The US wants governments to commit to not paying ransoms

As the White House prepares to host its annual International Counter Ransomware Initiative CRI summit, Bloomberg reports that the US is pushing other countries to stop paying ransoms to cybercriminals. The CRI wants to enhance international cooperation to combat the growth of ransomware, and its ...

Customer data stolen from gaming cloud host Shadow

Cloud infrastructure provider Shadow has warned of the data theft of over 500,000 customers. The customers were informed by a breach notification which was posted online. Cloud is known in the gaming world and, among other things, allows gamers to play resource heavy games on lower-end devices, T...

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...

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...

Malwarebytes Admin update: New Detection screens to manage threats!

We released version 1.2 of the Malwarebytes Admin app for iOS and Android last week, adding new Detection features make it easier to see and manage threats. Designed as a companion to the Nebula console, Malwarebytes Admin allows administrators to quickly review, investigate, and resolve security...

How “EDR Extra Strength” simplifies traditional EDR complexity

Traditional Endpoint Detection and Response EDR today has a three-fold complexity problem--with big consequences. First, complexity in EDR deployment causes long delays, directly impacting ROI and leaving organizations vulnerable to breaches. In fact, almost 10 percent of small security teams cit...

A week in security (July 31 - August 6)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: The end looms for Meta's behavioural advertising in Europe Microsoft Teams used in phishing campaign to bypass multi-factor authentication Film companies lose battle to unmask Reddit users FAQ: How does Malwarebytes ransomware rollback work? How to protect your...

How to set up computer security for your parents

Last Sunday July 23, 2023 was National Parents Day. And maybe you are wondering how you can repay your parents for turning you into the person you are today. And we have an idea that shouldn't cost you much more than some of your time. Help them to shore up their cybersecurity, if they need it. I...

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...

A week in security (July 3 - 9)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: How kids pay the price for ransomware attacks on education Solar monitoring systems exposed: Secure your devices Warning issued over vulnerability in cardiac device monitoring software Update Android now! Google patches three actively exploited zero-days Malicious ...

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...

UPS warns customers of phishing attempts after data accessed

UPS Canada is warning customers in Canada of potential data exposure and the risk of phishing. People have started to receive letters like the one below from UPS, which some have assumed were "just" regular phishing alerts. As it turns out, the letter is specifically about the potential exposure ...

The 2023 State of Ransomware in Education: 84% increase in attacks over 6-month period

This article is based on research by Marcelo Rivero, Malwarebytes' ransomware specialist, who monitors information published by ransomware gangs on their Dark Web sites. In this report, "known attacks" are those where the victim didn't pay a ransom. This provides the best overall picture of...

Webinar recap: EDR vs MDR for business success

Did you miss our recent webinar on EDR vs. MDR? Don't worry, we've got you covered! In this blog post, we'll be recapping the highlights and key takeaways from the webinar hosted by Marcin Kleczynski, CEO and co-founder of Malwarebytes, and featuring guest speaker Joseph Blankenship, Vice Preside...

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...

Black Basta ransomware attacks Yellow Pages Canada

The Canadian Yellow Pages Group has confirmed it recently became victim of a cyberattack. The Black Basta ransomware group has claimed responsibility for this attack by posting about Yellow Pages on the "Basta News" leak site. When such a post shows up, it usually means that negotiations with the...

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...

Solving the password’s hardest problem with passkeys, featuring Anna Pobletts

How many passwords do you have? If you're at all like our Lock and Code host David Ruiz, that number hovers around 200. But the important follow up question is: How many of those passwords can you actually remember on your own? Prior studies suggest a number that sounds nearly...

A week in security (February 27 - March 5)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Fighting online censorship, or, encryption's latest surprise use-case, with Mallory Knodel: Lock and Code S04E05 How to work from home securely, the NSA way TikTok probed over child privacy practices iPhone users targeted in phone AND data theft campaign US Marshal...

US Marshals Service hit by ransomware and data breach

The US Marshals Service USMS says it's suffered a ransomware attack in which a threat actor managed to get hold of sensitive information about staff and fugitives. On February 17, 2023, the attacker infiltrated a system that held information about ongoing investigations, including personally...

HardBit ransomware tailors ransom to fit your cyber insurance payout

Ransomware authors are wading into the cybersecurity insurance debate in a somewhat peculiar way. Specifically: urging victims to disclose details of their insurance contract, in order to tailor a ransom which will be beneficial to the company under attack. HardBit 2.0: dismantling a device piece...

A week in security (January 30 - February 5)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: A private moment, caught by a Roomba, ended up on Facebook. Eileen Guo explains how: Lock and Code S04E03 New data wipers deployed against Ukraine Update your LearnPress plugins now! Riot Games refuses to pay ransom to avoid League of Legends leak Analyzing and...

A week in security (January 23—29)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: T-Mobile reports data theft of 37 million customers in the US Ransomware revenue significantly down over 2022 Microsoft to end direct sale of Windows 10 licenses at the end of January TikTok CEO told to "step up efforts to comply" with digital laws 4 ways to protec...

Video game playing FISH live streams credit card 'theft'

A fish is in hot water metaphorically speaking after having performed some incredible antics on a video game live stream. The fish, known for playing popular video game titles to completion on live streams, decided to take that whole gamer lifestyle thing a little too far and went on a rip-roarin...

What privacy can get you

The fight for data privacy must be won in the middle. No declaration, no call to arms, will sway the worst offenders. No public swell, no great big hack, has changed how money gets made. Corporations will continue to reap our data, package it into ad-friendly profiles, and, for a price, deliver t...

WhatsApp lawsuit against NSO Group greenlit by Supreme Court

On Monday, the US Supreme Court denied the NSO Group's petition for a writ of certiorari, a request to the high court to review its case, signaling that Meta's WhatsApp can go ahead with its case against the Israeli-based company behind the Pegasus spyware. The court didn't explain why it refused...

Security vulnerabilities in major car brands revealed

Your car potentially hasnt "just" been a car for a long time. With multiple digital systems, vehicles are increasingly plugged into web applications and digital processes. These systems tie into everything from passwords and web chat systems for car company employees, to file repositories and oth...

LA housing authority is latest LockBit ransomware victim

The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles HACLA, established in 1938 to provide affordable housing in Los Angeles, confirmed in a statement that it was a victim of a ransomware cyberattack. This is the second major attack against an agency in LA after the Los Angeles United School District...

A week in security (December 19 - 25)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: 4 over-hyped security vulnerabilities of 2022 Chasing cryptocurrency through cyberspace, with Brian Carter: Lock and Code S03E26 Restaurant platform SevenRooms confirms data breach Adult popunder campaign used in mainstream ad fraud scheme Malwarebytes earns AV-TES...

Is Apple about to embrace third-party app stores?

On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that Apple is preparing to allow access to third-party app stores on all iPhone and iPad devices owned by EU users, in anticipation of a new EU competition law coming into force in mid-2024. If the reporting is correct, then in future users in the EU will no longer ...

Epic Games introduces safer accounts for kids

Epic have made some alterations to how accounts for kids work, with multiple features disabled for what are now known as "Cabined Accounts". If your children are big fans of Epic games like Fortnite and Rocket League, you may well have worried about their gaming interactions with other players at...

"Baby dumped at the gate" post is a Facebook hoax

Every so often, bizarre but oddly believable scams do the rounds on Facebook. And so we have the latest: A tragic tale of a lost baby left outside the gate of someones house. The abandoned baby Facebook hoax springs into action A post made to Facebook December 1st by someone claiming to be in the...

Chrome users, you have 3 months to say goodbye to Windows 7 and 8.1

After keeping Chrome running on early Windows versions for two extra years, giving IT administrators time to update, Google has decided it won't delay any further: Unless organizations upgrade to Windows 10 or 11 next year, they won't be able to use Chrome. Browsers based on Chrome, such as Brave...

Man scammed IRL for a phone he sold online

If youre looking to sell an item which youve advertised online, be on your guard. Even when everything looks to be working as it should, things can go wrong very quickly as one unfortunate IT graduate recently discovered. You would think that theres no way the in-person sale of an expensive devic...

Court rules webcam monitoring of remote employee was an invasion of privacy

A Dutch court has ruled that the decision to fire a remote employee because he refused to keep his webcam on during working hours was unjustified. The employee worked remotely for a Florida-based software development company with a Dutch office. The court ruled that the request to keep the webcam...

Credential stuffers take aim at Final Fantasy XIV players

Square Enix, the company behind video games like Final Fantasy XIV, reports that a third party is attempting to gain access to its Account Management System. How is this happening, and what are the risks? More importantly, what do you need to do to ensure your accounts are safe from harm?...

A week in security (October 3 – 9)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Romance scammer deepfakes Mark Ruffalo to con elderly artist Actively exploited vulnerability in Bitbucket Server and Data Center Ransomware-affected school district refuses to pay, gets stolen data released Ransomware review: September 2022 Huge increase in smishi...

Huge increase in smishing scams, warns IRS

The Internal Revenue Service IRS has issued a warning for taxpayers about a recent increase in IRS-themed smishing scams aimed at stealing personal and financial information. Smishing is short for SMS phishing, where the phishes are sent via text message. The IRS has identified and reported...

Spyware disguises itself as Zoom downloads

Zoom video call software continues to be a staple in work environments. Despite a slow, post-lockdown easing back to the "old normal," many businesses still have remote workers, or people working in different geographies. It's no surprise then to see criminals continuing to abuse Zoom's popularit...

FCC moves to block robotexts

The American people are fed up with scam texts, and we need to use every tool we have to do something about it. This is what Jessica Rosenworcel, Chairwoman of the US Federal Communications Commission FCC said after releasing a plan that will require mobile carriers to block "robotext" text...

Morgan Stanley's years-long "extensive failure" to protect customer data ends in huge fine

On Tuesday, the Securities and Exchange Commission SEC charged financial company Morgan Stanley a $35M fine for "the firm's extensive failures, over five years, to protect the personal identifying information, or PII, of approximately 15 million customers. The company agreed to settle the penalty...

[update] American Airlines suffers data breach after phishing incident

Major airline American Airlines has fallen victim to a data breach after a threat actor got access to the email accounts of several employees via a phishing attack. According to a published notice of a security incident, the data breach was discovered in July 2022. How it happened American Airlin...

The privacy concerns of tying SIM cards to real identities

The registration of SIM cards tied to a verified identity is back in the news, off the back of large-scale phone fraud. In what some may call a knee-jerk response to a problem, there are calls to revive a legal bill and make it law. Whats happening, and what are the potential ramifications? Hitti...

How to help your child manage their online reputation

Whether your child has been socially active online for a while now or you just handed your young one their first ever smartphone, now is an excellent time to think about managing their online reputation. The concept may sound overwhelming, but doing it is easy. Since you're no doubt talking to yo...

Ransomware review: August 2022

Malwarebytes Threat Intelligence builds a monthly picture of ransomware activity by monitoring the information published by ransomware gangs on their Dark Web leak sites. This information represents victims who were successfully attacked but opted not to pay a ransom. As expected, LockBit remaine...

How to set up an Android for your kids

Last week, we gave you some tips on how you can set up a new iPhone for your child to use as they start this school year. Today, we'll look at doing the same for Android phones. Setting up an Android isn't very different from setting up an iPhone as both platforms follow a similar logic to making...

Data broker sued for allegedly selling individuals' sensitive location data

The Federal Trade Commission FTC has sued data broker Kochava for allegedly selling information that would allow for individuals whereabouts to be traced to sensitive locations. The information included location data from hundreds of millions of phones, including sensitive locations that could be...

Anti-tracking tool tells you if you're being followed

If there is one thing we know about the people around us, even the perfect strangers, it's that they almost all have smartphones. And those smartphones aren't merely passive receivers, they're broadcasting constantly, looking for things you might want to connect to. Advertisers have exploited the...

Another ransomware payment recovered by the Justice Department

The Justice Department today announced a complaint filed in the District of Kansas to forfeit cryptocurrency paid as ransom to North Korean hackers or otherwise used to launder such ransom payments. The seized funds amounting to half a million US dollars, include ransoms paid by health care...