Tech support fraud is still very much alive, says latest FBI report

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center IC3 has released its annual report. In 2021, IC3 continued to receive a record number of complaints from the American public: 847,376 reported complaints, which was a 7% increase from 2020, with potential losses exceeding $6.9 billion. Among the complaint...

Azure AutoWarp brings automation headaches

Azure is Microsoft’s cloud computing service providing a wide range of features for businesses worldwide. It’s particularly popular for its virtual machines and IaaS infrastructure as a service. One useful Azure feature is Automation, which has been around for some years now. Management tasks can...

Don’t fall for the “Donate to help children in Ukraine” scam

Earlier this week, we spotted a Microsoft sign-in phish that appeared to be taking advantage of the Ukraine crisis in order to scam people. The email warned of unauthorized log in attempts to the recipients account, and the location of those attempts was listed as "Russia/Moscow". We probably won...

Yik Yak “cyberbullying”: What can be done?

In August 2021, Yik Yak, the once-popular anonymous social media platform on Android and iOS, made a comeback after shutting its doors in 2017. Six months after its return, its started to gain attention once more, as a result of cyberbullying—the main reason why it declined years ago. However, th...

How to update your drivers and when you need to

Many software vendors have a driver updater in their arsenal. But is it really that important to have the latest computer drivers? Where do you get them? And how do you go about updating? Driver updates fix security and compatibility problems, errors, broken code, and sometimes even add features ...

“Ethnicity recognition” tool listed on surveillance camera app store built by fridge-maker’s video analytics startup

The bizarre promotional video promises “Face analysis based on best of breed Artificial Intelligence algorithms for Business Intelligence and Digital Signage applications.” What follows is footage of a woman pushing her hair behind her ears, a man grimacing and baring his teeth, and an actor in a...

City: Skylines developers warn of rogue mod

Players of the popular city-building simulator and video game City: Skylines need to check devices for rogue code lurking in mods related to a rework of something called Harmony, essential for modding across several titles. The threat arrives in a broader landscape—video game modding—already know...

CISA Ransomware report warns “triple threat” attacks still on the prowl

Though we may be stuck with endless COVID-19 scams and a gradual visible rise in all manner of cryptocurrency hijinks, the old school attacks are as perilous as ever; CISA, the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, have released their 2021 report detailing the increasing globalised thre...

Ransomware author releases decryption keys, says goodbye forever

Update 12th February: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that the decryption tool used to unlock files existed prior to the keys being released - this has now been corrected. If you’re unfortunate enough to be caught out by ransomware, the consequences can be devastating. You may ...

Meta blows safety bubble around users after reports of sexual harassment

There’s trouble brewing in the Metaverse, but the trouble isnt a particularly new problem. In fact, it’s been an issue for years - and so have many of the solutions. Strangely, Meta is having to play catch-up where some basic security and safety settings are concerned in the virtual realm. At...

Securitas breached, 3TB of airport employee records exposed

An unsecured AWS server, found open to the public Internet, is the root cause of a huge compromise of data of airport employees in Colombia and Peru. This server, according to a report, belongs to Securitas, a Stockholm-based multinational company that provides security services like security...

Actor’s verified Twitter profile hijacked to spam NFT giveaways

When we refer to hijacked verified profiles on Twitter, it’s most commonly some sort of Elon Musk themed scam. The hijackers compromise the account, switch the picture to Elon, and then start spamming cryptocurrency links. Alternatively, they may keep the account as it is and spam images claiming...

A week in security (January 17 — 23)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: CISA calls for urgent action against critical threats Red Cross begs attackers to “Do the right thing” after family reunion service compromised Update now! Chrome patches critical RCE vulnerability in Safe Browsing Combatting SMS and phone fraud: UK government issu...

Intimate photo hacker spared from jail, said he “liked the detective work”

Michael Grime, a British games programmer, has escaped jail after using stolen credentials to access several womens personal email accounts and social media accounts in order to steal their private and intimate photos. Grime was caught by the National Crime Agency NCA as part of an operation...

Have you downloaded that Android malware from the Play Store lately?

This post has been updated to include the Malwarebytes detection for these Android apps. Security researchers have discovered banking Trojan apps on the Google Play Store, and say they have been downloaded by more than 300,000 Android users. As you may know, banking Trojans are kitted for stealin...

Most people aren’t upgrading to Windows 11: Not the end of the world

Windows 11 is experiencing an apparent lack of uptake among Windows users. If this survey is accurate, less than 1% of 10 million PCs surveyed are running the new operating system. In fact, more machines are using Windows XP. That may surprise you. It might even seem like a bit of an embarrassing...

CronRAT targets Linux servers with e-commerce attacks

There’s an interesting find over at the Sansec blog, wrapping time and date manipulation up with a very smart RAT attack. The file, named CronRAT, isn’t an e-commerce attack compromising payment terminals in physical stores. Rather, it looks to swipe payment details by going after vulnerable web...

SharkBot Android banking Trojan cleans users out

Researchers have discovered and analyzed a new Android banking Trojan that allows attackers to steal sensitive banking information such as user credentials, personal information, current balance, and even to perform gestures on the infected device. According to the researchers, SharkBot...

BlackMatter ransomware group announces shutdown. But for how long?

The BlackMatter ransomware gang has announced they are going to shut down their operation, citing pressure from local authorities. And pressure there is. Only two weeks ago, we wrote about a warning that the Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency...

Zuckerberg’s Metaverse, and the possible privacy and security concerns

The news is currently jam-packed with tales of Facebooks Meta project. Of particular interest to me is Facebook’s long-stated desire to introduce adverts into the VR space, and what this may mean for Meta too. I’ve talked about the privacy and legal aspects of adverts in gaming and other tech...

Internet safety tips for kids and teens: A comprehensive guide for the modern parent

When it comes to picking a new device for your child, its often difficult to know where to start. Whether youre looking for a smartphone, a laptop, a gaming device or something else, or even just signing up for an account online, you want to make sure your kids are protected. Its important to get...

New evasion techniques found in web skimmers

For a number of years, criminals have been able to steal credit card details from unaware online shoppers without attracting too much attention. Few people in the security industry were talking about these credit card web skimmers, both server-side and client-side, before the latter became largel...

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...

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...

There’s a hole in my bucket: Bitcoin scams aim to exploit volatile market

Bitcoin! Black gold! Texas tea! Only one of these is currently worth ridiculous amounts of money and technically numbers two and three are the same thing. Whether you're in possession of lots of Bitcoins, or in full bandwagon panic "must buy 20 graphics cards before the bubble bursts" mode, you...

How cryptocurrency mining works: Bitcoin vs. Monero

Ever wondered why websites that are mining in the background don’t mine for the immensely hot Bitcoin, but for Monero instead? We can explain that. As there are different types of cryptocurrencies, there are also different types of mining. After providing you with some background information abou...

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...

Fake Perplexity Chrome extension spies on your searches

Type "Perplexity" into the Chrome Web Store and you get a range of browser extensions offering access to the popular AI search service. Until last week, one of them was called "Search for perplexity ai ," and it delivered something extra that users hadn't bargained for: a small hidden surveillanc...

Free Spotify Premium hacks on social media are spreading infostealers

Short-form video platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels have become the latest way cybercriminals spread malware. We've already seen attackers move away from traditional phishing emails and toward tactics that trick people into installing malware themselves. Now they're being lured with slick...

We found this fake-invoice campaign while scammers were still building it

A new batch of fake payment invoices is being staged right now, and we caught the campaign while it was still being put together. The emails impersonate PayPal, Amazon, and Geek Squad, and others, and they all share one goal: to scare you into calling a phone number where a fake "support agent" i...

Your phone called. It needs a cleanup.

Does it sometimes take your phone a few minutes to accomplish one simple task? That can be wildly frustrating. But you’re in luck, because we’ve got a free tool that scans your phone for leftover files, temporary data, outdated caches and helps you clean up all that junk. Introducing our Junk...

Fake LinkedIn emails abuse Adobe to track victims

Cybercriminals are abusing Adobe infrastructure in a LinkedIn phishing campaign that steals passwords and redirects victims to the legitimate LinkedIn site afterward. The phishing email masquerades as a business inquiry designed to look like it's come via LinkedIn and includes a fake “contract”...

Catch spyware in the act with Windows Webcam Monitoring

You’re working hard late at night, replying to emails and planning the week ahead. Then suddenly, a PDF file requests access to your camera. Why would a PDF need camera access? Cybercriminals often disguise spyware inside seemingly harmless files and programs. An unexpected request for access to...

Researchers left AI agents alone in a virtual town and watched it all unravel

Tech leaders have spent the past year telling everyone that AI agents are about to run financial systems, file your tax returns, and quietly buy your groceries. Just leave them alone, the rhetoric goes; they'll handle it. But a New York startup left ten of them alone in a virtual town for two...

YouTube wants your face to fight deepfakes

If you're worried about deepfake likenesses of yourself showing up online, you're not alone; YouTube is worried for you. It wants to protect you by having you upload a selfie video and government ID to its site. The idea is that the video giant will use its own AI to patrol the service for fake...

Apple fixes iOS bug that kept deleted notifications, including chat previews

Apple has released a software update that deals with an issue that could allow deleted notifications to be retrieved. Something that, in at least one reported case, was used by law enforcement during forensic analysis. Apple fixed the issue in iOS and iPadOS versions 18.7.8 and 26.4.2 check...

Big Tech can stop scams. They just don’t (Lock and Code S07E08)

This week on the Lock and Code podcast … A dreadful thing happens far too often whenever an older adult falls for a scam: They get blamed for it. Not the scammers who lied and cheated their victim out of money. Not law enforcement for failing to recover funds. Not even the Big Tech companies that...

This fake Windows support website delivers password-stealing malware

A fake Microsoft support website is tricking people into downloading what looks like a normal Windows update. Instead, it installs malware designed to steal passwords, payment details, and account access. Because the file looks legitimate and avoids detection, it can slip past both users and...

A week in security (March 9 – March 15)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Watch out for fake Malwarebytes renewal notices in your calendar Google patches two Chrome zero-days under active attack. Update now Attackers impersonate Temu in ClickFix $Temu airdrop scam Apple patches Coruna exploit kit flaws for older iOS versions This Android...

One click on this fake Google Meet update can give attackers control of your PC

A phishing page disguised as a Google Meet update notice is silently handing victims’ Windows computers to an attacker-controlled management server. No password is stolen, no files are downloaded, and there are no obvious red flags. It just takes a single click on a convincing Google Meet fake...

Microsoft Office zero-day lets malicious documents slip past security checks

Microsoft issued an emergency patch for a high-severity zero-day vulnerability in Office that allows attackers to bypass document security checks and is being exploited in the wild via malicious files. Microsoft pushed the emergency patch for the zero‑day, tracked as CVE-2026-21509, and classifie...

How AI made scams more convincing in 2025

This blog is part of a series where we highlight new or fast-evolving threats in consumer security. This one focuses on howAI is being used to design more realistic campaigns, accelerate social engineering, and how AI agents can be used to target individuals. Most cybercriminals stick with what...

Scammers are sending bogus copyright warnings to steal your X login

One of my favorite Forbes correspondents recently wrote about receiving several fake copyright-infringement notices from X. Let’s suppose you get an email claiming it’s from X, warning: “We’ve received a DMCA notice regarding your account.” Chances are, you’ll be wondering what you did wrong. DMC...

Ransomware gang claims Conduent breach: what you should watch for next [updated]

Update – October 30, 2025: New information confirms that Conduent’s 2024 breach has impacted over 10.5 million people, based on notifications filed with multiple state attorneys general. The largest disclosure came from the Oregon government, which reported a total of 10.5 million affected US...

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...

GirlsDoPorn owner faces life in jail after pleading guilty to sex trafficking

Michael James Pratt, the owner of pornographic websites GirlsDoPorn and GirlsDoToys, has pleaded guilty to sex trafficking in a US court. Pratt ran the websites, which lured and coerced young women into filming pornographic videos, from 2013 to 2019. Pratt and his accomplices lured women from...

Google bug allowed phone number of almost any user to be discovered

Google has fixed vulnerabilities that made it possible to retrieve the phone numbers of almost any Google user. The flaw was found in the flow that allows users to recover their Google account using a phone number. A cybersecurity researcher called Brutecat was able to figure out the phone number...

How and where to report an online scam

If you've been scammed it's really important to report it, if you can, in order to help prevent others falling for the same scam, and give authorities a chance to catch the criminal who did it. The methods in which to report a scam varies according to the country you're in, the platforms you're...

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...

4.7 million customers’ data accidentally leaked to Google by Blue Shield of California

Blue Shield of California leaked the personal data of 4.7 million people to Google after a Google Analytics misconfiguration. The tech giant may have used this data for targeted advertising, according to Blue Shield, which is one of the largest health insurers in the US. In a data breach notice o...