Trojan Source: Hiding malicious code in plain sight

Researchers at the University of Cambridge, UK, have released details of a cunning and insidious new class of software vulnerability that allows attackers to hide code in plain sight, within the source code of computer programs. The techniques demonstrated by the researchers could be used to pois...

Malware analysis: decoding Emotet, part 1

Emotet Banking Trojan malware has been around for quite some time now. As such, infosec researchers have made several attempts to develop tools to de-obfuscate and even decrypt the AES-encrypted code belonging to this malware. The problem with these tools is that they target active versions of th...

Netflix scam warning

Always be on your toes While we are used to receiving scam attempts pretending to be from banks, online shops, credit card companies, and international courier services that does not mean all the other emails are safe. Far from it. To demonstrate this point we will show you a scam aimed at Netfli...

Cisco Small Business routers vulnerable to remote attacks, won’t get a patch

In a security advisory, Cisco has informed users that a vulnerability in the Universal Plug-and-Play UPnP service of Cisco Small Business RV110W, RV130, RV130W, and RV215W routers could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to execute arbitrary code or cause an affected device to restart...

Knowing when it’s worth the risk: riskware explained

If there’s one thing I like more than trivia quizzes, it’s quotes. Positive, inspirational, and motivational quotes. Quotes that impart a degree of ancient wisdom, or those that make you stop and consider. Reading them melts our fears, sorrows, and feelings of inadequacy away. Some of the most...

Update your LearnPress plugins now!

Its time for a reminder to ensure all of your WordPress plugins are fully up to date or removed, if you don't need them. Bleeping Computer reports that as many as 75,000 WordPress sites may be open to several flaws in a plugin called LearnPress. Worse, the update tally for users of the plugin isn...

Working from home? You’re probably being spied on

One year ago, as countless employees settled into new routines for working from home WFH, a Reddit user shared a video online of a strange contraption: A wire coat hanger bent out of shape, one side gripping an external USB mouse, the other side latched onto an oscillating fan. As the fan swished...

Fake Instagram assistance apps found on Google Play are stealing passwords

We all want those Instagram likes and followers. Many apps on Google Play claim they can assist you with that effort. But what if the app that’s supposed to be helping you is also stealing your username and password? As a matter of fact, that’s exactly what we found in three fake Instagram...

The Advanced Persistent Threat files: APT10

We've heard a lot about Advanced Persistent Threats APTs over the past few years. As a refresher, APTs are prolonged, aimed attacks on specific targets with the intention to compromise their systems and gain information from or about that target. While the targets may be anyone or anything—a...

RDP abused for DDoS attacks

We have talked about RDP many times before. It has been a popular target for brute force attacks for a long time, but attackers have now found a new way to abuse it. Remote access has become more important during the pandemic, with as many people as possible try to work from home. Which makes it...

Advanced tools: Process Hacker

Process Hacker is a very valuable tool for advanced users. It can help them to troubleshoot problems or learn more about specific processes that are running on a certain system. It can help identify malicious processes and tell us more about what they are trying to do. Background information...

Explained: digital forensics

What is it? Digital forensics is a modern day field of forensic science, which deals with the recovery and investigation of material found in digital devices. When needed, this is often because of a cyber crime, whether suspected or established. The most common reasons for performing digital...

VPN Android apps: What you should know

Months ago, we told readers about the importance of using a VPN on their iPhones, and while those lessons do apply to Android devices—a VPN for Android will encrypt your Android’s web activity and app traffic, and it will stop your mobile carrier from monetizing your data—Android users should...

Max Schrems: lawyer, regulator, international man of privacy

Almost one decade ago, disparate efforts began in the European Union to change the way the world thinks about online privacy. One effort focused on legislation, pulling together lawmakers from 28 member-states to discuss, draft, and deploy a sweeping set of provisions that, today, has altered how...

Malwarebytes’ 2019 security predictions

Every year, we at Malwarebytes Labs like to stare into our crystal ball and foretell the future of malware. Okay, maybe we don't have a crystal ball, but we do have years and years of experience in observing trends and sensing shifts in patterns. When it comes to security, though, we can only kno...

What’s new in TrickBot? Deobfuscating elements

Trojan.TrickBot has been present in the threat landscape from quite a while. We wrote about its first version in October 2016. From the beginning, it was a well organized modular malware, written by developers with mature skills. It is often called a banker, however its modular structure allows t...

Update now: Critical flaw in VMWare Fusion and VMWare Workstation

Four vulnerabilities in virtualisation software have been fixed by VMware, including two which were exploited at the 20223 Pwn2Own contest. Three have been given the severity rating "Important", with the last CVE-2023-20869 is classed as "Critical". Success! @starlabssg used an uninitialized...

Update Android now! Two critical vulnerabilities patched

The March security updates for Android include fixes for two critical remote code execution RCE vulnerabilities impacting Android systems running versions 11, 12, 12L, and 13. Users should update as soon as they can. The March 2023 Android Security Bulletin contains the details of the security...

Time to uninstall! Abandoned Android apps pack a vulnerability punch

Synopsis has published an advisory warning of multiple vulnerabilities across three different Android remote mouse and keyboard apps with a combined install count of about two million. The apps are at risk from remote code execution RCE, and theres no sign of a fix coming anytime, ever. Bleeping...

Say hello to Lord Exploit Kit

Just as we had wrapped up our summer review of exploit kits, a new player entered the scene. Lord EK, as it is calling itself, was caught by Virus Bulletin's Adrian Luca while replaying malvertising chains. In this blog post, we do a quick review of this exploit kit based on what we have collecte...

Zero-day vulnerabilities in Chrome and Android exploited by commercial spyware

The Google Threat Analysis Group TAG has revealed that of the nine zero-day vulnerabilities affecting Chrome, Android, Apple and Microsoft that it reported in 2021, five were in use by a single commercial surveillance company. Did I hear someone say Pegasus? An educated guess, but wrong in this...

A week in security (March 1 – 7)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, our podcast featured Eva Galperin who talked to us about defending online anonymity and speech. We wrote about how Ryuk ransomware has developed a worm-like capability, how Exchange servers are attacked by Hafnium zero-days, 21 million free VPN users’ data was...

Nextdoor neighborhood app sends letters on its users’ behalf

Dutch police departments and consumer organizations issued warnings about the use of the Nextdoor neighborhood app because people received letters yes, as in snail-mail pretending to come from someone in their neighborhood, which the alleged senders did not send or deliver. So, everyone figured...

All this EternalPetya stuff makes me WannaCry

Another week goes by and yet again we have another ransomware outbreak initially dropped by a malicious software update and eventually spreading within internal networks using several methods - including EternalBlue - the leaked exploit from the ShadowBrokers group. Security researchers can’t see...

[Updated, again] Apache fixes zero-day vulnerability in HTTP Server

The Apache HTTP Server 2.4.49 is vulnerable to a flaw that allows attackers to use a path traversal attack to map URLs to files outside the expected document root. If files outside of the document root are not protected by "require all denied" these requests can succeed. This issue is known to be...

Safe Connections Act could help domestic abuse survivors take control of their digital lives

A bill introduced in the US Senate could help domestic abuse and sex trafficking survivors—including those tracked by stalkerware-type applications—regain digital independence through swift, shared phone plan termination and the extension of mobile phone plan subsidies. Titled the Safe Connection...

Mobile Menace Monday: Android Trojan raises xHelper

Back in May, we classified what we believed was just another generic Android/Trojan.Dropper, and moved on. We didn’t give this particular mobile malware much thought until months later, when we started noticing it had climbed onto our top 10 list of most detected mobile malware. Henceforth, we fe...

Will pay-for-privacy be the new normal?

Privacy is a human right, and online privacy should be no exception. Yet, as the US considers new laws to protect individuals’ online data, at least two proposals—one statewide law that can still be amended and one federal draft bill that has yet to be introduced—include an unwelcome bargain:...

Associated Press, ESPN, CBS among top sites serving fake virus alerts

ScamClub is a threat actor whos been involved in malvertising activities since 2018. Chances are you probably ran into one of their online scams on your mobile device. Confiant, the firm that has tracked ScamClub for years, released a comprehensive report in September while also disrupting their...

[update]Two year old vulnerability used in ransomware attack against VMware ESXi

On Friday and over the weekend, several Computer Emergency Response Teams CERTs sounded the alarm about an ongoing large scale ransomware attack on VMware ESXi virtual machines. With some discrepancies between Shodan queries from various researchers, most agree that an estimated 500 entities were...

Warning for WordPress admins: uninstall the Modern WPBakery plugin immediately!

WordPress admins are being warned to remove a buggy plugin or risk a total site takeover. This particular threat relates to a plugin which is no longer in use: Modern WPBakery page builder addons. The vulnerability in the plugin, known as CVE-2021-24284, allows "unauthenticated arbitrary file...

Meet Extenbro, a new DNS-changer Trojan protecting adware

Recently, we uncovered a new DNS-changer called Extenbro that comes with an adware bundler. These DNS-changers block access to security-related sites, so the adware victims can’t download and install security software to get rid of the pests. From our viewpoint, this might be like sending in an...

Movie stream ebooks gun for John Wick 3 on Kindle store

We discovered a novel spam campaign over the weekend, targeting fans of John Wick on the Amazon Kindle store. The scam itself involves paying for what appears to be the upcoming third movie, turns into a bogus ebook, and goes on to hyperlink potential victims to a collection of third-party...

Fake Flipper Zero websites look to cause a big splash

Security researchers are advised to be on the lookout for scammers targeting their interest in the latest hard to obtain security testing tools. Flipper Zero, a slick looking portable multi-tool which frequently makes its way into the news, is one of the hottest pieces of kit around for security...

Update now! Microsoft fixes two zero-days in August's Patch Tuesday

Microsoft has published fixes for 141 separate vulnerabilities in its batch of August updates, fixing a total of 118 CVEs in multiple products. This is a new monthly record if you look at the CVE count. Publicly disclosed computer security flaws are listed in the Common Vulnerabilities and...

Parental monitoring apps: How do they differ from stalkerware?

In late June, Malwarebytes revived its long-running campaign against a vicious type of malware in use today. This malware peers into text messages. It pinpoints victims’ movements across locations. It reveals browsing and search history. Often hidden from users, it removes their expectation of,...

Should you delete yourself from social media?

You're feeling like you've had enough. All the recent news—from Facebook's Cambridge Analytica snafu to various abuses of Twitter vulnerabilities—has you wondering: Should I delete myself from social media? Social networking does have its positive aspects. You can stay in touch with distant or no...

Thief pulls off colossal, $600m crypto-robbery …and gives the money back

The largest crypto-robbery in history is rapidly turning into the most bizarre as well. Lets start at the beginning… In an apparent scream for mercy, 21 hours ago the Poly Network Team reached out via Twitter to “hackers” that had managed to transfer roughly $600 million in digital tokens out of...

Android vulnerabilities could allow arbitrary code execution

Several vulnerabilities have been patched in the Google Android operating system OS, the most severe of which could allow for arbitrary code execution. None of the vulnerabilities have been spotted in the wild. Operating systems contain and manage all the programs and applications that a computer...

[updated]Two new Exchange Server zero-days in the wild

Microsoft has issued some customer guidance as it investigates yes, more reported vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server, affecting the 2013, 2016, and 2019 versions of the software. The company says it "is aware of limited targeted attacks using the two vulnerabilities to get into users...

15,000 webcams vulnerable to attack: how to protect against webcam hacking

Webcams may have been around for a long time, but that doesn’t mean we know what we’re doing with them. Webcam hacking has been around for equally as long, yet new research from Wizcase indicates that more than 15,000 private, web-connected cameras are exposed and readily accessible to the genera...

Smart speakers: Christmas treat or lump of coal?

Christmas is nearly upon us, and thoughts are perhaps turning to various digital presents of a “smart” nature. Home security, hubs, speakers, cameras, and mashups of all of those and more besides. With regards to speakers, the most immediate pieces of your home are theoretically at your beck and...

“Who visits your Twitter profile” spam app brings week of chaos

Twitter spam has been around forever, and rogue apps asking for installs in return for a cool feature to be more accurate, spamming your contacts is a constant thorn in our Twittery sides. Over the weekend, we observed a new Twitter app doing the rounds and causing a lot of congestion on people's...

Mac malware combines EmPyre backdoor and XMRig miner

Earlier this week, we discovered a new piece of Mac malware that is combining two different open-source tools—the EmPyre backdoor and the XMRig cryptominer—for the purpose of evil. The malware was being distributed through an application named Adobe Zii. Adobe Zii is software that is designed to...

Update now: 9 vulnerabilities impact Cisco Small Business Series

Vulnerabilities have been found and fixed in the web-based user interface of various Cisco products in the Small Business Series. These nine issues are tied to the web-based user interface of the products, and in a worst case scenario could lead to denial of service DoS conditions or arbitrary co...

Inside the Kronos malware – part 1

Recently, a researcher nicknamed MalwareTech famous from stopping the WannaCry ransomware got arrested for his alleged contribution to creating the Kronos banking malware. We are still not having a clear picture whether the allegations are true or not - but let's have a look at Kronos itself...

Patch now! Cisco VPN routers are vulnerable to remote control

Cisco has released a security advisory about several vulnerabilities in the Cisco Small Business RV series routers, covering the RV160, RV260, RV340, and RV345. There are no workarounds available that address these vulnerabilities, so you need to patch. Vulnerabilities The vulnerabilities are...

April’s Patch Tuesday update includes fixes for two zero-day vulnerabilities

It’s that time of the month again. Time to check what needs to be updated and prioritize where necessary. The Microsoft updates include at least two zero-day vulnerabilities that deserve your attention. Microsoft Microsoft has released security updates and non-security updates for client and serv...

What is the WireGuard VPN protocol?

In layman’s terms, a VPN uses encryption to create a private online connection between a device and a VPN server. With a good VPN service, you can shield your data from curious eyes. A VPN protocol is the set of rules that shapes how your data travels between your computer, mobile phone, tablet, ...

Sextortion Bitcoin scam makes unwelcome return

Heads up: a particularly nasty sextortion Bitcoin scam from at least the middle of 2018 is making the rounds once again. The scam involves making use of old breach dumps, then emailing someone from the list and reminding them of their old password. When something lands in your mailbox with “Hey,...