Hosting malicious sites on legitimate servers: How do threat actors get away with it?

How do threat actors manage to get their sites and files hosted on legitimate providers’ servers? I have asked myself this question many times, and many times thought, “The threat actors pay for it, and for some companies, money is all that matters.” But is it really that simple? I decided to fin...

This Week in Security News: Adware and Ransomware

Welcome to our weekly roundup, where we share what you need to know about the cybersecurity news and events that happened over the past few days. This week, learn about an adware that disguised itself as different apps and monitors mobile devices. Also, learn more about the different ransomware...

Tech Support Scams: What are They and How do I Stay Safe?

If you read this blog regularly you’re no doubt aware that cyber-criminals are a determined bunch, with a large range of tools and tactics at their disposal to rob you of your identity and hard-earned cash. Tech support scams TSS are an increasingly popular way for them to do just this. In 2017,...

Christmas tech scams roundup

There’s a fair few Christmas tech scams floating around out there as 2018 winds up, and we thought it’d be a good time to warn you about them. It’s the usual mish-mash of phone antics, social media shenanigans, and click bait. Shall we begin? This scam looks divine BOOM reports on a collection of...

Tech Support Scams Obfuscation Methods

Many scams have emerged looking to infect users with malware by giving users false information claiming that their computers are infected. After such claims an alert appears requesting the client to approve the running of a javascript file. A successful attack can lead to downloading malware to t...

Hey Belfast, Imperva’s Moving Into The Neighborhood

As a local, I’m very excited to be Imperva’s first Belfast hire, in charge of spinning up the operation in our new European location. Imperva provides best-in-class data and application security solutions on premises, in the cloud, and in hybrid environments. As we position ourselves for the next...

Indian police & Microsoft busts tech support scam centers

By Uzair Amir You may have watched YouTube videos about tech support scam tricking unsuspecting users into believing that their devices have been compromised with some nasty malware and the only way to get rid of it is to pay the technician for their "services" over the phone or Skype call. This...

Browlock flies under the radar with complete obfuscation

Browlocks are the main driving force behind tech support scams, using a combination of malvertising and clever browser locker tricks to fool users. In fact, the effects can be so convincing that people call the rogue Microsoft support number for help because they believe their computer has been...

Mass WordPress compromises redirect to tech support scams

Content Management Systems CMSes such as WordPress, Drupal, or Joomla are under a constant barrage of fire. Earlier this year, we detailed several waves of attacks against Drupal, also known as Drupalgeddon, pushing browser-based miners and various social engineering threats. During the past few...

A week in security (September 10 – 16)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we assessed the security of a portable router, identified ways to waste a scammer's time, named the many faces of omnichannel fraud, questioned the security of 2FAs, profiled a massive tech support scam operation, and exposed a new HMRC phishing campaign. Other...

Partnerstroka: Large tech support scam operation features latest browser locker

Tech support scams continue to be one of the top consumer threats in 2018, despite actions from security vendors and law enforcement. Scammers are constantly looking for new ways to reel in more victims, going beyond cold calls impersonating Microsoft to rogue tech support ads using the good name...

Tiny Island Atoll’s Domain Used in Widespread Ad Fraud

A scam campaign involving “.tk” domains has been active since at least May 2018, redirecting unsuspecting users to fake blogger sites that are collectively bringing in close to $22,000 per month in advertising revenue. The same actors have also been spotted running a tech-support scam in tandem,...

Introducing: Malwarebytes Browser Extension

Are you tired of all the unwanted content the world wide web offers up, whether you like it or not? It is our privilege to introduce you to the Malwarebytes Browser Extension BETA. Or, better said, the Malwarebytes Browser Extensions, because we have one for Firefox and one for Chrome. Introducti...

FTC Issues Alert on Tech Support Scams

The Federal Trade Commission has released an alert on tech support scams. Scammers use pop-up messages, websites, emails, and phone calls to entice users to pay for fraudulent tech support services to repair problems that don’t exist. Users should not pay or give control of their devices to any...

A week in security (June 11 – June 17)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we discussed how to protect the online privacy of children, we gave you a spring 2018 overview of exploit kits, rounded up the ongoing discussions about the VPNFilter malware, and discussed the struggles of UK law enforcement with modern-day cybercrime. Other news...

PSA: Users with landlines are more vulnerable to scams

It’s time to have “the talk” with your parents, relatives, and loved ones. Anyone still using a landline must be warned: having a home phone makes you particularly vulnerable to scams. We know here at Malwarebytes that our readers are often the unofficial “IT” department for their families,...

A conversation with America Geeks

Thanks to NeeP for contributing significant research. You can check out NeeP's YouTube channel here. Malwarebytes has written quite a bit about tech support scammers, typically focusing on new scam techniques as they arise with new threat actor groups. But sometimes our research discovers scammer...

Where did the tech support scam blacklist go?

For about five years, we've maintained a blacklist of recognized tech support scammers, along with websites and phone numbers they might use to contact victims. The blacklist was part of our Tech support scams: help and resource page, which tells readers how scams work, what tricks to look out fo...

FBI: Cyber-Fraud Losses Rise to Reach $1.4B

About 301,580 consumers reported cyber-fraud and malware attacks to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center IC3 last year – with reported losses exceeding a whopping $1.4 billion. The year’s haul of reports brings the overall total of complaints since the IC3 began recording such things to 4...

Tech support scam uses fake Shoppers Stop site to lure thousands

Update 2018-05-17: Shoppers Stop is a legitimate company based out of India and their brand was abused by scammers. These days, there are a lot of browser locker campaigns fueled by malvertising or redirection from hacked sites. But the Shoppers Stop tech scam campaign is actually a bit of both,...