Bitdefender boosts creator security as scams top USD $1 trillion

Bitdefender has announced the expansion of its Security for Creators solution to provide unified protection across YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.

This development comes amid a significant increase in online scams, account takeovers, and malware attacks targeting digital content creators, influencers, and online creatives.

Rising cyber threats

Recent investigations have highlighted a growing threat landscape for creators. According to findings referenced by the company, more than 184 million exposed credentials and passwords have been uncovered, with millions linked to social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. The Global State of Scams 2024 Report further estimated global losses from online scams and fraud to have exceeded USD $1 trillion.

The risks associated with such breaches for digital creators are substantial, ranging from loss of access to social accounts to compromised reputations and income streams.

Expanded platform coverage

Bitdefender Security for Creators extends protection to Facebook and Instagram alongside existing support for YouTube. The solution aims to safeguard content channels as well as devices running Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS through a single setup process that connects both accounts and endpoints.

Once activated, the service continuously monitors channels for signs of anomalous behaviour and performs real-time scans on owner devices for phishing emails, malicious URLs, files, and potential malware. Alerts are delivered instantly to users in the event of suspicious activity.

Key features

The company outlined several notable features in its updated solution:

• 24/7 account monitoring for Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, detecting profile changes, bulk deletions, or unauthorised modifications that may signal a takeover attempt.
• Multi-platform management via a unified dashboard, allowing creators to oversee security across all connected platforms without switching between different tools or interfaces.
• Advanced threat defence, including protection from zero-day attacks, spyware, ransomware, infostealers, and other threats potentially targeting credentials or account control.
• AI-driven anti-phishing technology, designed to detect fraudulent communications such as emails or direct messages that mimic brand partnerships or sponsorship offers, including those generated using Large Language Models (LLM).
• Team protection options for collaborative creators, extending security measures to additional team members such as video editors or designers who have access to managed social media accounts.
• Account recovery assistance, providing a step-by-step playbook to guide creators through notifying platforms, regaining access, and restoring trust with audiences if an account is compromised.

"Online creators are increasingly targeted by cybercriminals who weaponize trust to take over accounts and scam followers out of money or into downloading malware," stated Ciprian Istrate, Senior Vice President of Operations, Consumer Solutions Group at Bitdefender. "A single attack can wipe out years of hard work, brand reputation, and income. Bitdefender Security for Creators offers the first end-to-end service to help safeguard creators' accounts, content, and devices across Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube – delivering continuous, always-on security as online threats evolve."

The latest enhancements to Bitdefender Security for Creators come in response to the evolving nature of cyber threats against digital creators and follow widespread data leak incidents and fraudulent activities reported globally in recent months.

The service is available for both new and existing customers.