Report: Second quarter dominated by ransomware outbreaks

The second quarter of 2017 brought ransomware to unprecedented levels with worldwide outbreaks that went almost out of control. In scenarios reminiscent of yesteryears worms, WannaCry created global panic as it used a critical vulnerability in the SMBv1 protocol to propagate like wildfire. Within...

All this EternalPetya stuff makes me WannaCry

Another week goes by and yet again we have another ransomware outbreak initially dropped by a malicious software update and eventually spreading within internal networks using several methods - including EternalBlue - the leaked exploit from the ShadowBrokers group. Security researchers can’t see...

The key to old Petya versions has been published by the malware author

As research concluded, the original author of Petya, Janus, was not involved in the latest attacks on Ukraine. His original malware was pirated and extended by an unknown actor read more here. As a result of the recent events, Janus probably decided to shut down the Petya project. Similarly to th...

AdGholas malvertising thrives in the shadows of ransomware outbreaks

The latest wave of ransomware following the WannaCry outbreak has kept everyone very busy and been the topic of many conversations. In the meantime, other threat actors have been quite active and perhaps even enjoyed this complimentary diversion. This is certainly true for the most prolific...

A week in security (June 26 – July 02)

Last week, we offered our readers tips on how to detect phishing attempts, gave an overview of Google's Be Internet Awesome campaign, supplemented an ongoing series on adware, and introduced the Malwarebytes Endpoint Protection to those who aren't already in the know. We also pushed out a number ...

EternalPetya – yet another stolen piece in the package?

Since June 27th we have been investigating the outbreak of the new Petya-like malware armed with an infector similar to WannaCry. Since day one, various contradicting theories started popping up. Some believed that this malware is a rip-off of the original Petya, while others think that it is...

EternalPetya and the lost Salsa20 key

We have recently been facing a huge outbreak of a new Petya-like malware armed with an infector similar to WannaCry. The research is still in progress, and the full report will be published soon. In this post, we will focus on some new important aspects of the current malware. The low-level attac...

Solution Corner: Malwarebytes Endpoint Protection

We’ve been busy here at Malwarebytes with several product announcements recently. Malwarebytes Incident Response was released in late April, providing threat detection and remediation via our new cloud-based platform. Right on its heels, leveraging the same platform is Malwarebytes Endpoint...

Adware the series, part 6

In this series of posts, we will be using the flowchart below to follow the process of determining which adware we are dealing with. Our objective is to give you an idea of how many different types of adware are around for Windows systems. Though most are classified as PUPs, you will also see the...

Petya-esque ransomware is spreading across the world

UPDATE 6/29/2017 1045 PST: According to information uncovered within Malwarebytes Labs, we have determined that this ransomware variant is coded to erase a unique and randomly generated key that is used to encrypt the MFT Master File Table. The destruction of the Salsa20 key makes it very unlikel...

The smart, alert, strong, kind, and brave way to Internet awesome

Mom and Dad, do you know when to start talking to your kids about internet safety? Google’s new Be Internet Awesome program might just be the perfect topic to start off that conversation. Launched this National Internet Safety Month, Be Internet Awesome aims to teach kids to explore the internet...

Mobile Menace Monday: Fake WannaCry Scanner

With all the buzz around the PC ransomware WannaCry, it’s no surprise that a fake antivirus FakeAV has emerged on Google Play. Entitled WannaCry Ransomware Protector for Android, the bold claim it makes is right in its name. So how do we know this claim is false? Simple, there is no WannaCry...

Something’s phishy: How to detect phishing attempts

Dear you, It appears you need to update your information. Click here to tell us all your secrets. No really, it's totally safe. We're not going to steal your identity, we swear. If only phishing attempts were that obvious. Instead, these days it's hard to tell a phish apart from a foul, if you...

A week in security (June 19 – June 25)

Last week, we expanded on all the different technologies that Malwarebytes uses to break the attack chain and our Incident Response solution. We also warned you about a Roblox Robux generator scam and a phish targeting customers of Barclays Bank. Below are notable news stories and security-relate...

Solution Corner: Malwarebytes Incident Response

Unless you’ve been stuck at a fiery music festival, I don’t need to tell you the threat landscape is constantly evolving and that threats have become increasingly sophisticated at evading detection. Recent Malwarebytes Labs reports, including the 2017 State of Malware shine a light on just how fa...

Barclays Bank customers targeted by phishers

Today we have a phish targeting customers of Barclays Bank, located at: bankdotbarclaydotcodotukdotolbdotauthdotloginlinkdotactiondotp1242557947640dotchofcgdotcom/bd/ The phish opens up with an initial lunge for personal details: The first page asks for a surname, then offers the potential victim...

The Roblox Robux generator is too good to be true

Roblox is an enormously popular MMORPG title for kids available on both PC and console, and it suffers no end of scammers trying to fleece its players as a result. While the game tries to block and filter text/URLs and comes with additional security features, potentially dubious sites also bounce...

A week in security (Jun 12 – Jun 18)

Last week was very busy for the Labs, with a look at so-called numeric tech support scams, a visit to the huge Infosec Europe conference, an exploration of Mac Malware as a Service, and a walk through the myths of online bullying. Elsewhere: A huge click-farm is busted Jaff Ransomware is thwarted...

Breaking the attack chain

The attack chain. It’s a term used often in infosecurity. Also known as the kill chain, it was originally used as a military concept to describe the structure of an attack. It serves the same function in cybersecurity, where various methods of malware infiltration, deployment, and execution are...

Tackling the myths surrounding cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is an act most of us are familiar with. Knowing what it is, who're involved, and its harmful effects to targets are easy enough to identify; but do you know that cyberbullying is surrounded by misconceptions, too? In this post, we have identified six of these myths, explained why...

Announcing Malwarebytes Endpoint Protection, a next-generation antivirus replacement for businesses

Six months ago, we announced Malwarebytes 3.0, a next-generation antivirus replacement for home users. Today, I am happy to announce Malwarebytes Endpoint Protection, its equivalent for businesses. Malwarebytes Endpoint Protection includes an easy to deploy, scalable cloud platform that allows yo...

New Mac Malware-as-a-Service offerings

A couple weeks ago, two new Malware-as-a-Service MaaS offerings for the Mac became available. These two offerings - a backdoor named MacSpy and a ransomware app named MacRansom - were discovered by Catalin Cimpanu of Bleeping Computer on May 25. Cimpanu evidently had some trouble getting hold of...

Cheers to a successful time at Infosec Europe 2017

With over 350 exhibitors, well over 10,000 visitors, and many widely respected speakers, Infosec Europe is one of Europe's biggest security events. The Malwarebytes stand attracted a lot of interested people, even without our robot Zero, who had obligations elsewhere. The new EMEA Channel...

The numeric tech support scam campaign

There are many different tech support scam TSS campaigns active at any given moment, the majority of them are fueled by malicious adverts the browser lockers, or bundled software the screen lockers. Something interesting happened recently, where legitimate - but hacked - websites would redirect t...

A week in security (Jun 05 – Jun 11)

Last week, we interviewed our very own Pieter Arntz to get to know him a little better. We also touched on the importance of HTTPS and focused on a new social engineering scheme that triggers on mouse movement. We also took a deeper look at LatentBot, a Trojan that is being distributed by the RIG...

Please stop posting your X-rays to social media

Social media is fun. Posting pictures and sharing them with friends is a great technology. But please, we beg you, stop posting your medical imaging results to Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Why? What if you get a gnarly fracture from a really awesome snowboarding stunt and you want to share...