Explained: Packer, Crypter, and Protector
In this article, we will try to explain the terms packer, crypter, and protector in the context of how they are used in malware. Bear in mind that no definitions for these categories are set in stone and that they all have overlap and that there are exceptions to the rules. But this is the…
A new approach is needed in the battle against cyber attacks
How do you search for something that’s invisible? An increase in the sophistication of cyber attacks means that it takes an average of 146 days before a corporate hack is discovered. Modern breaches are a mix of chameleonic deception and clever automation, enabling malicious code to be concealed deep inside the corporate network. In the…
Paying for ransomware could cost you more than just the ransom
Ransomware attacks are now incredibly sophisticated and occurring with increasing frequency. In fact, many called 2016 “the year of ransomware,” and for good reason: Trend Micro found there were 752 percent more new ransomware families discovered compared to 2015. With the rise of ransomware, it’s very likely that your business will be affected by one of these attacks in…
Double Agent attack can turn antivirus into malware
A zero-day attack called Double Agent can take over antivirus software on Windows machines and turn it into malware that encrypts files for ransom, exfiltrates data or formats the hard drives. Based on a 15-year-old feature in Windows from XP through Windows 10, the attack is effective against all 14 vendors’ antivirus products tested by…
SMS phishing for the masses
Phishing remains one of the top threats that affects both consumers and businesses thanks to ever evolving tricks. While ‘classic’ phishing emails remain a problem, they can somewhat be thwarted via spam filters, whereas SMS phishing scams are much more difficult to protect against. Case in point, here’s a fraudulent text message purporting to be from RBC, a…
IRS issues new tax scam warnings, FSA tool suspended due to security concerns
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued a new warning to businesses, taxpayers, and tax prep professionals about Phishing scams targeting the sensitive information they work with on a daily basis. Soon after, the IRS and the US Department of Education suspended a tool that helps people obtain financial aid for college. The warning from…
Malicious uploads allowed hijacking of WhatsApp and Telegram accounts
A vulnerability patched in the web-based versions of encrypted communications services WhatsApp and Telegram would have allowed attackers to take over accounts by sending users malicious files masquerading as images or videos. The vulnerability was discovered last week by researchers from Check Point Software Technologies and was patched by the WhatsApp and Telegram developers after…
Cybercriminals Hijack Magento Extension to Steal Card Data
Cybercriminals have been abusing a payment module to steal credit card data from online shops powered by the Magento ecommerce platform, web security firm Sucuri reported on Friday. The targeted module is the Realex Payments Magento extension (SF9), which integrates with the Realex Realauth Remote payment gateway. The Realex Payments extension allows Magento store owners…
Explained: Spora ransomware
Nowadays, ransomware has become the most popular type of malware. Most of the new families are prepared by amateurs (script-kiddies) and they are distributed on a small scale. There are only a few major players on this market that are prepared by professionals. Recently, Spora ransomware joined this set. As we will see, some of the…
DDoS Malware Targets AVTech CGI Vulnerability
A newly discovered Linux malware family is targeting products from surveillance technology company AVTech via a CGI vulnerability that was disclosed in October 2016, Trend Micro researchers warn. Detected as ELF_IMEIJ.A, the malware is the latest in a long list of Trojans targeting Linux ARM devices (such as Mirai, Umbreon rootkit, LuaBot, BashLite, and more)….