Android Spyware Asin Targets Arabic Users via Fake News, PDF and War Map Apps

Arabic-speaking users have emerged as the target of a new Android spyware codenamed Asin , according to findings from ESET. The Slovakian cybersecurity company said it first detected the malware spread via multiple campaigns in early 2025, with each attack wave making use of distinct websites...

“Sneaky” new Android malware takes over your phone, hiding in fake news and ID apps

Researchers at Cyfirma have investigated Android Trojans capable of stealing sensitive data from compromised devices. The malware spreads by pretending to be trusted apps—like a news reader or even digital ID apps—tricking users into downloading it by accident. In reality, it’s Android-targeting...

BaitTrap: Over 17,000 Fake News Websites Caught Fueling Investment Fraud Globally

A newly released report by cybersecurity firm CTM360 reveals a large-scale scam operation utilizing fake news websites—known as Baiting News Sites BNS—to deceive users into online investment fraud across 50 countries. These BNS pages are made to look like real news outlets: CNN, BBC, CNBC, or...

Inside a Dark Adtech Empire Fed by Fake CAPTCHAs

Late last year, security researchers made a startling discovery: Kremlin-backed disinformation campaigns were bypassing moderation on social media platforms by leveraging the same malicious advertising technology that powers a sprawling ecosystem of online hucksters and website hackers. A new...

Elevating Cyber Threat Intelligence against Disinformation Campaigns with LLM-Based Concept Extraction and the FakeCTI Dataset

The swift spread of fake news and disinformation campaigns poses a significant threat to public trust, political stability, and cybersecurity. Traditional Cyber Threat Intelligence CTI approaches, which rely on low-level indicators such as domain names and social media handles, are easily evaded ...

Google AI taken for a ride by April Fools’ Day joke

Cwmbran in Wales, a town with a population of just under 50,000, holds the Guinness World Record for the most roundabouts—at least according to Google AI Overviews. Except that's not actually true… Ben Black has been publishing lighthearted fake stories on April Fools’ Day for his community news...

Scammers Are Creating Fake News Videos to Blackmail Victims

“Yahoo Boy” scammers are impersonating CNN and other news organizations to create videos that pressure victims into making blackmail payments...

GLASSBRIDGE: Google Blocks Thousands of Pro-China Fake News Sites

Google reveals GLASSBRIDGE: A network of thousands of fake news sites pushing pro-China narratives globally. These sites, run by PR firms, spread disinformation and lack transparency...

Google Exposes GLASSBRIDGE: A Pro-China Influence Network of Fake News Sites

Government agencies and non-governmental organizations in the United States have become the target of a nascent China state threat actor known as Storm-2077. The adversary, believed to be active since at least January 2024, has also conducted cyber attacks against the Defense Industrial Base DIB,...

The top stories coming out of the Black Hat cybersecurity conference

Over the next two weeks, two of the largest cybersecurity conferences in the world will take place in Las Vegas: Black Hat and DEF CON. That means product announcements, buzzwords and stories about "X smart appliance could burn your house down!" or something like that. Over the next two weeks, Il...

A (somewhat) complete timeline of Talos’ history

A lot has happened in Talos 10 years of existence. And to celebrate our birthday, we wanted to look back on some of the major moments in Talos history. Heres an overview of some of the major events, cyber attacks, research breakthroughs and more that truly make Talos Talos. We hope this walk down...

Could the Brazilian Supreme Court finally hold people accountable for sharing disinformation?

If youre a regular reader of this newsletter, you already know about how strongly I feel about the dangers of spreading fake news, disinformation and misinformation. And honestly, if youre reading this newsletter, I probably shouldnt have to tell you about that either. But one of the things that...

Social media influencers targeted by identity thieves

Social media influencers are attractive targets for identity thieves. With large followings and a literal influence on their followers, its no wonder they are targeted by scammers and spreaders of fake news. A subset of influencers are the so-called "finfluencers": influencers that provide their...

“I’ll miss him so much” Facebook scam uses BBC branding to lure victims

Facebook scams are a constant nuisance and vary from like-farming to scams that can cost you some serious money. The latest one we found is a bit morbid. Recently, I’ve seen quite a few posts on my timeline that looked like this: Without going into details the post says: “I can’t believe he’s gon...

Russia's AI-Powered Disinformation Operation Targeting Ukraine, U.S., and Germany

The Russia-linked influence operation called Doppelganger has targeted Ukrainian, U.S., and German audiences through a combination of inauthentic news sites and social media accounts. These campaigns are designed to amplify content designed to undermine Ukraine as well as propagate anti-LGBTQ+...

A week in security (May 8-14)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: The rise of "Franken-ransomware," with Allan Liska: Lock and Code S04E11 Ransomware review: May 2023 Brightline breach hits at least 964,000 people, US records show Ransomware attack on MSI led to compromised Intel Boot Guard private keys Fake system update drops...

Sponsored Twitter post uses fake BBC News site to boost slippery oil trading app

A sponsored post on Twitter promises to offer the benefits of obtaining citizenship, but really just wants to lure you into some form of Forex trading AI scheme. This tangled web also includes faked BBC web pages and suspicious-looking website reviews to round the whole thing off. Shall we take a...

Obligatory ChatGPT Post

Seems like absolutely everyone everywhere is playing with Chat GPT. So I did, too…. Write an essay in the style of Bruce Schneier on how ChatGPT will affect cybersecurity. As with any new technology, the development and deployment of ChatGPT is likely to have a significant impact on the field of...

Video: How propaganda can spread on social media via memes, fake news

Cisco Talos is well-known for its work in spotting and defeating fake news, disinformation and misinformation. And state-sponsored actors, unwitting social media users and even direct government agencies have played a part in spreading fake news during Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In this video,...

Video: How propaganda can spread on social media via memes, fake news

Cisco Talos is well-known for its work in spotting and defeating fake news, disinformation and misinformation. And state-sponsored actors, unwitting social media users and even direct government agencies have played a part in spreading fake news during Russias invasion of Ukraine. In this video,...