Targeted by hackers

When influencers lose everything overnight

Cyber attacks can ruin influencers' careers.(Bild: maxbelchenko - stock.adobe.com)

More and more often, brazen hackers are sending emails with dangerous links via popular graphic design platforms. For influencers, even their job is at stake with these cyber attacks.

"It was pure hell!" Julien Bam, one of the most influential YouTubers in German-speaking countries, was the victim of a cyberattack in 2022. From one day to the next, he not only lost three different YouTube channels with eight million followers, but also his Instagram account to hackers. For many, stolen access would probably not be dramatic. For Bam or other influencers such as Tyrolean Anna Strigl or Nina Gigele, however, the loss of their own platforms could mean the end of their careers.

IT experts sound the alarm
However, online fraudsters have long been targeting the creative minds behind a lot of digital content, the so-called content creators. This is also shown by a recent analysis carried out by Barracuda Networks, one of the world's leading IT security companies based in Innsbruck. In particular, platforms that are often used by graphic designers to create online content are used by attackers for phishing attacks.

Personal data and logins at risk
"The relevant content creation platforms have millions of users worldwide. The hackers use these emails to send legitimate-looking posts, designs and documents, which are then provided with embedded links," the experts emphasize. By clicking on the links, users are redirected to fraudulent login pages or other misleading websites that aim to steal confidential information such as logins and other personal data.

Influencers should therefore be particularly careful when clicking on links in unsolicited emails if they do not want to lose followers and a lot of money in one fell swoop. But everyone else should also be careful.