New ClickLock Stealer locks your Mac until you hand over your password

ClickLock Stealer is a new, modular macOS infostealer delivered via ClickFix-style phishing pages that can lock a victim’s Mac, steal their macOS password, browser and password manager data, cryptocurrency wallets, and then leave behind a persistent backdoor. The malware was discovered by Group-I...

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...

A week in security (May 4 – May 10)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Microsoft says Edge’s plaintext password behavior is "by design" ShinyHunters escalates Canvas attacks with school login defacements Massive AI investment scam network spans 15,500 domains If a fake moustache can fool age checks, is the Online Safety Act working?...

Researchers built a chatbot that only knows the world before 1931

The internet's chatbots have read every forum rant, leaked Slack log, and confident blog post your uncle ever wrote about chemtrails. The results are predictable: they reflect the state of the internet, and it isn't pretty. That, along with some questionable design decisions, is partly why Elon...

Medical data of 500,000 UK volunteers listed for sale on Alibaba

Half a million Britons signed up to help cure cancer. Their data ended up for sale on Alibaba. The UK Biobank charity informed the British government of an incident concerning the medical data belonging to 500,000 British citizens being offered for sale on the Chinese e-commerce website Alibaba...

“Your shipment has arrived” email hides remote access software

An attachment in an email impersonating DHL about a shipment contains a link to a preconfigured SimpleHelp remote access tool—an ideal starting point for attackers to explore a network, steal data, and drop additional malware. A German industrial spare parts and equipment supplier received an ema...

Wikipedia’s AI agent row likely just the beginning of the bot-ocalypse

The Internet is filled with people who insist on being right. In the past, at least they could be reasonably sure that they were arguing with other humans. Those days are gone, apparently. Wikipedia just had to ban an AI that was making edits on its own. Apparently, the AI took it personally. The...

WhatsApp on Windows users targeted in new campaign, warns Microsoft

Microsoft researchers found a campaign that abuses WhatsApp attachments to sneak a script onto Windows machines which will lead to the attacker gaining remote control. WhatsApp offers a desktop application for Windows and macOS, which users can synchronize with their mobile devices. Desktop...

Landmark verdicts put Meta’s “addiction machine” platforms on trial

Meta faced two major legal setbacks this week as courts in New Mexico and California both found the company liable for harm to children. A New Mexico jury just ordered Meta to pay $375 million for misleading parents about child safety on Instagram and Facebook. Jurors found the company violated...

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...

Scammers use fake “Gemini” AI chatbot to sell fake “Google Coin”

Scammers have found a new use for AI: creating custom chatbots posing as real AI assistants to pressure victims into buying worthless cryptocurrencies. We recently came across a live "Google Coin" presale site featuring a chatbot that claimed to be Google's Gemini AI assistant. The bot guided...

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...

Open the wrong “PDF” and attackers gain remote access to your PC

Cybercriminals behind a campaign dubbed DEADVAX are taking phishing one step further by delivering malware inside virtual hard disks that pretend to be ordinary PDF documents. Open the wrong “invoice” or “purchase order” and you won't see a document at all. Instead, Windows mounts a virtual drive...

Apple’s new iOS setting addresses a hidden layer of location tracking

Most iPhone owners have hopefully learned to manage app permissions by now, including allowing location access. But there's another layer of location tracking that operates outside these controls. Your cellular carrier has been collecting your location data all along, and until now, there was...

Malicious Chrome extensions can spy on your ChatGPT chats

Researchers discovered 16 malicious browser extensions for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge that steal ChatGPT session tokens, giving attackers access to accounts, including conversation history and metadata. The 16 malicious extensions 15 for Chrome and 1 for Edge claim to improve and optimize...

pcTattletale founder pleads guilty as US cracks down on stalkerware

Reportedly, pcTattletale founder Bryan Fleming has pleaded guilty in US federal court to computer hacking, unlawfully selling and advertising spyware, and conspiracy. This is good news not just because we despise stalkerware like pcTattletale, but because it is only the second US federal...

Grok apologizes for creating image of young girls in “sexualized attire”

Another AI system designed to be powerful and engaging ends up illustrating how guardrails routinely fail when development speed and feature races outrun safety controls. In a post on X, AI chatbot Grok confirmed that it generated an image of young girls in “sexualized attire.” The potential...

CISA warns ASUS Live Update backdoor is still exploitable, seven years on

Recently, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA added along with two others a vulnerability in ASUS Live Update to its catalog of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities KEV. The KEV catalog lists vulnerabilities that are known to be exploited in the wild and sets patch deadlines for...

A week in security (December 1 – December 7)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Leaks show Intellexa burning zero-days to keep Predator spyware running How scammers use fake insurance texts to steal your identity Canadian police trialing facial recognition bodycams Update Chrome now: Google fixes 13 security issues affecting billions Attackers...

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...

Budget Samsung phones shipped with unremovable spyware, say researchers

A controversy over data-gathering software secretly installed on Samsung phones has erupted again after a new accusatory post appeared on X last week. In the post on the social media site, cybersecurity newsletter International Cyber Digest warned about a secretive application called AppCloud tha...

How credentials get stolen in seconds, even with a script-kiddie-level phish

This attempt to phish credentials caught our attention, mostly because of its front-end simplicity. Even though this is a script-kiddie-level type of attack, we figured it was worth writing up—precisely because it’s so easy to follow what they're up to. The email is direct and to the point. Not a...

Update Chrome now: 20 security fixes just landed

Google has released an update for its Chrome browser that includes 20 security fixes, several of which are classed as high severity. Most of these flaws were found in Chrome’s V8 engine—the part of Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers that runs JavaScript. Chrome is by far the world’s most...

Video call app Huddle01 exposed 600K+ user logs

The Cybernews research team found that video call app Huddle01 exposed email addresses, real names, and other identifiers through an unprotected Kafka broker. Think of an unprotected Kafka broker like a post office that stores and delivers confidential mail. Now, imagine the manager leaves the...

Fake Malwarebytes, LastPass, and others on GitHub serve malware

Fake versions of legitimate software are currently circulating on GitHub pages, in a large-scale campaign targeting Mac users. Unfortunately, Malwarebytes for Mac is one of them. Impersonating brands is sadly commonplace, as scammers take advantage of established brand names to target their...

“A dare, a challenge, a bit of fun:” Children are hacking their own schools’ systems, says study

As if ransomware wasn’t enough of a security problem for the sector, educational institutions also need to worry about their own students, a recent study shows. Last week, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office ICO published a report about the "insider threat of students". Here are a few key...

This “insidious” police tech claims to predict crime (Lock and Code S06E18)

This week on the Lock and Code podcast… In the late 2010s, a group of sheriffs out of Pasco County, Florida, believed they could predict crime. The Sheriff’s Department there had piloted a program called “Intelligence-Led Policing” and the program would allegedly analyze disparate points of data ...

All Apple users should update after company patches zero-day vulnerability in all platforms

Apple has released security updates for iPhones, iPads and Macs to fix a zero-day vulnerability a vulnerability which Apple was previously unaware of that is reportedly being used in targeted attacks. The updates cover: iOS 18.6.2 and iPadOS 18.6.2 iPhone XS and later, iPad Pro 13-inch, iPad Pro...

Microsoft patches some very important vulnerabilities in August’s patch Tuesday

In the August 2025 patch Tuesday round Microsoft fixed a total of 111 Microsoft vulnerabilities. A few of them are very important for people to apply. Even if you’re not a tech expert, keeping your Windows system up to date is one of the simplest and most effective ways to protect yourself from...

Qantas: Breach affects 6 million people, “significant” amount of data likely taken

Australia's largest airline Qantas has confirmed that cybercriminals have gained access to a third party customer servicing platform that contained 6 million customer service records. Qantas says the breach occurred after a cybercriminal targeted a call centre and managed to gain access to the...

Sextortion email scammers increase their “Hello pervert” money demands

Every so often the sextortion emails that start with “Hello pervert” get a redesign. You may have received one yourself: The emails claim that the sender has been watching your online behavior and caught you red-handed doing activities that you would like to keep private. The email usually starts...

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...

Malwarebytes named “Best Antivirus Software” and “Best Malware Removal Service”

Horn tooting time: We're excited to say we've earned a coveted spot in PCMag’s “Best Antivirus Software for 2025” list, and been recognized as the “Best Malware Removal Service 2025” by CNET. PCMag’s rigorous evaluation process takes into account a range of factors, including real-world, hands-on...

A week in security (March 24 – March 30)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Vulnerability in most browsers abused in targeted attacks "This fraud destroyed my life." Man ends up with criminal record after ID was stolen Moving from WhatsApp to Signal: A good idea? Security expert Troy Hunt hit by phishing attack Booking.com phish uses fake...

Targeted spyware and why it’s a concern to us

Experts are again warning about the proliferating market for targeted spyware and espionage. Before we dive into the world of targeted spyware, it's worth looking at a few of the main players that are active in and against this industry. Paragon Solutions is an Israeli company which sells high-en...

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...

Valley News Live exposed more than a million job seeker’s resumes

Making your own bad news is not what Valley News Live had in mind, but negligence comes at a price. Cybernews researchers found an unprotected AWS S3 bucket that belongs to Take Valley News Live, a North Dakota-based television station. Gray Television, the owner of Valley News Live, makes for th...

Microsoft advertisers phished via malicious Google ads

Just days after we uncovered a campaign targeting Google Ads accounts, a similar attack has surfaced, this time aimed at Microsoft advertisers. These malicious ads, appearing on Google Search, are designed to steal the login information of users trying to access Microsoft's advertising platform...

The new rules for AI and encrypted messaging, with Mallory Knodel (Lock and Code S06E01)

This week on the Lock and Code podcast … The era of artificial intelligence everything is here, and with it, come everyday surprises into exactly where the next AI tools might pop up. There are major corporations pushing customer support functions onto AI chatbots, Big Tech platforms offering AI...

Dental group lied through teeth about data breach, fined $350,000

A US chain of dental offices known as Westend Dental LLC denied a 2020 ransomware attack and its associated data breach, instead telling their customers that data was lost due to an “accidentally formatted hard drive.” Unfortunately for the organization, the truth was found out. Westend Dental...

A week in security (December 9 – December 15)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Encrypted messaging service intercepted, 2.3 million messages read by law enforcement TikTok ban in US: Company seeks emergency injunction to prevent it Data brokers should stop trading health and location data, new bill proposes Update now! Apple releases new...

Printer problems? Beware the bogus help

Anyone who has ever used a printer likely has had a frustrating experience at some point. There always seems to be some kind of issue with the software not responding, paper getting jammed or one of many other possible failures. When people need help, they often turn to Google and now AI to look...

Spotify, Audible, and Amazon used to push dodgy forex trading sites and more

Spotify and Amazon services have been flooded with bogus listings that push dubious "forex trading" sites, Telegram channels, and suspicious links claiming to offer pirated software according to our friends over at BleepingComputer. Cybercriminals are abusing the options to inject keywords and...

Temu must respect consumer protection laws, says EU

Temu has been accused of a number of infringements on its platform against European Union EU consumer law. The Consumer Protection Cooperation CPC Network of national consumer authorities and the European Commission teamed up for a coordinated ongoing investigation into Temu and its practices. Th...

1,000+ web shops infected by “Phish ‘n Ships” criminals who create fake product listings for in-demand products

Researchers at the Satori Threat Intelligence and Research team have published their findings about a group of cybercriminals that infect legitimate web shops to create and promote fake product listings. The threat, dubbed "Phish ‘n Ships" by the researchers, reportedly infected more than 1,000...

AI girlfriend site breached, user fantasies stolen [updated]

A hacker has stolen a massive database of users’ interactions with their sexual partner chatbots, according to 404 Media. The breached service, Muah.ai, describes itself as a platform that lets people engage in AI-powered companion NSFW chat, exchange photos, and even have voice chats. As you can...

Exposing the Facebook funeral livestream scam (Lock and Code S05E21)

This week on the Lock and Code podcast … Online scammers were seen this August stooping to a new low—abusing local funerals to steal from bereaved family and friends. Cybercrime has never been a job of morals calling it a "job" is already lending it too much credit, but, for many years, scams...

SpaceX, CNN, and The White House internal data allegedly published online. Is it real?

A cybercriminal has released internal data online that they say has come from leaks at several high-profile sources, including SpaceX, CNN, and the White House. However, there are some questions around the reliability and usefulness of the released data, so we took a closer look. When it comes to...

Iranian cybercriminals are targeting WhatsApp users in spear phishing campaign

An Iranian state-sponsored group often referred to as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps IRGC is making headlines again this season as Meta disclosed that the cybercriminals targeted WhatsApp users in Israel, Palestine, Iran, the UK, and the US. Other names for this group—depending on the...

Fake Canva home page leads to browser lock

In a previous blog post, we showed how fraudsters were leveraging features from the very company Microsoft they were impersonating. We continue this series with another clever trick abusing Canva, a popular online tool for graphic design. This time, the scammers registered an account on Canva to...