10 hours ago
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March 26, 2025 | 08:56 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - It should come as no surprise that the FBI has recently issued a number of cautions to computer and smartphone users. Whether it's Chinese hackers breaking into American networks or unpaid toll schemes going out of control, the threat landscape is becoming worse very quickly. And all of this will soon be turned up to eleven by even more hazardous AI-powered attacks.
As reported by Forbes, the FBI is now alerting website visitors to "a scam involving free online document converter tools," in which thieves employ "converter tools to load malware onto victims’ computers, leading to incidents such as ransomware."
The bureau has now verified that users are still becoming victims of this danger. Bleeping Computer asserts that "FBI warnings are true" and “fake file converters do push malware."
"The scammers try to mimic URLs that are legit, so changing just one letter, or 'INC' instead of 'CO,'" an FBI spokesperson told the website. "Users who in the past would type ‘free online file converter’ into a search engine are vulnerable, as the algorithms used for results now often include paid results, which might be scams."
The FBI claims that educating people to avoid becoming victims of these scammers in the first place is the best approach to stop them. We strive daily to hold these con artists responsible and give victims the assistance they require. Checking URLs and avoiding free advertisements at the top of search results is a good idea. In actuality, though, you should only utilize well-known apps and platforms and avoid using online document converters altogether.
The FBI did not recommend any particular websites to stay away from. Cue threat hunter Will Thomas, who has posted some example URLs on X, and Malwarebytes, which has published “some recent examples of domains involved in this type of scam:
- Imageconvertors[.]com (phishing)
- convertitoremp3[.]it (Riskware)
- convertisseurs-pdf[.]com (Riskware)
- convertscloud[.]com (Phishing)
- convertix-api[.]xyz (Trojan)
- convertallfiles[.]com (Adware)
- freejpgtopdfconverter[.]com (Riskware)
- primeconvertapp[.]com (Riskware)
- 9convert[.]com (Riskware)
- Convertpro[.]org (Riskware)
This threat is reflected in the ransomware attacks that are affecting both public and private, large and small, companies throughout the United States, according to the FBI's warning as cited by Forbes.
As CBS News reports, “federal investigators suggest the file converter method of attack may be behind the February ransomware attack of a Davenport, Iowa-based media company. Lee Enterprises operates media outlets in more than 70 small-town markets throughout the country, according to its website.”
Using document converters carries more threats than merely phishing, according to Fred Chagnon of Info-Tech Research Group (via CSO Online). “Firstly, and most prominently, you can’t trust the integrity of the file you’re getting back. Even the malicious services out there will perform the actual conversion for the user.”
Furthermore, Chagnon cautions that “the resulting PDF file may contain embedded JavaScript code, which executes upon launch, or in the case of a Word or Excel document, Visual Basic code, in the form of macros, could be hiding within the document. Endpoint detection and response tools can act as a layer of defense against these malicious programs, but this is not bulletproof.”
Fortunately, more media attention is being paid to this threat, raising awareness. Regarding your actions, Bleeping Computer states that “while not all file converters are malware, it’s essential to research them before using and check reviews before downloading any programs. If a site is relatively unknown, it is better to avoid it altogether.”
FORBES | CBS News | Bleeping Computer | CSO Online
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