Lock and Code S1Ep11: Locating concerns of Bluetooth and beacon technology with Chris Boyd

This week on Lock and Code, we discuss the top security headlines generated right here on Labs and around the Internet. In addition, we talk to Chris Boyd, lead malware intelligence analyst for Malwarebytes, about Bluetooth and beacon technology. Last month, cybersecurity experts warned the publi...

Bluetooth beacons: one free privacy debate with your next order

Apps and their permissions have been in the news recently, particularly in relation to tracking/privacy issues and Bluetooth. Why Bluetooth, though? What is it, and what is it doing to raise concerns in some security quarters? Bluetooth: your cool, then uncool, but mostly cool again cousin...

ParetoLogic facing complaint of alleged wrongdoing

A short while ago we reported on the FTC ruling against payment provider RevenueWire. Now, another Canadian company is under scrutiny, and the cases are very much related. Not only are these companies hailing from the same city, they also share some founders. The company ParetoLogic is involved i...

The little-known ways mobile device sensors can be exploited by cybercriminals

The bevy of mobile device sensors in modern smartphones and tablets make them more akin to pocket-sized laboratories and media studios than mere communication devices. Cameras, microphones, accelerometers, and gyroscopes give incredible flexibility to app developers and utility to mobile device...

Malwarebytes teams up with security vendors and advocacy groups to launch Coalition Against Stalkerware

Today, Malwarebytes is announcing its participation in a joint effort to stop invasive digital surveillance: the Coalition Against Stalkerware. For years, Malwarebytes has detected and warned users about the potentially dangerous capabilities of stalkerware, an invasive threat that can rob...

Here are the most popular robocall scams and how to avoid them

We recently examined how robocall scams are a serious threat to privacy, alongside the astonishing rate at which their volume continues to increase. Forty-three billion calls in 2019 with an average of 131 calls per person in the US alone is not something to be sniffed at. No matter how careful y...

A week in security (October 14 – 20)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we tried to unlock the future of the password its vulnerabilities, current alternatives, and possible future disappearance, analyzed the lagging response by many businesses in adopting a patch for Pulse VPN vulnerability, looked at Instagram’s bulked-up security...

DEF CON 27 retrospective: badge life redux

Kickstarter or DEF CON attendee? Be forewarned, this light overview contains some mild spoilers. If you want the purest “Da Bomb” experience with no web-based OSINT hints, read no further. I’m not revealing any earth-shattering secrets here, but figured it was worth mentioning. Also DEF CON is ov...

Labs quarterly report finds ransomware’s gone rampant against businesses

Ransomware's back—so much so that we created an entire report on it. For 10 quarters, we've covered cybercrime tactics and techniques, covering a wide range of threats we saw lodged against consumers and businesses through our product telemetry, honeypots, and threat intelligence. We've looked at...

Your device, your choice: AdwCleaner now detects preinstalled software

For years, Malwarebytes has held firm to a core belief about you, the user: You should be able to decide for yourself which apps, programs, browsers, and other software end up on your computer, tablet, or mobile phone. Basically, it’s your device, your choice. With the latest update to Malwarebyt...

Everything you need to know about ATM attacks and fraud: Part 1

Flashback to two years ago. At exactly 12:33 a.m., a solitary ATM somewhere in Taichung City, Taiwan, spewed out 90,000 TWD New Taiwan Dollar—about US$2,900 today—in bank notes. No one was cashing out money from the ATM at the time. In fact, this seemingly odd system glitch was actually a test: T...

Interview with a malware hunter: Jérôme Segura

In our series "Interview with a malware hunter," our feature role today goes to Jérôme Segura, Malwarebytes’ Head of Threat Intelligence and world-renowned exploit kits researcher. The goal of this series is to introduce our readers to our malware intelligence crew by involving them in these Q&A...

New ‘Under the Radar’ report examines modern threats and future technologies

As if you haven't heard it enough from us, the threat landscape is changing. It's always changing, and usually not for the better. The new malware we see being developed and deployed in the wild have features and techniques that allow them to go beyond what they were originally able to do, either...

A week in security (October 22 – 28)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we took a look at some new Mac malware, gave you a roundup of 2018 exploit kits, and dispensed some advice on sextortion scams. We also looked at the Cathay Pacific breach, groaned at the revival of an old browser trick, and explained how voting machines and...

A week in security (September 17 – 23)

Last week, we took a look at a low level spam campaign on Twitter, explored the signs of falling victim to phishing, and examined a massive WordPress compromise. We also explained some SASL vulnerabilities and covered a breaking Emotet spam campaign. Other cybersecurity news: NewEgg attacked by...

Reversing malware in a custom format: Hidden Bee elements

Malware can be made of many components. Often, we encounter macros and scripts that work as malicious downloaders. Some functionalities can also be achieved by position-independent code—so-called shellcode. But when it comes to more complex elements or core modules, we almost take it for granted...

The data breach epidemic: no info is safe

By now it’s obvious that data security technology and protocols haven’t kept pace with the needs of consumers. Even as more people trust their most sensitive personal information to online apps and services, databases are routinely exposed. In 2017 alone, we learned about massive data breaches fr...

A week in security (January 8 – January 14)

It's very early in the year, yet everyone has already had a complete meltdown pun intended over a number of serious vulnerabilities found in legacy and modern microprocessors. Last week, rightly so, vendors released patches for hardware and OSes to help mitigate these threats. However, problems i...

IRISSCON security conference comes to Dublin in November

It's that time of the year when IRISSCON—the biggest security conference in Ireland, in my humble opinion—springs into life with a great collection of talks and Capture the Flag events. Held on November 23 in Dublin, there will be a strong focus on working in Infosec this year, alongside some of...

BadRabbit ransomware strikes Eastern Europe

A new strain of ransomware called BadRabbit is spreading through Eastern Europe. Likely created by the same authors as the Petya/Not Petya ransomware outbreak in June, BadRabbit ransomware uses a website to drop a fake Flash update and then drops its payload. Click to view slideshow. Countries we...

Malvertising on Equifax, TransUnion tied to third party script (updated)

Update 10-16-2017: More information regarding the third-party script fireclick.js and the domain it contacted netflame.cc was revealed by the Wall Street Journal. That domain once was used by Digital River Inc., an e-commerce and digital-marketing vendor, for a now-defunct web-analytics product...

A week in security (July 17 – July 23)

Over the last week, we have covered Play Protect, android’s new security system and how the Dutch police ran Hansa Market after the take down of Alpha Bay, both major players on the Dark Web. We also provided some tips on how to stay cyber safe this summer. We also saw how the Terror exploit kit...

Play Protect: Android’s new security system is now available

Play Protect, a security suite for Android devices, was originally introduced in mid-May of this year during the Google I/O conference. And in just a couple of months, the tech giant has made it available for all their mobile users. Play Protect is the amalgamation of Google’s Android security...

Choose your WhatsApp username carefully

Dutch consumer organization Consumentenbond has warned users to be careful when choosing their optional WhatsApp username. Meta announced the introduction of usernames on June 29, 2026, and encouraged users to reserve their username now. Meta offers this feature as: “a major privacy feature...

Passwords in the age of AI: We need to find alternatives

For decades, passwords have been our default method for keeping online accounts safe. But in the age of artificial intelligence, this traditional security method is facing challenges it was never built to withstand. A team at Cybernews conducted a study of over 19 billion newly exposed passwords...

SMS scammers use toll fees as a lure

In April 2024, the FBI warned about a new type of smishing scam. Smishing is the term we use for phishing attacks sent via text message. This particular smishing scam tries to trick users into clicking a link by telling them they owe a “small amount” in toll fees. The scammers send a text claimin...

[updated] Atlassian: “Take immediate action” to patch your Confluence Data Center and Server instances

Atlassian has released an advisory about a critical severity authentication vulnerability in the Confluence Server and Data Center. All versions of Confluence Data Center and Server are affected by this unexploited vulnerability. Atlassian Cloud sites are not impacted by this vulnerability, so if...

Patch now! BIG-IP Configuration utility is vulnerable for an authentication bypass

Tech company F5 has warned customers about a critical authentication bypass vulnerability impacting its BIG-IP product line that could result in unauthenticated remote code execution. F5 provides services focused on security, reliability, and performance. BIG-IP is a collection of hardware...

Malwarebytes Browser Guard introduces three new features

Malwarebytes Browser Guard is our free browser extension for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari that blocks unwanted and unsafe content, giving users a safer and faster browsing experience. It's the worlds first browser extension to do this while also identifying and stopping tech support scams. A...

Ransomware review: June 2023

This article is based on research by Marcelo Rivero, Malwarebytes' ransomware specialist, who monitors information published by ransomware gangs on their Dark Web sites. In this report, "known attacks" are those where the victim didn't pay a ransom. This provides the best overall picture of...

Ransomware protection with Malwarebytes EDR: Your FAQs, answered!

We get a few questions about ransomware protection and how our Endpoint Detection and Response software can protect you from ransomware. In this post, our security experts answer some of your most frequently asked questions about ransomware and how our EDR can help—let’s get started. Q: When...

The Wren Eleanor story: Why you should keep your kids’ images off social media

TikTok moms have started a movement: Calling out potential creeps who follow child influencer accounts on the platform. The latest account in the spotlight is @wren.eleanor, a TikTok account with a massive 17.3 million followers. Its an impressive number and one that got the attention of armchair...

A week in security (January 24 – 30)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: QNAP update stops Deadbolt ransomware, annoys some users, starts debate Big Mother is watching: What parents REALLY think about tracking their kids Update now! Apple patches another actively used zero-day Let’s Encrypt to revoke “mis-issued” certificates North...

Infamous dark net carding site UniCC to close

UniCC, the largest site on the dark web that sells credit card and debit card information, will close up shop for good, taking its affiliate site, LuxSocks, with it, too. According to Elliptic, a company that offers risk solutions for cryptoassets, the unknown UniCC administrators have made an...

Why Macs are the best, according to Mac expert Thomas Reed: Lock and Code S02E23

In the year 2021, the war for computer superiority has a clear winner, and it is the Macintosh, by Apple. The companys Pro model laptops are finally, belatedly equipped with ports that have been standard in other computers for years. The companys beleaguered "butterfly" keyboard has seemingly bee...

What is fileless malware?

Unlike traditional malware, which relies on a file being written to a disk, fileless malware is intended to be memory resident only, ideally leaving no trace after its execution. The malicious payload exists in the computer’s memory, which means nothing is ever written directly to the hard drive...

Crypto-scams you should be steering clear of in 2021

A fair few cryptocurrency scams have been doing the rounds across 2021. Most of them are similar if not identical to tactics used in previous years with an occasional twist. Here’s some of the most visible ones you should be steering clear of. Recovery code theft Many Bitcoin wallets make use of...

ID theft ghouls targeting Surfside victims is appalling, but no surprise

We’ve written at length about account compromise and identity theft, and how criminals will often hijack accounts belonging to dead people. In many ways, it’s the perfect crime for anyone indulging in social engineering. The amount of abandoned accounts due to death can only ever go up, and nobod...

Zoom deepfaker fools politicians…twice

We recently said deepfakes “remain the weapon of choice for malign interference campaigns, troll farms, revenge porn, and occasionally humorous celebrity face-swaps”. Skepticism that these techniques would work on a grand scale such as an election, remains in place. In the realm of malign...

PYSA, the ransomware attacking schools

The education sector’s cybersecurity problem has compounded in the last few months. A recent warning from the FBI, in mid-March, put schools in the US and UK on notice of increased attacks from the threat actors behind the PYSA ransomware. If this is the first time you’ve heard of this family, re...

Omegle investigation raises new concerns for kids’ safety

Social media site Omegle is under fire after an investigation found boys using the platform to expose themselves on camera, and adults exposing themselves to minors. Omegle users are paired with a random stranger who they can socialize with via text or video chat. An investigation by the British...

File-sharing and cloud storage sites: How safe are they?

There it is again—that annoying message that pops up when your email client informs you that a file is too big to attach. Those of us that are confronted with this problem on a regular basis—and those of us that want to attach files that could get picked up by anti-malware scanners along the...

Update your iOS now! Apple patches three zero-day vulnerabilities

Apple has patched three vulnerabilities in iOS and iPadOS that were actively being exploited in targeted attacks. Vulnerabilities that are being exploited in the wild without a patch being available are referred to as zero-days. The vulnerabilities were found and disclosed by Google’s Project Zer...

Explained: cloud-delivered security

As a counterpart to security for your assets in the cloud, you may also run into solutions that offer security from the cloud. These solutions are generally referred to as cloud-delivered security. Cloud-delivered security is sometimes called security-as-a-service which we will avoid here as it...

Cybersecurity and the economy: when recession strikes

Cybercrime and the economy have always been intertwined, but with COVID-19 on the road to causing a seemingly inevitable global recession, many are asking what, exactly, will the impact be on cybercrime. Will criminals step up and increase malware production, ramp up phishing attacks, do whatever...

Coronavirus impacts security conferences and events: check your schedule

With coronavirus starting to take hold globally, international travel restrictions are kicking in and more workplaces are advising to work from home whenever possible. When self-isolation is a potential solution, public gatherings are increasingly looking like a terrible idea. Events are becoming...

A week in security (February 3 – 9)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we looked at Washington state’s latest efforts in providing better data privacy rights for their residents, and we dove into some of the many questions regarding fintech: What is it? How secure is it? And what are some of the problems in the space? We also detailed...

A week in security (April 8 – 14)

Last week on Labs, we said hello to Baldr, a new stealer on the market, we wondered who is managing the security of medical management apps, discussed the different perceptions of personal information, and we looked at fake Instagram assistance apps found on Google Play that are stealing password...

Was this really an attempt by the Chinese?

Last weekend, during President Trump’s visit to the Mar-a-Lago resort, a 23-year-old Chinese woman attempted to gain access to the Florida resort by lying and bluffing her way in. After some discussion at the gate, she was escorted to the reception of the resort where it was found out that she wa...

LoJack for computers used to attack European government bodies

Security researchers have detected the first known instance of a UEFI bootkit being used in targeted campaigns against government entities across Central and Eastern Europe. The attack focuses on UFEI-enabled computers and relies on a persistence mechanism that has been stolen from a legitimate,...