Does the UK really want to ban VPNs? And can it be done?

The idea of a "Great British Firewall" makes for a catchy headline, but it would be riddled with holes and cause huge problems. The Guardian reports that the GCHQ Government Communications Headquarters, a UK intelligence, security, and cyber agency, is exploring the idea of a British firewall...

Job scam uses fake Google Forms site to harvest Google logins

As part of our investigation into a job-themed phishing campaign, we came across several suspicious URLs that all looked like this: https://forms.google.ss-o.com/forms/d/e/uniqueid/viewform?form=opportunitysec&promo= The subdomain forms.google.ss-o.com is a clear attempt to impersonate the...

One million customers on alert as extortion group claims massive Brightspeed data haul

US fiber broadband company Brightspeed is investigating claims by the Crimson Collective extortion group that it stole sensitive data belonging to more than 1 million residential customers, including extensive personally identifiable information PII, as well as account and billing details...

Phishing campaign abuses Google Cloud services to steal Microsoft 365 logins

Attackers are sending very convincing fake “Google” emails that slip past spam filters, route victims through several trusted Google-owned services, and ultimately lead to a look-alike Microsoft 365 sign-in page designed to harvest usernames and passwords. Researchers found that cybercriminals us...

Disney fined $10m for mislabeling kids’ YouTube videos and violating privacy law

Disney will pay a $10m settlement over allegations that it violated kids' privacy rights, the Federal Trade Commission FTC said this week. The agreement, first proposed in September 2025, resolves a dispute over Disney's labeling of child-targeted content on YouTube. The thousands of YouTube vide...

Two Chrome flaws could be triggered by simply browsing the web: Update now

Google issued an extra patch addressing two security vulnerabilities in Chrome, both of which can be triggered remotely by an attacker when a user visits a specially crafted, malicious web page. Chrome is by far the world’s most popular browser, with an estimated 3.4 billion users. That makes it ...

Photo booth flaw exposes people’s private pictures online

Photo booths are great. You press a button and get instant results. The same can’t be said, allegedly, for the security practices of at least one company operating them. A security researcher spent weeks trying to warn a photo booth operator about a vulnerability in its system. The flaw reportedl...

A week in security (December 8 – December 14)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: The US digital doxxing of H-1B applicants is a massive privacy misstep Google ads funnel Mac users to poisoned AI chats that spread the AMOS infostealer How private is your VPN? DroidLock malware locks you out of your Android device and demands ransom Malwarebytes...

Deepfakes, AI resumes, and the growing threat of fake applicants

Recruiters expect the odd exaggerated resume, but many companies, including us here at Malwarebytes, are now dealing with something far more serious: job applicants who aren't real people at all. From fabricated identities to AI-generated resumes and outsourced impostor interviews, hiring pipelin...

Scammers harvesting Facebook photos to stage fake kidnappings, warns FBI

The FBI has warned about a new type of scam where your Facebook pictures are harvested to act as “proof-of-life” pictures in a virtual kidnapping. The scammers pretend they have kidnapped somebody and contact friends and next of kin to demand a ransom for their release. While the alleged victim i...

Canadian police trialling facial recognition bodycams

A municipal police force in Canada is now using facial recognition bodycams, it was revealed this week. The police service in the prairie city of Edmonton is trialling technology from US-based Axon, which makes products for the military and law enforcement. Up to 50 officers are taking part in th...

Android malware steals your card details and PIN to make instant ATM withdrawals

The Polish Computer Emergency Response Team CERT Polska analyzed a new Android-based malware that uses NFC technology to perform unauthorized ATM cash withdrawals and drain victims' bank accounts. Researchers found that the malware, called NGate, lets attackers withdraw cash from ATMs Automated...

Should you let Chrome store your driver’s license and passport?

Google has rolled out a new autofill feature for Chrome that goes beyond storing just your passwords, addresses, and credit card numbers. The new "enhanced autofill" can now stash your driver's license, passport details, VIN, or license plate information. Sounds convenient, right? But just becaus...

Atlas browser’s Omnibox opens up new privacy and security risks

It seems that with every new agentic browser we discover yet another way to abuse one. OpenAI recently introduced a ChatGPT based AI browser called Atlas. It didn’t take researchers long to find that the combined search and prompt bar—called the Omnibox—can be exploited. By pasting a specially...

How to set up two factor authentication (2FA) on your Instagram account

Two-factor authentication 2FA isn't foolproof, but it is one of the best ways to protect your accounts from hackers. It adds a small extra step when logging in, but that extra effort pays off. Instagram’s 2FA requires an additional code whenever you try to log in from an unrecognized device or...

What does Google know about me? (Lock and Code S06E21)

This week on the Lock and Code podcast … Google is everywhere in our lives. It's reach into our data extends just as far. After investigating how much data Facebook had collected about him in his nearly 20 years with the platform, Lock and Code host David Ruiz had similar questions about the othe...

A week in security (October 13 – October 19)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Prosper data breach puts 17 million people at risk of identity theft Under the engineering hood: Why Malwarebytes chose WordPress as its CMS Video call app Huddle01 exposed 600K+ user logs Mango discloses data breach at third-party provider Roku accused of selling...

AI-driven scams are preying on Gen Z’s digital lives​

Gone are the days when extortion was only the plot line of crime dramas—today, these threatening tactics target anyone with a smartphone. As AI makes fake voices and videos sound and look real, high-pressure plays like sextortion, deepfakes, and virtual kidnapping feel more believable than ever...

What’s there to save about social media? (Lock and Code S06E20)

This week on the Lock and Code podcast … "Connection" was the promise—and goal—of much of the early internet. No longer would people be separated from vital resources and news that was either too hard to reach or made simply inaccessible by governments. No longer would education be guarded behind...

Tile trackers plagued by weak security, researchers warn

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology scrutinized the security of the popular Tile tracker and came out disappointed. Bluetooth trackers are a steadily growing market, and Life360 is one of the major players. In 2021, Amazon expanded its Sidewalk network to include Tile. That means...

TikTok is misusing kids’ data, says privacy watchdog

A group of privacy commissioners in Canada have accused TikTok of scooping up information about hundreds of thousands of children who shouldn't have been on the platform. The Chinese social media giant is also accused of collecting data on Canadian users without properly explaining what it does...

American Archive of Public Broadcasting allowed access to restricted media for years

A security flaw in the American Archive of Public Broadcasting AAPB website allowed unauthorized access to protected and private media, according to BleepingComputer. The American Archive of Public Broadcasting AAPB is a collaborative initiative between the Library of Congress and WGBH Educationa...

Why you should upgrade to Windows 11 now, and how to do it

I know many of us loved Windows XP and Windows 7 almost as much as we dislike Windows 10 and 11, but if you want to stay secure on Windows, the time to bite the bullet is closing in fast. Support for Windows 10 will end on October 14, 2025, which means the only Windows version that will continue ...

A week in security (August 25 – August 31)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Microsoft wants to automatically save your Word docs to the cloud "No place in our networks": FCC hangs up on thousands of voice operators in robocall war Claude AI chatbot abused to launch "cybercrime spree" Developer verification: a promised lift for Android...

77 malicious apps removed from Google Play Store

Google has removed 77 malicious apps from the Google Play Store. Before they were removed, researchers at ThreatLabz discovered the apps had been installed over 19 million times. One of the malware families discovered by the researchers is a banking Trojan known as Anatsa or TeaBot. This banking...

Google settles YouTube lawsuit over kids’ privacy invasion and data collection

Google has agreed to a $30 million settlement in the US over allegations that it illegally collected data from underage YouTube users for targeted advertising. The lawsuit claims Google tracked the personal information of children under 13 without proper parental consent, which is a violation of...

AI-powered stuffed animals: A good alternative for screen time?

Are AI Artificial Intelligence-powered stuffed animals really the best alternative to screen time that we want to offer our children? Some AI startups think so. One of those startups is Curio, a company that describes itself as “a magical workshop where toys come to life.” Curio offers three...

Meta accessed women’s health data from Flo app without consent, says court

A jury has ruled that Meta accessed sensitive information from a woman's reproductive health tracking app without consent. The app in question is called Flo Health. Developed in 2015 in Belarus to track menstrual cycles, it has evolved over the years as a tracking app for highly detailed, intimat...

Watch out: Instagram users targeted in novel phishing campaign

A phishing campaign targeting Instagram users is doing the rounds. There are plenty of those around, but when we took a look at this particular email, it seemed a bit different to the normal phishing emails that point to scammy websites. The email looked like this, which is very similar to the on...

Ransomware negotiator investigated over criminal gang kickbacks

If someone is going to negotiate with criminals for you, that person should at least be on your side. That might not have been the case at Digital Mint, a ransomware negotiation company where one worker allegedly went rogue. According to Bloomberg, Digital Mint is cooperating with the US Departme...

Free certificates for IP addresses: security problem or solution?

Let’s Encrypt has announced its issued its first certificate for an IP address. Why that’s significant deserves a little explanation. You may have run into Let’s Encrypt certificates many times without realizing it. When you see a padlock icon in your browser’s address bar, it means the site is...

Microsoft, PayPal, DocuSign, and Geek Squad faked in callback phishing scams

Microsoft, DocuSign, Adobe, McAfee, NortonLifeLock, PayPal, and Best Buy’s Geek Squad are being impersonated online through malicious emails that contain fake telephone support numbers and dangerous QR codes that can ensnare victims into phishing scams. The brands and their products are frequentl...

The North Face warns customers about potentially stolen data

For the fourth time in its history, The North Face has notified customers that their account may have been compromised. This time, the company laid blame on a credential stuffing attack. The North Face is best known for its line of outdoor clothing, footwear, and related equipment. With an annual...

A week in security (May 26 – June 1)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Porn sites probed for allegedly failing to prevent minors from accessing content Take back control of your browser—Malwarebytes Browser Guard now blocks search hijacking attempts Deepfake-posting man faces huge $450,000 fine Fake AI video generator tools lure in...

Lumma information stealer infrastructure disrupted

The US Department of Justice DOJ and Microsoft have disrupted the infrastructure of the Lumma information stealer infostealer. Lumma Stealer, also known as LummaC or LummaC2, first emerged in late 2022 and quickly established itself as one of the most prolific infostealers. Infostealers is the na...

How Los Angeles banned smartphones in schools (Lock and Code S06E10)

This week on the Lock and Code podcast … There's a problem in class today, and the second largest school district in the United States is trying to solve it. After looking at the growing body of research that has associated increased smartphone and social media usage with increased levels of...

Google Chrome will use AI to block tech support scam websites

Google has expressed plans to use Artificial Intelligence AI to stop tech support scams in Chrome. With the launch of Chrome version 137, Google plans to use the on-device Gemini Nano large language model LLM to recognize and block tech support scams. Users already have the ability to chose...

Ransomware threat mailed in letters to business owners

Business owners and CEOs across the United States received customized ransomware threats this month from the most unusual of places—letters in the mail. The letters, which were first reported by multiple cybersecurity researchers, claim to come from a ransomware group called BianLian. But since...

A week in security (February 24 – March 2)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Millions of stalkerware users exposed again PayPal’s "no-code checkout" abused by scammers Countries and companies are fighting at the expense of our data privacy Roblox called "real-life nightmare for children" as Roblox and Discord sued Android happy to check you...

How AI was used in an advanced phishing campaign targeting Gmail users

In May, 2024, the FBI warned about the increasing threat of cybercriminals using Artificial Intelligence AI in their scams. At the time, FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Tripp said: “Attackers are leveraging AI to craft highly convincing voice or video messages and emails to enable fraud scheme...

The DeepSeek controversy: Authorities ask where does the data come from and how safe is it?

The sudden rise of DeepSeek has raised concerns and questions, especially about the origin and destination of the training data, as well as the security of the data. For those returning from a short holiday away from the news, DeepSeek is a new player on the Artificial Intelligence AI field. The...

The great Google Ads heist: criminals ransack advertiser accounts via fake Google ads

Table of contents Overview Criminals impersonate Google Ads Lures hosted on Google Sites Phishing for Google account credentials Victimology Who is behind these campaigns? Fuel for other malware and scam campaigns Indicators of Compromise Overview Online criminals are targeting individuals and...

Massive breach at location data seller: “Millions” of users affected

Like many other data brokers, Gravy is a company you may never have heard of, but it almost certainly knows a lot about you if you’re a US citizen. Data brokers come in different shapes and sizes. What they have in common is that they gather personally identifiable data from various sources—from...

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Explained: the Microsoft connected experiences controversy

Recently we've seen some heated discussion about Microsoft’s connected experiences feature. As in many discussions lately there seems to be no room for middle ground, but we're going to try and provide it anyway. First of all, it’s important to understand what the “connected experiences” are...

This industry profits from knowing you have cancer, explains Cody Venzke (Lock and Code S05E22)

This week on the Lock and Code podcast … On the internet, you can be shown an online ad because of your age, your address, your purchase history, your politics, your religion, and even your likelihood of having cancer. This is because of the largely unchecked “data broker” industry. Data brokers...

A week in security (September 30 – October 6)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Facebook and Instagram passwords were stored in plaintext, Meta fined Android users targeted on Facebook and porn sites, served adware Fake Disney+ activation page redirects to pornographic scam Radiology provider exposed tens of thousands of patient files Not Blac...

Browser Guard now flags data breaches and better protects personal data

Two things are true of data online: It will be collected and, just as easily, it will be lost. But a major update to Malwarebytes Browser Guard will better protect users from opaque data collection that happens every day online, as well as raising their awareness about corporate data breaches tha...

Ford wants to eavesdrop on passenger conversations to help target ads

Car manufacturer Ford Motor Company has filed a patent application for an in-vehicle advertisement presentation system based on information derived from several trip and driver characteristics. Among those characteristics—human conversations. In the abstract of the patent application publication...

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...