Zoom attack tricks victims into allowing remote access to install malware and steal money

Be careful when talking to people you've not met with before over the Zoom video conferencing system; you might get more than you bargained for. Two CEOs were recently targeted by a Zoom-based attack. One spotted it in time - and sadly, one did not. The attack is by a crime group that the Securit...

Tax deadline threat: QuickBooks phishing scam exploits Google Ads

The pressure of the looming tax filing deadline April 15th in the US can make anyone rush online tasks. Cybercriminals are acutely aware of this increased activity and are exploiting trusted platforms like Google to target Intuit QuickBooks users. By purchasing prominent Google Ads, they are...

Countries and companies are fighting at the expense of our data privacy

Data privacy issues are a hot topic in a world where we apparently don’t know who to trust anymore. A few weeks ago, we reported how the UK had secretly ordered Apple to provide blanket access to protected cloud backups around the world. This week, Apple decided to pull the plug on Advanced Data...

Surveillance pricing is “evil and sinister,” explains Justin Kloczko (Lock and Code S06E04)

This week on the Lock and Code podcast … Insurance pricing in America makes a lot of sense so long as you’re one of the insurance companies. Drivers are charged more for traveling long distances, having low credit, owning a two-seater instead of a four, being on the receiving end of a car crash,...

A week in security (February 17 – February 23)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Healthcare security lapses keep piling up SecTopRAT bundled in Chrome installer distributed via Google Ads Google Docs used by infostealer ACRStealer as part of attack DeepSeek found to be sharing user data with TikTok parent company ByteDance Malwarebytes introduc...

AI tool GeoSpy analyzes images and identifies locations in seconds

It's just become even more important to be conscious about the pictures we post online. GeoSpy is an Artificial Intelligence AI supported tool that can derive a person’s location by analyzing features in a photo like vegetation, buildings, and other landmarks. And it can do so in seconds based on...

Europol takes down criminal data hub Manson Market in busy month for law enforcement

A coordinated action between several European law enforcement agencies shut down an online marketplace called Manson Market that sold stolen data to any interested cybercriminal. What made this market attractive for cybercriminals was that they could buy data sorted by region and account balance...

Malicious QR codes sent in the mail deliver malware

Physical letters that contain a QR code to trick people into downloading malware are being sent through the mail, according to a warning issued by The Swiss National Cyber Security Centre NCSC. The letters are sent as if they come from the official Swiss Federal Office of Meteorology and...

Warning: Hackers could take over your email account by stealing cookies, even if you have MFA

The Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI has issued a warning that cybercriminals are taking over email accounts via stolen session cookies, allowing them to bypass the multi-factor authentication MFA a user has set up. Here's how it works. Most of us don’t think twice about checking the “Remember...

Crooks bank on Microsoft’s search engine to phish customers

We identified a new wave of phishing for banking credentials that targets consumers via Microsoft's search engine. A Bing search query for 'Keybank login' currently returns malicious links on the first page, and sometimes as the top search result. We have reported the fraudulent sites to Microsof...

After concerns of handing Facebook taxpayer info, four companies found to have improperly shared data

Four tax preparation software companies failed to comply with government rules that require the sharing of tax-related info to be done only with specific disclosures and full tax-payer consent, according to an audit released by the Treasure Inspector General for Tax Administration TIGTA in the...

23andMe will retain your genetic information, even if you delete the account

Deleting your personal data from 23andMe is proving to be hard. There are good reasons for people wanting to delete their data from 23andMe: The DNA testing platform has a lot of problems, so let’s start with a recap. A little over a year ago, cybercriminals put up information belonging to as man...

Telegram will hand over user details to law enforcement

Last month we reported how Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was indicted on charges of complicity in the distribution of child sex abuse images, aiding organized crime, drug trafficking, fraud, and refusing lawful orders to give information to law enforcement. Now, in a potentially related development,...

Malwarebytes Personal Data Remover: A new way to help scrub personal data online

There’s an awful lot about you online that some awful groups want to exploit. The right combination of personal data points could help an identity thief fool a bank into opening a new, fraudulent line of credit in your name. Your alma mater, salary, and email address could help an online scammer...

Tor anonymity compromised by law enforcement. Is it still safe to use?

Despite people generally considering the Tor network as an essential tool for anonymous browsing, german law enforcement agencies have managed to de-anonymize Tor users after putting surveillance on Tor servers for months. Before we go into the what the agencies did, let's take a look at some...

23andMe to pay $30 million in settlement over 2023 data breach

Genetic testing company 23andMe will pay $30 million to settle a class action lawsuit over a 2023 data breach which ended in some customers having information like names, birth years, and ancestry information exposed. In October 2023, we reported on how information belonging to as many as seven...

PartnerLeak scam site promises victims full access to “cheating” partner’s stolen data

Earlier this week, we reported on a new type of scam that tells you your partner is cheating on you. However, we hit a dead end because we were unable to get hold of an original copy of the email. That was until the scammers were “kind enough” to send one to one of our co-workers. your partner is...

A week in security (September 2 – September 8)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Lowe’s employees phished via Google ads Planned Parenthood partly offline after ransomware attack "Hello pervert" sextortion scam includes new threat of Pegasus—and a picture of your home How to avoid election related scams London’s city transport hit by...

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov charged with allowing criminal activity

France has indicted the CEO of the popular messaging app Telegram on charges of complicity in the distribution of child sex abuse images, aiding organized crime, drug trafficking, fraud, and refusing lawful orders to give information to law enforcement. The arrest warrants for Pavel Durov and his...

Millennials’ sense of privacy uniquely tested in romantic relationships

Millennials are in a bind. According to a new analysis of research released earlier this year by Malwarebytes, Millennials are significantly more likely than every other generation to feel that there is no need to share their online account logins with boyfriends, girlfriends, spouses, or...

A week in security (August 12 – August 18)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Dozens of Google products targeted by scammers via malicious search ads Microsoft patches bug that could have allowed an attacker to revert your computer back to an older, vulnerable version We’re making it easier for you to protect your identity X accused of...

A week in security (July 29 – August 4)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Threat actor impersonates Google via fake ad for Authenticator Scammers are impersonating cryptocurrency exchanges, FBI warns Meta to pay $1.4 billion over unauthorized facial recognition image capture Apple fixes Siri vulnerabilities that could have allowed...

Threat actor impersonates Google via fake ad for Authenticator

We have previously reported on the brand impersonation issue with Google ads: users who search for popular keywords are shown malicious ads that purport to be from an official vendor. Not only does this trick innocent victims into downloading malware or losing their data to phishing sites, it als...

Heritage Foundation data breach containing personal data is available online

The Heritage Foundation this month denied that it had suffered an earlier system breach and the subsequent leaking of internal data. But the organization had to admit that cybercriminals gained access to an archive of Heritages affiliated media site, The Daily Signal, dating back to 2022. That...

A week in security (May 13 – May 19)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Deleted iPhone photos show up again after iOS update Scammers can easily phish your multi-factor authentication codes. Here’s how to avoid it Notorious data leak site BreachForums seized by law enforcement Apple and Google join forces to stop unwanted tracking Upda...

Healthcare giant Norton breach leads to theft of millions of patient records

Healthcare company Norton says a May breach led to the theft of data of around 2.5 million of its patients, as well as employees and their dependents. Norton has more than 40 clinics and hospitals in and around Louisville, Kentucky. In a filing with Maine’s attorney general on Friday, Norton said...

A week in security (November 27 – December 3)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Explained: Domain fronting Will ChatGPT write ransomware? Yes. Associated Press, ESPN, CBS among top sites serving fake virus alerts Meta sued over forcing users to pay to stop tracking Update now! Chrome fixes actively exploited zero-day vulnerability Many major...

Cyberattack hits 5 hospitals

Canadian health service provider TransForm has published an update about the cyberattack at its member hospitals. TransForm is a not-for-profit, shared service organization founded by the five hospitals in Erie St. Clair to manage their hospital IT, supply chain, and accounts payable needs. The...

Hong Kong residents targeted in malvertising campaigns for WhatsApp, Telegram

Malvertising is a powerful malware or scam delivery mechanism that makes it easy to target specific geographies or even users. A recent article from the South China Morning Post discussed an increase in malicious webpages for the popular WhatsApp communication tool, driven via malicious Google ad...

FBI warns of multiple ransomware attacks on same victim

The Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI has released a notification that highlights two trends emerging across the ransomware environment. The trends the FBI says it's noticed since July 2023 are: Multiple ransomware attacks on the same victim in close date proximity. New data destruction tactics...

Dependabot impersonators cause trouble on GitHub

GitHub is experiencing issues of the "breached account and malicious code" variety. ITPro reports that unnamed individuals have been compromising accounts and using them to install malware capable of password theft. Its a fairly elaborate scam which even includes imitation of GitHubs popular...

DoppelPaymer ransomware group suspects identified

The German police in cooperation with the US Secret Service have executed search warrants against suspected members of the DoppelPaymer ransomware group in Germany and Ukraine. In March of 2023, we reported how the German Regional Police and the Ukrainian National Police, with support from Europo...

Victim records deleted after spyware vendor compromised

Anonymous hackers have breached the servers of spyware app "WebDetetive", accessing the user database. However, this doesnt appear to be a typical compromise along the lines of stealing the data, according to Tech Crunch. Instead, its part of a slow move toward "spying" apps being attacked and...

Windows 11 is showing its first signs of Rust

Some important changes are heading to Windows which should make the operating system quite a bit more secure than it is now. At the end of April, Microsofts VP of OS Security and Enterprise referenced upcoming changes to Windows involving the programming language Rust. Rust matches the performanc...

Google Passkeys: How to create one and when you shouldn't

Google has just brought users closer to a passwordless future. In a recent blog post, the tech giant introduced the option to create and use a safer, more convenient alternative to passwords: Passkeys, a form of digital credential. So, how do they work? Passkeys are generated using public-key...

Microsoft vs Google spat sees users rolling back security updates to fix browser issues

We like to imagine were in total control of our desktop experience, carefully curated to look and work the way we want it to. However, every so often a story comes along which reminds us how little control we have when the big players notice one another's existence. A recent Windows update really...

How small businesses can secure employees' mobile devices

Fact: 77% of organizations are convinced they're capable of protecting their mobile devices--smartphones, tablets, and laptops including Chromebooks--from cybersecurity threats. Another fact: A third of those organizations aren't protecting their mobile devices at all. And that matters--in its...

IoT garage door exploit allows for remote opening attack

A popular and reasonably cheap garage door controller is making waves in the news, and not in a good way. Ars Technica reports that the $80 devices created by Nexx are suffering from a number of security issues which could compromise the safety of your home. A Medium post by researcher Sam Sabeta...

Should you share passwords with your partner?

To share or not to share? When it comes to love and romance, that is the password question, isn't it? This Valentine's Day, we attempt to lift the lid on this steamy cybersecurity subject to see if two people in a romantic relationship are both on board on the matter of exchanging passwords with...

Grand Theft Auto 5 exploit allows cheaters to tamper with your data

Yesterday I spent some time helping to fix a relatives gaming PC. Their gaming data tied to Rockstars Grand Theft Auto 5 GTAV had somehow become corrupted and was no longer functional. I managed to repair the account and restore everything back to the way it was, but this isnt the end of the stor...

US Department of the Interior's passwords "easily cracked"

It's bad news for the US Department of the Interior--a Government watchdogs security audit has revealed its passwords are simply not up to the job of warding off cracking attempts. The audit's wordy title was not kind: P@s$w0rds at the U.S. Department of the Interior: Easily Cracked Passwords, La...

5 SaaS security best practices

Just about anywhere you look, organizations are relying on Software-as-a-Service SaaS apps like Dropbox and Hubspot to help power their businesses. With more SaaS apps, however, comes increased security risks. While SaaS is without a doubt the easiest and most accessible way for businesses to rea...

A week in security (November 28 - December 4)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Fraudster site iSpoof shut down, 142 arrested internationally 3 threats to watch out for this Cyber Monday Twitter user data leaks continue to drip from the faucet China-made equipment banned by FCC due to national security threat Sensitive police records stolen an...

Google sues "harassing and deceptive" impersonator

After receiving many complaints, Google has announced it has filed a lawsuit against a company that has made it its business to impersonate Google. The company going by the name of "G Verifier" deployed telemarketing and website tactics that were intended to persuade people they were doing busine...

Romance scammer given 25 years of alone time

Romance scams are often low risk, high reward strategies for ciminals, who use them to steal large sums of money from vulnerable people in the cruellest ways possible. Once the victim wires the cash, theres a good chance that its never coming back. The perpetrator has almost certainly covered the...

Warning issued about Vice Society ransomware targeting the education sector

The Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA, and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center MS-ISAC have released a joint Cybersecurity Advisory CSA after observing Vice Society threat actors disproportionately targeting the...

Donut breach: Lessons from pen-tester Mike Miller: Lock and Code S03E17

When Mike Miller was hired by a client to run a penetration test on one of their offices, he knew exactly where to start: Krispy Kreme. Equipped with five dozen donuts the boxes stacked just high enough to partially obscure his face, Miller said, Miller walked briskly into a side-door of his...

“Threatening and coercive” cold-callers who targeted the elderly hit with big fines

Every so often, fines hit the news as a result of phone/communication spam. Much of it targets older members of society. Sometimes folks say these calls are “just” irritants and nothing to particularly worry about. But it can be really serious, resulting in big chunks of people’s savings being...

Nintendo warns of imitation websites and suspicious hardware

Brave indeed is the soul who decides to take on Nintendo with scam-filled behaviour online. The console legends have a long history of crunching down on fraud, as well as gaming past-times some would consider to be harmless. Whether you create fan-made games, offer up plundered ROMs for use in...

Watch out for the Steam skin “free knife” scam

Have you ever had someone run up to you in the street and insist you take their free knife? I hope not, because that’s a good way to wind up in a 60-minute police procedural drama. In video game land, however, anything goes. A certain type of scam is showing signs of activity at the moment and it...