Items tagged with Malware
Official app stores are supposed to be safe havens for mobile users to download and install programs and games without fear of mucking up their smartphones and tablets. Unfortunately that is not always the case. Researchers at veteran security outfit Check Point, makers of the popular ZoneAlarm personal firewall...
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Despite Google's best efforts to protect its users who download apps from its Play Store, some malware inevitably slips through the cracks. While it might be easy to assume that most of that malware is found in obscure software that people shouldn't be downloading anyway, this latest case is proof that if malware does...
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The latest bombshell to come out of WikiLeaks’ Vault7 series of leaks from the CIA, exposes a tool codenamed “Grasshopper”, which allows operatives to deploy persistent surveillance and hacking payloads on target Windows-based computer systems and remain undetected from popular anti-malware and anti-virus...
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There are lots of obvious examples of how IoT (Internet of Things) connected and smart devices can enrich our lives. However, as we've noted numerous times over the past year, there are a number of caveats that can also come with them. The glaring issue of course has to do with security, or the lack of it really. And...
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It is pretty well known that Android devices are often the target of malware outbreaks due to the open nature of the software platform and also because it is by far the most prolific mobile operating system in use around the globe. In most cases, this malware finds its way onto a device after it is in the hands of its...
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It’s no secret the Epic founder Tim Sweeney hates Microsoft’s Universal Windows Platform (UWP), which he has made clear on many occasions. UWP, which in essence is a replacement for the venerable Win32 API, is increasingly being used for Windows games, and is the only way to distribute gamers through the Windows...
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A full-blown Skynet situation might be the thing of science fiction (we hope, anyway), but that doesn't mean bizarre things involving machines can't happen. As proof of this, Verizon teased an entry in its upcoming 2017 Data Breach Digest that describes a recent DDoS attack on an unnamed university involving vending...
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For what we're sure are obvious reasons, Google has long blocked certain types of attachments from being sent through its Gmail service. Those include .bat (Windows Batch), .exe (Windows executable), and .msc (Microsoft Management Console). Soon, .js (JavaScript) will be joining the prohibited ranks.
This is the...
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It appears that the first Mac malware discovery of 2017 belongs to "Quimitchin", a strange little find that targets, of all things, scientific research. The "strange" part of the malware comes from the fact that it features system calls that have long been deprecated, or at least haven't been relevant for quite some...
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As if hackers do not already have an easy enough time duping Internet users into forking over personal information, it turns out that browser autofill profiles may be helping them out when they're supposed to be making things more convenient for the person who inputted his information. By implementing hidden fields on...
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With a name like 'KillDisk', it's not hard to imagine what the malware it represents sets out to accomplish. Add on a good helping of ransomware, and KillDisk becomes the kind of malware that can give people nightmares, and not to mention a lot of undue stress.
In the past, KillDisk malware has infected computers...
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Malware writers continue to find ways to make themselves out to be bigger scumbags than they already are. The latest dirty trick by the worst the web has to offer is a new twist on ransomware. Instead of simply encrypting the files on an infected PC and demanding a ransom in order to decrypt them, a variant called...
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If you currently are in possession of a Google account (and who isn’t these days), you might want to pay close attention to the findings of researchers at Check Point. According to Check Point, new malware is making the rounds under the name Gooligan.
Gooligan’s main attack vector is through Android-based...
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It's been quite some time since malware-laden images have been a major security issue, but the risk is still out there. The attack vector has been exploited recently through a couple of leading social networks: Facebook and LinkedIn.
The attack, named "ImageGate" by researchers at Check Point, takes advantage of...
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A cloud security outfit is warning that a new ransomware strain called Stampado has emerged from the underground market and is wreaking havoc on systems. What makes Stampado stand out from the crowd is that it is available on the dark web for only $39 with a full lifetime license. That makes it one of the least...
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When services are provided for free, it's important to evaluate whether or not there's a major caveat that comes along with it. According to an investigation by CBS News, the free "PC Health" checkup provided by Office Depot carries a big one: you could be encouraged to shell out money to fix a nonexistent...
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Google has a message for webmasters serving up malware and it goes something like this: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Going forward, Google is plugging what it calls a "gap" in its online protection scheme that allowed sites serving up malicious content to become repeat offenders without much...
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Getting hit with ransomware, a form of malware that encrypts your files and holds them hostage until you pay the hacker responsible to decrypt them, is no laughing matter, at least if you're the victim. But for cyber crooks becoming ever more brazen, the temptation to taunt victims and security researchers is...
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What do you usually find in your mailbox? Love letters? Bills? People in Victoria, Australia are finding malware-laden USB drives in their mailboxes, or “letterboxes” as they are called down under.
The Victoria police warned citizens about the malicious USB drives, stating, “The USB drives are believed to be...
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If you operate a Web server that runs on Linux, we're here to give you a bit of a prod in case you haven't updated it in a while. A piece of ransomware called FairWare is floating around, and as you'll soon see, its name is ironic as it's anything but "fair".
Reports are coming in of users who have been struck with...
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A security researcher for AVG has discovered a new piece of ransomware called Fantom that masquerades as a critical Windows update. Victims who fall for the ruse will see a Windows screen acting like it's installing the update, but what's really happening is that the user's documents and files are being encrypted in...
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It seems like we have had to report on some major new hack or threat every week as of late. Black-Hat Hackers are becoming more sophisticated, while their wares are becoming more diverse and complicated. One of the latest pieces of malware, the nasty Rex Linux Trojan, packs in DDoS attacks, ransomware, and a Bitcoin...
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