Facebook scrapes photos of kids from Australian user profiles to train its AI

Facebook has admitted that it scrapes the public photos, posts and other data from the accounts of Australian adult users to train its AI models. Unlike citizens of the European Union EU, Australians are not offered an opt-out option to refuse consent. At an inquiry as to whether the social media...

How to avoid election related scams

With the US election campaigns at full throttle, scammers have taken a renewed interest in the ways this can be used to defraud people, often using the same tactics legitimate campaigns leverage for support emails, text messages, phone calls, and social media pleas. The lure that we have seen the...

Malwarebytes awarded Parent Tested Parent Approved Seal of Approval

We’re delighted to say Malwarebytes has been awarded the Parent Tested Parent Approved Seal of Approval for product excellence. The Seal of Approval is given to products that have earned the trust of families, and serves as a quick and reliable indicator of quality and dependability for parents a...

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...

Gen Z breakups tainted by login abuse for spying and stalking, research shows

Breaking up is hard to do, but for younger Americans today, ending a romantic relationship requires more than a heart-to-heart conversation—it could also require protection against follow-on invasions of online privacy and security. According to a new analysis of research released earlier this...

How to change your Social Security Number

After seeing their Social Security Number SSN leaked in the AT&T breach, some US citizens are wondering if and how they can change their SSN. The good news is that even though it’s a challenging process, it is possible. But if youve ever had to abandon an email address that you used for years,...

A week in security (April 1 – April 7)

A list of topics we covered in the week of April 1 to April 7 of 2024 Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: 60% of small businesses are concerned about cybersecurity threats Cookie consent choices are just being ignored by some websites Bing ad for NordVPN leads to SecTopRAT Jackson County hit by...

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...

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...

A week in security (October 16 - October 22)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Ragnar Locker ransomware group taken down IT administrators' passwords are awful too The hot topics from Europe's largest trade fair for IT security Clever malvertising attack uses Punycode to look like KeePass's official website 3 crucial security steps people...

A week in security (October 9 - October 15)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Explained: Quishing Update now! Atlassian Confluence vulnerability is being actively exploited Giant health insurer struck by ransomware didn't have antivirus protection Ransomware review: October 2023 Stalkerware activity drops as glaring spying problem is reveale...

Malwarebytes wins every Q2 MRG Effitas award & scores 100% on new phishing test

MRG Effitas, a world leader in independent IT research, published their anti-malware efficacy assessment results for Q2 2023. Malwarebytes Endpoint Protection EP achieved the highest possible score 100% and received certifications for Level 1, Exploit, Online Banking, and Ransomware. These result...

3 reasons why your endpoint security is not enough

Despite widespread deployment of endpoint protection solutions, cyberattacks continue to make headlines, affecting organizations of all sizes and sectors. Recent statistics reveal that 70% of companies were impacted by ransomware last year State of Malware Report 2023, Malwarebytes, and 83%...

Supply chain related security risks, and how to protect against them

By definition, a supply chain is the network of all the individuals, organizations, resources, activities and technology involved in the creation and sale of a product. In only a few rare cases does one organization have full control over every step in the entire process. The links in such a supp...

Hey, are you REALLY ready to go on vacation? (No, you aren't)

Are you ready for a challenge? A real challenge? Do you laugh in the face of shark cages, scoff at the Marathon des Sables, and waft a dismissive finger in the direction of the Everest ascent? Are you ready to conquer the impossible? If so, then you might be ready for the ultimate challenge--taki...

Supply chain attacks disrupt emergency services communications

A supply chain attack rendered two ambulance trusts incapable of accessing electronic patient records in the UK. The two services, which operate in a region of 12 million people, were not targeted directly. Instead, the attack was aimed at a third-party technology provider used by both the South...

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...

How to secure your business before going on vacation

For many, the summer months should be a time of peace: Maybe taking some vacation, maybe strolling across warm, soft sands as sapphire waves lap up against your feet, maybe even spending time with family that you like. But for determined cybercriminals, these periods of near-universal rest and...

Self-driving cars are a privacy issue, says security expert

Self-driving cars peel off an extra layer from our privacy, says security expert Bruce Schneier. Theoretically, if you know the location of all the closed-circuit television CCTV cameras in a neighborhood, you might be able to move around without one of them ever catching a glimpse of your face...

Vice Society: The #1 cyberthreat to schools, colleges, and universities

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...

A week in security (April 3 - 9)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: TikTok: Whats going on and should I be worried? Super FabriXss: an RCE vulnerability in Azure Service Fabric Explorer Big changes to Twitter verification: How to spot a verified account New macOS malware steals sensitive info, including a user's entire Keychain...

LastPass was undone by an attack on a remote employee

Last August, LastPass suffered a well publicised breach: Developer systems were compromised and source code stolen. This resulted in a second breach in November, which was revealed by LastPass in December. The company has now revealed that the individuals responsible for the attack also compromis...

Twitter and two-factor authentication: What's changing?

Twitter is making some dramatic shake ups to its currently available security settings. From March 19, users of Twitter wont be able to use SMS-based two-factor authentication 2FA unless they have a subscription to the paid Twitter Blue service. If you use text-based 2FA, the important thing here...

Introducing Malwarebytes Mobile Security for Business: How to find malware and stop phishing attacks on smartphones and ChromeOS

Malwarebytes is excited to announce Malwarebytes Mobile Security for Business, which extends our award-winning endpoint protection to mobile devices. Dont get it twisted: mobile devices may be small, but they have huge implications for your security posture. In fact, 73% of organizations...

What happened in privacy in 2022

Annual reviews of any years developments in privacy rarely lend themselves to pithy wrap-ups, but 2022 was different, providing the clearest example yet for so many people--American women in particular--that their privacy was not theirs to determine, and that the often-repeated refrain that priva...

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...

Microsoft to end direct sale of Windows 10 licenses at the end of January

Windows 10 is slowly coming to an end, with one more way to purchase the operating system riding off into the sunset. Microsoft is posting notices in a variety of locations to confirm it will no longer sell Windows 10 licenses directly. Support remains in place for the time being, as is the usual...

Suspected LAPSUS$ group member arrested in Brazil

The Brazilian Federal Police have arrested a suspect after an investigation into last year's breach of the Brazilian Ministry of Health. Responsibility for the breach was claimed by the LAPSUS$ group, when users found a message stating that system data had been copied and deleted and was in the...

Teen talk: What it's like to grow up online, and the role of parents: Lock and Code S03E21

Growing up is different for teens today. Issues with identity, self-expression, bullying, fitting in, and trusting your friends and family--while all those certainly existed decades ago, they were never magnified in quite the same way that they are today, and that's largely because of one enormou...

Data Access Agreement offers a new path for UK - US data requests

Requesting data for the purposes of law enforcement may be about to become a little easier for the British Government. The Data Access Agreement DAA went live on Monday this week. The DAA is authorised by something called the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data CLOUD Act, which itself has come...

6 patch management best practices for businesses

Patching is a thorn in the side of many businesses today: Everything from keeping up with the volume of patches to prioritizing what needs to be patched first can cause major delays in a business's patching process. Needless to say, businesses are looking to streamline their patch management...

InterContinental Hotels' booking systems disrupted by cyberattack

In a statement filed at the London Stock Exchange, InterContinental Hotels Group PLC reports that parts of the company's technology systems have been subject to unauthorized activity. The activity significantly disrupted IHG's booking channels and other applications. The InterContinental Hotels...

Vulnerability response for SMBs: The Malwarebytes approach

The intel you need to secure your business--delivered straight to your inbox From industry tips and best practices to the latest Malwarebytes product releases and how-tos, our Business newsletter is chock-full with the best of our business blog. Subscribe to our Business newsletter today. At...

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...

Chromium browsers can write to the system clipboard without your permission

If you are a user of Google Chrome or any other Chromium-based web browser, then websites may push anything they want to the operating system's clipboard without your permission or any user interaction. This means that by simply visiting a website, the data on your clipboard may be overwritten...

Wrestling star Mick Foley's Twitter compromised, selling PS5 consoles

One of the biggest wrestling stars around, Mick Foley, had his Twitter account hijacked in an attempt to legitimize a very popular scam. When a well known individual has their social media accounts compromised, disaster looms, as everything from phishing to malware distribution waits in the wings...

To settle with the DoJ, Uber must confess to a cover-up. And it did.

Uber covered up the 2016 data breach that affected its 57 million customers and drivers. The confession came as part of the settlement between the DOJ US Department of Justice and the taxi company, which will see it avoid criminal prosecution. In a press release from the DOJ, Uber "admits that it...

YouTube AI wrongfully flags horror short “Show for Children” as suitable for children

When content creators flag one of their own videos as inappropriate for children, we expect YouTubes AI moderator to accept this and move on. But the video streaming bot doesnt seem to get it. Not only can it prevent creators from correcting a miscategorization, its synthetic will is also final—n...

Google to delete location data of trips to abortion clinics

The historical overturning of Roe v. Wade in June prompted lawmakers and technology companies to respond with deep concern over the future of data. Google is one of those companies. In a post to "The Keyword" blog last week, Google said it will act further in protecting its users privacy by...

FBI warns of scammers soliciting donations for Ukraine

The FBI recently issued an announcement about a fraudulent scheme that proves there is no low thats too low for scammers. "Criminal actors are taking advantage of the crisis in Ukraine by posing as Ukrainian entities needing humanitarian aid or developing fundraising efforts, including monetary a...

Double-whammy attack follows fake Covid alert with a bogus bank call

The BBC has revealed details of how a food bank in the UK was conned out of about $63,000 £50,000 by scammers who used two separate attacks to fleece their victims. A food bank is a way for people to ensure they dont starve. They are a backstop during times of economic uncertainty, and have been...

Hunting down your data with Whitney Merrill: Lock and Code S03E11

Depending on where you live, you can ask a company to hand over all the data it has collected about you and, in a matter of weeks as mandated by law, that company has to fork that information over. Whether the company will abide on time, however, is a different story. In the European Union, the...

A special browser designed for online banking. Good idea, or not so much?

The German Sparkasse bank has launched a browser that is especially designed to do your online banking. The browser called S-Protect is available for macOS and Windows users. The idea is interesting, since having a separate browser for banking can certainly add an extra layer of security. Separat...

Watch out for these 3 small business cybersecurity mistakes

May 2 marks the start of National Small Business Week, a week that recognizes "the critical contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners", and promises to "celebrate the resiliency and tenacity of America’s entrepreneurs." That sounds good to us: Small business are a vital...

It’s legal to scrape public data—US appeals court

Web scraping—the automated extraction of data from websites—has been around for a long time. Simultaneously cursed and praised, with nobody being able to quite land the decisive blow about whether it should be allowed, one way or another. This may have changed, thanks to a recent US appeals court...

Filing your taxes? Be wary of help found through search engines

The deadline for filing your taxes in the US is nearly upon us. April 18 is the very last date that you can afford to hand your tax returns in to the IRS. People will naturally gravitate toward all manner of filing tools to get the job done. But it’s worth noting that sites are lurking in search...

Phishers make a date with your calendar apps

Calendars are a rich source of bad behaviour for scammers and spammers. They’re one of the most prolific tools the workplace has for collaborative actions and general cross-purpose messaging. They’ve been misused by bad actors for many years now, most commonly spamming unwary potential victims an...

Watch out for LinkedIn fakes who want to get connected

Despite continued warnings of deepfake chaos during major events, things haven’t worked out the way some thought. Those video deepfakes are bad, and they remain bad. Quite simply, nobody is fooled - or at least, nobody able to make a mistaken snap judgement in a way that matters. As much as we ov...

Deepfake Zelenskyy video surfaces on compromised websites

It’s been a long time coming. The worry over deepfake technology being used during times of major upheaval has been alluded to frequently over the last couple of years. The buildup to the US election was peppered by “any moment now…” style warnings of dramatic and plausible deepfake deployment. I...

“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...