Phishy calls and emails play on energy cost increase fears

Gas and electricity price concerns are rife at the moment, with spiralling costs and bigger increases waiting down the line. Sadly this makes the subject valuable material for fraudsters, playing into peoples fears with a dash of social engineering to make them worse off than they were previously...

Bank fraud scammers trick victims with claims of bogus Zelle transfers

It pays to be careful where cold calls from someone claiming to work for your bank are concerned. Scam callers are impersonating bank staff, with suggestions of dubious payments made to your account. One unfortunate individual has already lost around $1,000 to this slice of telephone-banking base...

“Orwellian in the extreme” food store installs facial recognition cameras to stop crime, faces backlash

A convenience shop chain is under fire and facing legal charges for installing cameras with facial recognition software in 35 of its branches across the UK. The cameras analyze and convert video face captures into biometric data. The data is compared with a database of people who have committed...

The winding road to compliance

“Here are the keys. Buy milk and bread. Drive safely.” These are important instructions for a new driver tasked with running an errand. But unless the driver knows where they are going, a bit of guidance on how to get to the store can only help. Without it, the driver may complete the errand...

Europe threatens to ban Facebook over data transfers to the US

If regulators have their way, data transfers from Facebook and Instagram between Europe and the United States could stop this summer. WhatsApp, another Meta service, will not be affected by the decision as it has a different data controller within Meta. This could force Meta, Facebooks parent...

HackerOne insider fired for trying to claim other people’s bounties

The vulnerability disclosure platform HackerOne has revealed that one of their staff members had improperly accessed security reports for personal gain. The—now former—staff member approached HackerOne customers with vulnerabilities that belonged to users of the platform. HackerOne HackerOne acts...

Ransomware review: June 2022

Malwarebytes Threat Intelligence builds a monthly picture of ransomware activity by monitoring the information published by ransomware gangs on their Dark Web leak sites. This information represents victims who were successfully attacked but opted not to pay a ransom. In June, LockBit was the mos...

Criminals are applying for remote work using deepfake and stolen identities, says FBI

The FBI has warned businesses of an uptick in reports of criminals applying for remote work using deepfake and stolen PII personally identifiable information. A deepfake is essentially created or modified media image, video, or audio, often with the help of artificial intelligence AI and machine...

Securing the software supply chain, with Kim Lewandowski: Lock and Code S03E13

At the start of the global coronavirus pandemic, nearly everyone was forced to learn about the "supply chain." Immediate stockpiling by an alarmed and from a smaller share, opportunistic public led to an almost overnight disappearance of hand sanitizer, bottled water, toilet paper, and face masks...

Stealthy Symbiote Linux malware is after financial institutions

Symbiote, a new "nearly impossible to detect" Linux malware, targeted financial sectors in Latin America—and the threat actors behind it might have links to Brazil. These findings were revealed in a recent report, a joint effort between the Blackberry Research Team and Dr. Joakim Kennedy, a...

Awful 4chan chat bot spouts racial slurs and antisemitic abuse

“A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm” Science fiction readers, and many others, will recognize Asimov’s first law of robotics. After reading about a bot called GPT-4chan I was wondering whether we should include: “A bot may not insult a...

SSNDOB stolen data marketplace shut down by global law enforcement operation

The United States Department of Justice has announced a major takedown of a criminal marketplace that traded Personally Identifiable Information PII. Not just any old marketplace; this was a major, years-long operation with several failsafes to prevent permanent takedown. It took quite the...

Chicago students lose data to ransomware attackers

Chicago Public Schools CPS disclosed on Friday that students may have had their data taken in a ransomware incident involving one of its vendors. The ransomware attack happened last December at Battelle for Kids BfK, based in Columbus Ohio, which develops services to provide innovation in schools...

Fake reCAPTCHA forms dupe users via compromised WordPress sites

Researchers at Sucuri investigated a number of WordPress websites complaining about unwanted redirects and found websites that use fake CAPTCHA forms to get the visitor to accept web push notifications. These websites are a new wave of a campaign that leverages many compromised WordPress sites...

A week in security (May 9 – 15)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: How to spot the signs of a virtual kidnap scam Virtual credit cards coming to Chrome: What you need to know Clearview AI banned from selling facial recognition data in the US Cyberattacks on SATCOM networks attributed to Russian threat actors F5 BIG-IP vulnerabilit...

How to spot the signs of a virtual kidnap scam

Threats and bluster play a key role in most online attacks: Ransomware has its ransom note; trolls threaten to ramp up the pressure; tech support scammers insist your PC needs urgent assistance. Some take it a step further, leaning in with a more direct approach, ranging from death threats to...

It’s business as usual for REvil ransomware

After the FBS arrested 14 of its members in January, and a subsequent lull in action, the REvil ransomware gang appears to be back. We say "appears" because its still unclear whether the groups operations have indeed restarted. To the trained eye, REvils movements seem out of sorts. When REvils o...

Unfixed vulnerability in popular library puts IoT products at risk

Researchers have found a vulnerability in a popular C standard library in IoT products that could allow attackers to perform DNS poisoning attacks against a target device. The library is known to be used by major vendors such as Linksys, Netgear, and Axis, but also by Linux distributions such as...

Russia continues digital onslaught against Ukrainian systems

According to Microsoft, at least six Kremlin-backed hacking groups have been attacking Ukraine in the digital space in an onslaught that began before the invasion in late February. The company counted more than 237 cyberattack operations against Ukrainian systems and critical infrastructure. Thes...

Rogue ads phishing for cryptocurrency: Are you secure?

Bad ads are at it again. Rogue Google ads caused no end of misery for cryptocurrency enthusiasts, costing them roughly $4.31 million between the 12th and the 21st of April. This is an astonishing slice of cryptocurrency cash to lose for the sake of clicking on something in a search engine. The...

USPS “Your package could not be delivered” text is a smishing scam

A scam is doing the rounds which begins with a text from what claims to be the US Postal Service. The SMS reads as follows: "U.S. Postal Service We’re sorry to let you know that your package could not be delivered. To reschedule a delivery please visit bitdotly" I’ve never received an SMS from th...

A week in security (March 21 – 27)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Anti-war open-source software developer targets Russians and Belarussians with “protestware” Elden Ring exploit traps players in infinite death loop Update now! Many HP printers affected by three critical security vulnerabilities White House urges US businesses:...

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...

Ransomware gang hits 49ers’ network before Super Bowl kick off

The San Francisco 49ers has confirmed that it has been hit by a ransomware attack. The announcement came just hours before the biggest football game of the year, Sundays Super Bowl between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams. In a boilerplate statement to BleepingComputer, the 49ers...

“We absolutely do not care about you”: Sugar ransomware targets individuals

Ransomware tends to target organizations. Corporations not only house a trove of valuable data they cant function without, but they are also expected to cough up a considerable amount of ransom money in exchange for their encrypted files. And while corporations struggle to keep up with attacks,...

Duo of Android dropper and payload target certain countries and app users

After making its first in-the-wild appearance in March 2021, Vultur—an information-stealing RAT that runs on Android—is back. And its dropper is equally nasty. Vultur Romanian for "vulture" is known to target banks, cryptocurrency wallets, social media Facebook, TikTok, and messaging services...

Windows Update has changed over the years. Here are 25 group policies to avoid

Microsoft has published a list of 25 group policies that administrators should not use in Windows 10 and Windows 11 as they do not provide optimal behavior or cause unexpected results. Since November 2015 when Windows 10 was first introduced, there have been many changes and some of them have...

What is IP sniffing?

IP sniffers, also known as packet sniffers, network analyzers, or protocol analyzers, are tools which play an essential role in the monitoring of networks, and in troubleshooting network-related issues. In essence, IP sniffing is monitoring traffic over a TCP/IP network. IP sniffers intercept the...

The Internet is not safe enough for women, and Sue Krautbauer has some ideas about why: Lock and Code S02E22

Decades ago, the promise of the Internet was clear: No one, depending on their age, gender, race, income, or place of birth, would be unwelcome from expressing their thoughts and ideas. Today, that promise has been largely unfulfilled. As Malwarebytes discovered earlier this year, the Internet is...

FBI server hijacked to send up to 100,000 bogus attack mails

If you received a scary missive from what appears to be from the FBI over the last few days, youre not alone. The emails, which may have reached as many as 100,000 people, blamed a fictitious cyberattack on an innocent party. The mail read as follows: Our intelligence monitoring indicates...

Evasive maneuvers: HTML smuggling explained

Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center MSTIC last week disclosed “a highly evasive malware delivery technique that leverages legitimate HTML5 and JavaScript features” that it calls HTML smuggling. HTML smuggling has been used in targeted, spear-phishing email campaigns that deliver banking Trojans...

Are cybercriminals turning away from the US and targeting Europe instead?

Significant cyberattacks against critical targets in Europe have doubled in the past year, according to EU figures obtained by CNN. And with the announced pressure from the US against major ransomware gangs we can expect these figures to go up even more. Its also clear from recent attacks that th...

Smart TV adverts put a wrinkle in your programming

Smart TVs are back in the news due to the potential pitfalls of embedded advertising. It may come as a surprise to some, but these devices aren’t particularly new. As far back as 2013, security researchers were already exploring the issues related to internet connected televisions in a home...

Criminals were inside Syniverse for 5 years before anyone noticed

"A global privacy disaster", "espionage gold", and "a state-sponsored wet dream" are just some of the comments one can read regarding the breach at Syniverse, a key player in the tech/telecommunications industry that calls itself the "center of the connected world." In a filing with the US Securi...

Apple Pay vulnerable to wireless pickpockets

Researchers have shown that it is possible for attackers to bypass an Apple iPhones lock screen to access payment services and make contactless transactions. The issue, which only applies to Apple Pay and Visa, is caused by the use of so-called magic bytes, a unique code used to unlock Apple Pay...

Instagram Kids put on hold

Instagram has announced it is pausing the development of its newest brainchild, Instagram Kids—a version of Instagram aimed at 10-12-year-olds, or "tweens". Adam Mosseri, who heads up Instagram, wrote in a blog post about the idea behind Instagram Kids: "We started this project to address an...

Google, geofence warrants, and you

Another day, another example of how the data sharing choices we make can come back to haunt us. The Guardian reports a Florida resident finding his bike ride data requested by law enforcement. This is due to his route taking him close to the scene of a burglary a year earlier. According to the...

Cyberpunk 2077 developer hit by ransomware

CD PROJEKT RED, the game developer behind Cyberpunk 2077, announced earlier on Twitter that it has fallen victim to a targeted ransomware attack. The company says it has backups for the affected systems and does not intend to pay the ransom. In their ransom note the attackers boast that they have...

HP printer issue on Mac: What happened?

Apple holds the keys to nearly all recent Mac software. This is a story of those keys, and how a Hewlett Packard HP error caused problems for a lot of people. Code signing and certificates First, its important to understand that when I say "keys," what I really mean is "certificates." These...

VideoBytes: Ransomware gets wasted!

Hello dear readers, and welcome to the latest edition of VideoBytes! On todays episode, were talking about how ransomware is on the rise again, focused on attacking corporations with malware that not only encrypts files, but also steals it. The tactics used to deploy these forms of ransomware hav...

PCI DSS compliance: why it’s important and how to adhere

PCI DSS is short for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. Every party involved in accepting credit card payments is expected to comply with the PCI DSS. The PCI Standard is mandated by the card brands, but administered by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council PCI SSC. The...

As Internet turns 50, more risks and possibilities emerge

This op-ed originally appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle on October 28, 2019. We occupy a richly-connected world. On the Internet, we collapse distance and shift time. But this Internet that delivers mail, connects us with friends, lets us work anywhere, and shop from the palm of the hand, i...

Internet Shortcut used in Necurs malspam campaign

The Necurs botnet continues to be one of the most prolific malicious spam distributors, with regular waves of carefully-crafted attachments that are used to download malware. The majority of malspam campaigns that we track are targeting Microsoft Office with documents containing either macros or...

Interesting disguise employed by new Mac malware HiddenLotus

On November 30, Apple silently added a signature to the macOS XProtect anti-malware system for something called OSX.HiddenLotus.A. It was a mystery what HiddenLotus was until, later that same day, Arnaud Abbati found the sample and shared it with other security researchers on Twitter. The...

Use TeamViewer? Fix this dangerous permissions bug with an update

TeamViewer, the remote control/web conference program used to share files and desktops, is suffering from a case of "patch it now." Issued yesterday, the fix addresses an issue where one user can gain control of another's PC without permission. Windows, Mac, and LinuxOS are all apparently affecte...

Internet of Things (IoT) security: what is and what should never be

The Internet has penetrated seemingly all technological advances today, resulting in Internet for ALL THE THINGS. What was once confined to a desktop and a phone jack is now networked and connected in multiple devices, from home heating and cooling systems like the Nest to AI companions such as...

Part 2: All rise! Mind these digital crimes and arm your business against them

In the first installment of this two-part series, we advised consumers to stay on top of a selection of up-and-coming crimes to significantly lessen the chances of encountering them in the future. For this post, we're going to look into digital crimes that keeps small businesses and large...

Cheers to a successful time at Infosec Europe 2017

With over 350 exhibitors, well over 10,000 visitors, and many widely respected speakers, Infosec Europe is one of Europe's biggest security events. The Malwarebytes stand attracted a lot of interested people, even without our robot Zero, who had obligations elsewhere. The new EMEA Channel...

Aftercall ads are driving Android users crazy

Aftercall is a wave of deceptive Android apps on Google Play that pose as everyday tools while bombarding users with pop-up ads after every phone call. When an unexpected ad pops up every time you hang up a call, it will slowly drive you crazy, especially if you can’t figure out what's causing it...

Paidwork breach exposes data of 23 million users: Check if you’re affected

A data breach at Paidwork, a platform that pays people small amounts to complete online microtasks, has exposed personal and financial information of more than 23 million users. According to public breach reports, the intrusion took place in March 2026, with the stolen database first advertised o...