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...

Beware: Scam-as-a-Service Aiding Cybercriminals in Crypto Wallet-Draining Attacks

Cybersecurity researchers are warning about an increase in phishing attacks that are capable of draining cryptocurrency wallets. "These threats are unique in their approach, targeting a wide range of blockchain networks, from Ethereum and Binance Smart Chain to Polygon, Avalanche, and almost 20...

New Rugmi Malware Loader Surges with Hundreds of Daily Detections

A new malware loader is being used by threat actors to deliver a wide range of information stealers such as Lumma Stealer aka LummaC2, Vidar, RecordBreaker aka Raccoon Stealer V2, and Rescoms. Cybersecurity firm ESET is tracking the trojan under the name Win/TrojanDownloader.Rugmi. "This malware ...

MetaStealer a $125 Ticket to Digital Chaos

Summary: MetaStealer, a nefarious information-stealing malware, initially surfaced in discreet online marketplaces with a pricing structure of USD 125 per month or USD 1000 for an unlimited subscription, subsequently becoming entangled in malvertising campaigns. Threat Level - Red | Attack Report...

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...

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...

PikaBot Malware Unleashes Threat via Malvertising

Summary: PikaBot, a recently identified malware family, has become a prominent threat in malvertising campaigns, particularly through search engine ads. Associated with the TA577 threat actor and linked to ransomware distribution, PikaBot employs advanced tactics, such as decoy websites and...

New Go-Based JaskaGO Malware Targeting Windows and macOS Systems

A new Go-based information stealer malware called JaskaGO has emerged as the latest cross-platform threat to infiltrate both Windows and Apple macOS systems. AT&T Alien Labs, which made the discovery, said the malware is "equipped with an extensive array of commands from its command-and-control C...

New MetaStealer malvertising campaigns

MetaStealer is a popular piece of malware that came out in 2022, levering previous code base from RedLine. Stealers have become a very hot commodity in the criminal space, so much so that there is competition between various groups. Threat actors have primarily used malspam as an infection vector...

New Malvertising Campaign Distributing PikaBot Disguised as Popular Software

The malware loader known as PikaBot is being distributed as part of a malvertising campaign targeting users searching for legitimate software like AnyDesk. "PikaBot was previously only distributed via malspam campaigns similarly to QakBot and emerged as one of the preferred payloads for a threat...

A week in security (December 11 – December 17)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: PikaBot distributed via malicious search ads Chrome starts the countdown to the end of tracking cookies Apple to introduce new feature that makes life harder for iPhone thieves Recently-patched Apache Struts vulnerability used in worldwide attacks ALPHV ransomware...

PikaBot distributed via malicious search ads

During this past year, we have seen an increase in the use of malicious ads malvertising and specifically those via search engines, to drop malware targeting businesses. In fact, browser-based attacks overall have been a lot more common if we include social engineering campaigns. Criminals have...

Malvertisers zoom in on cryptocurrencies and initial access

During the past month, we have observed an increase in the number of malicious ads on Google searches for "Zoom", the popular piece of video conferencing software. Threat actors have been alternating between different keywords for software downloads such as "Advanced IP Scanner" or "WinSCP"...

Microsoft Warns of Malvertising Scheme Spreading CACTUS Ransomware

Microsoft has warned of a new wave of CACTUS ransomware attacks that leverage malvertising lures to deploy DanaBot as an initial access vector. The DanaBot infections led to "hands-on-keyboard activity by ransomware operator Storm-0216 Twisted Spider, UNC2198, culminating in the deployment of...

Associated Press, ESPN, CBS among top sites serving fake virus alerts

ScamClub is a threat actor whos been involved in malvertising activities since 2018. Chances are you probably ran into one of their online scams on your mobile device. Confiant, the firm that has tracked ScamClub for years, released a comprehensive report in September while also disrupting their...

ClearFake Campaign Expands to Target Mac Systems with Atomic Stealer

The macOS information stealer known as Atomic is now being delivered to target via a bogus web browser update chain tracked as ClearFake. "This may very well be the first time we see one of the main social engineering campaigns, previously reserved for Windows, branch out not only in terms of...

We all just need to agree that ad blockers are good

I dont think this is a particularly bold take -- but Im not afraid to say that ad blockers are good! Ever since I started using one sometime in 2016, my experience of using the internet has improved exponentially. I can finally easily find a recipe for dinner on a random influencers blog, get a...

New Malvertising Campaign Uses Fake Windows News Portal to Distribute Malicious Installers

A new malvertising campaign has been found to employ fake sites that masquerade as legitimate Windows news portal to propagate a malicious installer for a popular system profiling tool called CPU-Z. "This incident is a part of a larger malvertising campaign that targets other utilities like...

Malvertiser copies PC news site to deliver infostealer

The majority of malvertising campaigns delivering malicious utilities that we have tracked so far typically deceive victims with pages that are almost the exact replica of the software vendor being impersonated. For example, we have seen fake websites appearing like the real Webex, AnyDesk or...

Trojanized PyCharm Software Version Delivered via Google Search Ads

A new malvertising campaign has been observed capitalizing on a compromised website to promote spurious versions of PyCharm on Google search results by leveraging Dynamic Search Ads. "Unbeknownst to the site owner, one of their ads was automatically created to promote a popular program for Python...