads of this years Best Picture nominees. Anyone looking for their fix of Marty Supreme , Sinners or Bugonia is actually putting themselves at risk of having their information
and online accounts hacked, the experts warn. Article continues below You may like Scammers target Leonardo DiCaprio fans with malware-ridden "One Battle After Another" torrent How to watch 2026 Best Picture Oscar nominees online from anywhere from One Battle After Another to Sinners Surprise Apple TV movie joins Sinners on 2026 Best Picture Oscars shortlist Efimer on the hunt In their write-up of the campaign, CyberNews noted how Efimer is "a classic honeypot" targeting those who want to make sure they haven't missed the
year's biggest films.

"Instead of a high-definition rip, they are downloading a script that will attempt emptying their digital wallets," the experts say.

Unusually, the danger of Efimer comes not from torrent sites, but from Google search, where unsuspecting film fans might find themselves clicking on a link to a malicious site pretending to host top movies.

In reality, hackers have weaponized SEO by hijacking vulnerable WordPress sites to spread malware, as legitimate business sites have been compromised through brute-force attacks to host fake torrent landing pages. Are you a
pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting
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In total, 12.11% of Google results were found to be malicious, as the researchers say Efimer has used every single Best Picture 2026 nominee to widen its net - Marty Supreme was the most popular lure with 16 malicious links, followed by Bugonia with 15 and Sinners with 12.

Once on the malicious site, victims are told they need to install a special player to view the movie, but this is actually the Efimer malware in
disguise. Once installed, Efimer monitors the user's clipboard, and when it detects the victim is about to send a crypto transaction, it silently
replaces the recipients address with the attackers.

The campaign only targets Windows users, who are told to be suspicious when clicking on unusual links, and ensure they have robust and reliable antivirus and firewall software installed and updated to the latest version. The best antivirus for all budgets Our top picks, based on real-world testing and comparisons

Read our full guide to the best antivirus 1. Best overall: Bitdefender Total Security 2. Best for families: Norton 360 with LifeLock 3. Best for mobile: McAfee Mobile Security Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/a-classic-honeypot-movie-fans-catching- up-on-best-picture-nominees-targeted-by-dangerous-malware-ahead-of-of-oscars-2 026


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