Hidden prompt turns Microsoft Copilot into an AI worm

A security researcher has demonstrated how Microsoft Copilot for Word can be tricked into spreading a self‑propagating prompt‑injection “AI worm.” The attack silently alters documents and embeds its own hidden instructions into newly created files, allowing it to spread through normal...

Shared Claude chats were searchable on Google

Reddit users found that by using a specific Google search query, it was possible to find Claude conversations that users had shared. This exposed sensitive material, including crypto wallet keys, names, addresses, work notes, and even erotic or otherwise policy-violating chats. Fortune says...

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...

Security updates available for Adobe, Chrome, Firefox, VMWare, and Zoom

Security updates are not just for enterprises with a dedicated security team and a change-management calendar. For consumers and small businesses, they are one of the simplest ways to shut down known attack paths before criminals get a chance to use them. That matters because attackers love these...

A week in security (July 6 – July 12)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: This new Windows malware can take over your PC and wipe it clean How mule betting scams recruit ordinary people Two Chrome updates in two days fix critical vulnerabilities How World Cup crypto prediction sites take your money 6.9 million driver’s license numbers...

Two Chrome updates in two days fix critical vulnerabilities

Updating Chrome is becoming an almost daily task lately. But it’s too important to ignore. On Wednesday, July 8, Google released another Chrome update, just one day later after the previous one. Between them, the two updates fixed 27 security vulnerabilities, including two critical flaws that cou...

Why Malwarebytes blocks some Yahoo Mail redirects

Some Malwarebytes users have recently noticed frequent web protection alerts while reading email in Yahoo Mail’s web interface. These alerts are caused by background connections from the Yahoo Mail page to a set of third‑party domains that our products and other security tools currently classify ...

“iCloud storage is full” scam is back, and now it wants your payment details

A few months ago, we reported on a fake cloud storage alert that triggered a redirect chain to an app that has since been delisted from the Apple Store. The threat of losing your photos is a powerful lure, so scammers are now using it to steal personal and financial details. The Guardian warns...

From fake Proton VPN sites to gaming mods, this Windows infostealer is everywhere

We’ve uncovered multiple campaigns distributing an infostealer we track as NWHStealer , using everything from fake VPN downloads to hardware utilities and gaming mods. What makes this campaign stand out isn’t just the malware, but how widely and convincingly it’s being spread. Once installed, it...

Sextortion “I recorded you” emails reuse passwords found in disposable inboxes

Our malware removal support team recently flagged a new wave of sextortion emails, with the subject line: “You pervert, I recorded you!” If the message sounds familiar, that's because it's a variation of the long-running "Hello pervert" scam. The email claims the target’s device has been infected...

ClickFix added nslookup commands to its arsenal for downloading RATs

ClickFix malware campaigns are all about tricking the victim into infecting their own machine. Apparently, the criminals behind these campaigns have figured out that mshta and Powershell commands are increasingly being blocked by security software, so they have developed a new method using...

CISA warns of active attacks on HPE OneView and legacy PowerPoint

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA added both a newly discovered flaw and a much older one to its catalog of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities KEV. The KEV catalog gives Federal Civilian Executive Branch FCEB agencies a list of vulnerabilities that are known to be exploite...

DroidLock malware locks you out of your Android device and demands ransom

Researchers have analyzed a new threat campaign actively targeting Android users. The malware, named DroidLock, takes over a device and then holds it for ransom. The campaign to date has primarily targeted Spanish-speaking users, but researchers warn it could spread. DroidLock is delivered via...

Leaks show Intellexa burning zero-days to keep Predator spyware running

Intellexa is a well-known commercial spyware vendor, servicing governments and large corporations. Its main product is the Predator spyware. An investigation by several independent parties describes Intellexa as one of the most notorious mercenary spyware vendors, still operating its Predator...

Matrix Push C2 abuses browser notifications to deliver phishing and malware

Cybercriminals are using browser push notifications to deliver malware and phishing attacks. Researchers at BlackFog described how a new command-and-control platform, called Matrix Push C2, uses browser push notifications to reach potential victims. When we warned back in 2019 that browser push...

Meta boosts scam protection on WhatsApp and Messenger

Vulnerable Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp users are getting more protection thanks to a move from the applications' owner, Meta. The company has announced more safeguards to protect users especially the elderly from scammers. The social media, publishing, and VR giant has added a new warning on...

Troops and veterans’ personal information leaked in CPAP Medical data breach

In December 2024, CPAP Medical Supplies and Services Inc. CPAP, a Jacksonville—a Florida-based provider of sleep therapy services and CPAP machines—experienced a cybersecurity incident that compromised the personal data of over 90,000 patients. Since CPAP Medical specializes in tailored sleep apn...

Jailbroken AIs are helping cybercriminals to hone their craft

Cybercriminals are bypassing the guardrails that are supposed to keep AI models from carrying out criminal activities, according to researchers. We've seen the misuse of AI models by cybercriminals growing rapidly over the past several years, shaping a new era of digital threats. Early on,...

184 million logins for Instagram, Roblox, Facebook, Snapchat, and more exposed online

A recent discovery by cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler of an unsecured database containing over 184 million unique login credentials has once again highlighted the growing threat posed by infostealers. While the sheer volume of exposed data—including emails, passwords, and authorization...

Stalkerware apps go dark after data breach

A stalkerware company that recently leaked millions of users' personal information online has taken all of its assets offline without any explanation. Now Malwarebytes has learned that the company has taken down other apps too. Back in February, news emerged of a stalkerware app compromise...

Malware-infected printer delivered something extra to Windows users

You'd hope that spending $6,000 on a printer would give you a secure experience, free from viruses and other malware. However, in the case of Procolored printers, you'd be wrong. The Shenzen-based company sells UV printers, which are able to print on a variety of materials including wood, acrylic...

AI is getting “creepy good” at geo-guessing

If you are worried about revealing your exact location—or if you maybe even fib about it at times—there are some good reasons to worry about what is visible in background photos, because Artificial Intelligence AI is getting very good at guessing where you are based on the smallest of clues. And...

Why we’re no longer doing April Fools’ Day

The internet is filled with falsehoods. We’re forever investigating new scams here at Malwarebytes, and so we get how hard it is to know what—or who—to trust online. There’s the scam that takes advantage of grieving people and tricks them into paying for a funeral live stream. There’s the fake...

What Google Chrome knows about you, with Carey Parker (Lock and Code S06E06)

This week on the Lock and Code podcast … Google Chrome is, by far, the most popular web browser in the world. According to several metrics, Chrome accounts for anywhere between 52% and 66% of the current global market share for web browser use. At that higher estimate, that means that, if the 5.5...

Free AI editor lures in victims, installs information stealer instead on Windows and Mac

A large social media campaign was launched to promote a free Artificial Intelligence AI video editor. If the "free" part of that campaign sounds too good to be true, then that's because it was. Instead of the video editor, users got information stealing malware. Lumma Stealer was installed on...

“Nudify” deepfake bots remove clothes from victims in minutes, and millions are using them

Millions of people are turning normal pictures into nude images, and it can be done in minutes. Journalists at Wired found at least 50 "nudify" bots on Telegram that claim to create explicit photos or videos of people with only a couple of clicks. Combined, these bots have millions of monthly...

“Nearly all” AT&T customers had phone records stolen in new data breach disclosure

In a déjà-vu nightmare, US phone giant AT&T has notified customers that cybercriminals managed to download phone call and text message records of "nearly all of AT&T cellular customers from May 1, 2022 to October 31, 2022 as well as on January 2, 2023". In a filing with the Securities and Exchang...

‘Poseidon’ Mac stealer distributed via Google ads

On June 24, we observed a new campaign distributing a stealer targeting Mac users via malicious Google ads for the Arc browser. This is the second time in the past couple of months where we see Arc being used as a lure, certainly a sign of its popularity. It was previously used to drop a Windows...

TikTok facing fresh lawsuit in US over children’s privacy

The Federal Trade Commission FTC has announced its referred a complaint against TikTok and parent company ByteDance to the Department of Justice. The investigation originally focused on Musical.ly which was acquired by ByteDance on November 10, 2017, and merged it into TikTok. The FTC started a...

Microsoft Recall snapshots can be easily grabbed with TotalRecall tool

Microsofts Recall feature has been criticized heavily by pretty much everyone since it was announced last month. Now, researchers have demonstrated the risks by creating a tool that can find, extract, and display everything Recall has stored on a device. For those unaware, Recall is a feature...

How to turn off location tracking on Android

Android devices come with location services. Some apps need access to location services to function properly. However, there may be reasons why you don’t want your device to be located, often because you don’t want to be found and the device is always with you. Depending on who you are trying to...

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...

Malwarebytes Premium Security earns “Product of the Year” from AVLab

After blocking 100% of “in-the-wild” malware samples that were deployed in multiple, consecutive third-party tests conducted by the AVLab Cybersecurity Foundation, Malwarebytes Premium Security has earned “Product of the Year.” The recognition cements Malwarebytes Premium Security’s perfect recor...

A week in security (April 15 – April 21)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Law enforcement reels in phishing-as-a-service whopper Mental health company Cerebral failed to protect sensitive personal data, must pay $7 million Cannabis investment scam JuicyFields ends in 9 arrests Should you share your location with your partner? Giant Tiger...

Law enforcement reels in phishing-as-a-service whopper

A major international law enforcement effort involving agencies from 19 countries has disrupted the notorious LabHost phishing-as-a-service platform. Europol reports that the organizations infrastructure has been compromised, its website shut down, and 37 suspects arrested, including four people ...

Android banking trojans: How they steal passwords and drain bank accounts

For the most popular operating system in the world—which is Android and it isn’t even a contest—there’s a sneaky cyberthreat that can empty out a person’s bank accounts to fill the illicit coffers of cybercriminals. These are “Android banking trojans,” and, according to our 2024 ThreatDown State ...

ThreatDown EDR update: Streamlined Suspicious Activity investigation

Navigating the complex world of alerts just got easier, thanks to our latest enhancements to the ThreatDown Endpoint Detection and Response EDR platform. The detailed technical information in EDR alerts—replete with complicated diagrams and references to advanced cybersecurity tactics—can overwhe...

How to lock out your ex-partner from your smart home

Stalkers can use all kinds of apps, gadgets, devices, and phones to spy on their targets, which are often their ex-partners. Unfortunately, while they no doubt have many positive uses, smart home devices give stalkers an array of tools to keep an eye on their targets. If you are the partner that...

Exposing the ransomware lie to “leave hospitals alone”

Ransomware groups are liars, yes, but even when these dangerous cybercriminals would ransack organizations and destroy entire companies, a few select groups espoused a sort of "honor among thieves.” According to those few groups, their cybercriminal actions would never include organizations...

Microsoft disables ms-appinstaller after malicious use

In what might be conceived as one of Microsoft’s new year resolutions, it has disclosed that its turned off the ms-appinstaller protocol handler by default. The change is designed to make installing apps easier, but it also makes installing malware easier. Typically, an app needs to be on a devic...

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...

Ragnar Locker ransomware group taken down

Even though it had a long run for a ransomware group, it seems the bell might be tolling for Ragnar Locker. On October 19, 2023, the group’s leak site was seized by an international group of law enforcement agencies. The take down action was carried out between 16 and 20 October. During the actio...

Re-air: What teenagers face growing up online: Lock and Code S04E19

This week on the Lock and Code podcast... In 2022, Malwarebytes investigated the blurry, shifting idea of "identity" on the internet, and how online identities are not only shaped by the people behind them, but also inherited by the internets youngest users, children. Children have always inherit...

Chrome's "Enhanced Ad Privacy": What you need to know

Users of Google's Chrome web browser may wish to dig into their privacy settings as a new feature regarding advertising privacy slowly rolls out to the masses. Googles "Enhanced Ad Privacy" feature may soon appear in your browser, tied to choices regarding a new Chrome feature named Topics. This ...

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...

How Apple fixed what Microsoft hasn't, with Thomas Reed: Lock and Code S04E16

Earlier this month, a group of hackers was spotted using a set of malicious tools--that originally gained popularity with online video game cheaters--to hide their Windows-based malware from being detected. Sounds unique, right? Frustratingly, it isn't, as the specific security loophole that was...

From Malvertising to Ransomware: A ThreatDown webinar recap

Our recent webinar From Malvertising to Ransomware highlight the clear connection between malvertising--the practice of embedding malicious code within legitimate online advertisements--and the epidemic of ransomware attacks affecting businesses globally. Presented by Mark Stockley, security...

OpenSSH trojan campaign targets Linux systems and IoT devices

Poorly configured Linux and Internet of Things IoT devices are at risk of compromise from a cryptojacking campaign, according to researchers at Microsoft. The attacks, which involve brute forcing a way into a system, are designed to profit from mining in illicit fashion for cryptocurrency. Once t...

Phishing scam takes $950k from DoorDash drivers

A particularly nasty slice of phishing, scamming, and social engineering is responsible for DoorDash drivers losing a group total of around $950k. DoorDash drivers are contractors who pick up food deliveries from stores and restaurants and deliver the products to the customer. A 21 year old man...

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...