Bitdefender boosts creator security as scams top USD $1 trillion
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.
Follow us on:
Share on:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Techday NZ
10 hours ago
- Techday NZ
NZ civil construction sector faces confidence drop, workforce shortage
New research from Civil Contractors New Zealand and Teletrac Navman shows that New Zealand's civil construction industry is contending with a drop in business confidence and shrinking workforce numbers, but many businesses remain focused on finding solutions. The 2025 Construction Industry Survey, now in its ninth edition, compiles feedback from sector professionals and reveals a mixed picture. Of those surveyed, 16 percent reported a positive business outlook - a significant decrease from 50 percent in 2021. Alongside this decline, 42 percent of businesses reported downsizing or laying off staff over the past 12 months, with 73 percent citing a lack of work as the industry's predominant challenge, compared to just 15 percent in 2021. Despite the difficult operating environment, almost half (47 percent) of civil construction businesses expressed confidence in their ability to withstand and overcome current challenges. Many are responding by investing in new technology and climate-resilient projects with the aim of supporting business growth and meeting community needs. Government pipeline concerns Industry leaders point to uncertainty surrounding the project pipeline as a critical factor in declining business confidence. Alan Pollard, Chief Executive at Civil Contractors New Zealand, said: "New Zealand's civil construction industry is facing a confidence crisis where a lack of work, and uncertainty is placing the long-term health of the industry at risk, but there is plenty of hope on the horizon." The National Infrastructure Pipeline, managed by the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, currently forecasts projects worth USD $207 billion across central government, local government and private sector contributions. Despite this, Pollard says there is often a gap between forecasted investments and projects reaching the market, with many projects delayed for prolonged periods. He emphasised the need for more transparent communications regarding project opportunities and more stable investment to provide certainty for infrastructure construction workers. The impact is particularly pronounced for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which make up 60 percent of the sector. The survey found that 27 percent of SMEs expect their revenues to decrease in 2025, which is three times the number from the 2021 survey. Pollard continued: "It's never been more important for central and local government to step up with a clearer, more consistent and visible pipeline of infrastructure construction and maintenance work, rather than just announcements. We see this playing a central role in strengthening business confidence, helping to keep skilled workers in the industry, and ensuring we're ready to meet not just today's needs, but also New Zealand's future infrastructure needs." Skills and workforce challenges The survey highlights that human resources and skills are a significant issue. Seventy-three percent of respondents reported a lack of available work for contractors, up from only 15 percent in 2021. This environment increases the risk of skilled professionals seeking employment overseas or leaving the sector to maintain income security. Looking ahead, 85 percent of civil construction professionals believe that clarity around central and local government projects is needed to restore business confidence and financial stability in the sector. Climate change and infrastructure Resilience to climate change is another matter raised by respondents. Fifty-eight percent are not confident in New Zealand infrastructure's current ability to withstand climate change. Civil construction professionals are unified in calling for greater investment in resilience infrastructure, such as seawalls and stopbanks, seeing these developments as essential for community safety during flood or fire events. Role of technology Technology is increasingly being recognised as a strategy for business efficiency and growth in New Zealand's civil construction sector. More than 40 percent of those surveyed indicated that adopting technology could help improve efficiency and manage ongoing challenges. Over half of business leaders say that mandated technology assists them in securing new work, indicating a shift in how projects are approached. James French, Construction Industry Specialist ANZ at Teletrac Navman, said: "While confidence in the sector is under pressure, our research with CCNZ clearly shows that businesses that embrace digital tools and connected platforms are positioning themselves to win work and navigate today's industry uncertainty. Technology isn't just a nice-to-have for civil construction businesses – It's become a business imperative. This year's Civil Construction Industry Report revealed that 60 percent of business leaders in the sector say that mandated technology helps them win work, so its clear technology is playing a key role in building a more resilient and competitive civil construction industry." The annual report by Teletrac Navman and Civil Contractors New Zealand aims to provide data-driven insights to support the sector as it navigates changing market conditions and prepares for future demands. The 2025 survey was based on 172 responses from civil construction professionals gathered between May and June 2025.
Otago Daily Times
17 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Calendar Girls strip club forced to remove posts about women suing firm
The owners of the Calendar Girls strip clubs have been forced to take down posts identifying dancers suing the firm. Seven women are currently pursuing an application in the Employment Court for a declaration of their employment status. A non-publication order was issued in May suppressing their identities after they raised concerns about their safety and damage to their reputations due to the stigma attached to the work they had been doing. One of the women has now returned to court alleging breaches of the order by Calendar Girls NZ Ltd, the company named as the defendant in their case. Chief Employment Court Judge Christina Inglis hastily scheduled a hearing this week to hear the woman. "I accorded urgency to the application given the nature of the alleged breaches and the concerns that had underpinned the making of the orders of non-publication in the first place," the judge said in a recent judgment. Lawyers get together The urgent hearing was set down for Thursday but was cancelled after lawyers for both sides got together and agreed non-publication orders should be respected. "The defendants confirm that they have removed all offending posts," Judge Inglis said. However, her judgment did not detail what was in the posts. The seven women are seeking a declaration that they were employees of Calendar Girls NZ Ltd under the Employment Relations Act 2000. Being an employee, rather than a contractor, gives entitlement to a wider range of legal protections, including minimum conditions, protection from discrimination, health and safety, and the ability to bargain collectively. In 2023, dancers from the Wellington Calendar Girls club attempted to bargain collectively after being offered a contract that they said was "manipulative". Nineteen were told to clear out their lockers and not to come back to work through a Facebook post after asking for changes to the way they were being paid. In seeking non-publication orders in the current case, filed in the Wellington Employment Court, the seven women raised several concerns about having their identities made public. Women in the clubs use a professional name while working there, and are instructed not to give their real names to customers. However, their case in the Employment Court has been taken using their real names. The women involved in the case feared publication of their identities would "severely impact" their employment and housing prospects, and their ability to travel. They said the stigma attached to their work at Calendar Girls had already led to judgments about their morality and respectability. The women are all young and fear damage to their reputations and the impact on their families. They also said they had safety concerns about former clients and members of the public. Dismissed from a government job One of the women is a member of a church and is worried about others in the congregation finding out. Others have had tenancy applications declined, and another woman said she was dismissed from a government agency when it became known she had worked in the sex industry. Judge Inglis has now made orders instructing Calendar Girls not to disclose the names, identifying particulars, or photographs of the seven women who have taken the case. She said this applied to "all forms of communication, including oral, written, electronic and any other medium". The substantive case has been set down to be heard in a five-day fixture in February 2026. Calendar Girls NZ Ltd is a Christchurch-based company which operates clubs in Christchurch, Auckland, Wellington and Queenstown. - Ric Stevens, Open Justice reporter
1News
a day ago
- 1News
YouTube threatens to sue Aus govt if roped into social media ban
Google has been warned its threats to sue won't sway the potential late inclusion of YouTube in Australia's world-first social media ban for children. The tech giant wrote to Communications Minister Anika Wells declaring it was considering its legal position if its video sharing platform was included in the ban for children 16 and under. The letter, first reported by the Daily Telegraph, flagged the ban could be challenged on the grounds it restricts the implied constitutional freedom of political communication. Signals the Australian government was contemplating an "abrupt policy reversal" prompted Google to seek further clarity. "YouTube is a video sharing platform, not a social media service, that offers benefit and value to younger Australians," a YouTube spokesperson said. ADVERTISEMENT "We have written directly to the government, urging them to uphold the integrity of the legislative process and protect the age-appropriate experiences and safeguards we provide for young Australians." The social media ban is due to come into effect in December. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat were among platforms covered when legislation passed parliament. YouTube was exempted, in a move TikTok described as a "sweetheart deal". "The government was firm in its decision that YouTube would be excluded because it is different and because of its value to younger Australians," a YouTube spokesperson told AAP. "This intention was repeatedly made clear in its public statements, including to the Australian parliament." But e-Safety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant has recommended a rethink, citing research showing children were exposed to harmful content on YouTube more than any other platform. ADVERTISEMENT "The new law will only restrict children under the age of 16 from having their own accounts — not accessing content on YouTube or any other service through links from the school or in a 'logged-out' state," she told the National Press Club in June. "There is nothing in the legislation that prevents educators with their own accounts from continuing to incorporate school-approved educational content on YouTube or any other service just as they do now." Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took a dim view of Google's attempt to muscle in on the decision-making process. "The minister will make these assessments... independent of any these threats that are made by the social media companies," he told ABC TV on Sunday. "I say to them that social media has a social responsibility. "There is no doubt that young people are being impacted adversely in their mental health by some of the engagement with social media and that is why the government has acted." The early findings of an age-verification trial found technologies could block young kids from social media platforms, but not without loopholes. ADVERTISEMENT Platforms will face penalties worth up to AUS$50 million (NZ$54.5 million) if caught not taking reasonable steps to prevent children 16 and under from creating accounts.
