Law enforcement app SweepWizard leaks data on crime suspects

SweepWizard, an obscure app apparently created by ODIN Intelligence and used by more than 60 law enforcement departments, has a flaw: According to an ethical hacker, a misconfiguration in the app's API application programming interface caused it to unintentionally leak to the open internet a trov...

Google to support the use of Rust in Chromium

In a blog by the Chrome security team we learned that the Chromium project is going to support the use of third-party Rust libraries from C++ in Chromium. This is good news because Rust is a so-called memory-safe programming language. So using it in a widespread program like Chrome and the other...

A week in security (January 9—15)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Slack private code on GitHub stolen Crypto-inspired Magecart skimmer surfaces via digital crime haven Security vulnerabilities in major car brands revealed Microsoft ends extended support for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 today Pokemon NFT card game malware...

Timely patching is good, but sometimes it's not enough

Ransomware gangs have shown that they can play a long game, so it shouldnt come as a surprise to learn of one prepared to wait months to make use of a compromised system. S-RMs Incident Response team shared details of a campaign attributed to the Lorenz ransomware group that exploited a specific...

Multiple schools hit by Vice Society ransomware attack

The real world impact of cybercrime rears its head once more, with word that 14 schools in the UK have been caught out by ransomware. The schools, attacked by the group known as Vice Society, have had multiple documents leaked online in the wake of the attack. One of the primary schools...

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...

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...

Update now! Patch Tuesday January 2023 includes one actively exploited vulnerability

The first Microsoft Patch Tuesday of 2023 is an important one to start of the year with. In total 98 vulnerabilities were patched, including 11 that were labelled critical and one that is being actively exploited in the wild. This is also the last time we expect to see fixes for Windows 8.1...

5 must-haves for K-12 cybersecurity

Over the years, cyberattacks on K-12 schools and districts have steadily increased, and in 2022 that trend only continued. In the first half of 2022 alone, the education sector saw an average of almost 2,000 attacks every week--a 114% increase compared to two years ago. The tight budgets of many...

Cyberattack halts Royal Mail's overseas post

If youre looking to send letters or parcels outside of the UK using Royal Mail, youll want to hold off for a little while. Royal Mail is suffering from "severe disruption" after an unnamed cyber incident. While no specifics are currently available, Royal Mail has disclosed enough to let us know...

2023 prediction: Security workforce shortage will lead to nationally significant cyberattack

If 2022 was any indication, businesses are about to face an unprecedented volume, frequency, and sophistication of cyberthreats in 2023. Global cyberattacks have increased by 483 percent over the last two years, and at the current rate of growth, damage from such attacks will amount to $10.5...

Open redirect on government website sends users to adult content

Fake websites and open redirects have conspired to make things awkward for a UKGOV website. The site in question, riverconditionsdotenvironment-agencydotgovdotuk, was being abused in search engine results to redirect to various sites which arent associated with UKGOV--most of which were adult...

Maternal & Family Health Services discloses ransomware attack months after discovery

Maternal & Family Health Services MFHS, a nonprofit healthcare giant based in Pennsylvania, said in an advisory and press release that it has suffered a ransomware attack which led to the potential exposure of sensitive data of patients, employees, and vendors. That data includes names, addresses...

Identity thieves bypass security questions to access Experian credit reports

After a tip from a Telegram user who frequented identity theft channels, Brian Krebs tested and confirmed that anyone who knew your name, address, social security number SSN, and birthday could view your full credit report at Experian. Skipping security questions The method to get access did not...

US school district sues Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok over harm to kids

Public schools in a Seattle district filed a lawsuit on Friday against parent companies of the biggest social networks on the internet, alleging social media is to blame for "a youth mental health crisis", and saying these companies have purposefully designed, refined, and operated their platform...

Polite WiFi loophole could allow attackers to drain device batteries

Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Ontario have further researched a loophole in the WiFi protocol that was dubbed "polite WiFi". Last year the researchers published a study in which they showed someone could use this loophole to triangulate the location of any WiFi enabled device. Now,...

Pokemon NFT card game malware chooses you

Pokemon fans are urged to be on their guard after bogus card game portals have been offering up malware under the guise of NFTs. The sites in question offer up an enticing looking mix of card gaming with a splash of money making on the side. Digital card games are big business in gaming circles,...

Microsoft ends extended support for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 today

Time has finally run out for Windows 7 Professional and Enterprise users. Microsoft will stop providing its Extended Security Updates ESU program for the OS version today, January 10. When the company ended its mainstream support for Windows 7 three years ago, it also offered an ESU program to...

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...

Crypto-inspired Magecart skimmer surfaces via digital crime haven

This blog post was authored by Jerome Segura Online criminals rarely reinvent the wheel, especially when they don't have to. From ransomware to password stealers, there are a number of toolkits available for purchase on various underground markets that allow just about anyone to get a jumpstart...

Louisiana wants your ID if you're looking at adult-only websites

The state of Louisiana introduced a law on January 1, 2023, that holds sites that specialize in pornographic content accountable if they do not check their visitors' ages. A website is obliged to check whether a visitor is of the legal age required to access pornographic content if a substantial...

Slack private code on GitHub stolen

Online collaboration platform Slack reported on New Year's Eve it had suffered a "security incident" where some of its code stored on GitHub was stolen. According to the post from the company's security team, Slack's private code repositories were accessed using swiped employee tokens. No custome...

A week in security (January 1 - 8)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Why does technology no longer excite us? Lock and Code S04E01 New device? Here's how to safely dispose of your old one LastPass updates security notice with information about a recent incident Okta breached last month, no customers compromised Update VPN Plus Serve...

New Twitter data dump is a cleaned up version of old Twitter dump

News of data dumps is often scary as the possibilities of identity theft, account takeovers, user de-anonymization, and other online data-driven threats rear their ugly heads. Reading about the latest reports of a new Twitter dump, however, is like opening up an already-healed wound, as the dump...

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...

Malware targets 30 unpatched WordPress plugins

If you make use of plugins on your WordPress site and you probably do, its time to take a good look at whats running under the hood. Ars Technica reports that unpatched vulnerabilities being exploited across no fewer than 30 plugins. A long list of plugin problems If you own or operate a website...

FBI warns of imposter ads in search results

The FBI has issued a public notice which includes advice to block adverts. Why? Lets take a look. The bogus advert tightrope Its no secret that rogue ads have been a particular plague on the Internet for as far back as we can remember. From irritating pop ups and spinning "Youve won a prize"...

Software provider denied insurance payout after ransomware attack

The Supreme Court of Ohio issued a ruling days before the New Year that a software and service provider shouldn't be covered by insurance against a ransomware attack as it didn't cause direct or physical harm to tangible components of software, as it doesnt have any. "When insurance policy covers...

Fake Flipper Zero websites look to cause a big splash

Security researchers are advised to be on the lookout for scammers targeting their interest in the latest hard to obtain security testing tools. Flipper Zero, a slick looking portable multi-tool which frequently makes its way into the news, is one of the hottest pieces of kit around for security...

Google patches 60 vulnerabilities in first Android update of 2023

Google has published its first security bulletin of 2023 with details of security vulnerabilities affecting Android devices. Patch level 2023-01-01 includes 20 issues and patch level 2023-01-05 includes fixes for another 40 issues. The Android security patch level refers to a monthly manifest of...

Update VPN Plus Server now! Synology patches vulnerability with a CVSS of 10

Synology has issued an advisory about a vulnerability that allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands through a susceptible version of Synology VPN Plus Server. VPN Plus Server VPN Plus Server allows users to turn their Synology Router into a Virtual Rrivate Network VPN server. A VPN...

Okta breached last month, no customers compromised

Some of Oktas source code fell into the hands of an unauthorized party. The code was stolen from GitHub in the first part of December, according to a statement issued by the company. In the same statement the company reassured users that there was no impact to any customers. Okta Okta is an acces...

LastPass updates security notice with information about a recent incident

The password management company LastPasss notified customers in late December about a recent security incident. The notice was posted as an update of the security incident previously reported in August of 2022, which also was updated and covered on November 30, 2022. According to LastPass, an...

New device? Here's how to safely dispose of your old one

Until recently I had two old phones, one tablet and about 20 hard drives in storage that I was afraid to give up for recycling, or to pass on to someone that could use them. I wanted to dispose of them, but knowing how easy it is to retrieve data--such as personally identifiable information--even...

Why does technology no longer excite us? Lock and Code S04E01

When did technology last excite you? If Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, is to be believed, your own excitement ended, simply had to end, after turning 35 years old. Decades ago, at first writing privately and later having those private writings published after his...

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...

The Guardian hit by "ransomware attack"

On Tuesday December 20, 2022 British newspaper The Guardian experienced a major IT security incident that crippled a part of its IT infrastructure. The suspected cause is ransomware. In an online article the newspaper published an internal statement from the chief executive and the editor-in-chie...

Godfather Android banking malware is on the rise

Researchers at Cyble Research & Intelligence Labs CRIL have found a new version of the Android banking Trojan called Godfather. The new version of Godfather uses an icon and name similar to a legitimate application named MYT Music, which is hosted on the Google Play Store with over 10 million...

Sharing Netflix, Disney+, other passwords is illegal, according to new guidance

The Intellectual Property Office IPO, the UK government body overseeing intellectual property rights in the UK, has quietly released new guidance on piracy and online counterfeit goods. This campaign is a joint effort between IPO and Meta, Facebooks parent company. The general issue on piracy is...

Lego's Bricklink steps on cross site scripting blocks

If you build it, they will come. In Legos case, they built it and certain security flaws meant someone could have taken it all apart. PCMag reports that flaws in Legos Bricklink service meant that it was open to potential data leakage or even account hijacking. Those flaws, now addressed,...

BEC scammers go after more than just money

In a joint Cybersecurity Advisory CSA the Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI, the Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations FDA OCI, and the US Department of Agriculture USDA recently observed incidents of Business Email Compromise BEC with a new twist. In these incidents th...

The pitfalls of blocking IP addresses

In August 2022, the Austrian court ordered the block of 11 IP addresses for copyright violations on 14 websites. Sadly, there was an undesirable side-effect--thousands of websites were rendered inaccessible to internet users in Austria for two days. There are many possible reasons why governments...

Play ransomware group claims to have stolen hotel chain data

H-Hotels, a large hospitality chain with 60 hotels across several countries including Germany and Switzerland has announced it has fallen victim to a ransomware attack. The incident, which took place on December 11, is allegedly a double whammy of hijacked devices and data theft…if a ransomware...

Millions of Gemini cryptocurrency exchange user details leaked

If youre a user of the Gemini cryptocurrency exchange, its time to be on your guard against phishing attacks. Gemini says its own systems have not been compromised, but an unnamed third party has become the focal point for a breach. On December 13 or some point before, rogues gained access to jus...

Adult popunder campaign used in mainstream ad fraud scheme

This blog post was authored by Jerome Segura Online advertising is a multi billion dollar industry with projected spending to reach over 600 billion U.S. dollars for 2022. It's not surprising that criminals are trying their hardest to abuse this ecosystem in any way that they can. One of the...

Restaurant platform SevenRooms confirms data breach

SevenRooms, a "guest experience and retention platform" for food establishments and hospitality organisations, has confirmed it has fallen victim to a third party vendor data breach. Mostly known for its customer management platform, Seven Rooms' breach came to light after stolen data was seen fo...

Chasing cryptocurrency through cyberspace, with Brian Carter: Lock and Code S03E26

On June 7, 2021, the US Department of Justice announced a breakthrough: Less than one month after the oil and gas pipeline company Colonial Pipeline had paid its ransomware attackers roughly $4.4 million in bitcoin in exchange for a decryption key that would help the company get its systems back ...

4 over-hyped security vulnerabilities of 2022

A critical vulnerability can send countless organizations into chaos, as security teams read up on the vulnerability, try to figure out whether it applies to their systems, download any potential patches, and deploy those fixes to affected machines. But a lot can go wrong when a vulnerability is...

A week in security (December 12 - 18)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs: Indiana sues TikTok, describes it as "Chinese Trojan Horse" Iranian hacking group uses compromised email accounts to distribute MSP remote access tool Electronic Sales Suppression Tools are cooking the books Silence is golden partner for Truebot and Cl0p ransomware...

InfraGard infiltrated by cybercriminal

InfraGard, a partnership between the FBI and members of the private sector that was established to protect critical infrastructure in the US, has been infiltrated by a cybercriminal. As a result, its database of contact information is now for sale on an English-language cybercrime forum. InfraGar...