The danger of third parties: ads, pipelines, and plugins

It may or may not be comforting to know that, ultimately, bulletproof security is out of your hands. You can have the most locked down PC on Earth, have two-factor authentication 2FA set up across the board, take sensible actions to protect your personal information, and read all the EULAs under...

How to build an incident response program: GDPR guidelines

In today’s computing world, it is not a matter of “if” an organization will get compromised, but “when.” That’s why, in addition to the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation GDPR going into effect this May, many organizations need to have a robust incident response program to ensure...

Old MS Office feature weaponized in malspam attacks

There have been a lot of talks recently following a write up and proof of concept about a Microsoft Office feature that can be misused and weaponized by malicious actors. The protocol, known as Dynamic Data Exchange.aspx DDE, has actually been around for a long time, and allows applications to...

A week in security (October 02 – October 08)

Last week, we gave you some tips for National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, walked through an exploration of a small adware file, and explored the complicated world of the Homograph attack. Here's what else happened in security. VB2017 Many of our team members attended VB2017 in Madrid, one of t...

A week in security (July 31 – August 6)

Last week we explored some basic PowerShell commands, dived into the new methods used by TrickBot, and wrote at length about the Magnitude exploit kit redirection chain. Our teams were busy at both BlackHat and DefCon, and outside of those famous hallways, we also took time to fire up some basic...

TikTok, YouTube, and Roblox face scrutiny, but age gates won’t fix child safety

A damaging new report from Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, has delivered a stark verdict: TikTok and YouTube's content feeds are "not safe enough" for children. This isn't just another regulatory slap on the wrist. Ofcom is putting out a wake-up call for anyone working in cybersecurity,...

Google ad for Facebook redirects to scam

Today, we are looking at a malicious ad campaign targeting Facebook users via Google search. It is well-known that tech support scammers attract new victims by buying ads for certain keywords related to their audience. What is perhaps less known is how it is even possible to impersonate top brand...

One year later, Rhadamanthys is still dropped via malvertising

It was just a little over a year ago that the Rhadamanthys stealer was first publicly seen distributed via malicious ads. Throughout 2023, we observed a continuation in malvertising chains related to software downloads. Fast forward to 2024 and the same malvertising campaigns are still going on...

Ransomware in 2023 recap: 5 key takeaways

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 did not pay a ransom. This provides the best overall picture of...

Facebook fatal accident scam still rages on

Recently I wrote about a malvertising campaign on Facebook that has been going on for almost a year. Apparently Facebook is struggling to stop this campaign, so now this type of campaign is showing up in other languages than English. I have seen two different types in German. First Facebook scam...

Oops! Black Basta ransomware flubs encryption

Researchers at SRLabs have made a decryption tool available for Black Basta ransomware, allowing some victims of the group to decrypt files without paying a ransom. The decryptor works for victims whose files were encrypted between November 2022 and December 2023. The decryptor, called Black Bast...

Warning issued over increased activity of TrueBot malware

In a joint advisory, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA, the Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI, the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center MS-ISAC, and the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security CCCS have warned about newly identified TrueBot malware variants use...

Malwarebytes only vendor to win every MRG Effitas award in 2022 & 2023

MRG Effitas, a world leader in independent IT research, published their anti-malware efficacy assessment results for Q1 2023. Malwarebytes Endpoint Protection EP achieved the highest possible score 100% and received certifications for Level 1, Exploit, Online Banking, and Ransomware. These result...

Web skimmer found on website of Liquor Control Board of Ontario

On January 12, 2023, the Liquor Control Board of Ontario LCBO published a news release about a cybersecurity incident, affecting online sales through LCBO.com. It is one of the largest retailers and wholesalers of beverage alcohol in the world. Web skimmer The cybersecurity incident was a web...

PayPal phishing campaign goes after more than just your login credentials

A new phishing campaign targeting PayPal users aims to get extensive data from potential victims. The data its after includes government documents like passport, as well as selfie photos. In a nutshell, its an extensive form of information theft, the likes of which could result in someones identi...

New variant of Android SpyJoker malware removed from Play Store after 3 million+ installs

Security researcher Maxime Ingrao has found a new variant of Android/Trojan.Spy.Joker which hes dubbed Autolycos. Malware in this family secretly subscribes users to premium services. The researcher noted that the eight applications that contained this malware had racked up a total of over 3...

Warning! Instagram Stories hides a scam in plain sight

When someone finds their social media account compromised, they first think about letting their followers know. And they do. They warn others from reading any strange posts, usually containing a rogue link, before they sort out the matter behind the scenes. Some curious followers who missed these...

Malwarebytes CrackMe – contest summary

On October 29 we published our third CrackMe Challenge and announced two parallel tracks for the contest: "The fastest solve" , and "The best write-up". In the first category "The fastest solve" , we got three winners already the first weekend following publication. Big congratulations to: @nazyw...

Cold wallet, hot wallet, or empty wallet? What is the safest way to store cryptocurrency?

In August of 2021, a thief stole about $600 million in cryptocurrencies from The Poly Network. They ended up giving it back, but not because they were forced to. Slightly more than one week later, Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Liquid was hacked and lost $97 million worth of digital coins. Thes...

Beware of COVID Pass scams

You’ve likely seen fake parcel delivery texts in the news recently, and we’ve covered a few of these ourselves. SMS missives claim a package is waiting to be delivered, and a small processing fee is required. There is no package; it’s a ruse to have people hand over their credit card details. It’...

Police seize DoubleVPN data, servers, and domain

A coordinated effort between global law enforcement agencies—led by the Dutch National Police—shut down a VPN service that was advertised on cybercrime forums. The VPN company promised users the ability to double- and triple-encrypt their web traffic to obscure their location and identity. The...

Colonial Pipeline attack spurs new rules for critical infrastructure

Following a devastating cyberattack on the Colonial Pipeline, the Transportation Security Administration—which sits within the government’s Department of Homeland Security—will issue its first-ever cybersecurity directive for pipeline companies in the United States, according to exclusive reporti...

Careers in cybersecurity: Malwarebytes talks to teachers and students

Every year, I take part in talks for universities and schools. The theme is often breaking into infosec. I give advice to teens considering pursuing tech as a further area of study. I explain a typical working day for degree undergraduates. Sometimes I’m asked to give examples of conference talks...

A week in security (February 1 – February 7)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we dug into a load of security events. We first peered into how Fonix ransomware was giving up the ghost, swearing off a life of crime and even apologizing for past actions. We looked at a credit card skimmer that found opportunity in the latest Magento 1 hacking...

Fonix ransomware gives up life of crime, apologizes

Ransomware gangs deciding to pack their bags and leave their life of crime is not new, but it is a rare thing to see indeed. And the Fonix ransomware also known as FonixCrypter and Xinof, one of those ransomware-as-a-service RaaS offerings, is the latest to join the club. End of FonixCrypter...

Ubiquiti breach, and other IoT security problems

Networking equipment manufacturer Ubiquiti sent out an email to warn users about a possible data breach. The email stated there had been unauthorized access to its IT systems that are hosted with a third-party cloud provider. Ubiquiti Networks sells networking devices and IoT devices. It did not...

Adobe Flash Player reaches end-of-life

“What now? My farm is no longer working. Can you have a look, honey?” Like millions of other people my wife likes to play online browser games. You know, the ones that don’t require a fast connection because your virtual life is not in constant danger, and an occasional harvest is enough to make...

German users targeted with Gootkit banker or REvil ransomware

This blog post was authored by Hasherezade and Jérôme Segura On November 23, we received an alert from a partner about a resurgence of Gootkit infections in Germany. Gootkit is a very capable banking Trojan that has been around since 2014 and possesses a number of functionalities such as keystrok...

IoT cybersecurity bill passed by Senate

Days before taking a week-long Thanksgiving recess, the US Senate passed an almost mundane cybersecurity bill that, if approved by the President, will improve security guidelines and protocols for Internet of Things IoT devices purchased and owned by the Federal government. The bill, called the...

Malsmoke operators abandon exploit kits in favor of social engineering scheme

Exploit kits continue to be used as a malware delivery platform. In 2020, weve observed a number of different malvertising campaigns leading to RIG, Fallout, Spelevo and Purple Fox, among others. And, in September, we put out a blog post detailing a surge in malvertising via adult websites. One o...

A week in security (September 28 – October 4)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we dug into what happens when card fraud comes calling, we gave a rundown on some novel ransomware attacks that took advantage of smart coffee makers, and we introduced VideoBytes, our new, monthly series in which well provide video coverage of some of the...

‘Just tell me how to fix my computer:’ a crash course on malware detection

Malware. You’ve heard the term before, and you know it’s bad for your computer—like a computer virus. Which begs the question: Do the terms “malware” and “computer virus” mean the same thing? How do you know if your computer is infected with malware? Is "malware detection" just a fancy phrase for...

Coronavirus Bitcoin scam promises “millions” working from home

In the last week, we’ve seen multiple coronavirus scams pushed by bad actors, including RAT attacks via fake health advisories, bogus e-books working in tandem with Trojans, and lots of other phishing shenanigans. Now we have another one to add to the ever-growing list: dubious coronavirus Bitcoi...

Securing the MSP: best practices for vetting cybersecurity vendors

Ironically, to keep costs low for their enterprise and mid-market clients, managed service providers MSPs are some of the most reliant on third-party vendors—including those providing security. While this is generally not an indication of dysfunction or vulnerability, the responsible MSP will be...

A week in security (December 2 – December 8)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we took a look at a new version of the IcedID Trojan, described web skimmers up to no good, and took a deep dive into containerization. We also explored a report bringing bad news for organizations and insider threats, and threw a spotlight on a video game phish...

Deepfakes and LinkedIn: malign interference campaigns

Deepfakes haven't quite lost the power to surprise, but given their wholesale media saturation in the last year or so, there’s a sneaking suspicion in some quarters that they may have missed the bus. When people throw a fake Boris Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn online these days, the response seems to ...

A week in security (September 9 – 15)

Last week on the Labs blog, we looked at free VPN offerings, how malware can hinder vital emergency services, and explored how the Heartbleed vulnerability is still causing problems. We also talked about a large FTC settlement involving Google, and how to keep an eye out for leaky AWS buckets...

Is FIDO the future instrument to prove our identity?

FIDO, short for Fast IDentity Online, is an industry consortium started in 2013 to address the lack of interoperability among strong authentication devices and the problems users face creating and remembering multiple usernames and passwords. Among the founders were those who work in the financia...

Spartacus ransomware: introduction to a strain of unsophisticated malware

Spartacus ransomware is a new sample that has been circulating in 2018. Written in C, the original sample is obfuscated, which we will go over as we extract it to its readable state. Spartacus is a relatively straight-forward ransomware sample and uses some similar techniques and code to others w...

The numeric tech support scam campaign

There are many different tech support scam TSS campaigns active at any given moment, the majority of them are fueled by malicious adverts the browser lockers, or bundled software the screen lockers. Something interesting happened recently, where legitimate - but hacked - websites would redirect t...

Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 “abruptly disabled” after US gov. ban

Anthropic has been ordered by the US government to cut off its newest Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models for fear of abuse by adversaries. Reuters reports that Anthropic said it will "abruptly ​disable" its most advanced AI models for all users after the US government ordered it to suspend access...

Keep getting calls from questionable numbers? Meet Scam Number Check

Have you ever gotten a phone call and had a gut feeling that those random digits looked extra suspicious? It happens to millions of people every day. While many people have trained themselves to ignore such calls, they still pose a threat across the US. In fact, scammers stole more than $21 billi...

Inside a fake Google security check that becomes a browser RAT

A website styled to resemble a Google Account security page is distributing what may be one of the most fully featured browser-based surveillance toolkits we have observed in the wild. Disguised as a routine security checkup, it walks victims through a four-step flow that grants the attacker push...

WhatsApp hack: Meta wins payout over NSO Group spyware

Meta has won almost $170m in damages from Israel-based NSO Group, maker of the Pegasus spyware. The ruling comes after a six-year legal case against the company after Meta accused it of misusing its servers to spy on users. According to the original complaint against NSO Group, filed in October...

A week in security (June 24 – June 30)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: TEMU sued for being "dangerous malware" by Arkansas Attorney General Driving licences and other official documents leaked by authentication service used by Uber, TikTok, X, and more "Poseidon" Mac stealer distributed via Google ads Federal Reserve "breached" data m...

How to turn off location tracking on iOS and iPadOS

On iOS and iPadOS, location services are typically turned on when you first set up your device. However, there may be reasons why you don’t want your device to be located, perhaps because you don’t want to be found but need to keep the device with you. There are a few options to hide your locatio...

Patch now: Mozilla patches two critical vulnerabilities in Firefox

Mozilla released version 124.0.1 of the Firefox browser to Release channel users the default channel that most non-developers run on March 22, 2024. The new version fixes two critical security vulnerabilities. One of the vulnerabilities affects Firefox on desktop only, and doesnt affect mobile...

Deepfake Taylor Swift images circulate online, politicians call for laws to ban deepfake creation

Deepfake images of Taylor Swift have really made some serious waves. Explicit images of the popstar, generated by Artificial Intelligence AI were posted on social media and Telegram. The images were viewed millions of times. The impact of the deepfake was enormous. Social media platform X formerl...

Europol lifts the lid on cybercrime tactics

The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation Europol, has published a report that examines developments in cyberattacks, discussing new methodologies and threats observed by Europols operational analysts. The report also discusses the criminal organizations behind cyberattacks and th...

[Updated] Apple issues Rapid Security Response for zero-day vulnerability

Apple has issued an update for a vulnerability which it says may have been actively exploited. In the security content for Safari 16.5.2 we can learn that the vulnerability was found in the WebKit component which is Apples web rendering engine. In other words, WebKit is the browser engine that...