If ever you were curious to check out Ariana Grande's new album but not invested enough to stream or buy the product, you may be one of the unlucky few who has gotten their computer infected with some serious malware. According to Mashable, a bootleg copy of Thank U, Next exists online that is targeting fans of the pop star. If you're still using torrent websites to listen to music and you haven't yet converted to a legal means of accessing artist's libraries, you're likely already aware of the risk of accidentally installing viruses. Don't try and cop Ariana Grande's new album for free though because you might end up going completely broke.
There is a copy of Thank U, Next going around that reportedly steals the downloader's online banking information, meaning that in exchange for paying nothing for the album, you might actually be giving up your life savings. Sounds like a great deal, right? Apparently, upwards of 500 million people are at risk of downloading the malware through this, which just means that Ariana Grande's reach is bigger than anybody could have imagined.
People will take this information one of two ways. It will either drive more of her fans to legally purchase the album or stream it on Spotify, Apple Music, or elsewhere. Or, it will give the haters even more incentive to not ever listen to the project. Which side are you on?