Booking.com reservation abused as cybercriminals steal from travelers

Robert Woodford, a recruitment marketing specialist, recently shared on LinkedIn how he fell victim to a highly sophisticated scam while booking a hotel in Verona through Booking.com, providing a striking example of how attacks on the hospitality industry affect travelers. After completing a...

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...

The AI chatbot cop squad is here (Lock and Code S06E09)

This week on the Lock and Code podcast … “Heidi” is a 36-year-old, San Francisco-born, divorced activist who is lonely, outspoken, and active on social media. “Jason” is a shy, bilingual teenager whose parents immigrated from Ecuador who likes anime, gaming, comic books, and hiking. Neither of th...

Zero-day attacks on browsers and smartphones drop, says Google

Cybercriminals are having less success targeting end-user technology with zero-day attacks, said Google's security team this week. While most attacks do still target personal technology like smartphones and browsers, the focus is moving increasingly to enterprise tech. Zero-day vulnerabilities ar...

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...

Apple patches security vulnerabilities in iOS and iPadOS. Update now!

Apple has released a security update for iOS and iPadOS to patch two zero-day vulnerabilities which are reported to already have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals on iOS. Both vulnerabilities allowed an attacker to bypass the memory...

Child predators are lurking on dating apps, warns report

Using a dating app? Beware of your potential partner's motives. A report from Edinburgh University warns that child abusers are using these apps to find single parents with vulnerable children. The Searchlight 2025 report, from the University's Childlight Global Child Safety Institute, analyses t...

The “free money” trap: How scammers exploit financial anxiety

With financial stress at an all-time high, and many Americans grappling with confusion about social security, Medicaid, and Medicare, people are desperately seeking relief. Scammers know this all too well and have tailored their tactics to exploit these fears, preying on vulnerable individuals wi...

Warning over free online file converters that actually install malware

The FBI Denver Field Office has warned of an increasing number of scammy websites offering free online file converter services. Instead of converting files, the tools actually load malware onto victims’ computers. The FBI warned specifically about that malware leading to ransomware attacks, but...

Research on iOS apps shows widespread exposure of secrets

Researchers found that most of the apps available on Apple’s App Store leak at least one hard-coded secret. The researchers looked at 156,000 iOS apps and discovered more than 815,000 hardcoded secrets, including very sensitive secrets like keys to cloud storage, various Application Programming...

DeepSeek found to be sharing user data with TikTok parent company ByteDance

A couple of weeks ago we reported on the concerns surrounding data collection and security at DeepSeek, the Chinese AI company which recently made headlines for shaking up the industry after seemingly appearing from nowhere to become top of the app download charts. Now South Korea’s Personal...

20 million OpenAI accounts offered for sale

A cybercriminal acting under the moniker “emirking” offered 20 million OpenAI user login credentials this week, sharing what appeared to be samples of the stolen data itself. Post by emirking A translation of the Russian statement by the poster says: “When I realized that OpenAI might have to...

New scams could abuse brief USPS suspension of inbound packages from China, Hong Kong

I would be the last one to provide scammers with good ideas, but as a security provider, sometimes we need to think like criminals to stay ahead in the race. Recently, the US Postal Service USPS announced that it would suspend inbound packages from China and Hong Kong until further notice. That...

University site cloned to evade ad detection distributes fake Cisco installer

There is a constant "cat and mouse" game between defenders and attackers, the latter trying to outsmart and get a head start on the former. In the context of online advertising, this involves creating fake identities or using stolen ones to push out malicious ads. An attacker not only needs to...

WhatsApp says Paragon is spying on specific users

WhatsApp has accused the professional spyware company Paragon of spying on a select group of users. WhatsApp, the Meta-owned, end-to-end encrypted messaging platform, said it has reliable information that nearly 100 journalists and other “members of civil society” were targets of a spyware campai...

Data breaches in 2024: Could it get any worse?

It may sound weird when I say that I would like to remember 2024 as the year of the biggest breaches. That’s mainly because that would mean we’ll never see another year like it. To support this nomination, I will remind you of several high-profile breaches, some of a size almost beyond imaginatio...

4.8 million healthcare records left freely accessible

Your main business is healthcare, so your excuse when you get hacked is that you didn’t have the budget to secure your network. Am I right? So, in order to prevent a ransomware gang from infiltrating your network, you could just give them what they want—all your data. The seemingly preferred meth...

Crypto’s rising value likely to bring new wave of scams

With the value of cryptocurrencies going to the roof, you can expect several attempts to get defrauded if you even show the slightest interest in the topic or not. Since most cybercriminals lack creativity and are notoriously lazy, we expect to see only slight variations of old tricks. So, we...

“Hilariously insecure”: Andrew Tate’s The Real World breached, 800,000 users affected

Andrew Tate's online education platform The Real World—formerly known as Hustlers University—has been hacked and user data has been stolen. Hacktivists flooded the primary chatroom with emojis as proof that they had breached the site. After this they shared approximately 794,000 usernames of,...

Air fryers are the latest surveillance threat you didn’t consider

Consumer group Which? has warned shoppers to be selective when it comes to buying smart air fryers from Xiaomi, Cosori, and Aigostar. We've learned to expect that “smart” appliances come with privacy risks—toothbrushes aside—but I really hadn’t given my air fryer any thought. Now things are about...

100 million+ US citizens have records leaked by background check service

A background check left a huge database unprotected online containing 2.2TB of people's data, according to research by Cybernews. The database was left passwordless and easily accessible to anyone on the internet by background check firm MC2 Data. MC2 Data gathers publicly available data to provi...

Planned Parenthood partly offline after ransomware attack

In late August, Intermountain Planned Parenthood of Montana suffered a cyberattack which is still under investigation. The attack has been claimed by a ransomware group. Intermountain Planned Parenthood Inc., doing business as Planned Parenthood Of Montana, is a nonprofit organization that provid...

A week in security (August 26 – September 1)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Iranian cybercriminals are targeting WhatsApp users in spear phishing campaign Fake Canva home page leads to browser lock Telegram CEO Pavel Durov charged with allowing criminal activity CODAC Behavioral Healthcare, US Marshalls are latest ransomware targets SMS...

Meta to pay $1.4 billion over unauthorized facial recognition image capture

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced a $1.4 billion settlement with Meta to “stop the company’s practice of capturing and using the personal biometric data of millions of Texans without the authorization required by law.” The prime reason for the initial lawsuit that led to the...

Peloton accused of providing customer chat data to train AI

It seems that Peloton may have been providing more training than just for its customers, as its set to face court in California accused of using user chat data to train AI. Peloton Interactive, Inc. is a US-based exercise equipment and media company, known for its stationary bicycles, treadmills,...

Busted for book club? Why cops want to see what you’re reading, with Sarah Lamdan (Lock and Code S05E14)

This week on the Lock and Code podcast… More than 20 years ago, a law that the United States would eventually use to justify the warrantless collection of Americans phone call records actually started out as a warning sign against an entirely different target: Libraries. Not two months after...

Pegasus spyware creator ordered to reveal code used to spy on WhatsApp users

A California federal judge has ordered spyware maker NSO Group to hand over the code for Pegasus and other spyware products that were used to spy on WhatsApp users. Meta-owned WhatsApp has been fighting NSO in court since 2019, after Pegasus was allegedly used against 1,400 WhatsApp users over th...

Ring curtails law enforcement’s access to footage

US law enforcement will no longer be able to request footage through the Neighbors app produced by Ring video doorbells and surveillance cameras. Until now Ring’s Request for Assistance RFA function allowed law enforcement to ask for and obtain user footage, but this function will be retired. Alo...

Webinar recap: Ransomware gangs and Living Off The Land attacks (LOTL)

Discover the intersection of Ransomware-as-a-Service RaaS gangs and Living Off The Land LOTL attacks in our latest webinar, now available on-demand, led by cybersecurity experts Ian Thomas, Mark Stockley, and Bill Cozens. The webinar revealed how RaaS gangs use LOTL tactics, leveraging legitimate...

The sound of you typing on your keyboard could reveal your password

As if password authentications coffin needed any more nails, researchers in the UK have discovered yet another way to hammer one in. The technique, developed at Durham University, the University of Surrey, and Royal Holloway University of London, builds on previous work to produce a more accurate...

Meta’s Purple Llama wants to test safety risks in AI models

Meta has announced Purple Llama, a project that aims to "bring together tools and evaluations to help the community build responsibly with open generative AI models." Generative Artificial Intelligence AI models have been around for years and their main function, compared to older AI models is th...

Why a ransomware gang tattled on its victim, with Allan Liska: Lock and Code S04E24

This week on the Lock and Code podcast… Like the grade-school dweeb who reminds their teacher to assign tonights homework, or the power-tripping homeowner who threatens every neighbor with an HOA citation, the ransomware group ALPHV can now add itself to a shameful roster of pathetic, little...

A week in security (November 20 – November 26)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Windows Hello fingerprint authentication can be bypassed on popular laptops Citrix Bleed widely exploitated, warn government agencies Chrome pushes forward with plans to limit ad blockers in the future $19 Stanley cup deal is a Black Friday scam Malwarebytes consum...

Stalkerware activity drops as glaring spying problem is revealed

North America has a spying problem. Its perpetrators are everyday people. According to recent research from Malwarebytes, 62 percent of people in the United States and Canada admitted to monitoring their romantic partners online in one form or another, from looking through a spouses or significan...

Sony was attacked by two ransomware operators

On September 25, newcomer ransomware group RansomedVC claimed to have successfully compromised the computer systems of entertainment giant Sony. Then, on October 4, news leaked that Sony had told current and former employees and their family members about another cybersecurity breach that exposed...

A week in security (September 25 - October 1)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Dependabot impersonators cause trouble on GitHub Update Chrome now! Google patches another actively exploited vulnerability Googles Bard conversations turn up in search results Malicious ad served inside Bing's AI chatbot Pegasus spyware and how it exploited a WebP...

Malicious ad served inside Bing's AI chatbot

In February 2023, Microsoft disclosed its new AI-assisted search engine, Bing Chat, powered by OpenAI's GPT-4. Even though Google has been dominating the search industry for years, this event was significant enough to generate not only interest but also plant the seed for a possible change in the...

The main causes of ransomware reinfection

A few months ago, we wrote about a ransomware reinfection incident. Ransomware reinfection arguably could be even worse than being a first time victim. Unfortunately it happens more often than you may think. Research shows that in 2022, more than a third 38% of surveyed organizations fell victim ...

How Microsoft's highly secure environment was breached

An investigation by Microsoft has finally revealed how China-based hackers circumvented the protections of a "highly isolated and restricted production environment" in May 2023 to unlock sensitive email accounts belonging to US government agencies. The attack was first reported by Microsoft in...

Several hospitals still counting the cost of widespread ransomware attack

The 16 hospitals struck down by ransomware last week are still dealing with the fallout from the attack. The healthcare facilities located in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode island, and California had the ransomware attack confirmed by the FBI. Issues started to emerge last Thursday with patient...

Phishing campaigns are using AMP URLs to avoid detection

Researchers have found a new phishing tactic which uses Google Accelerated Mobile Pages AMP to make URLs look trustworthy. The tactic is designed to slip past both software and users on the lookout for strange and untrustworthy domain names. AMP is an open-source HTML framework designed to make w...

Accidental VirusTotal upload is a valuable reminder to double check what you share

A document accidentally uploaded to Googles VirusTotal service has resulted in the potential exposure of defence and intelligence agency names and email addresses. The service, used to scan files for signs of potential malicious activity, is used by security professionals and folks just intereste...

Plane sailing for ticket scammers: How to keep your flight plans safe

You may be getting ready to jump on a plane and head off for a few days or weeks of rest and relaxation. So the last thing you need before flying is a technology related horror show. Sadly, scammers are aware of families getting ready to hit the skies, and have tailored their threats accordingly...

Company finds lost SSD—and confidential data—for sale on eBay

Major software company SAP is putting the pieces of a story involving missing SSD disks back together. Four SSD disks are alleged to have gone on an adventure last November, making their way out of a Walldorf, Germany, datacenter with one of them ending up on eBay. An investigation revealed that...

81% concerned about ChatGPT security and safety risks, Malwarebytes survey shows

Seven months after ChatGPT burst into our lives, it seems the lustre of the chatbot-that's-going-to-change-everything is starting to fade. A new survey by Malwarebytes exposes deep reservations about ChatGPT, with optimism in startlingly short supply. Of the respondents familiar with ChatGPT: 81%...

Unveiling Nebula's Report 2.0: A new approach to security reporting

We're excited to announce Report 2.0, a major upgrade to our report system in Nebula. Report 2.0 is not just a cosmetic touch up--it's a completely revamped security reporting solution designed to cater to your diverse business requirements, allowing for a more dynamic, data-driven approach to IT...

3 reasons to use a VPN

There are many good reasons to use a Virtual Private Network VPN, even if you are just casually scrolling. Privacy is a right that is yours to value and defend, and if you want to increase your online privacy then a VPN is one of the possible solutions. A VPN works like this: When youre connected...

YouTube is testing ad blocker detection

YouTube is dipping a toe into the muddy waters of ad-blocker blocking, with ad-blocker using Redditors complaining about a popup that warns "Ad blockers are not allowed on YouTube," when they visit the site. Image source: Reddit user Sazk100 The popup message explains that "Ads allow YouTube to...

Introducing the Malwarebytes Admin app: Endpoint security at your fingertips

If youre on the beach sipping piña coladas, the last thing you probably want to do is rush to your desktop and address a critical security issue. And yet, this is the reality for many IT security professionals today. Regardless of the time or current location, security pros are expected to drop...

Spring cleaning tips for your browser

When you are resting up from the physical part of your spring cleaning and youre sitting behind your laptop or swiping left on your phone, why dont you speed up your browsing experience with a few simple actions? Lets start with your browser, as that usually has the most impact on your perception...