Video series discussing the major threat actor trends from 2023

In this video series, Talos Director of Threat Intelligence and Interdiction Matt Olney and Head of Outreach Nick Biasini share their insights on the most significant cybersecurity threats from the past year. From attacks on network infrastructure to the latest APT activities, as well as an updat...

A week in security (January 1 – January 7)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Police investigate sexual assault on an avatar How AI hallucinations are making bug hunting harder Explained: SMTP smuggling Facebook introduces another way to track you – Link History 23andMe blames "negligent" breach victims, says it’s their own fault Microsoft...

DoJ Charges 19 Worldwide in $68 Million xDedic Dark Web Marketplace Fraud

The U.S. Department of Justice DoJ said it charged 19 individuals worldwide in connection with the now-defunct xDedic Marketplace, which is estimated to have facilitated more than $68 million in fraud. In wrapping up its investigation into the dark web portal, the agency said the transnational...

How AI hallucinations are making bug hunting harder

Bug bounty programs that pay people for finding bugs are a very useful tool for improving the security of software. But with the availability of artificial intelligence AI as seen in the popular large language models LLMs like ChatGPT, Bard, and others it looks like there is a new problem on the...

Microsoft disables ms-appinstaller after malicious use

In what might be conceived as one of Microsoft’s new year resolutions, it has disclosed that its turned off the ms-appinstaller protocol handler by default. The change is designed to make installing apps easier, but it also makes installing malware easier. Typically, an app needs to be on a devic...

Oops! Black Basta ransomware flubs encryption

Researchers at SRLabs have made a decryption tool available for Black Basta ransomware, allowing some victims of the group to decrypt files without paying a ransom. The decryptor works for victims whose files were encrypted between November 2022 and December 2023. The decryptor, called Black Bast...

A week in security (December 25 – December 31)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: How to recognize AI-generated phishing mails How ransomware operators try to stay under the radar 4 sneaky scams from 2023 The top 4 ransomware gang failures of 2023 Have a safe 2024! Our business solutions remove all remnants of ransomware and prevent you from...

China Arrests 4 Who Weaponized ChatGPT for Ransomware Attacks

By Deeba Ahmed The police arrested two suspects in Beijing and two in Inner Mongolia. This is a post from HackRead.com Read the original post: China Arrests 4 Who Weaponized ChatGPT for Ransomware Attacks...

The Worst Hacks of 2023

It was a year of devastating cyberattacks around the globe, from ransomware attacks on casinos to state-sponsored breaches of critical infrastructure...

The top 4 ransomware gang failures of 2023

Ransomware gangs care about one thing: Stealing money. Over time, their craven, cybercriminal efforts have toppled businesses, destabilized hospitals, and ruined lives. Worst of all, they show no sign of slowing down, and their extortion attempts—which no longer focus on ransomware delivery...

Microsoft Disables MSIX App Installer Protocol Widely Used in Malware Attacks

Microsoft on Thursday said it's once again disabling the ms-appinstaller protocol handler by default following its abuse by multiple threat actors to distribute malware. "The observed threat actor activity abuses the current implementation of the ms-appinstaller protocol handler as an access vect...

Financially motivated threat actors misusing App Installer

Since mid-November 2023, Microsoft Threat Intelligence has observed threat actors, including financially motivated actors like Storm-0569, Storm-1113, Sangria Tempest, and Storm-1674, utilizing the ms-appinstaller URI scheme App Installer to distribute malware. In addition to ensuring that...

The Most Dangerous People on the Internet in 2023

From Sam Altman and Elon Musk to ransomware gangs and state-backed hackers, these are the individuals and groups that spent this year disrupting the world we know it...

How ransomware operators try to stay under the radar

An often heard remark is that when your security solution notices a ransomware attack, it’s already too late. Theres a lot of truth in that, if you consider the encryption process to be the ransomware attack. However, these days encryption is just a part of many ransomware attacks. Some of the...

Ubisoft Hackers Scrambled for 900GB of Data Before Foiled

By Deeba Ahmed The cyberattack on Ubisoft came just days after hackers from the Rhysida ransomware gang targeted Insomniac Games, the developers of Spider-Man 2. This is a post from HackRead.com Read the original post: Ubisoft Hackers Scrambled for 900GB of Data Before Foiled...

Carbanak Banking Malware Resurfaces with New Ransomware Tactics

The banking malware known as Carbanak has been observed being used in ransomware attacks with updated tactics. "The malware has adapted to incorporate attack vendors and techniques to diversify its effectiveness," cybersecurity firm NCC Group said in an analysis of ransomware attacks that took...

A week in security (December 18 – December 24)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Comcast’s Xfinity breached by Citrix Bleed; 36 million customer’s data accessed How does ThreatDown Vulnerability Assessment and Patch Management work? How Outlook notification sounds can lead to zero-click exploits Update Chrome now! Emergency update patches...

Mallox Ransomware A Resurgent Threat Exploiting MS-SQL Flaws

Summary: Mallox is a resilient Ransomware-as-a-Service RaaS threat, utilizing tactics like exploiting MS-SQL vulnerabilities and employing brute force attacks. Operating with a prolonged presence, Malloxs recent variant, "Mallox.Resurrection," exhibits consistent functionalities, emphasizing the...

Webinar recap: Ransomware gangs and Living Off The Land attacks (LOTL)

Discover the intersection of Ransomware-as-a-Service RaaS gangs and Living Off The Land LOTL attacks in our latest webinar, now available on-demand, led by cybersecurity experts Ian Thomas, Mark Stockley, and Bill Cozens. The webinar revealed how RaaS gangs use LOTL tactics, leveraging legitimate...

New JavaScript Malware Targeted 50,000+ Users at Dozens of Banks Worldwide

A new piece of JavaScript malware has been observed attempting to steal users' online banking account credentials as part of a campaign that has targeted more than 40 financial institutions across the world. The activity cluster, which employs JavaScript web injections, is estimated to have led t...