Stalking with an Apple Watch

The malicious uses of these technologies are scary: Police reportedly arrived on the scene last week and found the man crouched beside the womans passenger side door. According to the police, the man had, at some point, wrapped his Apple Watch across the spokes of the womans passenger side front...

Experts Create Apple AirTag Clone That Can Bypass Anti-Tracking Measures

Cybersecurity researchers have managed to build a clone of Apple Airtag that circumvents the anti-stalking protection technology built into its Find My Bluetooth-based tracking protocol. The result is a stealth AirTag that can successfully track an iPhone user for over five days without triggerin...

A week in security (January 31 – February 6)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Threat actor steals email with Zimbra zero-day FBI warns of bogus job postings on recruitment sites Investment scams are on the rise A worrying Etsy listing reveals the stalking potential of Apple’s AirTags Beware bogus OperaGX sponsorship offers $320 milllion stol...

A worrying Etsy listing reveals the stalking potential of Apple’s AirTags

In April of 2021, Apple introduced AirTags to the world, making the small tracking devices—similar to a Tile— available for purchase at the end of that month. The circular, coin-like product is designed to be attached to or placed in objects that are commonly lost, such as keychains, wallets,...

Phone screenshots accidentally leaked online by stalkerware-type company

pcTattleTale hasnt been very careful about securing the screenshots it sneakily takes from its victims phones. pcTattleTale markets itself as "employee and child monitoring software" that is undetectable by the device user, but it can also be used to spy on spouses and partners. It allows its...

TangleBot Malware Reaches Deep into Android Device Functions

An Android malware called TangleBot has weaved its way onto the cyber-scene: One that researchers said can perform a bouquet of malicious actions, including stealing personal info and controlling apps and device functions. According to Cloudmark researchers, the newly discovered mobile malware is...

A week in security (March 15 – 21)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, our podcast featured Adam Kujawa, who talked us through our 2021 State of Malware report. We cover our own research on: Royal mail parcel scam How your iPhone can tell you if you’re being stalked Careers in cybersecurity ProxyLogon PoC whack-a-mole Teen behind 2020...

Florida Ethics Officer Charged with Cyberstalking

A Tallahassee city ethics officer was arrested and charged with cyberstalking her coworker and former lover, and is now banned by a judge from using the internet for anything besides work, paying bills and her legal defense. Julie Meadows-Keef is accused of cyberstalking Bert Fletcher, the...

To VPN or not to VPN?

Security To VPN or not to VPN? Share October 29th, 2020 Alice and Bob use VPN to fight Mallory, an inquisitive sysadmin. TL;DR: skip to the conclusions to see what Alice learned. The Privacy Problem Alice and Bob recently met Mallory, who works at the cable company providing internet access to th...

A Hidden Risk for Domestic Violence Victims: Family Phone Plans

Abusers can use shared accounts to stalk and harass victims, and plans aren’t always easy to escape...

Stalkerware and online stalking are accepted by Americans. Why?

Despite warnings from domestic abuse networks, privacy rights advocates, and a committed faction of cybersecurity vendors, Americans may be accepting and minimizing online stalking behaviors, including the use of invasive apps that can pry into a user’s text messages, emails, photos, videos, and...

Security Firms, Nonprofits Team to Fight Stalkerware

The scourge of so-called “stalkerware” has accelerated as mobile cyberattacks in general have become more common, and it’s something that’s being addressed through a security industry collaboration that launched this week. The term “stalkerware” refers to both surreptitious spyware available on t...

Beware of Stalking Apps

The Federal Trade Commission FTC has released an article warning consumers of “stalking apps”—spyware that secretly monitors smartphones. These apps can share information like call history, text messages, photos, GPS locations, and browser history without the user's knowledge. Although this can b...

FTC Cracks Down on Stalkerware With Retina-X App Bans

UPDATE The Federal Trade Commission FTC has barred the sale of three “stalking apps” until their developer can prove they are used legally. The case is the first crackdown by the FTC on “stalkerware,” which is software that can be installed on devices to track their owners’ location, activity and...

The Simple Way Apple and Google Let Domestic Abusers Stalk Victims

To prove a point about common location-sharing apps, I asked my wife to use them to spy on me...

Serial Swatter and Stalker Mir Islam Arrested for Allegedly Dumping Body in River

A 22-year-old man convicted of cyberstalking and carrying out numerous bomb threats and swatting attacks -- including a 2013 swatting incident at my home -- was arrested Sunday morning in the Philippines after allegedly helping his best friend dump the body of a housemate into a local river...

Connected Wristwatch Allows Hackers to Stalk, Spy On Children

Wristwatches with tracking capabilities have gained popularity over the years as an easy way for parents to keep tabs on their children. But a newly-discovered hole in a popular Misafes watch opens up these tracking capabilities to bad actors, which could ultimately threaten the physical safety o...

Breaking up is hard to do… with IoT

Evidence is starting to emerge of former partners stalking their ex through the smart tech in their home. If you have a break up, what steps should you take to protect yourself? Is the very tech that is supposed to protect you actually exposing you to your ex? Smart doorbells I was contacted by a...

Online security tips for Valentine’s Day: how to beat the cheats

Valentine's Day is upon us once more, and so are lots of dating-friendly security tips. Read on and secure your profile, alongside one hopes the love of your life. 1. Not so hot singles in your area Many dating apps have geotagging enabled, regardless of whether you created your profile on a...

Dangerous liaisons

It seems just about everyone has written about the dangers of online dating, from psychology magazines to crime chronicles. But there is one less obvious threat not related to hooking up with strangers – and that is the mobile apps used to facilitate the process. We're talking here about...