Introducing Malwarebytes Privacy

Here at Malwarebytes, we’re no strangers to using virtual private networks VPNs to protect our privacy while browsing online. Regular readers of our blog will remember that we’ve advised on VPN usage on many occasions, whether for mobile device users looking for anonymity or business owners wanti...

iOS Mail bug allows remote zero-click attacks

On Monday, ZecOps released a report about a couple concerning vulnerabilities with the Mail app in iOS. These vulnerabilities would allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the Mail app or the maild process that assists the Mail app behind the scenes. Most concerning, though, is the fact th...

The passwordless present: Will biometrics replace passwords forever?

When it comes to securing your sensitive, personally identifiable information against criminals who can engineer countless ways to snatch it from under your nose, experts have long recommended the use of strong, complex passwords. Using long passphrases with combinations of numbers, letters, and...

A week in security (April 13 – 19)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we looked at how to avoid Zoom bombing, weighed the risks of surveillance versus pandemics, and dug into a spot of WiFi credential theft. Other cybersecurity news: Malware creeps back into the home: With a pandemic forcing much of the workforce into remote position...

Discord users tempted by bots offering “free Nitro games”

The last few weeks have seen multiple instances of problematic bots appearing in Discord channels. They bring tidings of gifts, but the reality is quite a bit different. Given so many more young kids and teens are at home during the current global lockdown, they may well see this scam bouncing...

New AgentTesla variant steals WiFi credentials

AgentTesla is a .Net-based infostealer that has the capability to steal data from different applications on victim machines, such as browsers, FTP clients, and file downloaders. The actor behind this malware is constantly maintaining it by adding new modules. One of the new modules that has been...

Mass surveillance alone will not save us from coronavirus

As the pattern-shattering truth of our new lives drains heavy—as coronavirus rends routines, raids our wellbeing, and whiplashes us between anxiety and fear—we should not look to mass digital surveillance to bring us back to normal. Already, governments have cast vast digital nets. South Koreans...

Keep Zoombombing cybercriminals from dropping a load on your meetings

While shelter in place has left many companies struggling to stay in business during the COVID-19 epidemic, one company in particular has seen its fortunes rise dramatically. Zoom, the US-based maker of teleconferencing software, has become the web conference tool of choice for employees working...

Lock and Code S1Ep4: coronavirus and responding to computer viruses with Akshay Bhargava

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 Akshay Bhargava, Chief Product Officer of Malwarebytes, about the similarities between coronavirus and computer viruses. We discuss computer virus...

APTs and COVID-19: How advanced persistent threats use the coronavirus as a lure

The coronavirus COVID-19 has become a global pandemic, and this is a golden time for attackers to take advantage of our collective fear to increase the likelihood of successful attack. True to form, they've been doing just that: performing spam and spear phishing campaigns using coronavirus as a...

Online credit card skimming increased by 26 percent in March

Crisis events such as the current COVID-19 pandemic often lead to a change in habits that captures the attention of cybercriminals. With the confinement measures imposed in many countries, for example, online shopping has soared and along with it, credit card skimming. According to our data, web...

Copycat criminals abuse Malwarebytes brand in malvertising campaign

While exploit kit activity has been fairly quiet for some time now, we recently discovered a threat actor creating a copycat—fake—Malwarebytes website that was used as a gate to the Fallout EK, which distributes the Raccoon stealer. The few malvertising campaigns that remain are often found on...

Cybersecurity labeling scheme introduced to help users choose safe IoT devices

The Internet of Things IoT is a term used to describe a wide variety of devices that are connected to the Internet to improve user experience. For example, a doorbell becomes part of the IoT when it connects to the Internet and allows users to see visitors outside their door. But the way in which...

A week in security (March 30 – April 5)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we offered readers tips for safe online shopping now that cybercriminals are ramping up Internet-based attacks, showed the impact that GDPR has around the world, and helped users understand how social media platforms mine their personal data. We also hosted our...

How social media platforms mine personal data for profit

It’s almost impossible not to rely on social networks in some way, whether for personal reasons or business. Sites such as LinkedIn continue to blur the line, increasing the amount of social function over time with features and services resembling less formal sites, such as Facebook. Can anyone...

GDPR: An impact around the world

A little more than one month after the European Union enacted the General Data Protection Regulation GDPR to extend new data privacy rights to its people, the governor of California signed a separate, sweeping data protection law that borrowed several ideas from GDPR, sparking a torch in a...

Important tips for safe online shopping post COVID-19

As more and more countries order their citizens inside in response to COVID-19, online shopping—already a widespread practice—has surged in popularity, especially for practical items like hand sanitizer, groceries, and cleaning products. When people don’t feel safe outside, it’s only natural they...

Lock and Code S1Ep3: Dishing on data privacy with 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 Adam Kujawa, a director of Malwarebytes Labs, about the state of data privacy today, including how users and businesses can protect sensitive information...

Coronavirus Bitcoin scam promises “millions” working from home

In the last week, we’ve seen multiple coronavirus scams pushed by bad actors, including RAT attacks via fake health advisories, bogus e-books working in tandem with Trojans, and lots of other phishing shenanigans. Now we have another one to add to the ever-growing list: dubious coronavirus Bitcoi...

Consumerization: a better way to answer cybersecurity challenges

A version of this article originally appeared in Forbes on February 12, 2020. Consumerization: The specific impact that consumer-originated technologies can have on enterprises. Gartner More and more, enterprises are coming to understand that they need to adopt the agile processes and product...

Criminals hack Tupperware website with credit card skimmer

Update 2: A spokesperson for Tupperware has given a public statement to Alex Scroxton, Security Editor at ComputerWeekly. You can read it here. Update: Following our blog post, we continued to monitor the Tupperware website. As of 03/25 at 1:45 PM PT, we noticed that the malicious PNG file had be...

Windows 7 is EOL: What next?

End-of-life EOL is an expression commonly used by software vendors to indicate that a product or version of a product has reached the end of usefulness in the eyes of the vendor. Many companies, including Microsoft, announce the EOL dates for their products far in advance. Every Windows product h...

Fake “Corona Antivirus” distributes BlackNET remote administration tool

Scammers and malware authors are taking advantage of the coronavirus crisis in full swing. We have seen a number of spam campaigns using COVID-19 as a lure to trick people into installing a variety of malware, but especially data stealers. As more of us work from home, the need to secure your...

A week in security (March 16 – 22)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we concluded our series on child identity theft. We also looked into threat actors and campaigns that ride the COVID-19 train, namely the criminal group APT36 and threat actors purporting to be the World Health Organization WHO but instead spreading malware. Lastly...

Coronavirus scams, found and explained

Coronavirus has changed the face of the world, restricting countless individuals from dining at restaurants, working from cafes, and visiting their loved ones. But for cybercriminals, this global pandemic is expanding their horizons. In the past week, Malwarebytes discovered multiple email scams...

Security tips for working from home (WFH)

Over the last decade, remote work and working from home has grown in popularity for many professionals. In fact, a 2018 study found more than 70 percent of global employees work remotely at least once per week. However, the coronavirus pandemic and resulting lockdown in many parts of the world ha...

Cybercriminals impersonate World Health Organization to distribute fake coronavirus e-book

The number of scams, threats, and malware campaigns taking advantage of public concern over the coronavirus is increasing each day. As a result, we've been actively monitoring emails within our spam honeypot to flag such threats and make sure our users are protected. Yesterday, we observed a...

Child identity theft, part 2: How to reclaim your child’s identity

In a world where children as young as a single day old can fall prey to fraud, it is more important than ever to educate parents and other caretakers about the dangers of child identity theft. While the hope is that perceptions can be changed and criminals brought to justice, likely the biggest...

Lock and Code S1Ep2: On the challenges of managed service providers

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 two representatives from an Atlanta-based managed service provider—a manager of engineering services and a data center architect—about the daily challeng...

APT36 jumps on the coronavirus bandwagon, delivers Crimson RAT

Since the coronavirus became a worldwide health issue, the desire for more information and guidance from government and health authorities has reached a fever pitch. This is a golden opportunity for threat actors to capitalize on fear, spread misinformation, and generate mass hysteria—all while...

The effects of climate change on cybersecurity

Outside the coronavirus pandemic and its related healthcare and economic fallout, climate change and cybersecurity are seen by many as the two most urgent problems facing our planet now and in the near future. They are two distinct and separate problems, to be sure. There are some areas, however,...

Coronavirus impacts security conferences and events: check your schedule

With coronavirus starting to take hold globally, international travel restrictions are kicking in and more workplaces are advising to work from home whenever possible. When self-isolation is a potential solution, public gatherings are increasingly looking like a terrible idea. Events are becoming...

RemoteSec: achieving on-prem security levels with cloud-based remote teams

The world of work is changing—by the minute, it feels these days. With the onset of the global coronavirus pandemic, organizations around the world are scrambling to prepare their workforce, and their infrastructure, for a landslide of remote connections. This means that the security perimeter of...

Securing the MSP: best practices for vetting cybersecurity vendors

Ironically, to keep costs low for their enterprise and mid-market clients, managed service providers MSPs are some of the most reliant on third-party vendors—including those providing security. While this is generally not an indication of dysfunction or vulnerability, the responsible MSP will be...

Rocket Loader skimmer impersonates CloudFlare library in clever scheme

Update: The digital certificate issued for https.ps has been revoked by GlobalSign. Fraudsters are known for using social engineering tricks to dupe their victims, often times by impersonating authority figures to instill trust. In a recent blog post, we noted how criminals behind Magecart skimme...

A week in security (March 2 – 8)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we fired up part 1 of our series on child identity theft, asked how well law enforcement can deal with cybercriminals, and took a trip down the memory lane of moral panic. We also looked at the positives and negatives of VPNs and examined our own progress in the...

International Women’s Day: awareness of stalkerware, monitoring, and spyware apps on the rise

Nine months ago, Malwarbytes recommitted itself to detecting invasive monitoring apps that can lead to the excessive harm of women—most commonly known as stalkerware. We pledged to raise public awareness, reach out to advocacy groups, and share samples and intelligence with other security vendors...

Bring your own privacy: VPNs for consumers and orgs

VPNs virtual private networks have been popular for quite some time now, and they’re worth a huge amount of money for the companies working in this area. They’re also at the forefront of combating potential repression and censorship around the world. It might all sound a bit esoteric and unrelate...

Technology and the power of moral panic

Moral panic is a fascinating topic, and often finds itself tied up in the cutting edge-technology of the times once it works its way into the hands of younger generations. Music, games, movies—pretty much anything you can think of is liable to gatecrash the “won’t somebody think of the children?”...

Are our police forces equipped to deal with modern cybercrimes?

“You should have asked for the presence of a digital detective,” Karen said when I told her what happened at the police station. I had accompanied a neighbor, who is a small business owner, that had been hit with ransomware and wanted to file a report. After listening to his story, the police...

Child identity theft, part 1: On familiar fraud

In 2013, 30-year-old Axton Betz-Hamilton received an angry phone call from her father two weeks after her mother, Pam, died. "What the hell were you thinking?" he screamed. He had just unearthed a credit card statement in her name that had run over its limit from a box of her mother’s paperwork...

Lock and Code S1Ep1: On RSA, the human element, and the week in security

Last week, we told you we were launching a fortnightly podcast, called Lock and Code. This week, we made good on our promise, with lots of headlines generated right here on Labs, as well as other security news around the web. In addition, we talk with Britta Glade, Director of Content and Curatio...

Domen toolkit gets back to work with new malvertising campaign

Last year, we documented a new social engineering toolkit we called "Domen" being used in the wild. Threat actors were using this kit to trick visitors into visiting compromised websites and installing malware under the guise of a browser update or missing font. Despite being a robust toolkit, we...

Mac adware is more sophisticated and dangerous than traditional Mac malware

As the data revealed in our State of Malware report showed, Mac threats are on the rise, but they are not the same type of threats experienced by Windows users. Most notably, more traditional forms of malware, such as ransomware, spyware, and backdoors account for over 27 percent of all Windows...

Stalkerware and online stalking are accepted by Americans. Why?

Despite warnings from domestic abuse networks, privacy rights advocates, and a committed faction of cybersecurity vendors, Americans may be accepting and minimizing online stalking behaviors, including the use of invasive apps that can pry into a user’s text messages, emails, photos, videos, and...

Fraudsters cloak credit card skimmer with fake content delivery network, ngrok server

Threat actors love to abuse legitimate brands and infrastructure—this, we know. Last year we exposed how web skimmers had found their way onto Amazon's Cloudfront content delivery network CDN via insecure S3 buckets. Now, we discovered scammers pretending to be CDNs while exfiltrating data and...

Biotech health care innovations meet security challenges

The level and speed of innovations taking place in the biotech industry are baffling. On the one hand, it makes us hopeful we can quickly reduce the number of illnesses and their consequences through technological advancement—saving thousands of lives. On the other, concerns about the application...

Introducing Lock and Code: a Malwarebytes Labs podcast

Intrepid Labs readers might be happy to know that we're stepping into territory long-requested and desired: we're launching a podcast. Malwarebytes researchers and reporters are on the front lines of cybercrime, delivering both fast-breaking news and thoughtful features on our blog to raise...

A week in security (February 17 – 23)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we highlighted the benefits and concerns of identity-as-a-service IDaaS, an identity management scheme deployed from the cloud; reported on scammers and squatters taking advantage of Rudy Giuliani’s Twitter typos; and gave a high-level overview of RobbinHood, the...

Why managed service providers (MSP) are critical for business continuity

With the threat landscape becoming more hostile to businesses, small- and medium-sized businesses SMBs are often finding it difficult to cope. Hence, they turn to managed service providers MSPs for help, not only to keep their businesses going—the concept known as business continuity—but also to...