Increase in Cybercrimes During School Breaks

Online Hazards Brewing for Kids During Summer Break: A Slippery Slope

As the days grow longer and school bells take a vacation, kids flock to their digital devices with enthusiasm. Yet, this increased online activity could be leaving them vulnerable to cyber crooks. Revealing the masquerading tactics, MegaFon analysts, partnering with Kaspersky Lab and RuStore, have shed light on the alarming spike in child-centric online deception.

Since the new year, cyber syndicates have posed as trusted school authorities like vice-principals and social workers. The schemes vary, demanding students to register on suspicious websites or share SMS codes for phony school diaries or even family data. Interestingly, there's been a whopping 30% rise in such events in the initial five months of this year compared to the entire preceding year, particularly during the current exam period. Deceptive schemes abound, offering graduates early results or answers for the Unified State Exam.

Sergei Khrenov, Director of the Loss Prevention Department at MegaFon, warns, "Cyber fraud on children is escalating, evident from our own analytics and subscriber reports. While we thwart fraudulent calls, criminals often communicate with kids on popular social media and messaging apps. The latest scam involves luring minors into criminal activities by offering to rent their accounts in exchange for money. Later, these accounts are used for spreading harmful content, phishing, or conducting further attacks, often on their friends and acquaintances via trusted communicative channels."

Beyond social engineering tactics, cybercriminals also infiltrate digital devices through applications. As per RuStore data, downloads of children's apps and games have tripled over the past year, while the number of published projects in this category has doubled. This rising popularity has unfortunately paved the way for dangerous counterfeits targeting the young audience. Fraudsters frequently develop fake versions of popular games and services containing links to phishing sites or malicious software for secrets stealing. The infected files are mainly distributed through gaming chats and social media comments, offering free in-game items or easy money through special apps. To avoid being ensnared, it's crucial to emphasize that games should only be obtained from trusted app stores.

According to "Kaspersky Lab", Russian users have witnessed a near 60% increase in attacks on their Android devices from malicious files disguised as popular children's games in the first four months of 2025 as opposed to the same period in 2024. This includes counterfeits of Minecraft, Roblox, Brawl Stars, and Genshin Impact. Additionally, the number of attacks where cybercriminals posed as cheats has tripled, with some modified versions of the mobile banking Trojan Mamont being disguised as games.

Cases have surfaced in which attackers have integrated malicious software into mods for popular games such as Necro - a downloader for Android that downloads and runs other malicious components on infected smartphones, based on the Trojan creators' commands.

Dmitriy Kalinin, a cybersecurity expert at "Kaspersky Lab", cautions, "The primary mode for Android smartphones to get infected with malware disguised as games or cheats is applications from unregulated, unmoderated sources. Additionally, cybercriminals are actively distributing malicious programs through messengers, disguised as various enticements. Therefore, it's essential to maintain vigilance and refrain from granting apps permissions for sensitive data (SMS, call logs, contact lists, etc.) or 'special permissions' without a compelling reason. Installing a protective solution on both your PC and mobile device can aid in minimizing the risk of infection."

Online Watchdog: Guidelines for Parents

Know Your Enemy: Stay apprised of the latest threats targeting young Internet surfing enthusiasts.
Open Communication: Encourage kids to share their online experiences without fear of judgment or ridicule.
Strong Security: Make sure their social media and online accounts have robust security settings to shield personal information.
Keep an Eye: Regularly monitor their online activities and provide guidance on safe browsing.
Fight Scams: Educate children to identify phishing attempts and dubious profiles.
Parental Control: Utilize parental control software to oversee and limit access to unsafe websites.
Report Suspicious Activity: Encourage kids to report any doubtful interactions or messages to a trusted adult.
Contact Authorities: If you suspect your child has been preyed upon by a cyber scam, report it to local law enforcement.
Choose Right Paths: Ensure that children only access trusted online platforms and games.
Secure Devices: Keep devices and software updated with the latest security patches.

Through education and proactive steps, parents can significantly diminish the risk of child-centric cyber fraud during the summer break.

In the realm of education and self-development, it's important for parents to understand the latest cybersecurity risks that target children during the summer break.
To protect their children, parents should utilize available resources such as parental control software and keep devices updated with the latest security patches, ensuring safe online activities throughout the summer.