This online quiz is now confirmed to be a phishing scam

Ah, online quizzes. Many of us know that they can be somewhat dodgy and nonsense, really—but that doesn’t stop us from clicking the “Start quiz” button anyway. Besides, you have time to kill, and there are only three questions to answer, right? The right kind of wrong Phishing attacks don’t alway...

Christmas tech scams roundup

There’s a fair few Christmas tech scams floating around out there as 2018 winds up, and we thought it’d be a good time to warn you about them. It’s the usual mish-mash of phone antics, social media shenanigans, and click bait. Shall we begin? This scam looks divine BOOM reports on a collection of...

Flaw in Twitter form may have been abused by nation states

Twitter announced in a blog post on Monday that they discovered and addressed a security flaw on one of their support forms. The discovery was made on November 15 — more than a month ago — and was promptly fixed the next day. From the Twitter blog on this issue: We have become aware of an issue...

Yes, Chromebooks can and do get infected

As a Mac malware specialist, I've seen more than my share of folks saying "Macs don't get viruses" over the years. I've seen and experienced first-hand that this isn't true—even on iOS, where despite having tight, built-in security, iPhones are still capable of getting infected by rare malware. I...

All the reasons why cybercriminals want to hack your phone

When people think of hacking, most imagine desktop computers, laptops, or perhaps even security cameras. However, in recent years, cybercriminals have expanded their repertoire to include smartphones, too. Here are 10 reasons why they may be looking to hack your phone. 1. To infect it with malwar...

Mobile Menace Monday: Is Fuchsia OS the end of Android?

It’s no secret that every year Google announces a new Android version. This time though, recent Google documents state that the next major Android version will be Android Q and not Android 9.1 Pie. In parallel, Google is also developing an operating system called Fuchsia that’s supposedly going t...

A week in security (December 10 – 16)

Last week on Labs, we took a look at some new Mac malware, a collection of various scraped data dumps, the protection of power grids, and how bad actors are using SMB vulnerabilities. Other cybersecurity news Millions affected by Facebook photo API bug: An issue granted third-party apps more acce...

How threat actors are using SMB vulnerabilities

Some of the most devastating ransomware and Trojan malware variants depend on vulnerabilities in the Windows Server Message Block SMB to propagate through an organization’s network. Windows SMB is a protocol used by PCs for file and printer sharing, as well as for access to remote services. A pat...

Compromising vital infrastructure: the power grid

Where were you when the lights went out? That line became famous after the 1977 blackout in New York City. This power outage was caused by lightning and lasted for up to two days, depending on which part of New York you lived in. While in this case the power grid failure was a freak incident due ...

Data scraping treasure trove found in the wild

We bring word of yet more data exposure, in the form of “nonsensitive” data scraping to the tune of 66m records across 3 large databases. The information was apparently scraped from various sources and left to gather dust, for anyone lucky enough to stumble upon it. What is data scraping? The...

Flurry of new Mac malware drops in December

Last week, we wrote about a new piece of malware called DarthMiner. It turns out there was more to be seen, as not just one but two additional pieces of malware had been spotted. The first was identified by Microsoft's John Lambert and analyzed by Objective-See's Patrick Wardle, and the second wa...

A week in security (December 3 – 9)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we gave readers an FYI on multiple breaches that affected Humble Bundle, Quora, and Dunkin' Donuts, to name a few. This follows the announcement from Marriott about a four-year-long breach that impacted half a billion of its patrons. We also pushed out the report,...

Something else is phishy: How to detect phishing attempts on mobile

In a report published in 2011, IBM revealed that mobile users are three times more likely to fall for phishing scams compared to desktop users. This claim was based on accessed log files found on Web servers used to host websites involved in phishing campaigns. Almost a decade later, we continue ...

Mac malware combines EmPyre backdoor and XMRig miner

Earlier this week, we discovered a new piece of Mac malware that is combining two different open-source tools—the EmPyre backdoor and the XMRig cryptominer—for the purpose of evil. The malware was being distributed through an application named Adobe Zii. Adobe Zii is software that is designed to...

New Flash Player zero-day used against Russian facility

For the past couple of years, Office documents have largely replaced exploit kits as the primary malware delivery vector, giving threat actors the choice between social engineering lures and exploits or a combination of both. While today's malicious spam malspam heavily relies on macros and popul...

Breaches, breaches everywhere, it must be the season

After last weeks shocker from Marriott this week started off with disclosures about breaches at Quora, Dunkin’ Donuts, and 1-800-Flowers. Quora Quora is an online community that focuses on asking and answering questions. It was founded in 2009 by two former Facebook employees. The stolen data may...

New ‘Under the Radar’ report examines modern threats and future technologies

As if you haven't heard it enough from us, the threat landscape is changing. It's always changing, and usually not for the better. The new malware we see being developed and deployed in the wild have features and techniques that allow them to go beyond what they were originally able to do, either...

Humble Bundle alerts customers to subscription reveal bug

You’ll want to check your mailbox if you have a Humble Bundle account, as they’re notifying some customers of a bug used to gather subscriber information. Click to enlarge The mail reads as follows: Hello, Last week, we discovered someone using a bug in our code to access limited non-personal...

A week in security (November 26 – December 2)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we took a look at our cybersecurity predictions for 2019, we explained why Malwarebytes participated in AV testing and how we took part in an joint take down of massive ad fraud botnets, warned that ESTA registration websites still lurk in paid ads on Google,...

Marriott breach impacts 500 million customers: here’s what to do about it

Today Marriott disclosed a large-scale data breach impacting up to 500 million customers who have stayed at a Starwood-branded hotel within the last four years. While details of the breach are still sparse, Marriott stated that there was unauthorized access to a database tied to customer...

The 25th anniversary of the webcam: What did it bring us?

How did the webcam progress from a simple convenience to a worldwide security concern in 25 years? November 2018 can be marked as the 25th anniversary of the webcam. This is a bit of an arbitrary choice, but if we consider a webcam that was installed at the University of Cambridge to keep an eye ...

ESTA registration websites still lurk in paid ads on Google

Google has taken direct action against adverts promoting ESTA registration services, often offered by third parties at highly inflated prices. Ads displayed on the Google network shouldn’t display fees higher than what a public source or government charges for products or services. This tightenin...

Malwarebytes helps take down massive ad fraud botnets

On November 27, the US Department of Justice announced the indictment of eight individuals involved in a major ad fraud case that cost digital advertisers millions of dollars. The operation, dubbed 3ve, was the combination of the Boaxxe and Kovter botnets, which the FBI—in collaboration with...

Why Malwarebytes decided to participate in AV testing

Starting this month, Malwarebytes began participating in the antivirus software for Windows comparison test performed by AV-test.org. This is uncharted territory for us, as we have refrained from participating in these types of tests since our inception. Although recent testing results show...

Malwarebytes’ 2019 security predictions

Every year, we at Malwarebytes Labs like to stare into our crystal ball and foretell the future of malware. Okay, maybe we don't have a crystal ball, but we do have years and years of experience in observing trends and sensing shifts in patterns. When it comes to security, though, we can only kno...

A week in security (November 19 – 25)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we took a look at a devastating business email compromise attack, web skimming antics, and the fresh perils of Deepfakes. We also checked out some Chrome bug issues, and took the deepest of deep dives into DNA testing. Other cybersecurity news Adobe Flash bug—get...

Spoofed addresses and anonymous sending: new Gmail bugs make for easy pickings

Tim Cotten, a software developer from Washington, DC, was responding to a request for help from a female colleague last week, who believed that her Gmail account has been hacked, when he discovered something phishy. The evidence presented was several emails in her Sent folder, purportedly sent by...

Are Deepfakes coming to a scam near you?

Your boss contacts you over Skype. You see her face and hear her voice, asking you to transfer a considerable amount of money to a firm you've never ever heard of. Would you ask for written confirmation of her orders? Or would you simply follow through on her instructions? I would certainly be...

Web skimmers compete in Umbro Brasil hack

Umbro, the popular sportswear brand has had their Umbro Brasil website hacked and injected with not one but two web skimmers part of the Magecart group. Magecart has become a household name in recent months due to high profile attacks on various merchant websites. Criminals can seamlessly steal...

What DNA testing kit companies are really doing with your data

Sarah hovered over the mailbox, envelope in hand. She knew as soon as she mailed off her DNA sample, there’d be no turning back. She ran through the information she looked up on 23andMe’s website one more time: the privacy policy, the research parameters, the option to learn about potential healt...

A week in security (November 12 – 18)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we found out that TrickBot became a top business threat, so we took a deeper look at what's new with it. With Christmas just around the corner, the Secret Sister scam returned. We also touched on the security and privacy or lack thereof in smart jewelry, air traffi...

Business email compromise scam costs Pathé $21.5 million

Recently released court documents show that European-based cinema chain Pathé lost a small fortune to a business email compromise BEC scam in March 2018. How much? An astonishing US$21.5 million roughly 19 million euros. The attack, which ran for about a month, cost the company 10 percent of its...

6 security concerns to consider when automating your business

Automation is an increasingly-enticing option for businesses, especially when those in operations are in a perpetual cycle of "too much to do and not enough time to do it." When considering an automation strategy, business representatives must be aware of any security risks involved. Here are six...

Compromising vital infrastructure: air traffic control

While most of us know that flying is the safest mode of transport, we still feel that sigh of relief when the plane has made its landing on the runway and we can text our loved ones that we have arrived safe and sound. Accidents may be rare, but they're often shocking and horrific and accompanied...

My precious: security, privacy, and smart jewelry

Emery was staring at her computer screen for almost an hour, eyes already lackluster as the full-page ad on Motiv looped once more. She was contemplating whether she'd give in and get her boyfriend Ben a new fitness tracker as a present for his upcoming marathon. The phone app he was currently...

TrickBot takes over as top business threat

Last quarter brought with it a maddening number of political ads, shocking and divisive news stories on climate change and gun laws, and mosquitoes. We hate mosquitoes. In related unpleasant news, it also apparently ushered in an era of banking Trojans that, as of this moment, shows no signs of...

Secret Sister scam returns in time for Christmas

The festive season may be imminent, but it’s a Facebook Secret Sister not Santa you have to steer clear of. Secret Sister has been a mainstay of Yuletide scams since at least 2015, and has come back around once more. But what is it? Your office probably has a Secret Santa scheme in place. You dra...

A week in security (November 5 – 11)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we looked at browser lockers that fly under the radar with complete obfuscation, transport and logistics in our series about compromising vital infrastructure, Google logins now requiring JavaScript, how to create a sticky cybersecurity training program, and an...

What’s new in TrickBot? Deobfuscating elements

Trojan.TrickBot has been present in the threat landscape from quite a while. We wrote about its first version in October 2016. From the beginning, it was a well organized modular malware, written by developers with mature skills. It is often called a banker, however its modular structure allows t...

Advanced tools: Process Hacker

Process Hacker is a very valuable tool for advanced users. It can help them to troubleshoot problems or learn more about specific processes that are running on a certain system. It can help identify malicious processes and tell us more about what they are trying to do. Background information...

How to create a sticky cybersecurity training program

Organizations know that training employees on cybersecurity and privacy are not only expensive but time-consuming. However, given that current threats are targeting businesses more than consumers, introducing and teaching cybersecurity and privacy best practices in the workplace has undoubtedly...

Google logins: JavaScript now required

Google users: In news that may sound alarming, it is now a requirement for you to enable JavaScript. Why? When your username and password are entered on Google’s sign-in page, Google runs a risk assessment and only allows the sign-in if nothing looks suspicious. Recently, Google went about...

Compromising vital infrastructure: transport and logistics

Back when I was a dispatcher for a courier and trucking company, we used to joke that it only took a few strategically-placed accidents to cause a traffic jam that could completely stop circulation around the city of Rotterdam. Rotterdam is one of the major ports in the world and consequently,...

Browlock flies under the radar with complete obfuscation

Browlocks are the main driving force behind tech support scams, using a combination of malvertising and clever browser locker tricks to fool users. In fact, the effects can be so convincing that people call the rogue Microsoft support number for help because they believe their computer has been...

A week in security (October 29 – November 4)

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we looked at a rogue cryptocurrency app installing backdoors, took a dive into the world of printer security, explored browser privacy tweaks, highlighted a music festival–themed breach, and introduced Malwarebytes for Chromebook. Other cybersecurity news Memory...

Introducing Malwarebytes for Chromebook

Have you been thinking about switching over to Chromebook because you don’t need all the built-in software programs of a PC or the sleek design of a Mac? Or perhaps you’ve already made the jump because Chromebooks are so much cheaper than a Windows or Mac system. Either way, did you worry that yo...

Tomorrowland festival goers affected by data breach

Tomorrowland, a major international music festival, has revealed a data breach potentially affecting around 60,000 attendees. This one is a little different though, as the data accessed without permission isn't recent. In fact, it dates back four years to an event long since come and gone...

How to tighten security and increase privacy on your browser

Is my browser making an effort to keep my system safe and my online behavior private? This is usually not the first question we ask ourselves when we choose our default browser. But maybe it should be. These days, threats to your privacy and security come at your from all angles, but browser-base...

Removing the jam in your printer security

Printers are an important, invisible—albeit sometimes loud—component of the office. But all too often they’re filled with mystery meat icons, peculiar blinking lights, or error messages with no instruction manual to hand. No problem, you can just print at the next station! Wrong. Printers also...

Mac cryptocurrency ticker app installs backdoors

An astute contributor to our forums going by the handle 1vladimir noticed that an app named CoinTicker was exhibiting some fishy behavior over the weekend. It seems that the app is covertly installing not just one but two different backdoors. Behaviors The CoinTicker app, on the surface, appears ...