Beware of this bogus (and phishy) “Instagram Support” email

Recently, a fake Instagram email successfully bypassed Googles email filters and made it into hundreds of employee inboxes used by a prominent US life insurance company based in New York. This was revealed in a report by Armorblox, a cybersecurity company specializing in stopping business email...

Deepfake study suggests fakes can run but not hide

I have long said that Deepfakes missed the boat on being stealthy, believable pieces of footage able to turn the tide of elections or other major events. We’ve seen time and again how suggested examples of use during important happenings have been terrible, whereas the smart use has tended to be...

Toyota’s just in time manufacturing faced with disruptive cyberattack

Toyota suspended the operation of 28 lines at 14 plants in Japan on Tuesday, March 1, after a cyberattack on supplier Kojima Industries Corp. Some plants operated by Toyotas affiliates Hino Motors and Daihatsu are included in the shutdown. Hino suspended all operations at its Koga facility, which...

Journalist won’t be indicted for hacking for viewing a state website’s HTML

A journalist incorrectly branded as a "hacker" by the governor of Missouri wont be prosecuted "for hacking". This was a quick and foreseen win for St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Josh Renaud after a prosecutor from Cole County dismissed Missouri Governor Mike Parsons criminal charges against him...

Beware bogus OperaGX sponsorship offers

If you’re a YouTuber, watch out for bogus Opera missives winging their way to you. The Browser team has had to send out a warning in relation to scammy antics trading on their good name. At a time when people are stretched for cash, nothing could be better than a promo mail bearing good news...

Microsoft warns of phishy OAuth apps

Microsoft is warning Office 365 users to watch out for a phishy emails asking you to install an app called Upgrade. The app requests multiple permissions which could cause problems on a network if granted: Creating inbox rules Read and write emails and calendar items Read contacts This is only th...

Intercepting 2FA: Over 1200 man-in-the-middle phishing toolkits detected

Two-factor authentication 2FA has been around for a while now and for the majority of tech users in the US and UK, it has became a security staple. Indeed, wake up calls brought about by data breaches have stirred others out of their comfort zones into finally adopting 2FA and making it part of...

Careful! Uber flaw allows anyone to send an email from uber.com

On New Years Eve, Seif Elsallamy @0x21SAFE on Twitter, a bug bounty hunter and security researcher, pointed out a phish-worthy security flaw he found on Uber’s email system. The flaw allowed anyone to send emails on behalf of Uber, meaning they would end with "@uber.com", just like the one below:...

Spear phish, whale phish, regular phish: What’s the difference?

There are many types of phishing attack nowadays, to the extent it can be tricky to keep up with them all. We have unique names for mobile attacks, postal attacks, threats sent via SMS and many more besides. However, we often see folks mix up their spears and their whales, and even occasionally...

How to check for Windows updates and install them

Keeping Windows up to date is an important part of warding off malware, exploits, and other attacks. If you’re not running the latest version of your OS, it can give cybercriminals the leverage they need to compromise your system. Unfortunately not all machines are running automatic updates by...

Emotet’s back and it isn’t wasting any time

Emotet is one of the best known, and most dangerous, malware threats of the past several years. On several occasions it appeared to take an early retirement, but it has always came back. In January of this year, a global police operation dismantled Emotets botnet. Law enforcement then used their...

Attacker unmasked by VPN flubs charged with Ubiquiti hack

A veritable barn-stormer of an insider threat story has recently come to light. A former employee of Ubiquiti Networks, Nickolas Sharp, has been arrested and charged for allegedly hacking company servers, stealing gigabytes of information, and then rounding it all off with a splash of extortion...

Hackers all over the world are targeting Tasmania’s emergency services

Emergency services—under which the police, fire, and emergency medical services departments fall—is an infrastructure vital to any country or state. But when those services come under threat from either physical or cyber entities, it’s as good as putting the lives of citizens at risk as well...

“Free Steam games” videos promise much, deliver malware

Gamers are a hot target for scammers, especially in the run up to Christmas. Major games are released throughout the last few months of any year, and the FOMO fear of missing out is strong. Especially if said titles offer pre-order exclusive bonuses, or deals and discounts for a few weeks after t...

What is facial recognition?

Facebook recently announced it would give up on its facial recognition system. Facebook, or Meta, was using software to automatically identify people in images posted to its social network. Since facial recognition has become an increasingly toxic concept in many circles and Facebook was having...

Could Apple’s new MacBooks signal a change in direction on security?

Apple recently announced a new line of completely overhauled MacBook Pros. Much has been written about their new design, new chips, new displays, new keyboards etc, but I thought I detected something else that might be new about these MacBooks too: A new approach. The updated laptops may be the...

Multiple video games break after domain name snafu

We’ve seen quite a few complaints from gamers this past weekend, unable to load up and play games on the Steam platform. The problem wasn’t hackers, or DDoS attacks, or anything else. Rather, the issue is something bundled with the game by default designed to keep titles “secure” from tampering...

Celebrity jewelry house Graff falls victim to ransomware

Data on countless celebrities, including politicians, is apparently now in the hands of ransomware attackers after a group using the Conti variant compromised systems of one of the world’s most exclusive jewelry houses, Graff. Despite what mathematicians like to think, there is an exception to...

Discord scammers lure victims with promise of free Nitro subscriptions

A number of bogus offers are doing the rounds in Discord land at the moment. Discord, a group text chat/VoiP app of choice for many gaming communities, is having a bit of trouble with phishing links. You may recall we’ve covered a lot of Discord scams previously. Service users can create bots,...

Vaccine passport app leaks users’ personal data

Security and privacy advocates may have cause to worry after all: Portpass, a vaccine passport app in Canada, has been found to have been exposing the personal data of its users for an unknown length of time. On Monday, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation CBC received a tip that "the user profiles ...

Phone screenshots accidentally leaked online by stalkerware-type company

pcTattleTale hasnt been very careful about securing the screenshots it sneakily takes from its victims phones. pcTattleTale markets itself as "employee and child monitoring software" that is undetectable by the device user, but it can also be used to spy on spouses and partners. It allows its...

A week in security (August 30 – September 5)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs ProxyToken: another nail-biter from Microsoft Exchange Macs turn on apps signed by Symantec, treat them as malware Google Play sign-ins can be abused to track another person’s movements FTC bans SpyFone and its CEO from continuing to sell stalkerware BrakTooth...

A week in security (July 6 – 12)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we took an in-depth look at card skimmers targeting ASP sites, we released another episode of Lock and Code exploring the Internet of Things, and we dug into a Mac mystery. We also examined some pre-installed malware, and put out a threat spotlight on some customiz...

A week in security (February 5 – February 11)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we featured a new Flash Player zero-day that has been found in recent targeted attacks. And we talked about a new trick to cripple browsers that came out of the hat of tech support scammers. We also covered several methods of stealing cryptocurrencies, including on...

Drive-by cryptomining campaign targets millions of Android users

Malvertising and online fraud through forced redirects and Trojanized apps—to cite the two most common examples—are increasingly plaguing Android users. In many cases, this is made worse by the fact that people often don't use web filtering or security applications on their mobile devices. A...

Bogus hack apps hack users back for cryptocash

Recently, we discovered a gold…er…APK mine of fake hacking apps. The "legitimate" versions of hack apps are intended to hack other apps in order to get something for free. Although it’s unclear what exactly these fake apps claim to hack, the real hack job is done to unsuspecting users. Search and...

Safer Internet Day 2018: ad blockers and anti-trackers

The path to a safer Internet can be a bit of a quandary. What programs should you buy? How long should your passwords be? Is it okay to write them down? What makes a website secure? All of these questions can merit their own lengthy essays, so today, on Safer Internet Day, we’re going to look at...

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...

Tech support scammer tries to sell free software

AmericaGeeks is your typical tech support scam company, but with an extra warming glow of attitude, greed, and complete all-around rudeness. Most scams will gladly take your money by buttering up the victim while simultaneously scaring them into thinking that they are in a dangerous situation wit...

Multiple flaws found in smart syringe pump

A syringe pump is a small infusion pump that delivers liquids, either medication or nutrients, in small quantities into the patient's system. Hospitals, nursing homes, and homes with residents under acute or palliative care use them. Accurate and safe delivery of dosage from a variety of syringes...

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...

Copyright scammers get Instagram accounts suspended and demand payment

Scammers are abusing Meta's copyright-reporting system to suspend people's Instagram accounts and then hold them for ransom, according to the BBC. Criminals file fake copyright complaints with Instagram, claiming that an account is using material it doesn't own. Repeated complaints can trigger a...

ChatGPT for Teens tackles risky chats and homework shortcuts

OpenAI has addressed complaints around teens' use of its ChatGPT system by introducing ChatGPT for Teens, a version of the AI assistant designed specifically for users aged 13 to 17. But will it prevent determined kids from bucking the system? It brings together several protections OpenAI has...

Californians can tell data brokers to DROP their information

California has launched the Delete Request and Opt‑out Platform DROP, a state‑run portal that lets residents send deletion and opt‑out requests to all registered data brokers in one place. DROP was created under California’s Delete Act, which forces data brokers to register with the California...

WhatsApp Web chats exposed by Adobe’s Acrobat extension flaw

HermeticReader is the name given to a recently disclosed vulnerability in the Adobe Acrobat PDF extension for Chrome, tracked as CVE-2026-48294. Researchers discovered the issue in early June 2026 and reported it to Adobe, which patched the flaw over a single weekend. They found that a single vis...

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...

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...

Verified X ad spreads Mac malware, while ConsentFix steals Microsoft accounts

Cybercriminals are finding new ways to trick people into compromising their own devices and accounts. One campaign used a sponsored ad on X to target Mac users, while another technique, dubbed ConsentFix, steals Microsoft 365 accounts without installing malware. Verified X account used in Mac...

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...

Beware of “Parcel Expert” job offers: They’re parcel mule scams

A parcel mule scam, also called a reshipping scam, is a fake job offer designed to recruit people into handling stolen goods. It usually starts with a fake remote job offer that promises easy money for receiving, inspecting, repackaging, and forwarding packages from home. The “employer” may claim...

PixelSmash flaw turns video files into attack tools

A newly discovered vulnerability in FFmpeg’s MagicYUV decoder can turn a tiny, malformed video into a foothold for attackers. Researchers have disclosed PixelSmash, a critical vulnerability tracked as CVE-2026-8461, in FFmpeg’s MagicYUV video decoder with a CVSS score of 8.8. By crafting a...

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...

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...

FBI, CISA warn of Russian hackers hijacking Signal and WhatsApp accounts

In a Public Service Announcement PSA the Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA warn the public about ongoing Russian-linked phishing campaigns that aim to gain access to messaging accounts. Earlier this month we wrote about a large‑scale...

Researchers found font-rendering trick to hide malicious commands

Researchers have published a proof-of-concept PoC that uses custom fonts to fool many popular Artificial Intelligence AI assistants, including ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini, Leo, Grok, Perplexity, Sigma, Dia, Fellou, and Genspark. Imagine a book where the visible text is harmless, but hidden...

Apple patches Coruna exploit kit flaws for older iOS versions

On March 3, 2026, Google warned about a powerful exploit kit targeting Apple iPhone models running iOS version 13.0 released in September 2019 up to version 17.2.1 released in December 2023. In the latest security updates, Apple patched the vulnerabilities used in the Coruna exploit kit for older...

Signal and WhatsApp accounts targeted in phishing campaign

Dutch intelligence services AIVD and MIVD warn that Russian state‑backed hackers are running a large‑scale campaign to break into Signal and WhatsApp accounts of high‑value targets. The targets are said to be senior officials, military personnel, civil servants, and journalists. The attackers are...

Beware of fake OpenClaw installers, even if Bing points you to GitHub

Attackers are abusing OpenClaw’s popularity by seeding fake “installers” on GitHub, boosted by Bing AI search results, to deliver infostealers and proxy malware instead of the AI assistant users were looking for. OpenClaw is an open‑source, self‑hosted AI agent that runs locally on your machine...

Reddit, porn sites fined by UK regulators over children’s safety and privacy

The UK’s online safety and privacy regulators are targeting companies that violate new age verification laws at both ends : Porn sites that did not keep children out, and mainstream platforms that profited from children coming in. On February 23, media regulator Ofcom fined porn operators that...