Dozens of malicious wallpapers found on Steam Workshop: gamers’ accounts at risk

Since late 2025, malware has been spreading rapidly through the Steam Workshop, the gaming platform's built-in service for players to create and share custom content. The attackers are primarily targeting gamers in China and Russia, aiming to hijack their accounts. To pull this off, they are...

Argamal: Malware hidden in hentai games

In April 2026, we discovered a new malware campaign targeting players of "hentai" games. Once launched, the infected games install a previously unknown malicious implant on the user's machine. After a few days, the implant downloads and executes a Trojan, resulting in full system compromise and...

Wardriving assessment across Mexico: Preparing for the 2026 World Cup

Introduction Mexico is one of the host countries for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with matches to be played in three major cities: Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara. These locations are expected to see a large influx of international visitors, increasing the potential security risks. Many of...

Containers on fire: from container escapes to supply chain attacks

Introduction Modern infrastructures universally rely on containerization to deploy applications, scale services, and build cloud platforms. The use of Docker, Kubernetes, and similar technologies has become the corporate standard for efficient automation. However, as containers grow in popularity...

What’s in the container? Analyzing vulnerabilities, risks and protection with Kaspersky Container Security and the KIRA AI assistant

Introduction Containerization using Docker has become firmly established in modern development standards, significantly increasing the speed and convenience of deploying various services. Developers often use ready-made Docker images, making only minimal changes. The largest repository of contain...

Pirates in the crosshairs: how one cybercrime gang has been infecting book, movie, and TV show fans for years

Introduction In late April 2026, a client reached out to us for incident response support after discovering a miner running on users' computers. We later discovered that the malware was being distributed via illegal movie and TV show streaming sites. The infection chain leveraged a fake update fo...

Cloud Atlas activity in the second half of 2025 and early 2026: new tools and a new payload

In 2025, we observed pervasive SSH tunnel activity, which has remained active into 2026, affecting many government organizations and commercial companies in Russia and Belarus. Behind some of this activity is Cloud Atlas, a group we have known since 2014. During our investigation, we identified n...

How an image could compromise your Mac: understanding an ExifTool vulnerability (CVE-2026-3102)

Introduction ExifTool is a widely adopted utility for reading and writing metadata in image, PDF, audio, and video files. It is available both as a standalone command-line application and as a library that can be embedded in other software. In this article, we break down CVE-2026-3102, an ExifToo...

IT threat evolution in Q1 2026. Mobile statistics

IT threat evolution in Q1 2026. Mobile statistics IT threat evolution in Q1 2026. Non-mobile statistics In the third quarter of 2025, we updated the methodology for calculating statistical indicators based on the Kaspersky Security Network. These changes affected all sections of the report except...

IT threat evolution in Q1 2026. Non-mobile statistics

IT threat evolution in Q1 2026. Non-mobile statistics IT threat evolution in Q1 2026. Mobile statistics The statistics in this report are based on detection verdicts returned by Kaspersky products unless otherwise stated. The information was provided by Kaspersky users who consented to sharing...

Kimsuky targets organizations with PebbleDash-based tools

Over the past few months, we have conducted an in-depth analysis of specific activity clusters of Kimsuky aka APT43, Ruby Sleet, Black Banshee, Sparkling Pisces, Velvet Chollima, and Springtail, a prolific Korean-speaking threat actor. Our research revealed notable tactical shifts throughout...

State of ransomware in 2026

With International Anti-Ransomware Day taking place on May 12, Kaspersky presents its annual report on the evolving global and regional ransomware cyberthreat landscape. Ransomware remains one of the most persistent and adaptive cyberthreats. In 2026: New families continue to emerge, adopting...

CVE-2025-68670: discovering an RCE vulnerability in xrdp

In addition to KasperskyOS-powered solutions, Kaspersky offers various utility software to streamline business operations. For instance, users of Kaspersky Thin Client, an operating system for thin clients, can also purchase Kaspersky USB Redirector, a module that expands the capabilities of the...

Exploits and vulnerabilities in Q1 2026

During Q1 2026, the exploit kits leveraged by threat actors to target user systems expanded once again, incorporating new exploits for the Microsoft Office platform, as well as Windows and Linux operating systems. In this report, we dive into the statistics on published vulnerabilities and...

OceanLotus suspected of using PyPI to deliver ZiChatBot malware

Introduction Through our daily threat hunting, we noticed that, beginning in July 2025, a series of malicious wheel packages were uploaded to PyPI the Python Package Index. We shared this information with the public security community, and the malware was removed from the repository. We submitted...

Websites with an undefined trust level: avoiding the trap

Executive summary A suspicious website is a web resource that cannot be definitively classified as phishing, but whose activities are unsafe. Such sites manipulate users, tricking them into voluntarily transferring money for non-existent services, signing up for hidden subscriptions, or disclosin...

“Legitimate” phishing: how attackers weaponize Amazon SES to bypass email security

Introduction The primary goal for attackers in a phishing campaign is to bypass email security and trick the potential victim into revealing their data. To achieve this, scammers employ a wide range of tactics, from redirect links to QR codes. Additionally, they heavily rely on legitimate sources...

Silver Fox uses the new ABCDoor backdoor to target organizations in Russia and India

In December 2025, we detected a wave of malicious emails designed to look like official correspondence from the Indian tax service. A few weeks later, in January 2026, a similar campaign began targeting Russian organizations. We have attributed this activity to the Silver Fox threat group. Both...

PhantomRPC: A new privilege escalation technique in Windows RPC

Intro Windows Interprocess Communication IPC is one of the most complex technologies within the Windows operating system. At the core of this ecosystem is the Remote Procedure Call RPC mechanism, which can function as a standalone communication channel or as the underlying transport layer for mor...

FakeWallet crypto stealer spreading through iOS apps in the App Store

In March 2026, we uncovered more than twenty phishing apps in the Apple App Store masquerading as popular crypto wallets. Once launched, these apps redirect users to browser pages designed to look similar to the App Store and distributing trojanized versions of legitimate wallets. The infected ap...

FakeWallet crypto stealer spreading through iOS apps in the App Store

In March 2026, we uncovered more than twenty phishing apps in the Apple App Store masquerading as popular crypto wallets. Once launched, these apps redirect users to browser pages designed to look similar to the App Store and distributing trojanized versions of legitimate wallets. The infected ap...

Threat landscape for industrial automation systems in Q4 2025

Statistics across all threats The percentage of ICS computers on which malicious objects were blocked has been decreasing since the beginning of 2024. In Q4 2025, it was 19.7%. Over the past three years, the percentage has decreased by 1.36 times, and by 1.25 times since Q4 2023. Percentage of IC...

JanelaRAT: a financial threat targeting users in Latin America

Background JanelaRAT is a malware family that takes its name from the Portuguese word "janela" which means "window". JanelaRAT looks for financial and cryptocurrency data from specific banks and financial institutions in the Latin America region. JanelaRAT is a modified variant of BX RAT that has...

The long road to your crypto: ClipBanker and its marathon infection chain

At the start of the year, a certain Trojan caught our eye due to its incredibly long infection chain. In most cases, it kicks off with a web search for "Proxifier". Proxifiers are speciaized software designed to tunnel traffic for programs that do not natively support proxy servers. They are a...

Financial cyberthreats in 2025 and the outlook for 2026

In 2025, the financial cyberthreat landscape continued to evolve. While traditional PC banking malware declined in relative prevalence, this shift was offset by the rapid growth of credential theft by infostealers. Attackers increasingly relied on aggregation and reuse of stolen data, rather than...

A laughing RAT: CrystalX combines spyware, stealer, and prankware features

Introduction In March 2026, we discovered an active campaign promoting previously unknown malware in private Telegram chats. The Trojan was offered as a MaaS malware‑as‑a‑service with three subscription tiers. It caught our attention because of its extensive arsenal of capabilities. On the panel...

An AI gateway designed to steal your data

A significant proportion of cyberincidents are linked to supply chain attacks, and this proportion is constantly growing. Over the past year, we have seen a wide variety of methods used in such attacks, ranging from creation of malicious but seemingly legitimate open-source libraries or delayed...

Coruna: the framework used in Operation Triangulation

Introduction On March 4, 2026, Google and iVerify published reports about a highly sophisticated exploit kit targeting Apple iPhone devices. According to Google, the exploit kit was first discovered in targeted attacks conducted by a customer of an unnamed surveillance vendor. It was later used b...

Anatomy of a Cyber World Global Report 2026

Kaspersky Security Services provide a comprehensive cybersecurity ecosystem, taking enterprise threat protection to another level. Services like Kaspersky Managed Detection and Response and Compromise Assessment allow for timely detection of threats and cyberattacks. SOC Consulting provides a...

The SOC Files: Time to “Sapecar”. Unpacking a new Horabot campaign in Mexico

Introduction In this installment of our SOC Files series, we will walk you through a targeted campaign that our MDR team identified and hunted down a few months ago. It involves a threat known as Horabot , a bundle consisting of an infamous banking Trojan, an email spreader, and a notably complex...

Free real estate: GoPix, the banking Trojan living off your memory

Introduction GoPix is an advanced persistent threat targeting Brazilian financial institutions' customers and cryptocurrency users. It represents an evolved threat targeting internet banking users through memory-only implants and obfuscated PowerShell scripts. It evolved from the RAT and Automate...

BeatBanker: A dual‑mode Android Trojan

Recently, we uncovered BeatBanker, an Android‑based malware campaign targeting Brazil. It spreads primarily through phishing attacks via a website disguised as the Google Play Store. To achieve their goals, the malicious APKs carry multiple components, including a cryptocurrency miner and a banki...

Exploits and vulnerabilities in Q4 2025

The fourth quarter of 2025 went down as one of the most intense periods on record for high-profile, critical vulnerability disclosures, hitting popular libraries and mainstream applications. Several of these vulnerabilities were picked up by attackers and exploited in the wild almost immediately...

Mobile malware evolution in 2025

Starting from the third quarter of 2025, we have updated our statistical methodology based on the Kaspersky Security Network. These changes affect all sections of the report except for the installation package statistics, which remain unchanged. To illustrate trends between reporting periods, we...

Arkanix Stealer: a C++ & Python infostealer

Introduction In October 2025, we discovered a series of forum posts advertising a previously unknown stealer, dubbed "Arkanix Stealer" by its authors. It operated under a MaaS malware-as-a-service model, providing users not only with the implant but also with access to a control panel featuring...

Divide and conquer: how the new Keenadu backdoor exposed links between major Android botnets

In April 2025, we reported on a then-new iteration of the Triada backdoor that had compromised the firmware of counterfeit Android devices sold across major marketplaces. The malware was deployed to the system partitions and hooked into Zygote – the parent process for all Android apps – to infect...

The game is over: when “free” comes at too high a price. What we know about RenEngine

We often describe cases of malware distribution under the guise of game cheats and pirated software. Sometimes such methods are used to spread complex malware that employs advanced techniques and sophisticated infection chains. In February 2026, researchers from Howler Cell announced the discover...

Spam and phishing in 2025

The year in figures 44.99% of all emails sent worldwide and 43.27% of all emails sent in the Russian web segment were spam 32.50% of all spam emails were sent from Russia Kaspersky Mail Anti-Virus blocked 144,722,674 malicious email attachments Our Anti-Phishing system thwarted 554,002,207 attemp...

Stan Ghouls targeting Russia and Uzbekistan with NetSupport RAT

Introduction Stan Ghouls also known as Bloody Wolf is an cybercriminal group that has been launching targeted attacks against organizations in Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan since at least 2023. These attackers primarily have their sights set on the manufacturing, finance, and IT...

The Notepad++ supply chain attack — unnoticed execution chains and new IoCs

UPD 11.02.2026: added recommendations on how to use the Notepad++ supply chain attack rules package in our SIEM system. Introduction On February 2, 2026, the developers of Notepad++, a text editor popular among developers, published a statement claiming that the update infrastructure of Notepad++...

Supply chain attack on eScan antivirus: detecting and remediating malicious updates

UPD 30.01.2026: Added technical details about the attack chain and more IoCs. On January 20, a supply chain attack has occurred, with the infected software being the eScan antivirus developed by the Indian company MicroWorld Technologies. The previously unknown malware was distributed through the...

HoneyMyte updates CoolClient and deploys multiple stealers in recent campaigns

Over the past few years, we've been observing and monitoring the espionage activities of HoneyMyte aka Mustang Panda or Bronze President within Asia and Europe, with the Southeast Asia region being the most affected. The primary targets of most of the group's campaigns were government entities. A...

The HoneyMyte APT evolves with a kernel-mode rootkit and a ToneShell backdoor

Overview of the attacks In mid-2025, we identified a malicious driver file on computer systems in Asia. The driver file is signed with an old, stolen, or leaked digital certificate and registers as a mini-filter driver on infected machines. Its end-goal is to inject a backdoor Trojan into the...

Threat landscape for industrial automation systems in Q3 2025

Statistics across all threats In Q3 2025, the percentage of ICS computers on which malicious objects were blocked decreased from the previous quarter by 0.4 pp to 20.1%. This is the lowest level for the observed period. Percentage of ICS computers on which malicious objects were blocked, Q3 2022–...

Evasive Panda APT poisons DNS requests to deliver MgBot

Introduction The Evasive Panda APT group also known as Bronze Highland, Daggerfly, and StormBamboo has been active since 2012, targeting multiple industries with sophisticated, evolving tactics. Our latest research June 2025 reveals that the attackers conducted highly-targeted campaigns, which...

Assessing SIEM effectiveness

A SIEM is a complex system offering broad and flexible threat detection capabilities. Due to its complexity, its effectiveness heavily depends on how it is configured and what data sources are connected to it. A one-time SIEM setup during implementation is not enough: both the organization's...

From cheats to exploits: Webrat spreading via GitHub

In early 2025, security researchers uncovered a new malware family named Webrat. Initially, the Trojan targeted regular users by disguising itself as cheats for popular games like Rust, Counter-Strike, and Roblox, or as cracked software. In September, the attackers decided to widen their net:...

Cloud Atlas activity in the first half of 2025: what changed

Known since 2014, the Cloud Atlas group targets countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Infections occur via phishing emails containing a malicious document that exploits an old vulnerability in the Microsoft Office Equation Editor process CVE-2018-0802 to download and execute malicious cod...

Yet another DCOM object for lateral movement

Introduction If you're a penetration tester, you know that lateral movement is becoming increasingly difficult, especially in well-defended environments. One common technique for remote command execution has been the use of DCOM objects. Over the years, many different DCOM objects have been...

Operation ForumTroll continues: Russian political scientists targeted using plagiarism reports

Introduction In March 2025, we discovered Operation ForumTroll, a series of sophisticated cyberattacks exploiting the CVE-2025-2783 vulnerability in Google Chrome. We previously detailed the malicious implants used in the operation: the LeetAgent backdoor and the complex spyware Dante, developed ...