Credit card skimmer targets ASP.NET sites

Update: 2020-07-09 A reader contacted us with information about this series of attacks on .NET sites. There is a known vulnerability CVE-2017-9248 for Telerik UI for ASP.NET that is being exploited. An attacker can upload .aspx web shells and get remote code execution. This Telerik page offers...

Do Chromebooks need antivirus protection?

The supervisor handed Jim a Chromebook and said: “Take this home with you and use it to send me updates. We want to minimize the number of visits to the office—anything you can do from home helps keep this place safer. When the pandemic is over, I’d like to have it back in one piece, if possible....

New Mac ransomware spreading through piracy

Editor’s note: The original name for the malware, EvilQuest, has been changed due to a legitimate game of the same name from 2012. The new name, ThiefQuest, is also more fitting for our updated understanding of the malware. A Twitter user going by the handle @beatsballert messaged me yesterday...

Bluetooth beacons: one free privacy debate with your next order

Apps and their permissions have been in the news recently, particularly in relation to tracking/privacy issues and Bluetooth. Why Bluetooth, though? What is it, and what is it doing to raise concerns in some security quarters? Bluetooth: your cool, then uncool, but mostly cool again cousin...

A week in security (June 22 – 28)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we provided a zero-day guide for 2020 featuring recent attacks and advanced preventive techniques, and we learned how to cough in the face of scammers, offering security tips for the 2020 tax season. We also looked at a web skimmer hiding within EXIF metadata that...

The face of tomorrow’s cybercrime: Deepfake ransomware explained

While many countries are beginning to ease up on their respective pandemic lock downs—which, in turn, also means that everyone will soon ease into a life that is not quite post-COVID-19—we find ourselves once more on the cusp of change, an outlook that makes some feel anxious and others hopeful...

Web skimmer hides within EXIF metadata, exfiltrates credit cards via image files

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Threat actors must have remembered that as they devised yet another way to hide their credit card skimmer in order to evade detection. When we first investigated this campaign, we thought it may be another one of those favicon tricks, which we had...

Coughing in the face of scammers: security tips for the 2020 tax season

In spite of everything happening in the world right now—the 2020 tax season is about to come to an end, and taxes are due. Americans got a reprieve back in March when the US Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service IRS announced they were pushing back the federal income tax filing due dat...

A zero-day guide for 2020: Recent attacks and advanced preventive techniques

Zero-day vulnerabilities enable threat actors to take advantage of security blindspots. Typically, a zero-day attack involves the identification of zero-day vulnerabilities, creating relevant exploits, identifying vulnerable systems, and planning the attack. The next steps are infiltration and...

Lock and Code S1Ep9: Strengthening and forgetting passwords with Matt Davey and Kyle Swank

This week on Lock and Code, we discuss the top security headlines generated right here on Labs and around the Internet. In addition, we talk to Matt Davey, chief operations optimist at 1Password, and Kyle Swank, a member of 1Password’s security team, about—what else—passwords. We may know it’s...

Facial recognition: tech giants take a step back

Last week, a few major tech companies informed the public that they will not provide facial recognition software to law enforcement. These companies are concerned about the way in which their technology might be used. What happens when software that threatens our privacy falls into the hands of...

Multi-stage APT attack drops Cobalt Strike using Malleable C2 feature

This blog post was authored by Hossein Jazi and Jérôme Segura On June 10, we found a malicious Word document disguised as a resume that uses template injection to drop a .Net Loader. This is the first part of a multi-stage attack that we believe is associated to an APT attack. In the last stage,...

End of line: supporting IoT in the home

Trouble is potentially brewing in Internet of Things IoT land, even if the consequences may still be a little way off. System updates and issues surrounding expiring certificates will pose problems for manufacturers and headaches for consumers. System updates for fun and profit One of the first...

VPNs: should you use them?

We are going to talk today about something you’ve likely heard of before: VPNs, or Virtual Private Networks. We at Malwarebytes have delved into these tools in greater depth, and we’ve literally discussed them on the digital airwaves. But we want to answer a question we’ve been getting more and...

A week in security (June 8 – 14)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we looked into nasty search hijackers that worried a lot of Chrome users; a list of considerations for MSPs when looking for an RMM platform; the complaint faced by ParetoLogic, the company that issues SpeedyPC, a product that claims to find and remove various PC...

Search hijackers change Chrome policy to remote administration

The latest type of installer in the saga of search hijacking changes a Chrome policy which tells users it can’t be removed because the browser is managed from the outside. As you can imagine, that has freaked out quite a few Chrome users. We have talked about the search hijacker’s business model ...

MSPs, know what you’re really looking for in an RMM platform

MSPs naturally adapt and mature as innovative technologies and more effective processes are introduced into the industry. But with ransomware cyberattacks happening left and right, pushing them to evolve even further, MSPs are left with no choice but to go with the flow. Going for improved...

Honda and Enel impacted by cyber attack suspected to be ransomware

Car manufacturer Honda has been hit by a cyber attack, according to a report published by the BBC, and later confirmed by the company in a tweet. Another similar attack, also disclosed on Twitter, hit Edesur S.A., one of the companies belonging to Enel Argentina which operates in the business of...

ParetoLogic facing complaint of alleged wrongdoing

A short while ago we reported on the FTC ruling against payment provider RevenueWire. Now, another Canadian company is under scrutiny, and the cases are very much related. Not only are these companies hailing from the same city, they also share some founders. The company ParetoLogic is involved i...

Lock and Code S1Ep8: Securely working from home (WFH) with John Donovan and Adam Kujawa

This week on Lock and Code, we discuss the top security headlines generated right here on Labs and around the Internet. In addition, we talk to John Donovan, head of security at Malwarebytes, and Adam Kujawa, director of Malwarebtyes Labs, about securely working from home WFH. With shelter-in-pla...

Sodinokibi ransomware gang auctions off stolen data

Is it legal to buy stolen data from criminals? In most countries the answer would be no. But will it lead to a penalty or a fine? That is a different question and I’m afraid some companies and organizations will be inclined to seriously consider the last question even when they know the answer to...

New LNK attack tied to Higaisa APT discovered

This post was authored by Hossein Jazi and Jérôme Segura On May 29th, we identified an attack that we believe is part of a new campaign from an Advanced Persistent Threat actor known as Higaisa. The Higaisa APT is believed to be tied to the Korean peninsula, and was first disclosed by Tencent...

Teaching from home might become part of every teachers’ job description

“Hey Joe, I wanted to remind you that starting next Monday you will be expected to teach from home. The lesson material is in your inbox along with the list of pupils that are expected to follow them. We are sure it will take some adjustments, but we trust that by working together we can make the...

A brief history of video game saves and data modification

Games consoles and handhelds have always been an interesting battleground for hacking activities. The homebrew scene for using hardware in interesting ways has a long and varied history, especially where porting games to run on different platforms is concerned. Tampering with games while playing...

Coronavirus campaigns lead to surge in malware threats, Labs report finds

In the first three months of 2020, as the world clamped down to limit coronavirus, cyber threats ramped up. Our latest, special edition for our quarterly CTNT report focuses on recent, increased malware threats which all have one, big thing in common—using coronavirus as a lure. Our report,...

A week in security (May 25 – 31)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we published our most recent episode of our podcast Lock and Code, providing an in-depth discussion on web browser privacy, looked at the membership bump for the Coalition against Stalkerware, and dug into EDR solutions. We also looked at twists added to the threat...

Maze: the ransomware that introduced an extra twist

An extra way to create leverage against victims of ransomware has been introduced by the developers of the Maze ransomware. If the victim is not convinced that she should pay the criminals because her files are encrypted, there could be an extra method of extortion. Over time, more organizations...

The best test for an EDR solution is one that works for you

Since its inception, the endpoint detection and response EDR market has evolved rapidly with new innovations to better address the cyber landscape and meet customers’ needs for an effective and simple solution that just works. But finding something that just works means something quite different...

Coalition Against Stalkerware bulks up global membership

Today, the Coalition Against Stalkerware brought aboard 11 new organizations to address the potentially dangerous capabilities of stalkerware, an invasive, digital threat that can rob individuals of their expectation of, and right to, privacy. These types of apps can provide domestic abusers with...

Lock and Code S1Ep7: Sounding the trumpet on web browser privacy with Pieter Arntz

This week on Lock and Code, we discuss the top security headlines generated right here on Labs and around the Internet. In addition, we talk to Pieter Arntz, malware intelligence researcher at Malwarebytes, about web browser privacy—an often neglected subcategory of data privacy. Without the prop...

Going dark: encryption and law enforcement

UPDATE, 05/22/2020: In the advent of the EARN IT Act, the debate on government subversion of encryption has reignited. Given that the material conditions of the technology have not changed, and the arguments given in favor of the bill are not novel, we've decided to republish the following blog...

Shining a light on “Silent Night” Zloader/Zbot

When it comes to banking Trojans, ZeuS is probably the most famous one ever released. Since its source code originally leaked in 2011, several new variants proliferated online. That includes a past fork called Terdot Zbot/Zloader, which we extensively covered in 2017. But recently, we observed...

10 best practices for MSPs to secure their clients and themselves from ransomware

Lock-downs and social distancing may be on, but when it comes to addressing the need for IT support—whether by current of potential clients—it’s business as usual for MSPs. And, boy, is it a struggle. On the one hand, they keep an eye on their remote workers to ensure they’re still doing their jo...

When the coronavirus infodemic strikes

Social media sites are stepping up their efforts in the war against misinformation… specifically, the coronavirus/COVID-19 infodemic30461-X/fulltext. There’s a seemingly endless stream of potentially dangerous misinformation flying around online related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that could ha...

A week in security (May 11 – May 17)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we explained why RevenueWire has to pay $6.7 million to settle FTC charges, how CVSS works: characterizing and scoring vulnerabilities, and we talked about how and why hackers hit a major law firm with Sodinokibi ransomware. We also launched another episode of our...

Sodinokibi drops greatest hits collection, and crime is the secret ingredient

When a group of celebrities ask to speak with their lawyer, they usually don’t have to call in a bunch of other people to go speak with their lawyer. However, in this case it may well be a thing a little down the line. A huge array of musicians including Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Run...

How CVSS works: characterizing and scoring vulnerabilities

The Common Vulnerability Scoring System CVSS provides software developers, testers, and security and IT professionals with a standardized process for assessing vulnerabilities. You can use the CVSS to assess the threat level of each vulnerability, and then prioritize mitigation accordingly. This...

RevenueWire to pay $6.7 million to settle FTC charges

What can you do as a scammer when no legitimate payment provider wants to process your payments anymore? Or, what if you are growing sick and tired of these same payment providers reimbursing disgruntled customers who claim that your products didn't fix computers, like—you know—you said they woul...

Lock and Code S1Ep6: Recognizing facial recognition’s flaws with Chris Boyd

This week on Lock and Code, we discuss the top security headlines generated right here on Labs and around the Internet. In addition, we talk to Chris Boyd, lead malware intelligence analyst at Malwarebytes, about facial recognition technology—its early history, its proven failures at accuracy, an...

Data privacy law updates eyed by Singapore

In early 2019, Singapore’s data privacy regulators proposed that the country’s data privacy law could use two new updates—a data breach notification requirement and a right of data portability for the country’s residents. The proposed additions are commonplace in several data privacy laws around...

New Mac variant of Lazarus Dacls RAT distributed via Trojanized 2FA app

This blog post was authored by Hossein Jazi, Thomas Reed and Jérôme Segura. We recently identified what we believe is a new variant of the Dacls Remote Access Trojan RAT associated with North Korea's Lazarus group, designed specifically for the Mac operating system. Dacls is a RAT that was...

Credit card skimmer masquerades as favicon

Malware authors are notorious for their deceptive attempts at staying one step ahead of defenders. As their schemes get exposed, they always need to go back to their bag of tricks to pull out a new one. When it comes to online credit card skimmers, we have already seen a number of evasion...

Explained: cloud-delivered security

As a counterpart to security for your assets in the cloud, you may also run into solutions that offer security from the cloud. These solutions are generally referred to as cloud-delivered security. Cloud-delivered security is sometimes called security-as-a-service which we will avoid here as it...

A week in security (April 27 – May 3)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we looked at how secure the cloud is, understood why unexpected demand can influence an organization to consider their “just in time” JIT system, speculated on why the threat actors behind the Troldesh ransomware suddenly released thousands of decryption keys,...

What to do when you receive an extortion email

In the last few weeks, there has been an upswing in people receiving threatening, extortion email messages, demanding payment to avoid release of sensitive information. Most of the time, these emails are what we call "sextortion" emails, as they claim that malware on your computer has captured...

Cybersecurity and the economy: when recession strikes

Cybercrime and the economy have always been intertwined, but with COVID-19 on the road to causing a seemingly inevitable global recession, many are asking what, exactly, will the impact be on cybercrime. Will criminals step up and increase malware production, ramp up phishing attacks, do whatever...

VPNs are mainstream, which is good news

Virtual private networks VPNs have been growing in popularity for the last three years, a notable trend revealed in a collaborative report PDF by Top10VPN and GlobalWebIndex. This year is no different. When a majority of the world’s internet users are in isolation due to the COVID-19 global...

Threat actors release Troldesh decryption keys

Update: Kaspersky has updated their ShadeDecryptor tool to include decryption for the keys released by "shade team". You can download the tool and find instructions here. A GitHub user claiming to represent the authors of the Troldesh Ransomware calling themselves the “Shade team” published this...

Switching from a “Just in Time” delivery system should include planning ahead

As it becomes clear that some things will never again be the same after the global coronavirus pandemic, it is time to prepare for the future. The cybersecurity implications of upcoming changes will be most noticeable in organizations that rely on security models like the software defined...

Cloud data protection: how to secure what you store in the cloud

The cloud has become the standard for data storage. Just a few years ago, individuals and businesses pondered whether or not they should move to the cloud. This is now a question of the past. Today, the question isn't whether to adopt cloud storage but rather how. Despite its rapid pace of...