Adblocker promises to blocks ads, injects them instead

Researchers at Imperva uncovered a new ad injection campaign based on an adblocker named AllBlock. The AllBlock extension was available at the time of writing for Chrome and Opera in the respective web stores. While disguising your adware as an adblocker may seem counterintuitive, it is actually ...

At long last, Microsoft is disabling Excel 4.0 macros by default

Sometimes good news in the security world comes unexpectedly. This is one of those times. After three decades of macro viruses, and three decades of trying to convince every single Excel user individually to disable macros, Microsoft is going disable Excel 4.0 macros for everyone. Better late tha...

A week in security (Sept 27 – Oct 3)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs Teaching cybersecurity skills to special needs children with Alana Robinson: Lock and Code S02E18 Phone screenshots accidentally leaked online by stalkerware-type company FoggyWeb, analysis of a Nobelium backdoor Instagram Kids put on hold Microsoft, CISA and NSA...

A week in security (September 14 – 20)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we looked at Fintech industry developments, specifically the differences between Europe and the US, and we analyzed how some charities and the advertising industry are tied together. We also told readers about what companies can do to counter domain name abuse. In...

Multi-stage APT attack drops Cobalt Strike using Malleable C2 feature

This blog post was authored by Hossein Jazi and Jérôme Segura On June 10, we found a malicious Word document disguised as a resume that uses template injection to drop a .Net Loader. This is the first part of a multi-stage attack that we believe is associated to an APT attack. In the last stage,...

Lock and Code S1Ep7: Sounding the trumpet on web browser privacy with Pieter Arntz

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 Pieter Arntz, malware intelligence researcher at Malwarebytes, about web browser privacy—an often neglected subcategory of data privacy. Without the prop...

Rudy Giuliani’s Twitter mishaps invite typosquatters and scammers

Former cybersecurity czar Rudy Giuliani has been targeted by typosquatters on Twitter, thanks to copious misspellings and other keyboarding errors made in a number of his public tweets. In a tweet sent out on Sunday, Giuliani meant to send his 650,000-plus followers to his new website,...

A look inside the FBI’s 2018 IC3 online crime report

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center have released their annual Crime Report, with the most recent release focusing on 2018. While the contents may not surprise, it definitely cements some of the bigger threats to consumers and businesses—and not all of them are particularly high tech...

A week in security (April 15 – 21)

Last week, Malwarebytes Labs revealed multiple giveaway online scam campaigns banking on the popularity and generosity of Ellen DeGeneres, weighed in on the hack that compromised legacy Microsoft email service accounts like Hotmail and MSN, explained what “like-farming” means and how to spot it o...

A week in security (April 1 – 7)

Last week, Malwarebytes Labs took readers on a brief tour of some of the world's most notable data privacy laws, explored how gamers can protect themselves against cyberthreats, and offered thoughts about the reports that a 23-year-old Chinese woman gained access to President Donald Trump’s...

Happy anniversary to Dreamcast…and its scams

This month marks 20 years since the legendary SEGA Dreamcast console was first announced. Looked on fondly by gamers, it revolutionised many aspects of gaming and brought cheapish online console gaming to the masses. Click to enlarge SEGA has endured many, many calls for it to come back as...

A week in security (October 30 – November 5)

Last week on our blog, we told you what to expect at the upcoming Irisscon security conference in Dublin. We gave you a quick introduction into the why and how of analyzing malware based on their API calls. And we issued a warning about some lesser-known cybercrimes. Plus we explained why emergin...

Crowdsourced fraud and kickstarted scams

Crowdsourced funding opportunities via Kickstarter, Patreon, and GoFundMe have removed many structural roadblocks for people to access capital quickly and conveniently. But they’ve also lowered the barrier to entry for many very old scams. So how do you tell the difference between a great cause o...

Google Chrome’s silent 4GB AI download problem [updated]

Google Chrome has been quietly downloading a 4GB AI model onto users' devices without asking first. Security researcher Alexander Hanff, aka ThatPrivacyGuy, reports that Chrome has been silently installing Gemini Nano, Google's on-device AI model, as a file called weights.bin stored in the...

Big Tech can stop scams. They just don’t (Lock and Code S07E08)

This week on the Lock and Code podcast … A dreadful thing happens far too often whenever an older adult falls for a scam: They get blamed for it. Not the scammers who lied and cheated their victim out of money. Not law enforcement for failing to recover funds. Not even the Big Tech companies that...

A week in security (April 12 – April 18)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Text scams grow to steal hundreds of millions of dollars Apple patches security vulnerabilities in iOS and iPadOS. Update now! Hi, robot: Half of all internet traffic now automated "I sent you an email from your email account," sextortion scam claims "Follow me" to...

Google fixes two actively exploited zero-day vulnerabilities in Android

Google has patched 62 vulnerabilities in Android, including two actively exploited zero-days in its April 2025 Android Security Bulletin. When we say "zero-day" we mean an exploitable software vulnerability for which there was no patch at the time of the vulnerability being exploited or published...

“Urgent reminder” tax scam wants to phish your Microsoft credentials

Tax season is in full force, and with the filing deadline fast approaching on April 15, scammers are happy to use that sense of urgency to coax us into handing them our cash. In one example, one of our customers recently received an email with an attachment titled "Urgent reminder.” The attachmen...

Update now! Apple confirms vulnerabilities are already being exploited

Apple has released security patches for most of its operating systems, including iOS, Mac, iPadOS, Safari, and visionOS. The updates for iOS and Intel-based Mac systems are especially important, as they tackle vulnerabilities that are being actively exploited by cybercriminals. You should make su...

A week in security (November 4 – November 10)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Hello again, FakeBat: popular loader returns after months-long hiatus TikTok ordered to close Canada offices following "national security review" Air fryers are the latest surveillance threat you didn’t consider Malwarebytes acquires AzireVPN to fuel additional VPN...

Criminal record database of millions of Americans dumped online

A cybercriminal going by the names of EquationCorp and USDoD has released an enormous database containing the criminal records of millions of Americans. The database is said to contain 70 million rows of data. Post by USDoD on a breach forum The leaked database is said to include full names, date...

Should you share your location with your partner?

Every relationship has its disagreements. Who takes out the trash and washes the dishes? Who plans the meals and writes out the grocery list? And when is it okay to start tracking one another’s location? Location sharing is becoming the norm between romantic partners—50% of people valued location...

Raccoon Infostealer operator extradited to the United States

A Ukrainian national, Mark Sokolovsky, has been indicted for crimes related to fraud, money laundering and aggravated identity theft and extradited to the United States from the Netherlands, the US Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Texas has announced. In March 2022, around the same ti...

A week in security (February 5 – February 11)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Ivanti urges customers to patch yet another critical vulnerability Ransomware in 2023 recap: 5 key takeaways FBI and CISA publish guide to Living off the Land techniques Warning from LastPass as fake app found on Apple App Store 2 million job seekers targeted by da...

How to recognize AI-generated phishing mails

Phishing is the art of sending an email with the aim of getting users to open a malicious file or click on a link to then steal credentials. But most phishers arent very good, and the success rate is relatively low: In 2021, the average click rate for a phishing campaign was 17.8%. However, now...

US pharmacy Rite Aid banned from operating facial recognition systems

Pharmacy chain Rite Aid has been denied the right to run facial recognition systems in its stores for five years, by a Federal Trade Commission FTC ruling. The regulator found so many flaws in the retailers surveillance program that it concluded Rite Aid had failed to implement reasonable...

Mr. Cooper leaks personal data of 14 million loan and mortgage customers

A major mortgage and loan company based in Dallas, working under the name Mr. Cooper Group Inc. has released more information on a recent breach. In a data breach notification, the company didnt say what type of cyberattack caused the compromise of customer data, calling it a rather non-descripti...

OneView updates: Dive into Report 2.0 & the new Global Site Filter

Were rolling out two new features to enhance usability in OneView, our multi-tenant platform for Managed Service Providers: Report 2.0 and the Global Site Filter. Heres what you need to know: Report 2.0: Improved Reporting in OneView Report 2.0 offers a more streamlined approach to reporting with...

Battling a new DarkGate malware campaign with Malwarebytes MDR

First publicly reported in 2018, DarkGate is a Windows-based malware with a wide-range of capabilities including credential stealing and remote access to victim endpoints. Until recently, it was only seen being delivered through traditional email malspam campaigns. In late August 2023, however,...

Docker Hub images found to expose secrets and private keys

Numerous Docker images shared on Docker Hub are exposing sensitive data, according to a study conducted by researchers at the German university RWTH Aachen. Needless to say, this poses a significant security risk. In traditional software development, programmers code an application in one computi...

Criminals target businesses with malicious extension for Meta's Ads Manager and accidentally leak stolen accounts

Like all social media platforms, Facebook constantly has to deal with fake accounts, scams and malware. We have written about scams targeting consumers that redirect to fake Microsoft alert pages, but there are also threats targeting businesses that use Facebook to promote their products and...

Why blocking ads is good for your digital health

Online content is largely powered and paid for by advertising. Almost every site you visit, every forum you browse, and even the online stores you buy things from is an advert extravaganza, and they dont just stop at showing cool offers for shirts at 50% off. The scaffolding the adverts sit on go...

APT attacks: Exploring Advanced Persistent Threats and their evasive techniques

Cyber criminals come in all shapes and sizes. On one end of the spectrum, theres the script kiddie or inexperienced ransomware gang looking to make a quick buck. On the other end are state-sponsored groups using far more sophisticated tactics--often with long-term, strategic goals in mind. Advanc...

Navigating mobile malware trends: Crucial insights and predictions for MSPs

Whether a company gives them out or they're owned by the employees or students, mobile devices are like honey for cybercriminals. And the kicker? Most of these devices are not protected enough. Just check out the following stats from last year: 18 percent of clicked phishing emails in 2022 came...

A week in security (May 1 - 7)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: How to protect your small business from social engineering Microsoft: You're already using the last version of Windows 10 Is it OK to train an AI on your images, without permission? Upcoming webinar: Is EDR or MDR better for your business? Google Authenticator WILL...

A week in security (February 13 - 19)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: What is AI good at and what the heck is it, actually, with Josh Saxe: Lock and Code S04E04 Malwarebytes recognized as endpoint security leader by G2 CISA issues alert with South Korean government about DPRK's ransomware antics Jailbreaking ChatGPT and other large...

Winnti APT group docks in Sri Lanka for new campaign

In early August, the Malwarebytes Threat Intelligence team identified a new attack targeting government entities in Sri Lanka. The threat actors used multiple layers of protection and techniques to make analysis harder and hide their final payload. However, based on tactic, techniques and...

Erbium stealer on the hunt for data

Theres a new slice of malware-as-a-service doing the rounds, although its actual newness is somewhat contested. The stealer, called Erbium, was first spotted on forums back in July 2022, but it seems nobody is quite sure when it started being deployed and snagging victims. Nevertheless, it is now...

Scammers send fake 'Energy Bills Support Scheme' texts

Watch out for an energy-themed scam being sent out via SMS. The message plays on energy price fears, similar to what weve seen previously. Scam alert. I just received this text. Click through and it looks very official. Its a scam. The £400 energy bill discount is automatic, you dont need to...

Kiwi Farms breached, user data potentially exposed

The operators of a site known to most observers for being in a recent state of flux have announced a forum breach. Kiwi Farms, which gained a reputation for sophisticated trolling and doxxing, was recently dropped by Cloudflare after a sustained campaign to have the DDoS mitigation and cloud...

Microsoft will disable Basic authentication for Exchange Online in less than a month

Microsoft has posted a reminder on the Exchange Team blog that Basic authentication for Exchange Online will be disabled in less than a month, on October 1, 2022. The first announcement of the change stems from September 20, 2019. With so much warning you might expect organizations to be ready, a...

A week in security (July 18 – July 24)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Extortionists target restaurants, demand money to take down bad reviews The FTC will go after companies misusing location, health, and other sensitive data Roblox breached: Internal documents posted online by unknown attackers Warning for WordPress admins: Uninstal...

Endpoint security for Mac: 3 best practices

If you’re one of the 50% of small and medium-sized businesses SMBs that use Mac .devices today, chances are your IT and security teams have a ton of Mac endpoints to monitor. Securing that many endpoints can get really complex, really fast, especially when you consider that the common wisdom that...

Cobalt Strikes again: UAC-0056 continues to target Ukraine in its latest campaign

This blog was authored by Roberto Santos and Hossein Jazi The Malwarebytes Threat Intelligence team recently reviewed a series of cyber attacks against Ukraine that we attribute with high confidence to UAC-0056 AKA UNC2589, TA471. This threat group has repeatedly targeted the government entities ...

Instagram introduces new ways for users to verify their age

If Instagram suspects you are fibbing about your age, youll currently see the following message: “You must be at least 13 years old to have an Instagram account. We disabled your account because you are not old enough yet. If you believe we made a mistake, please verify your age by submitting a...

Prometheus ransomware’s flaws inspired researchers to try to build a near-universal decryption tool

This blog is part of our live coverage from RSA Conference 2022: Prometheus—a ransomware build based on Thanos that locked up victims’ computers in the summer of 2021—included a major “vulnerability” that led security researchers at IBM to try and build a one-size-fits-all ransomware decryptor th...

Tor’s (security) role in the future of the Internet, with Alec Muffett

Tor has a storied reputation in the world of online privacy. The open-source project lets people browse the Internet more anonymously by routing their traffic across different nodes before making a final connection between their device and a desired website. Its something weve discussed previousl...

Internet Safety Month: Avoiding the consequences of unsafe Internet practices

Welcome to Internet Safety Month, a once-a-year event in which you, the public, are told that anywhere between three and 30 different best practices will simplify your approach to staying safe online. Unfortunately, much of the well-intentioned advice surrounding Internet Safety Month ignores one...

3 ways DNS filtering can save SMBs from cyberattacks

If you’re an SMB, chances are that you’re already well-aware of the fact that cyber threats can wreak havoc on your business. Everything from rootkits to ransomware threaten not just financial losses, but also significant network downtime and reputational damage as well. Couple this with the fact...

Cardiologist moonlighted as successful ransomware developer

The US has charged a 55-year-old French-Venezuelan cardiologist from Venezuela with "attempted computer intrusions and conspiracy to commit computer intrusions". This was revealed in an unsealed complaint in a federal court in Brooklyn, New York. Moises Luis Zagala Gonzales worked as a ransomware...