Fake Claude AI Installer Targets Windows Users with PlugX Malware

Fake Claude AI installer mimicking Anthropic spreads PlugX malware on Windows, using DLL sideloading to gain persistent remote access to infected systems...

Fake Claude site installs malware that gives attackers access to your computer

Claude’s rapid growth—nearly 290 million web visits per month—has made it an attractive target for attackers, and this campaign shows how easy it is to fall for a fake site. We discovered a fake website impersonating Anthropic’s Claude to serve a trojanized installer. The domain mimics Claude's...

About Remote Code Execution – Windows LNK File (CVE-2025-9491) vulnerability

About Remote Code Execution - Windows LNK File CVE-2025-9491 vulnerability. A vulnerability in the Microsoft Windows shortcut .LNK handling mechanism allows malicious command-line arguments to be hidden in the Target field using whitespace characters, making them invisible to standard tools...

China-Linked Hackers Exploit Windows Shortcut Flaw to Target European Diplomats

A China-affiliated threat actor known as UNC6384 has been linked to a fresh set of attacks exploiting an unpatched Windows shortcut vulnerability to target European diplomatic and government entities between September and October 2025. The activity targeted diplomatic organizations in Hungary,...

A week in security (January 13 – January 19)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: iMessage text gets recipient to disable phishing protection so they can be phished The new rules for AI and encrypted messaging, with Mallory Knodel Lock and Code S06E01 Insurance company accused of using secret software to illegally collect and sell location data ...

FBI Deletes PlugX Malware from Thousands of Computers

According to a DOJ press release, the FBI was able to delete the Chinese-used PlugX malware from "approximately 4,258 U.S.-based computers and networks." Details: To retrieve information from and send commands to the hacked machines, the malware connects to a command-and-control server that is...

PlugX malware deleted from thousands of systems by FBI

The FBI says it has removed PlugX malware from thousands of infected computers worldwide. The move came after suspicion that cybercriminals groups under control of the People’s Republic of China PRC used a version of PlugX malware to control, and steal information from victims' computers. PlugX h...

FBI Deletes PlugX Malware from 4,250 Hacked Computers in Multi-Month Operation

The U.S. Department of Justice DoJ on Tuesday disclosed that a court-authorized operation allowed the Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI to delete PlugX malware from over 4,250 infected computers as part of a "multi-month law enforcement operation." PlugX, also known as Korplug, is a remote acce...

RedDelta Deploys PlugX Malware to Target Mongolia and Taiwan in Espionage Campaigns

Mongolia, Taiwan, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Cambodia have been targeted by the China-nexus RedDelta threat actor to deliver a customized version of the PlugX backdoor between July 2023 and December 2024. "The group used lure documents themed around the 2024 Taiwanese presidential candidate Terry Gou,...

French Authorities Launch Operation to Remove PlugX Malware from Infected Systems

French judicial authorities, in collaboration with Europol, have launched a so-called "disinfection operation" to rid compromised hosts of a known malware called PlugX. The Paris Prosecutor's Office, Parquet de Paris, said the initiative was launched on July 18 and that it's expected to continue...

Backdoor.Win32.Plugx MVID-2024-0686 Insecure Permissions

Discovery / credits: Malvuln John Page aka hyp3rlinx c 2024 Original source: https://malvuln.com/advisory/eeb631127f1b9fb3d13d209d8e675634.txt Contact: [email protected] Media: x.com/malvuln Threat: Backdoor.Win32.Plugx Vulnerability: Insecure Permissions Family: Plugx Type: PE32 MD5:...

Chinese Hackers Use HTML Smuggling to Infiltrate European Ministries with PlugX

A Chinese nation-state group has been observed targeting Foreign Affairs ministries and embassies in Europe using HTML smuggling techniques to deliver the PlugX remote access trojan on compromised systems. Cybersecurity firm Check Point said the activity, dubbed SmugX , has been ongoing since at...

Hackers Exploiting Remote Desktop Software Flaws to Deploy PlugX Malware

Security vulnerabilities in remote desktop programs such as Sunlogin and AweSun are being exploited by threat actors to deploy the PlugX malware. AhnLab Security Emergency Response Center ASEC, in a new analysis, said it marks the continued abuse of the flaws to deliver a variety of payloads on...

Hackers Exploiting Remote Desktop Software Flaws to Deploy PlugX Malware

Security vulnerabilities in remote desktop programs such as Sunlogin and AweSun are being exploited by threat actors to deploy the PlugX malware. AhnLab Security Emergency Response Center ASEC, in a new analysis, said it marks the continued abuse of the flaws to deliver a variety of payloads on...

Actors, Threats and Vulnerabilities 6 February to 12 February 2023

For a detailed threat digest, download the pdf file here Summary For a detailed threat digest, download the pdf file here Hive Pro identified three active actors over the past week. The first, OilRig, is a well-known threat actor known for its information theft and espionage activities. The secon...

Evasion Techniques Uncovered: An Analysis of APT Methods

By Christiaan Beek, with special thanks to Matt Green DLL search order hijacking is a technique used by attackers to elevate privileges on the compromised system, evade restrictions, and/or establish persistence on the system. The Windows operating system uses a common method to look for required...

Mustang Panda APT targets Europe with customized PlugX malware

Threat Level Actor Report For a detailed threat advisory, download the pdf file here Summary The Mustang Panda APT group has been targeting government and public sector organizations across Asia and Europe since at least 2019. Recently, the group has shifted from using archive files to using...

PlugX Malware Sneaks Onto Windows PCs Through USB Devices

By Deeba Ahmed The new variant stood out among other malware because it can infect any attached removable USB device, e.g., floppy, flash, thumb drives, and any system the removable device is plugged into later. This is a post from HackRead.com Read the original post: PlugX Malware Sneaks Onto...

Researchers Discover New PlugX Malware Variant Spreading via Removable USB Devices

Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered a PlugX sample that employs sneaky methods to infect attached removable USB media devices in order to propagate the malware to additional systems. "This PlugX variant is wormable and infects USB devices in such a way that it conceals itself from the Window...

Chinese Hackers Target Government Officials in Europe, South America, and Middle East

A Chinese hacking group has been attributed to a new campaign aimed at infecting government officials in Europe, the Middle East, and South America with a modular malware known as PlugX. Cybersecurity firm Secureworks said it identified the intrusions in June and July 2022, once again demonstrati...