Compromised Free Download Manager website was delivering malware for years

In a public announcement, Free Download Manager has acknowledged that a specific web page on its site was compromised by a Ukrainian cybercrime group, exploiting it to distribute malware. Free Download Manager is--unsurprisingly--a download manager for Windows, macOS, Android, and Linux that allo...

QR codes used to phish for Microsoft credentials

Researchers have published details about a phishing campaign that uses QR codes to phish for Microsoft credentials. A QR Quick Response code is a kind of two-dimensional barcode that holds encoded data in a graphical black-and-white pattern. The data that a QR code stores can include URLs, email...

Of sharks, surveillance, and spied-on emails: This is Section 702, with Matthew Guariglia

In the United States, when the police want to conduct a search on a suspected criminal, they must first obtain a search warrant. It is one of the foundational rights given to US persons under the Constitution, and a concept that has helped create the very idea of a right to privacy at home and...

Black Cat ransomware group wants $4.5m from Reddit or will leak stolen files

The ramifications of a Reddit breach which occurred back in February are now being felt, with the attackers threatening to leak the stolen data. The February attack, billed as a "sophisticated phishing campaign" by Reddit, involved an attempt to swipe credentials and two-factor authentication...

Play ransomware gang compromises Spanish bank, threatens to leak files

Ransomware is creating additional work for a major Spanish bank. Globalcaja, said to have more than 300 offices in Spain and close to half a million customers, has fallen victim to the Play ransomware gang. The gang claim to have swiped both private and personal information in the attack--includi...

How to spot and avoid a tech support scam

Despite the occasional arrests and FTC fines for tech support scammers TSS and their henchmen, there are still plenty of cybercriminals active in this field. Scams range from unsolicited calls offering help with your "infected" computer to fully-fledged websites where you can purchase heavily...

Magecart threat actor rolls out convincing modal forms

To ensnare new victims, criminals will often devise schemes that attempt to look as realistic as possible. Having said that, it is not every day that we see the fraudulent copy exceed the original piece. While following up on an ongoing Magecart credit card skimmer campaign, we were almost fooled...

WhatsApp introduces new security features

WhatsApp has announced several new security features which include an extra check when an account is transferred to a new device. This check asks that users confirm the transfer on their old device. This should warn users in case there is a transfer in progress started by somebody trying to hijac...

Ransomware review: March 2023

This article is based on research by Marcelo Rivero, Malwarebytes' ransomware specialist, who 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 attacke...

One in nine online stores are leaking your data, says study

eCommerce security company Sansec has revealed it's found a number of online stores accidentally leaking highly sensitive data. After studying 2,037 online stores, the company found that 12.3 percent exposed compressed files in ZIP, SQL, and TAR archive formats, which BleepingComputer noted appea...

Reddit breached, here's what you need to know

On Thursday, February 9, 2023, Reddit reported that it had experienced a security incident as a result of an employee being phished. What happened? According to Reddit, it "became aware of a sophisticated phishing campaign" late on February 5, 2023, that attempted to steal credentials and...

Okta breached last month, no customers compromised

Some of Oktas source code fell into the hands of an unauthorized party. The code was stolen from GitHub in the first part of December, according to a statement issued by the company. In the same statement the company reassured users that there was no impact to any customers. Okta Okta is an acces...

The Guardian hit by "ransomware attack"

On Tuesday December 20, 2022 British newspaper The Guardian experienced a major IT security incident that crippled a part of its IT infrastructure. The suspected cause is ransomware. In an online article the newspaper published an internal statement from the chief executive and the editor-in-chie...

Millions of Gemini cryptocurrency exchange user details leaked

If youre a user of the Gemini cryptocurrency exchange, its time to be on your guard against phishing attacks. Gemini says its own systems have not been compromised, but an unnamed third party has become the focal point for a breach. On December 13 or some point before, rogues gained access to jus...

Ho, ho, no! Scams to avoid this festive season

Whether youve been naughty or nice, someone will try and stuff a scam down your chimney either way. The FBI is warning of several likely ways to be parted from your funds or logins, and were going to give some additional context along with tips to avoid these digital lumps of coal. Social media...

LinkedIn introduces new security features to combat fake accounts

LinkedIn knows it has a problem with bots and fake accounts, and has acknowledged this on more than one occasion. For years, it has been aware of spam, fake job offers, phishing, fraudulent investments, and at times malware, and has been trying to combat those issues. In 2018, LinkedIn rolled out...

Romance scammer deepfakes Mark Ruffalo to con elderly artist

Deepfakes have settled into a groove, as most scam techniques do. It seems most deepfakers have decided to make as much cash as possible from unsuspecting victims instead of doing anything particularly earth-shattering with their technology. One curious twist we may not have seen coming is the...

Fast Company hacked to send obscene and racist messages

Yesterday, Apple News announced it had disabled the channel of Fast Company, a US-based business magazine, after surprised Twitter users reported it was tweeting offensive comments. An incredibly offensive alert was sent by Fast Company, which has been hacked. Apple News has disabled their channe...

A week in security (September 12 – 18)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: The North Face hit by credential stuffing attack Facebook engineers aren't sure where all user data is kept 6 patch management best practices for businesses The MSP playbook on deciphering tech promises and shaping security culture Apple puts the password on life...

CISA and FBI issue alert about Zeppelin ransomware

The Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA have released a joint Cybersecurity Advisory CSA about Zeppelin ransomware. The advisory contains indicators of compromise IOCs and tactics, techniques, and procedures TTPs associated with...

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 people's fears with a dash of social engineering to make them worse off than they were previousl...

For months, JusTalk messages were accessible to everyone on the Internet

JusTalk, a popular mobile video calling and messaging app with 20 million global users, exposed a massive database of supposedly private messages to the public Internet for months. According to security researcher Anurag Sen, who discovered the open database, the messages were stored unencrypted,...

When a sextortion victim fights back

When Katie Yates suddenly started receiving nude photos of her friend, Natalie Claus, over on Snapchat, she instantly recognized that Claus had just become a victim of a sextortion attack. She also knew how Claus should respond. This happened in December 2019 when Claus was a sophomore. Both were...

Microsoft clamps down on RDP brute-force attacks in Windows 11

It wasnt so long ago that we were wondering what improvements Windows 11 would make in the security stakes. Well, we havent had to wait too long to find out. Windows 11 build 22528.1000 and up will tackle one of the more common entry points for network intruders. Namely, trying to prevent the bru...

Demo: Your data has been encrypted! Stopping ransomware attacks with Malwarebytes EDR

It’s no secret that ransomware is one of the most pressing cyber threats of our day. What worse, ransomware gangs have increased their attacks on a range of vulnerable industries, with disruptions to business operations, million-dollar ransom demands, data exfiltration, and extortion. With...

PyPI starts rolling out required 2FA for important projects

The Python Package Index PyPI says it has begun rolling out a two-factor authentication 2FA requirement which enforces maintainers of critical projects to have 2FA enabled to publish, update, or modify them. PyPI plays an important role in the Python developers ecosystem. Python repository PyPi i...

North Korean APT targets US healthcare sector with Maui ransomware

State-sponsored North Korean threat actors have been targeting the US Healthcare and Public Health HPH sector for the past year using the Maui ransomware, according to a joint cybersecurity advisory CSA from the FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA, and the Department of the...

Verified Twitter accounts phished via hate speech warnings

Verified Twitter accounts are once again under attack from fraudsters, with the latest phish attempt serving up bogus suspension notices. Hijacking verified accounts on any platform is a big win for fraudsters. It gives credibility to their scams, especially when the accounts have large following...

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...

A week in security (June 20 – June 26)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: LinkedIn scams are a "significant threat", warns FBI DDoS-for-hire service provider jailed Internet Safety Month: 7 tips for staying safe online while on vacation Client-side Magecart attacks still around, but more covert Security vulnerabilities: 5 times that...

Conti ransomware group’s pulse stops, but did it fake its own death?

The dark web leak site used by the notorious Conti ransomware gang has disappeared, along with the chat function it used to negotiate ransoms with victims. For as long as this infrastructure is down the group is unable to operate and a significent threat is removed from the pantheon of ransomware...

Facebook users targeted in massive phishing campaign

Facebook is once again the launchpad for a large-scale phishing campaign, according to researchers at PIXM. The campaign, which first shows signs of life back in September 2021, has generated millions of page views and ad referral revenue "estimated to be millions of USD at this scale of...

Twitter fined $150M after using 2FA phone numbers for marketing

The Federal Trade Commission FTC and the Department of Justice DOJ have ordered Twitter to pay a $150M penalty for using users account security data deceptively. The deception violates an FTC order from 2011, that bars Twitter from "misleading consumers about the extent to which it protects the...

How the Saitama backdoor uses DNS tunnelling

Thanks to the Malwarebytes Threat Intelligence Team for the information they provided for this article. Understandably, a lot of cybersecurity research and commentary focuses on the act of breaking into computers undetected. But threat actors are often just as concerned with the act of breaking o...

Watch out for fake WhatsApp “New Incoming Voicemessage” emails

Thanks to the Threat Intelligence team for their help with this article. Security researchers from Armorblox, a cybersecurity company specializing in email-based threats, have encountered a fake WhatsApp email with the subject "New Incoming Voicemessage." The spoofed WhatsApp voicemail notificati...

Facebook users wary of security mail find themselves locked out of accounts

It’s not unusual for sites and services to offer additional forms of protection on top of regular security features. Some of the bigger ones even go the extra mile, protecting from attacks up to a potential nation state level. The most famous example of this recently is likely Google. Its Advance...

CISA warns of cyberespionage by Iranian APT “MuddyWater”

Cybersecurity agencies in the US and UK have issued a joint cybersecurity advisory CSA on MuddyWater, a government-sponsored Iranian advanced persistent threat APT actor. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA, the Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI, the US Cyber Command Cyber...

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...

Big Mother is watching: What parents REALLY think about tracking their kids

Every year on Data Privacy Day, we’re greeted with countless arguments about the absolute merits of data privacy protections good, invasions bad, but we rarely see a faithful, factual accounting for the biggest data privacy conundrum facing billions of people every single day: Should parents inva...

Attackers are mailing USB sticks to drop ransomware on victims’ computers

Physical objects as security threats are in the news at the moment. The oft-touched upon tale of rogue USB sticks is a common one. Being wary of random devices found on the floor, or handed out at events is a smart move. You simply don’t know what’s lurking, and it’s hard to find out safely witho...

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...

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...

What is Twitch?

Twitch is primarily a site dedicated to live streaming content. It also offers the ability to chat with others in the Stream you happen to be in via text. The primary draw of Twitch streams is video games and e-sports, leading to the rise of many big name streamers and content creators. Is Twitch...

Is Apple’s Safari browser the last, best hope for web privacy?

What browser do you use? Theres a good chance—roughly one in seven—that its Google Chrome. And even if you prefer a different browser, theres a good chance that youre using something thats based on Google Chrome, such as Edge, Vivaldi, Chromium, Brave, or Opera. After a decade and and a half of...

Parents and teachers believe digital surveillance of kids outweighs risks

Schools in the US have been using surveillance software to keep an eye on their students, and such software has grown significantly in popularity since the COVD-19 pandemic closed campuses nationwide. And this is fine—at least according to new research released by the Center for Democracy &...

The many tentacles of Magecart Group 8

This blog post was authored by Jérôme Segura During the past couple of years online shopping has continued to increase at a rapid pace. In a recent survey done by Qubit, 70.7% of shoppers said they increased their online shopping frequency compared to before COVID-19. Criminals gravitate towards...

A week in security (Sept 6 – Sept 12)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs Apple delays plans to search devices for child abuse imagery. ProtonMail hands user’s IP address and device info to police, showing the limits of private email. Patch now! Netgear fixes serious smart switch vulnerabilities. Tor vs VPN—What is the difference? Windows...

5G slicing vulnerability could be used in DoS attacks

The IT security researchers at AdaptiveMobile have called out what looks like an important vulnerability in the architecture of 5G network slicing and virtualized network functions. They warn that the risks, if this fundamental vulnerability in the design of 5G standards had gone undiscovered, ar...

RegTech explained: a crucial toolset for the financial industry

Every organization in the financial industry needs to meet certain regulatory obligations, even if it’s just filing a tax return or submitting an annual report. In certain industries, such as financial services, theyve added their own additional sets of rules that must be adhered to. For example,...

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...