The skinny on the Instacart breach

The COVID-19 outbreak has affected many facets of our lives—from how we visit our families, socialize with friends, meet with colleagues, to how we should be conducting ourselves outside of our homes. Ideally, a few meters apart from everyone else and with a mask on. These—on top of imposed...

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...

The face of tomorrow’s cybercrime: Deepfake ransomware explained

While many countries are beginning to ease up on their respective pandemic lock downs—which, in turn, also means that everyone will soon ease into a life that is not quite post-COVID-19—we find ourselves once more on the cusp of change, an outlook that makes some feel anxious and others hopeful...

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...

Fireball arrests made

Following some arrests in China, we may see a decrease in the amount of adware and adfraud hailing from the Rafotech labs. According to some reports 250 million machines may have been infected with one variant or another of Rafotechs’ products. We have shared some information about the potential...

Revolut gave customer IDs and financial data to a government impostor

Revolut has acknowledged that it disclosed sensitive customer records to an unauthorized party. The company had accepted fraudulent information requests sent from an email address on a legitimate government agency domain, according to TechCrunch. Revolut is a London-based banking and financial...

Fake GTA 6 leaked copy drains your crypto wallet

We've seen scam sites built around Grand Theft Auto VI GTA 6 targeting visitors in three different ways this year. In June, we looked at sites selling GTA 6 “early access” for hundreds of dollars in cryptocurrency. You paid, got nothing, and could not reverse the payment. In August, we found fake...

9 million images of people’s faces exposed by reverse lookup service

Researcher Jeremiah Fowler found a cloud database containing more than 9 million image files accessible without authentication, WIRED reports. The leaky bucket, containing some 450 GB of images, was traced back to a US-registered company called ClarityCheck. In their own words, ClarityCheck says:...

Update Chrome now: Two critical vulnerabilities fixed

Chrome is rolling out an update for its desktop versions. The update includes 15 security fixes, two of which address critical buffer overflow vulnerabilities. The stable channel has been updated to 151.0.7922.169/.170 for Windows and Mac, and 151.0.7922.169 for Linux. How to update Chrome If you...

A week in security (July 13 – July 19)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Shark vacuum flaw exposes cameras, home maps and Wi-Fi passwords How to use GitHub safely The backlash against Flock cameras is spreading Security updates available for Adobe, Chrome, Firefox, VMWare, and Zoom Samsung backs down on threat to delete health data Clau...

Warning: Scammers are using FaceTime to empty bank accounts

Apple is urging users to treat any suspicious FaceTime call or message as untrusted, especially if it involves payments, refunds, password resets, or requests for personal information. This warning appears in a broader Apple support article about scams that target iPhone and iPad users through...

The inside job that cost ransomware victims millions

When a ransomware crew locks up your servers, the outside negotiator you hire has to know everything about you so that they can negotiate a smaller ransom payment. You tell them what your cyber-insurance covers and what your board is willing to pay. You have to. That's the whole reason you hire...

Nearly 15,000 infected websites cleaned in SocGholish crackdown

We’re always happy to end the week with some positive news. A law enforcement action called Operation Endgame just delivered a major win against the long‑running SocGholish aka FakeUpdates operation. SocGholish is a malware framework that has been active since at least 2017 and is best known for...

Deepfake posting sites depicting famous women taken down by feds

Thanks to Uncle Sam, anyone trying to find nonconsensual intimate deepfakes on CFake.com and SOCFake.com will be disappointed. The US Departments of Justice DOJ and Homeland Security has seized the two domain names under the TAKE IT DOWN Act. The TAKE IT DOWN Act, signed in May 2025, is the first...

Update Chrome: Google patches actively exploited vulnerability and 73 others

Google has issued updates for the Chrome browser, patching a number of high‑severity vulnerabilities. The update includes fixes for 74 vulnerabilities, including one that is being actively exploited in the wild. The stable channel has been updated to 149.0.7827.102/.103 for Windows/Mac, and...

Stolen Canvas data was “returned” after hacker agreement, Instructure says

The Instructure/Canvas data breach that has dominated cybersecurity coverage recently has reached a new stage. Millions of students had personal data stolen, with extortion group ShinyHunters claiming credit for the data breach and applying extra pressure for their ransom demands by bothering...

Update WhatsApp now: Two new flaws could expose you to malicious files

Meta has published a new security advisory for messaging app WhatsApp, announcing patches for two vulnerabilities. WhatsApp has fixed two security flaws that could be abused to interfere with how media and attachments are handled on your device. There is no evidence that either bug has been...

Thousands of Facebook accounts stolen by phishing emails sent through Google

Researchers have uncovered a long-running phishing operation that abuses trusted Google services to hijack tens of thousands of Facebook accounts. The compromised Facebook accounts are mainly business and advertiser profiles, which criminals can monetize after gaining access and control. The...

Actively exploited cPanel bug exposes millions of websites to takeover

Security researchers are warning about a newly discovered vulnerability in the widely used web server management software cPanel and WebHost Manager WHM. This is a critical, actively exploited authentication-bypass bug in cPanel/WHM that lets attackers gain administrative access to the interface...

More PayPal emails hijacked to deliver tech support scams

Scammers have found another way to get deceptive messages delivered through PayPal’s legitimate services. In December 2025, we reported that PayPal closed a loophole that let scammers send real emails with fake purchase notices. In those cases, scammers created a PayPal subscription and then paus...

How cyberattacks on companies affect everyone

If you use the internet, you’ve likely been affected by cybercrime in some way. Even when an attack is aimed at a company, the fallout usually lands on ordinary people. The most obvious harm is stolen data. When attackers break into a business, it is usually customer information that ends up in...

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...

That “job brief” on Google Forms could infect your device

We've identified a campaign using business-related lures, such as job interviews, project briefs, and financial document, to distribute malware, including the PureHVNC Remote Access Trojan RAT. It's not the malware that's new, but how the attack starts. Instead of the usual phishing email or fake...

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...

Firefox is giving users the AI off switch

Some software providers have decided to lead by example and offer users a choice about the Artificial Intelligence AI features built into their products. The latest example is Mozilla, which now offers users a one-click option to disable generative AI features in the Firefox browser. Audiences ar...

How fake party invitations are being used to install remote access tools

“You’re invited!” It sounds friendly, familiar and quite harmless. But in a scam we recently spotted, that simple phrase is being used to trick victims into installing a full remote access tool on their Windows computers—giving attackers complete control of the system. What appears to be a casual...

“Sneaky” new Android malware takes over your phone, hiding in fake news and ID apps

Researchers at Cyfirma have investigated Android Trojans capable of stealing sensitive data from compromised devices. The malware spreads by pretending to be trusted apps—like a news reader or even digital ID apps—tricking users into downloading it by accident. In reality, it’s Android-targeting...

Attack of the clones: Fake ChatGPT apps are everywhere

The mobile AI gold rush has flooded app stores with lookalikes—shiny, convincing apps promising “AI image generation,” “smart chat,” or “instant productivity.” But behind the flashy logos lurks a spectrum of fake apps, from harmless copycats to outright spyware. Spoofing trusted brands like...

Discord warns users after data stolen in third-party breach

Popular social platform Discord has suffered a data breach—though technically, it wasn’t Discord itself that was hacked. A third-party customer support provider was compromised, allowing attackers to access Discord’s user data. Either way, it’s Discord users who feel the impact. The breach, which...

Phishers target 1Password users with convincing fake breach alert

In a very recent and well-targeted phishing attempt, scammers tried to get hold of the 1Password credentials belonging to a Malwarebytes’ employee. Stealing someone’s 1Password login would be like hitting the jackpot for cybercriminals, because they potentially export all the saved logins the...

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...

A week in security (August 11 – August 17)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Italian hotels breached for tens of thousands of scanned IDs National Public Data returns after massive Social Security Number leak Romance scammers in Ghana charged with more than $100 million in theft Netflix scammers target jobseekers to trick them into handing...

McDonald’s AI bot spills data on job applicants

McDonald's has outsourced the initial stages of its hiring process to an AI chatbot which seems to have been built without proper security measures. Security researchers managed to extract personal information about McDonald's job applicants by simply guessing a username and the password “12345.”...

A week in security (June 9 – June 15)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Been scammed online? Here’s what to do How and where to report an online scam Google bug allowed phone number of almost any user to be discovered 44% of people encounter a mobile scam every single day, Malwarebytes finds GirlsDoPorn owner faces life in jail after...

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...

Google to pay $1.38 billion over privacy violations

The state of Texas reached a mammoth financial agreement with Google last week, securing $1.375 billion in payments to settle two three year-old lawsuits. The Office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton originally filed the first lawsuit against Google in January 2022, complaining that the tech...

“Follow me” to this fake crypto exchange to claim $500

A type of crypto scam that we reported about in 2024 has ported over to a new platform and changed tactics—a bit. Where the old scams mostly reached me on WhatsApp, the same group of scammers is now using Direct Messages on X. However, the same old trick of "accidentally" sending you login detail...

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 (April 7 – April 13)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: The Pall Mall Pact and why it matters Child predators are lurking on dating apps, warns report Your 23andMe genetic data could be bought by China, senator warns WhatsApp for Windows vulnerable to attacks. Update now! Man accused of using keylogger to spy on...

Is your phone listening to you? (Lock and Code S06E07)

This week on the Lock and Code podcast … It has probably happened to you before. You and a friend are talking —not texting, not DMing, not FaceTiming—but talking , physically face-to-face, about, say, an upcoming vacation, a new music festival, or a job offer you just got. And then, that same wee...

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...

“This fraud destroyed my life.” Man ends up with criminal record after ID was stolen

This is a sad story that illustrates how losing your ID can effectively ruin your life and reputation. 19-year-old dual German Tunisian national Rami Battikh travelled to the UK in 2019, bringing both his passport and his German national ID. When he returned to Germany, Rami noticed that his Germ...

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...

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...

GroupGreeting e-card site attacked in “zqxq” campaign

This article was researched and written by Stefan Dasic, manager, research and response forThreatDown, powered by Malwarebytes Malwarebytes recently uncovered a widespread cyberattack—referred to here as the “zqxq” campaign as it closely mirrors NDSW/NDSX-style malware behavior—that compromised...

TP-Link faces US national security probe, potential ban on devices

The US government launched a national security investigation into the popular, Chinese-owned router maker TP-Link, with a potential eye on banning the company's devices in the United States. The investigation comes amid heightened tension between the US and the Chinese government, and after a...

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...

Radiology provider exposed tens of thousands of patient files

An anonymous person has disclosed that they gained online access to a radiologist's platform that hosted patient information using stolen credentials. I-MED Radiology is Australia’s leading medical imaging provider. Their clinics offer a range of imaging procedures including MRI, CT, x-ray,...

Snapchat wants to put your AI-generated face in its ads

Snapchat is reserving the right to use your selfie images to power Cameos, Generative AI, and other experiences on Snapchat, including ads, according to our friends at 404 Media, The Snapchat Support page about its My Selfie feature says: “You’ll take selfies with your Snap camera or select image...