Stalkerware developer dealt new blow by FTC

Last week, the US Federal Trade Commission FTC interpreted its broad consumer protection mandate to file a first-of-its-kind enforcement action against the developer of three mobile stalkerware applications. The developer was banned from further selling the apps unless significant changes were ma...

PSA: Users with landlines are more vulnerable to scams

It’s time to have “the talk” with your parents, relatives, and loved ones. Anyone still using a landline must be warned: having a home phone makes you particularly vulnerable to scams. We know here at Malwarebytes that our readers are often the unofficial “IT” department for their families,...

Of princes and perpetrators: Beware of getting ensnared in 419 scams

We've mentioned before that 419 scams don't always originate from Nigeria. It's a very simple and popular scam that can be attempted by pretty much anyone with a flair for social engineering. Indeed, 419 scams are so associated with the region that many scammers in non-Nigerian countries know the...

Tech support scammers make browser lockers more resilient

Tech support scammers have been relying on fraudulent pop-ups for many years in order to scare potential victims into calling for remote assistance. These so-called browser lockers or browlocks typically originate from malicious ads malvertising that can appear on any website, including trusted...

Explained: the cloud

Even if you are reading this post because you have no idea what the cloud is, you might be using it more often than you realize. Twitter, LinkedIn, Dropbox, Google Drive, and Microsoft Office 365 are some of the most well-known cloud apps. Let’s start with a definition of the cloud to get a grip ...

Tackling the myths surrounding cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is an act most of us are familiar with. Knowing what it is, who're involved, and its harmful effects to targets are easy enough to identify; but do you know that cyberbullying is surrounded by misconceptions, too? In this post, we have identified six of these myths, explained why...

A week in security (Jun 05 – Jun 11)

Last week, we interviewed our very own Pieter Arntz to get to know him a little better. We also touched on the importance of HTTPS and focused on a new social engineering scheme that triggers on mouse movement. We also took a deeper look at LatentBot, a Trojan that is being distributed by the RIG...

Please stop posting your X-rays to social media

Social media is fun. Posting pictures and sharing them with friends is a great technology. But please, we beg you, stop posting your medical imaging results to Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Why? What if you get a gnarly fracture from a really awesome snowboarding stunt and you want to share...

Shadow AI explained: The work shortcut that could leak your company’s secrets

Using an AI chatbot, assistant, or browser to speed up your work is tempting, but doing it without your employer’s knowledge can put sensitive data at risk. You’re swamped, so you paste a long email thread into a free chatbot and ask for a summary. It works, it saves an hour, and nobody notices...

Researchers used Claude to hack OpenAI

We’ve heard of OpenAI’s AI agents running amok and hacking other companies. Now, a cybersecurity company has turned the tables on the ChatGPT operator by using AI to help hack OpenAI itself. The hack, which also exposed a bug affecting dozens of other major online services, was conducted as...

Will AI kill us all within the next decade?

The Wall Street Journal reports that concerns are rising inside AI labs that competition is pushing tech companies to race toward self-improving models that could spiral out of human control. Jacob Coxon, an AI researcher who has worked at Anthropic and OpenAI, said: “The people building AI...

Millions of cars could be tracked and unlocked by a hidden security flaw

A car alarm vendor's coding mistake has left millions of vehicles vulnerable to theft and location tracking. Thanks to the way dealers sell car alarms, many affected drivers don't even know they have one installed. The device is the KARR Security System, a Bluetooth-enabled aftermarket alarm buil...

Samsung backs down on threat to delete health data

If you pay for something, you expect it to work as intended. The vendor shouldn't start turning features off just because you won't accept its new rules. Someone should tell Samsung, which just upset users of its health app by threatening exactly that—before changing course after a user backlash...

Your next car could be watching your face

To reduce traffic incidents, all new cars sold in the EU must now include driver-monitoring technology, including Driver Drowsiness and Attention Warning DDAW systems and, on newer vehicles, Advanced Driver Distraction Warning ADDW systems. Similar requirements are expected in the US, where the...

Apple’s Hide My Email doesn’t hide it very well

404 Media reports that a researcher has found a vulnerability in Apple’s Hide My Email feature that could allow someone to discover a person’s real email address. That's especially concerning because protecting your real email address is exactly what the feature is designed to do. 404 Media did n...

Nearly 15,000 infected websites cleaned in SocGholish crackdown

We’re always happy to end the week with some positive news. A law enforcement action called Operation Endgame just delivered a major win against the long‑running SocGholish aka FakeUpdates operation. SocGholish is a malware framework that has been active since at least 2017 and is best known for...

Carnival confirms data breach impacting nearly 6 million

Carnival Corporation, parent of Carnival Cruise Line, is sending out fresh “Notice of Cybersecurity Event” letters dated May 27, 2026. If you feel like you've read that sentence before, you're not imagining things. Over the last decade, the world’s largest cruise operator has accumulated a worryi...

Stolen Canvas data was “returned” after hacker agreement, Instructure says

The Instructure/Canvas data breach that has dominated cybersecurity coverage recently has reached a new stage. Millions of students had personal data stolen, with extortion group ShinyHunters claiming credit for the data breach and applying extra pressure for their ransom demands by bothering...

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...

More PayPal emails hijacked to deliver tech support scams

Scammers have found another way to get deceptive messages delivered through PayPal’s legitimate services. In December 2025, we reported that PayPal closed a loophole that let scammers send real emails with fake purchase notices. In those cases, scammers created a PayPal subscription and then paus...

Your extensions leak clues about you, so we made sure Browser Guard doesn’t

Did you know you can be profiled based on the browser extensions you use? Advertisers can detect which extensions are installed and use that to build a picture of the kind of user you are. For instance, do you pride yourself on being a good online shopper who never pays full price? Maybe you 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...

Zombie ZIP method can fool antivirus during the first scan

A researcher published “Zombie ZIP,” a simple way to change the first part header of a ZIP file so it falsely claims its contents are uncompressed while they are actually compressed. Many antivirus products trust that header and never properly decompress or inspect the real payload. In tests...

March 2026 Patch Tuesday fixes two zero-day vulnerabilities

Microsoft releases important security updates on the second Tuesday of every month, known as Patch Tuesday. This month’s update fixes 79 Microsoft CVEs including two zero-day vulnerabilities. Microsoft defines a zero-day as “a flaw in software for which no official patch or security update is...

Refund scam impersonates Avast to harvest credit card details

A fraudulent website dressed in Avast’s brand is tricking French-speaking users into handing over their full credit card details—card number, expiry date, and three-digit security code—under the cover story of processing a €499.99 refund that was never owed to them. The operation combines live ch...

Criminals are using AI website builders to clone major brands

AI tool Vercel was abused by cybercriminals to create a Malwarebytes lookalike website. Cybercriminals no longer need design or coding skills to create a convincing fake brand site. All they need is a domain name and an AI website builder. In minutes, they can clone a site's look and feel, plug i...

Firefox is giving users the AI off switch

Some software providers have decided to lead by example and offer users a choice about the Artificial Intelligence AI features built into their products. The latest example is Mozilla, which now offers users a one-click option to disable generative AI features in the Firefox browser. Audiences ar...

Meta confirms it’s working on premium subscription for its apps

Meta plans to test exclusive features that will be incorporated in paid versions of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. It confirmed these plans to TechCrunch. But these plans are not to be confused with the ad-free subscription options that Meta introduced for Facebook and Instagram in the EU, th...

Phishing scammers are posting fake “account restricted” comments on LinkedIn

Recently, fake LinkedIn profiles have started posting comment replies claiming that a user has " engaged in activities that are not in compliance" with LinkedIn's policies and that their account has been " temporarily restricted" until they submit an appeal through a specified link in the comment...

ALPRs are recording your daily drive (Lock and Code S06E26)

This week on the Lock and Code podcast … There's an entire surveillance network popping up across the United States that has likely already captured your information, all for the non-suspicion of driving a car. Automated License Plate Readers, or ALPRs, are AI-powered cameras that scan and store ...

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...

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...

PayPal closes loophole that let scammers send real emails with fake purchase notices

After an investigation by BleepingComputer, PayPal closed a loophole that allowed scammers to send emails from the legitimate [email protected] email address. Following reports from people who received emails claiming an automatic payment had been cancelled, BleepingComputer found that...

AI teddy bear for kids responds with sexual content and advice about weapons

In testing, FoloToy’s AI teddy bear jumped from friendly chat to sexual topics and unsafe household advice. It shows how easily artificial intelligence can cross serious boundaries. It’s a fair moment to ask whether AI-powered stuffed animals are appropriate for children. It’s easy to get swept u...

We opened a fake invoice and fell down a retro XWorm-shaped wormhole

Somebody forwarded an “invoice” email and asked me to check the attachment because it looked suspicious. Good instinct—it was, and what we found inside was a surprisingly old trick hiding a modern threat. What it does If the recipient had opened the attached Visual Basic Script .vbs file, it woul...

Phishing scam uses fake death notices to trick LastPass users

LastPass has alerted users about a new phishing attack that claims the recipient has died. According to the message, a family member has submitted a death certificate to gain access to the recipient’s password vault. A link in the phishing email, supposedly to stop the request, leads to a fake pa...

Home Depot Halloween phish gives users a fright, not a freebie

We received a timely phishing email pretending to come from Home Depot. It claimed we’d won a Gorilla Carts dump cart that’s a sort of four-wheeled wheelbarrow for anyone unfamiliar—and said it was just one click away. It wasn’t. The whole image in the email was clickable, and it hid plenty of...

A week in security (September 15 – September 21)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: ChatGPT Deep Research zero-click vulnerability fixed by OpenAI Disrupted phishing service was after Microsoft 365 credentials Update your Chrome today: Google patches 4 vulnerabilities including one zero-day Age verification and parental controls coming to ChatGPT ...

TP-Link warns of botnet infecting routers and targeting Microsoft 365 accounts

TP-Link has issued a warning about a botnet exploiting two vulnerabilities to infect small office/home SOHO routers, which are then weaponized to attack Microsoft 365 accounts. The vulnerabilities affect the Archer C7 and TL-WR841N/ND routers, though other models may also be at risk. Despite the...

Smart air fryers ordered to stop invading our digital privacy

In a confirmation that we've gone full Black Mirror, the UK's privacy czar has wagged a finger at air fryer manufacturers and told them to stop playing with our data. New draft guidance from the Information Commissioner's Office ICO targets not just air fryer vendors but manufacturers of any smar...

A week in security (June 9 – June 15)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Been scammed online? Here’s what to do How and where to report an online scam Google bug allowed phone number of almost any user to be discovered 44% of people encounter a mobile scam every single day, Malwarebytes finds GirlsDoPorn owner faces life in jail after...

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...

Data broker protection rule quietly withdrawn by CFPB

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau CFPB has decided to withdraw a 2024 rule to limit the sale of Americans’ personal information by data brokers. In a Federal Register notice published yesterday, the CFPB said it "has determined that legislative rulemaking is not necessary or appropriate at...

On world password day, Microsoft says fewer passwords, more passkeys

And we agree. If there is a cybersecurity themed day that we would like to get rid as soon as possible it’s world password day. Sorry, old friend, but you’re outdated, and it looks like your days are numbered. Let's switch to passkeys. To quote Microsoft: “As the world shifts from passwords to...

Hi, robot: Half of all internet traffic now automated

If you sometimes feel that the internet isn't the same vibrant place it used to be, you're not alone. New research suggests that most of the traffic traversing the network isn't human at all. Bots software programs that interact with web sites have been ubiquitous for years. But in its 2025 Bad B...

A week in security (March 31 – April 6)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Why we’re no longer doing April Fools’ Day Intimate images from kink and LGBTQ+ dating apps left exposed online "Urgent reminder" tax scam wants to phish your Microsoft credentials "Nudify" deepfakes stored unprotected online Location, name, and photos of random ki...

Android devices track you before you even sign in

Google is spying on Android users, starting from even before they have logged in to their Google account. That's what researchers from Dublin’s Trinity College found after they conducted a measurement study to investigate the cookies, identifiers and other data stored on Android devices by Google...

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

Malwarebytes Premium Security has once again been awarded “Product of the Year” after successfully blocking 100% of “in-the-wild” malware samples. The samples were deployed in multiple, consecutive third-party tests conducted by the AVLab Cybersecurity Foundation. AVLab commended Malwarebytes for...

SecTopRAT bundled in Chrome installer distributed via Google Ads

Criminals are once again abusing Google Ads to trick users into downloading malware. Ironically, this time the bait is a malicious ad for Google Chrome, the world's most popular browser. Victims who click the ad land on a fraudulent Google Sites page designed as a intermediary portal, similar to...

Cybercrime gets a few punches on the nose

It’s not often that we get to share good news, so we wanted to grab this opportunity and showcase some progress made by law enforcement actions against cybercrime with you. Europol notified us about the take-down of two of the largest cybercrime forums in the world. With over 10 million users,...