Mango discloses data breach at third-party provider

Mango has reported a data breach at one of its external marketing service providers. The Spanish fashion retailer says that only personal contact information has been exposed—no financial data. The breach took place at the service provider and did not affect Mango’s own systems. According to the...

Roku accused of selling children’s data to advertisers and brokers

The state of Florida has accused Roku, which powers many smart TVs and streaming devices, of selling children's data to third parties without their consent. According to the Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, Roku collected viewing habits, voice recordings, and precise geolocation from kids...

OpenAI kills “short-lived experiment” where ChatGPT chats could be found on Google

A little-known ChatGPT "feature" is now gone. It could be a good thing. On X, OpenAI Chief Information Security Officer Dane Stuckey announced that OpenAI "removed a feature from ChatGPT that allowed users to make their conversations discoverable by search engines, such as Google." Stuckey called...

Reddit’s new AI-powered tools scan your posts to serve you better ads

Reddit has introduced two Artificial Intelligence AI tools which will use Reddit comments, posts, and conversations to help sellers make the most of the community. Reddit is a social media platform and online forum where users can share and discuss content across a wide range of topics. The...

Google fixes another actively exploited vulnerability in Chrome, so update now!

Google has released an update for the Chrome browser to patch an actively exploited flaw. The update brings the Stable channel to versions 137.0.7151.68/.69 for Windows and Mac and 137.0.7151.68 for Linux. The easiest way to update Chrome is to allow it to update automatically, but you can end up...

Deepfake-posting man faces huge $450,000 fine

A man is facing a $450,000 AU fine after he published deepfake images of prominent Australian women on the now-defunct MrDeepfakes web site. That's if Australia's online safety regulator gets its way. Anthony Rotondo faces charges of posting these and other explicit deepfake images to the...

Did DOGE “breach” Americans’ data? (Lock and Code S06E08)

This week on the Lock and Code podcast … If you don't know about the newly created US Department of Government Efficiency DOGE, there's a strong chance they already know about you. Created on January 20 by US President Donald Trump through Executive Order, DOGE's broad mandate is “modernizing...

Hertz data breach caused by CL0P ransomware attack on vendor

The Hertz Corporation, on behalf of Hertz, Dollar, and Thrifty brands, is sending breach notifications to customers who may have had their name, contact information, driver's license, and—in rare cases—Social Security Number exposed in a data breach. The car rental giant’s data was stolen in a...

Research on iOS apps shows widespread exposure of secrets

Researchers found that most of the apps available on Apple’s App Store leak at least one hard-coded secret. The researchers looked at 156,000 iOS apps and discovered more than 815,000 hardcoded secrets, including very sensitive secrets like keys to cloud storage, various Application Programming...

A week in security (March 3 – March 9)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: TikTok: Major investigation launched into platform’s use of children’s data PayPal scam abuses Docusign API to spread phishy emails Android zero-day vulnerabilities actively abused. Update as soon as you can I spoke to a task scammer. Here’s how it went Android...

WhatsApp spear phishing campaign uses QR codes to add device

A cybercriminal campaign linked to Russia is deploying QR codes to access the WhatsApp accounts of high-profile targets like journalists, members of think tanks, and employees of non-governmental organizations NGOs, according to new details revealed by Microsoft. The group, which Microsoft tracks...

Malicious ad distributes SocGholish malware to Kaiser Permanente employees

On December 15, we detected a malicious campaign targeting Kaiser Permanente employees via Google Search Ads. The fraudulent ad masquerades as the health care company's HR portal used to check for benefits, download paystubs and other corporate related tasks. We believe the threat actors' intent...

An air fryer, a ring, and a vacuum get brought into a home. What they take out is your data (Lock and Code S05E24)

This week on the Lock and Code podcast… The month, a consumer rights group out of the UK posed a question to the public that they’d likely never considered: Were their air fryers spying on them? By analyzing the associated Android apps for three separate air fryer models from three different...

122 million people’s business contact info leaked by data broker

A data broker has confirmed a business contact information database containing 132.8 million records has been leaked online. In February, 2024, a cybercriminal offered the records for sale on a data breach forum claiming the information came from pureincubation.com. Pure Incubation was founded in...

AI girlfriend site breached, user fantasies stolen [updated]

A hacker has stolen a massive database of users’ interactions with their sexual partner chatbots, according to 404 Media. The breached service, Muah.ai, describes itself as a platform that lets people engage in AI-powered companion NSFW chat, exchange photos, and even have voice chats. As you can...

US bans Kaspersky, warns: “Immediately stop using that software”

The US government will ban the sale of Kaspersky antivirus products to new customers in the United States starting July 20, with a follow-on deadline to prohibit the cybersecurity company from providing users with software updates after September 29. The move follows years of allegations that the...

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...

Psychotherapy practice hacker gets jail time after extorting patients, publishing personal therapy notes online

On October 30, 2020, I started a article with the words: “Hell is too nice a place for these people.” The subject of this outrage focused on the cybercriminals behind an attack on Finnish psychotherapy practice Vastaamo. Because it was a psychotherapy practice, the records contained extremely...

How to back up your iPhone to a Mac

They say the only backup you ever regret is the one you didnt make. iPhone backups can be used to easily move your apps and data to a new phone, to recover things youve lost, or to fix things that have failed. One of the most cost effective ways to backup your iPhone is to save backups to your Ma...

Going viral shouldn’t lead to bomb threats, with Leigh Honeywell: Lock and Code S05E06

This week on the Lock and Code podcast… A disappointing meal at a restaurant. An ugly breakup between two partners. A popular TV show that kills off a beloved, main character. In a perfect world, these are irritations and moments of vulnerability. But online today, these same events can sometimes...

PetSmart warns customers of credential stuffing attack

Pet retail company PetSmart has emailed customers to alert them to a recent credential stuffing attack. Credential stuffing relies on the re-use of passwords. Take this example: User of Site A uses the same email and password to login to Site B. Site A gets compromised and those login details are...

Malvertising: This cyberthreat isn’t on the dark web, it’s on Google

On the internet, people need to worry about more than just opening suspicious email attachments or entering their sensitive information into harmful websites—they also need to worry about their Google searches. That’s because last year, as revealed in our 2024 ThreatDown State of Malware report,...

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...

Known ransomware attacks up 68% in 2023

Today, Malwarebytes released its 2024 State of Malware report, detailing six cyberthreats that resource-constrained IT teams should pay attention to in 2024. Top of the list is "Big Game" ransomware, the most serious cyberthreat to businesses all around the world. Big game attacks extort vast...

Safer Internet Day, or why Brad Pitt needed an internet bodyguard

February 6, 2024 is Safer Internet Day. When I was asked to write about the topic, I misunderstood the question and heard: “can you cover save the internet” and we all agreed that it might be too late for that. While we laughed about it, it made me think. The internet has been around for quite so...

Ring curtails law enforcement’s access to footage

US law enforcement will no longer be able to request footage through the Neighbors app produced by Ring video doorbells and surveillance cameras. Until now Ring’s Request for Assistance RFA function allowed law enforcement to ask for and obtain user footage, but this function will be retired. Alo...

AI likely to boost ransomware, warns government body

The British National Cyber Security Centre NCSC says it expects Artificial Intelligence AI to heighten the global ransomware threat. In a report, the NCSC makes the assessment that AI will almost certainly increase the volume and heighten the impact of cyberattacks over the next two years. We’re...

Microsoft got hacked by state sponsored group it was investigating

In a spy-vs-spy type of scenario, Microsoft has acknowledged that a group called Midnight Blizzard also known as APT29 or Cozy Bear, gained access to a Microsoft legacy non-production test tenant account. According to Microsoft, the group managed to access the account in November after subjecting...

Alleged FruitFly malware creator ruled incompetent to stand trial

On January 4, 2017, Case Western Reserve University CWRU, located in Cleveland, Ohio, became aware of an infection on more than 100 of its computers. The university was notified by an undisclosed third party, who provided information to help the team find and identify the malware. CWRU began...

Webinar recap: Ransomware gangs and Living Off The Land attacks (LOTL)

Discover the intersection of Ransomware-as-a-Service RaaS gangs and Living Off The Land LOTL attacks in our latest webinar, now available on-demand, led by cybersecurity experts Ian Thomas, Mark Stockley, and Bill Cozens. The webinar revealed how RaaS gangs use LOTL tactics, leveraging legitimate...

IT administrators’ passwords are awful too

The key is under the doormat by the front door. The administrator password is "admin". These are easy to remember clues when you are providing entrance to someone you trust. The problem is that they are also enormously easy to guess. It’s where we would expect an unwanted visitor to check first,...

Webinar: Bridging digital transformation & cybersecurity

Digital transformation may be revolutionizing businesses and the way we operate, but it also presents notable challenge: How can organizations stay secure amidst the ceaseless tide of change? Our latest Byte Into Security webinar has the answers. Meet the Experts Marcin Kleczynski, CEO of...

The privacy perils of the Metaverse

A recently released report from New York University claims that the Metaverse, an all-in-one virtual online space, poses a potentially major risk to user privacy. This is because headsets and other similar devices can collect an incredible amount of personal, physical and biometric information. T...

Major cyberattack leaves MGM Resorts reeling

A major incident impacting MGM Resorts has caused computer shutdowns all over the US. The systems most impacted are tied to casinos and hotel computer systems. According to the AP, locations caught by this shutdown range from New York and Ohio to Michigan and Mississippi. At this point Id link to...

The main causes of ransomware reinfection

A few months ago, we wrote about a ransomware reinfection incident. Ransomware reinfection arguably could be even worse than being a first time victim. Unfortunately it happens more often than you may think. Research shows that in 2022, more than a third 38% of surveyed organizations fell victim ...

DarkGate reloaded via malvertising and SEO poisoning campaigns

In July 2023, we observed a malvertising campaign that lured potential victims to a fraudulent site for a Windows IT management tool. Unlike previous similar attacks, the final payload was packaged differently and not immediately recognizable. The decoy file came as an MSI installer containing an...

TikTok facing fines for violating children’s privacy

The European Data Protection Board is expected to fine TikTok for violating the privacy of young children within the next four weeks. The European Data Protection Board said a binding decision has been reached over TikTok's processing of childrens data, after the ByteDance-owned app submitted leg...

A week in security (June 26 - July 2)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: A proxyjacking campaign is looking for vulnerable SSH servers New technique can defeat voice authentication "after only six tries" "Free" Evil Dead Rise movie scam lurks in Amazon listings Spyware app LetMeSpy hacked, tracked user data posted online Online safety...

Online safety tips for LGBTQIA+ communities

The internet is great for bringing people together, helping you feel part of a community, and staying in touch with your nearest and dearest. But it can also be a nasty place - from malware to scammers, to people just being plain awful to others. It's probably not surprising to read that recent...

Malvertising: A stealthy precursor to infostealers and ransomware attacks

This article is based on research by Jerome Segura, Senior Director of Threat Intelligence at Malwarebytes, who oversees data collection from spam feeds and telemetry to identify the most relevant threats. Malvertising, the practice of using online ads to spread malware, can have dire...

6 tips for a cybersecure honeymoon

You've done it, you've got married. The big day is over, and while you're relaxing on honeymoon you definitely don't want to get distracted by security problems. So, we rounded up some quick tips to keep you safe. Refrain from posting on social media about your honeymoon. This is good practice...

Baby monitor safety: What you need to know

Do you have an impending new arrival in your family of the small and very noisy variety? If so, youre probably going to invest in a baby monitor for peace of mind both at night and during the day. But do you know what kind of monitor youre going to buy? Will it be audio only, or have images? Will...

A week in security (June 5 - 11)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Trusting AI not to lie: The cost of truth: Lock and Code S04E12 5 unusual cybersecurity tips that actually work The 2023 State of Ransomware in Education: 84% increase in attacks over 6-month period Information stealer compromises legitimate sites to attack other...

Zip domains, a bad idea nobody asked for

If you heard a strange and unfamiliar creaking noise on May 3, it may have been the simultaneous rolling of a million eyeballs. The synchronised ocular rotation was the less than warm welcome that parts of the IT and security industries--this author included--gave to Google's decision to put .zip...

Fake system update drops Aurora stealer via Invalid Printer loader

Malvertising seems to be enjoying a renaissance as of late, whether it is from ads on search engine results pages or via popular websites. Because browsers are more secure today than they were 5 or 10 years ago, the attacks that we are seeing all involve some form of social engineering. A threat...

World Password Day must die

The continued existence of World Password Day is a tell that something has gone badly wrong in cybersecurity. Now in its tenth year, the day is supposed to act as an annual reminder for people to follow good password hygiene: Dont reuse passwords; use long passwords; no, longer passwords than tha...

Adult content malvertising scheme leads to clickjacking

Malwarebytes researchers have found a malvertising scheme that leads to clickjacking. Clickjacking is a form of ad fraud which is also referred to as click fraud or click spam. It is a practice performed by certain dubious advertising networks, where they sometimes use automated programs--from...

What your peers said: G2 comparison of top Endpoint Security vendors

Navigating the world of endpoint security is challenging, with numerous vendors stoking FUD and making bold claims that are difficult to verify. In times like these, the honest opinions of real users are invaluable for busy IT teams. Enter G2, an industry-leading peer-to-peer review site. Each...

Port scan attacks: Protecting your business from RDP attacks and Mirai botnets

Compromised IP addresses and domains--otherwise legitimate sites that are exploited by hackers without the owner's knowledge--are frequently utilized to conduct port scanning attacks. Port scanning involves systematically scanning a computer network for open ports, which can then be exploited by...

Google aims to reduce data theft with app data and account deletions

Google has made multiple security improvements to the general operation of apps over the last 12 months or so. Its now a little easier to understand what apps want from you. Labels which indicate a level of trustworthiness for developers. Changes made to ensure old, abandoned apps will no longer...