A week in security (February 14 – February 20)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Adobe patches actively exploited Magento/Adobe Commerce zero-day Ransomware gang hits 49ers’ network before Super Bowl kick off Don’t let scammers ruin your Valentine’s Day CISA Ransomware report warns “triple threat” attacks still on the prowl City: Skylines...

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...

Combatting SMS and phone fraud: UK government issues guidance

The UK’s National Cyber Secuity Centre NCSC has published a guide to help make your organizations SMS and telephone messages effective and trustworthy. SMS and telephone calls represent an extremely effective means of mass communication. As such they are essential tools for most organizations,...

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...

Microsoft disrupts China-based hacking group Nickel

Microsoft has taken control of 42 web domains that a hacking group was using to try to breach its targets. On December 2, the Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit DCU filed pleadings with the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia seeking authority to take control of the sites that it...

Why we fail at getting the cybersecurity basics right, with Jess Dodson: Lock and Code S02E21

The cybersecurity basics should be just that—basic. Easy to do, agreed-upon, and adopted at a near 100 percent rate by companies and organizations everywhere, right? Youd hope. But the reality is that basic cybersecurity blunders continue to affect businesses of all sizes, which has led to...

The FCC moves to curb SIM swap attacks

The Federal Communications Commission FCC is going to set new rules to curb the rising threat of SIM swapping, also known as SIMjacking. SIM swapping and the very similar port-out fraud is the unlawful use of someones personal information to steal their phone number and swap or transfer it to...

800 arrests after police dupe crime groups into using backdoored phones

An international operation that monitored an encrypted device company under control of the Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI and the Australian Federal Police AFP has led to a massive, coordinated string by law enforcement in several countries. The setup Law enforcement agencies around the worl...

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...

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...

Blockchain technology: not just for cryptocurrency

Imagine a place where you can safely store all your personal information and only you decide who has access to it. You can choose which parts of that information you want to share, and you can just as easily revoke that access. If this place ever comes into existence, I am willing to bet it will ...

Meta’s Muse sent a Facebook Marketplace buyer to a seller’s home

A Facebook Marketplace buyer arrived at a seller’s apartment to collect a keyboard. The seller wasn’t home and didn’t know anyone was coming. Meta’s AI assistant Muse had handled the conversation, shared his address, and arranged the visit without telling him. We often write about AI misalignment...

How device code phishing gives scammers access to your account

You receive an invitation to a password-protected meeting, a secure chatroom, or a shared document. To get access, it says, you need to enter a short code on a sign-in page for one of your accounts. The message claims the code will let you open the document or join the meeting. In fact, it approv...

Search results are sending people to fake Bitrefill checkouts

Bitrefill is a legitimate company that sells gift cards for popular stores like Amazon, Deliveroo, Apple, Nintendo, and thousands of others. They also sell eSIMs, and mobile top-ups. You can pay on their website for all of these with cryptocurrency. The scam is designed to catch people searching...

A week in security (September 7 – September 13)

Here's what we've covered in the last seven days on Malwarebytes Labs: Crypto customers targeted by scammers after email marketing provider breach Android malware creates a hidden copy of your banking app BlueMoon exploit kit turns Chrome and Windows flaws into attacks Will AI kill us all within...

Grindr settles HIV status data-sharing lawsuit for $35 million

Grindr has reportedly agreed to pay £26 million around $35 million to settle a UK privacy lawsuit alleging that it shared sensitive user data, including some users' HIV status, with advertisers. The claim was brought by London law firm Austen Hays on behalf of roughly 12,000 UK Grindr users. It...

Update Chrome now: Two critical vulnerabilities fixed

Chrome is rolling out an update for its desktop versions. The update includes 15 security fixes, two of which address critical buffer overflow vulnerabilities. The stable channel has been updated to 151.0.7922.169/.170 for Windows and Mac, and 151.0.7922.169 for Linux. How to update Chrome If you...

A week in security (August 10 – August 16)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Apple now uses iPhone alerts for targets of mercenary spyware WhatsApp is testing a new warning for scam messages New Android malware lets criminals use your bank card in real time Parents take on Meta, TikTok, Google, and Snap in 3,000 youth safety lawsuits...

WhatsApp account takeover scam asks you to “vote for my friend”

A scam is spreading through WhatsApp with the goal of taking over victims' accounts entirely. It starts with a message that feels harmless and familiar. Someone—often a contact whose account has already been compromised—asks you to support a friend or relative of theirs by voting in an online...

Hidden prompt can make Microsoft Copilot spread itself through your Word docs

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...

Warning: Scammers are using FaceTime to empty bank accounts

Apple is urging users to treat any suspicious FaceTime call or message as untrusted, especially if it involves payments, refunds, password resets, or requests for personal information. This warning appears in a broader Apple support article about scams that target iPhone and iPad users through...

How mule betting scams recruit ordinary people

Mule betting or third-party betting account scams are a form of money mule scam where criminals recruit or coerce people into opening gambling accounts in their own name. The criminals then use those accounts to place bets to help launder money and obscure the source or ownership of funds. The UK...

NetNut botnet takes a hit. Don’t be part of the next one.

In a joint operation, Google, the FBI, and other partners have dealt a significant blow to the residential proxy ecosystem by disrupting the NetNut also tracked as Popa botnet. NetNut is a malicious service built on millions of hijacked consumer devices. NetNut marketed itself as a high-quality...

Update time: Apple releases security patches for iOS, MacOS Tahoe, Safari

Apple has released security updates for more than two dozen security vulnerabilities across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The updates for iOS/iPadOS, MacOS Tahoe, and Safari were issued after testing on iOS 26.6 and iPadOS 26.6 betas. What stands out in the update is that a lot of the vulnerabilities we...

Update Chrome: Google patches actively exploited vulnerability and 73 others

Google has issued updates for the Chrome browser, patching a number of high‑severity vulnerabilities. The update includes fixes for 74 vulnerabilities, including one that is being actively exploited in the wild. The stable channel has been updated to 149.0.7827.102/.103 for Windows/Mac, and...

A week in security (May 18 – May 24)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Update Chrome now: Critical bugs could let attackers run code Microsoft Defender vulnerabilities are being exploited in the wild TikTok, YouTube, and Roblox face scrutiny, but age gates won’t fix child safety Catch spyware in the act with Windows Webcam Monitoring...

Microsoft says Edge’s plaintext password behavior is “by design”

Some time ago, we discussed whether you should allow your browser to remember your passwords. In that article we mentioned the importance of encryption. “ With a browser password manager, someone with access to your browser could see your passwords in clear text, although Windows can be set to as...

Thousands of Facebook accounts stolen by phishing emails sent through Google

Researchers have uncovered a long-running phishing operation that abuses trusted Google services to hijack tens of thousands of Facebook accounts. The compromised Facebook accounts are mainly business and advertiser profiles, which criminals can monetize after gaining access and control. The...

Actively exploited cPanel bug exposes millions of websites to takeover

Security researchers are warning about a newly discovered vulnerability in the widely used web server management software cPanel and WebHost Manager WHM. This is a critical, actively exploited authentication-bypass bug in cPanel/WHM that lets attackers gain administrative access to the interface...

Hackers stole hundreds of thousands of Roblox accounts: Here’s what to do

More than 610,000 Roblox accounts were reportedly stolen. Was yours or your child's among them? Ukrainian police arrested three individuals in Lviv who allegedly orchestrated one of the largest Roblox account theft operations to date. Between October 2025 and January 2026, the hacking group is sa...

New macOS security feature will alert users about possible ClickFix attacks

Rumor has it that Apple deployed a new security feature in the fight against ClickFix. The new feature will be available for macOS Tahoe 26.4 and it will warn Mac users if they paste certain commands into the Terminal app that might be harmful. If such a command is pasted, macOS will warn the use...

Hackers claim to have accessed data tied to millions of crime tipsters

Millions of crime tips may have been exposed after a hacker group claims to have compromised systems used by Crime Stoppers programs and other organizations worldwide. The incident centers on P3 Global Intel, a Texas-based provider of cloud-based tip and intelligence management software owned by...

A DarkSword hangs over unpatched iPhones

Researchers at Google have identified an iOS exploit chain, named DarkSword, that has been used since late last year by multiple actors to infect iPhones with malware in targeted attacks. DarkSword combines six vulnerabilities in iOS and Safari to deploy malware on the device. It demonstrates, on...

Chrome flaw let extensions hijack Gemini’s camera, mic, and file access

Chrome’s Gemini “Live in Chrome” panel Gemini’s embedded, agent-style assistant mode within Chrome had a high‑severity vulnerability tracked as CVE‑2026‑0628. The flaw let a low‑privilege extension inject code into the Gemini side panel and inherit its powerful capabilities, including local file...

In 2025, age checks started locking people out of the internet

If 2024 was the year lawmakers talked about online age verification, 2025 was the year they actually flipped the switch.​ In 2025, across parts of Europe and the US, age checks for certain websites especially pornography turned long‑running child‑protection debates into real‑world access controls...

A week in security (December 22 – December 28)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Pornhub tells users to expect sextortion emails after data exposure Hacktivists claim near-total Spotify music scrape Stay safe! We don 't just report on threats—we help safeguard your entire digital identity Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headlin...

Chrome extension slurps up AI chats after users installed it for privacy

This case highlights a growing grey area in consumer privacy: data collection that is technically disclosed, but so far outside user expectations that most people would never knowingly agree to it. The next time you tell an AI chat assistant your deepest secrets, think twice; you never know who o...

Inside a purchase order PDF phishing campaign

A PDF named "NEW Purchase Order 52177236.pdf" turned out to be a phishing lure. So we analyzed the phishing script behind it. A customer contacted me when Malwarebytes blocked the link inside a “purchase order” email they had received. Malwarebytes blocked this ionoscloud.com subdomain When I...

Google ads funnel Mac users to poisoned AI chats that spread the AMOS infostealer

Researchers have found evidence that AI conversations were inserted in Google search results to mislead macOS users into installing the Atomic macOS Stealer AMOS. Both Grok and ChatGPT were found to have been abused in these attacks. Forensic investigation of an AMOS alert showed the infection...

How private is your VPN?

When you're shopping around for a Virtual Private Network VPN you'll find yourself in a sea of promises like "military-grade encryption!" and "total anonymity!" You can’t scroll two inches without someone waving around these fancy terms. But not all VPNs can be trusted. Some VPNs genuinely protec...

New Android malware lets criminals control your phone and drain your bank account

Albiriox is a new family of Android banking malware that gives attackers live remote control over infected phones, letting them quietly drain bank and crypto accounts during real sessions. Researchers have analyzed a new Android malware family called Albiriox which is showing signs of developing...

Holiday shoppers targeted as Amazon and FBI warn of surge in account takeover attacks

The FBI has issued a public service announcement warning about a surge in account takeover ATO fraud, and the timing lines up with a major alert Amazon has just sent to its 300 million customers about brand impersonation scams. How ATO fraud works Account takeover fraud is just what it says:...

A week in security (November 17 – November 23)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: AI teddy bear for kids responds with sexual content and advice about weapons Fake calendar invites are spreading. Here’s how to remove them and prevent more Budget Samsung phones shipped with unremovable spyware, say researchers What the Flock is happening with...

Budget Samsung phones shipped with unremovable spyware, say researchers

A controversy over data-gathering software secretly installed on Samsung phones has erupted again after a new accusatory post appeared on X last week. In the post on the social media site, cybersecurity newsletter International Cyber Digest warned about a secretive application called AppCloud tha...

Thousands of online stores at risk as SessionReaper attacks spread

Early September, a security researcher uncovered a new vulnerability in Magento, an open-source e-commerce platform used by thousands of online retailers, and its commercial counterpart Adobe Commerce. It sounds like something straight out of a horror movie: SessionReaper. Behind the cinematic na...

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...

Phishers target 1Password users with convincing fake breach alert

In a very recent and well-targeted phishing attempt, scammers tried to get hold of the 1Password credentials belonging to a Malwarebytes’ employee. Stealing someone’s 1Password login would be like hitting the jackpot for cybercriminals, because they potentially export all the saved logins the...

Beware of Zelle transfer scams

As we have said many times before, falling for a scam can happen to the best of us. And it can ruin lives. In our podcast How a scam hunter got scammed, scam hunter Julie-Anne Kearns talked about how she had been duped by people pretending to be from HMRC, which is the UK’s version of the US...

224 malicious apps removed from the Google Play Store after ad fraud campaign discovered

Researchers have discovered a large ad fraud campaign on Google Play Store. The Satori Threat Intelligence and Research team found 224 malicious apps which were downloaded over 38 million times and generated up to 2.3 billion ad requests per day. They named the campaign "SlopAds." Ad fraud is a...

A week in security (July 21 – July 27)

A list of topics we covered in the week of July 21 to July 27 of 2025 Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Steam games abused to deliver malware once again Watch out: Instagram users targeted in novel phishing campaign Age verification: Child protection or privacy risk? iPhone vs. Android: iPhone user...