Fake VPN checker tool lets hackers bypass antivirus protections

Hacker with malware code in computer screen. Cybersecurity, privacy or cyber attack. Programmer or fraud criminal writing virus software. Online firewall and privacy crime. Web data engineer.

• Attackers use fake Fortinet dialogs and social engineering to trick users into executing malware
• Cache smuggling hides malware in browser cache, bypassing download and PowerShell detection tools
• Malware is extracted from fake image files and deployed as FortiClientComplianceChecker.exe

Hackers are using a combination of social engineering, cache smuggling, identity theft, and straight-up bluffing, to bypass common security protections and deploy malware onto victim’s computers, experts have said.