DDoS barrage against Israel described as the “largest ever” cyberattack its faced

Several government websites in Israel—those using the .gov.il domain—were inaccessible after a distributed denial of service DDoS attack hit Israels telecommunication provider, Cellcom. NetBlocks, a network disruption watchdog, initially detected "a significant disruption" aimed at the provider,...

Covid app’s privacy information ruled not clear enough

The UKs data watchdog has issued a reprimand to both the Scottish government and NHS National Services Scotland about their Covid Status app. The Information Commissioners Office ICO urged both to act swiftly to address its concerns about the app that, according to the ICO, failed to provide peop...

News Corp falls victim to cyberattack

Media giant News Corp says it has fallen victim to a cyberattack. First analysis indicates that the attack was a state sponsored attack, aimed at emails and documents of News Corp employees, including journalists. News Corp says data was stolen, but that it didnt include financial data or...

How to speed up your computer or laptop

Why do machines always throw a tantrum when you are in a hurry? It’s called Murphy’s Law which some people may know as the butter side down rule. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. And usually at a time when it is most inconvenient. That being said, there are ways to speed things up. Let’s...

Google and Facebook fined $240 million for making cookies hard to refuse

French privacy watchdog, the Commission Nationale de lInformatique et des Libertés CNIL, has hit Google with a 150 million euro fine and Facebook with a 60 million euro fine, because their websites—google.fr, youtube.com, and facebook.com—dont make refusing cookies as easy as accepting them. The...

Hackers take over 1.1 million accounts by trying reused passwords

The New York State Office of the Attorney General has warned 17 companies that roughly 1.1 million customers have had their user accounts compromised in credential stuffing attacks. Credential stuffing is the automated injection of stolen username and password pairs in to website login forms, in...

When a deepfake “empire” continues to grow

I’ve been quite vocal on the impact of deepfakes, in terms of where the most harm takes place. Back in 2019, we looked at malign interference campaigns. I took the line that, other than revenge porn, this was where deepfakes were likely to have the most influence. Although people keep talking abo...

A week in security (Dec 6 – 12)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Log4j zero-day “Log4Shell” arrives just in time to ruin your weekend Click “OK” to defeat MFA Fake job interviews plague major game developers like Riot Games and Rockstar Has your WordPress site been backdoored by a skimmer? What is a search engine and why does...

ICO challenges adtech to step up privacy protection

The UK Information Commissioners Office ICO wants the advertising industry to come up with new initiatives that address the risks of adtech, and take account of data protection requirements from the outset. The ICO is an independent body set up to uphold information rights. The technology that is...

Patch now to bypass Firefox add-ons that abuse the proxy API to deny updates

In a Firefox security announcement, Mozilla said 455,000 users have downloaded Firefox add-ons that interfere with how they connect to the internet. The interference in itself was not the deciding factor, however. The add-ons abused the proxy API to prevent users who had installed them from...

A week in security (Oct 11 – Oct 17)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs Google warns some users that FancyBear’s been prowling around Inside Apple: How macOS attacks are evolving The joy of phishing your employees ExpressVPN made a choice, and so did I: Lock and Code S02E19 Update now! Apple patches another privilege escalation bug in i...

Ransom Disclosure Act would mandate ransomware payment reporting

In an effort to better understand and clamp down on the ransomware economy and its related use of cryptocurrencies, US Senator and past presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren and US House Representative Deborah Ross introduced a new bill last week that would require companies and organizations to...

What are computer cookies?

We all know cookies as tasty baked treats that we love to eat, but computer cookies are quite different. Although they’re most popularly known as just "cookies", they may be referred to as browser cookies, Internet cookies, HTTP cookies, web cookies, computer cookies, or digital cookies. What are...

Parts of the Dark Web “awash” with school children’s personal data

NBC News has collected and analyzed a trove of childrens personal information it discovered on the Dark Web. Even though this information may not be as useful to cybercriminals as credit card details or login credentials, the information is still out there, where we don’t want it. So what is it,...

Facebook puts on Ray-Bans, struts into the privacy minefield of smart glasses

Facebook, neck-deep in virtual / augmented reality with the Oculus headset, continues to move things up a gear. Its announced “Ray-Ban stories”, smart glasses which take video and photos. The company may yet go one step further and incorporate these features into Augmented Reality AR specs which ...

Sextortion on the rise, warns FBI

The pandemic saw a surge in sextortion cases in 2020. Fast forward 12 months, and the numbers continue to rise significantly. This revelation came from the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center IC3. Until 31 July 2021, it had received over 16,000 sextortion complaints, with victims losing a combine...

Alleviating ransomware’s legal headaches with Jake Bernstein: Lock and Code S02E08

This week on Lock and Code, we speak to cybersecurity and privacy attorney Jake Bernstein about ransomware attacks that dont just derail a companys reputation and productivity, but also throw them into potential legal peril. In 2020, the cybersecurity community noticed a worrying trend from...

Hospital ransomware: Gangs are back to target healthcare

Healthcare is not in a good place right now. With some countries and states deciding to go back in to lockdown due to the continued rise of reported COVID-19 infections—and several garnering record-high numbers compared to when almost every country initially went into lockdown—it seems horrible...

A week in security (August 31 – September 6)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we dug into security hubris on the Lock and Code podcast, explored ways in which Apple’s notarization process may not be hitting all the right notes, and detailed a new web skimmer. We also explained how to keep distance learners secure, talked about PCI DSS...

Lock and Code S1Ep13: Monitoring the safety of parental monitoring apps with Emory Roane

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 Emory Roane, policy counsel at Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, about parental monitoring apps. These tools offer parents the capabilities to spot where the...

Cloud workload security: Should you worry about it?

Due to the increasing use of the cloud, organizations find themselves dealing with hybrid environments and nebulous workloads to secure. Containerization and cloud-stored data have provided the industry with a new challenge. And while you can try to make the provider of cloud data storage...

Of princes and perpetrators: Beware of getting ensnared in 419 scams

We've mentioned before that 419 scams don't always originate from Nigeria. It's a very simple and popular scam that can be attempted by pretty much anyone with a flair for social engineering. Indeed, 419 scams are so associated with the region that many scammers in non-Nigerian countries know the...

Explained: the Dark Web

You may have seen the Dark Web referenced in popular TV shows and have gotten the wrong idea, or if you already knew about it, you may have snorted in derision. It’s also sometimes called the Deep Web, when in fact the Dark Web is only a part of the Deep Web. Terminology Surface Web is what we...

Solution Corner: Malwarebytes Incident Response

Unless you’ve been stuck at a fiery music festival, I don’t need to tell you the threat landscape is constantly evolving and that threats have become increasingly sophisticated at evading detection. Recent Malwarebytes Labs reports, including the 2017 State of Malware shine a light on just how fa...

A week in security (Jun 12 – Jun 18)

Last week was very busy for the Labs, with a look at so-called numeric tech support scams, a visit to the huge Infosec Europe conference, an exploration of Mac Malware as a Service, and a walk through the myths of online bullying. Elsewhere: A huge click-farm is busted Jaff Ransomware is thwarted...

Document delivery scams: What are they and what’s their goal?

One of Malwarebytes' managers recently received a call from scammers pretending to be a document delivery service. The voicemail sounded official: “I am calling on behalf of document delivery services. We have been retained to schedule and deliver legal documents to you between the hours of 8 AM...

1 in 8 employees have sold company logins or know someone who has

UK anti-fraud non-profit Cifas just published research that should bother anyone who runs a business, or buys from one: One in eight workers at large enterprises have either sold their company login credentials or know someone who did. The internet is awash with compromised credentials that...

AT&T breach data resurfaces with new risks for customers

When data resurfaces, it never comes back weaker. A newly shared dataset tied to AT&T shows just how much more dangerous an “old” breach can become once criminals have enough of the right details to work with. The dataset, privately circulated since February 2, 2026, is described as AT&T customer...

The ghosts of WhatsApp: How GhostPairing hijacks accounts

Researchers have found an active campaign aimed at taking over WhatsApp accounts. They've called this attack GhostPairing because it tricks the victim into completing WhatsApp’s own device-pairing flow, silently adding the attacker’s browser as an invisible linked device on the account. Ghost of...

Scammers are constantly changing the game, but so are we. Introducing Malwarebytes Scam Guard

Mobile scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, leaving people vulnerable to cybercriminals. We recently reported on the ever-increasing number of scams that are created by AI-supported tools, with attackers crafting highly convincing phishing emails that target both individuals and...

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...

Vulnerability in most browsers abused in targeted attacks

Researchers found a vulnerability in Chrome that was abused in the wild against organizations in Russia. Google has released an update for its Chrome browser which includes patches for this vulnerability. The update brings the Stable channel to versions 134.0.6998.178 for Windows. Other operating...

A week in security (March 17 – March 23)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: What Google Chrome knows about you, with Carey Parker Lock and Code S06E06 Personal data revealed in released JFK files Semrush impersonation scam hits Google Ads Targeted spyware and why it’s a concern to us The "free money" trap: How scammers exploit financial...

Android devices track you before you even sign in

Google is spying on Android users, starting from even before they have logged in to their Google account. That's what researchers from Dublin’s Trinity College found after they conducted a measurement study to investigate the cookies, identifiers and other data stored on Android devices by Google...

Apple fixes zero-day vulnerability used in “extremely sophisticated attack”

Apple has released an emergency security update for a vulnerability which it says may have been exploited in an "extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals.” The update is available for: iOS 18.3.1 and iPadOS 18.3.1 - iPhone XS and later, iPad Pro 13-inch, iPad Pro...

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...

800 arrests, 40 tons of drugs, and one backdoor, or what a phone startup gave the FBI, with Joseph Cox: Lock and Code S05E12

This week on the Lock and Code podcast… This is a story about how the FBI got everything it wanted. For decades, law enforcement and intelligence agencies across the world have lamented the availability of modern technology that allows suspected criminals to hide their communications from legal...

A week in security (May 20 – May 26)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: How AI will change your credit card behind the scenes Criminal record database of millions of Americans dumped online Microsoft AI "Recall" feature records everything, secures far less How to remove a user from a shared Android device How to remove a user from a...

Dell notifies customers about data breach

Dell is warning its customers about a data breach after a cybercriminal offered a 49 million-record database of information about Dell customers on a cybercrime forum. A cybercriminal called Menelik posted the following message on the “Breach Forums” site: “The data includes 49 million customer a...

Mental health company Cerebral failed to protect sensitive personal data, must pay $7 million

The Federal Trade Commission FTC has reached a settlement with online mental health services company Cerebral after the company was charged with failing to secure and protect sensitive health data. Cerebral has agreed to an order that will restrict how the company can use or disclose sensitive...

A week in security (March 11 – March 17)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Ransomware’s appetite for US healthcare sees known attacks double in a year Webinar recap: 6 critical cyberthreats in 2024 and how to counter them TikTok faces ban in US unless it parts ways with Chinese owner ByteDance Malwarebytes Premium blocks 100% of malware...

How ransomware changed in 2023

In 2023, the CL0P ransomware gang broke the scalability barrier and shook the security world with a series of short, automated campaigns, hitting hundreds of unsuspecting targets simultaneously with attacks based on zero-day exploits. The gangs novel approach challenged a bottleneck that makes it...

Warzone RAT infrastructure seized

On February 9, 2024, the Justice Department announced that an international operation had seized internet domains that were selling information-stealing malware. Federal authorities in Boston seized www.warzone.ws and three related domains, which sold the Warzone RAT malware. The Warzone RAT...

Ransomware review: February 2024

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...

A week in security (January 8 – January 14)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: FCC wants cars to make life harder for stalkers Joomla! vulnerability is being actively exploited Act now! Ivanti vulnerabilities are being actively exploited Ransomware review: January 2024 Info-stealers can steal cookies for permanent access to your Google accoun...

FCC wants cars to make life harder for stalkers

Most new model cars are not just cars anymore. With multiple digital systems, vehicles are increasingly plugged into web applications and digital processes. Some of them are basically smartphones on wheels. Even if we assume these new features were all created with your convenience in mind, some ...

Update now! Apple issues patches for older iPhones and other devices

Apple has issued emergency updates that include patches for older iOS devices concerning the two actively used zero-day vulnerabilities that were patched last week in newer devices. Updates are available for: Safari 17.2| macOS Monterey and macOS Ventura| ---|---|--- iOS 17.2 and iPadOS 17.2|...

Meta sued over forcing users to pay to stop tracking

Meta is required to get users’ consent in Europe in order to show them targeted ads. For this reason, Meta has to provide European users with a way to opt out of behavioral advertising or face fines totalling $100,000 a day. Behavioral advertising are ads tailored to someone’s browsing habits and...

Nothing Chats pulled from Google Play

Sometimes it’s all in the name. The Nothing Chats beta has been pulled from the Google Play Store after reports that the company behind it has access to your unencrypted messages. Nothing Phone 2 owners were promised a first-of-its-kind app developed in partnership with Sunbird, which allowed the...

Student discount: Get 50% off Malwarebytes

Technology is now an indispensable part of student life, used for everything from socialising and calling home, to writing and researching essays. Unfortunately, that makes students taking their first steps into adult life a prime target for cybercrime. But how can you be sure the Wi-Fi network...