Search: “Malwarebytes for Windows”

24 stories in the last 30d

Malwarebytes details its migration of Windows product managed components to .NET 10, citing security, supportability, diagnostics, and performance benefits.

Malwarebytes says it migrated the managed portions of Malwarebytes for Windows to .NET 10 while leaving native drivers and the detection engine untouched. The vendor cites a supported runtime, safer defaults, stronger cryptography, better diagnostics, and JIT/GC performance improvements as benefits. The migration also deprecated Windows 7 support, and the company applies staged rollouts and automated validation because its code runs with elevated privileges on millions of endpoints. No vulnerabilities or incidents are described.

Malwarebytes LabsSep 4, 17:15 UTC · 11d agoIndustry1

AI helps scammers build convincing antivirus renewal pages

Malwarebytes found scammers using AI to build polished fake antivirus renewal pages impersonating Avast, harvesting names, emails and phone numbers for follow-up fraud calls.

Malwarebytes analyzed a fake Avast renewal site targeting Belgian users in French, claiming a €129.99 Avast Premium Security renewal and collecting name, email address and Belgian mobile number through a cancellation form. Leftover code comments written in polite French and other stylistic clues suggest the page was generated with AI assistance, and the form was never connected to send data anywhere. The scam typically progresses to phone calls pressuring victims to install remote access software, and AI substantially lowers the barrier for producing polished, localized scam pages at scale.

Malwarebytes Labs08:41 UTC · 4h agoPhishing & fraud

Search results are sending people to fake Bitrefill checkouts

Scam sites impersonating Bitrefill's crypto checkout appear in search results, tricking victims into sending up to $1,990 in crypto directly to scammers.

Malwarebytes documents a cluster of lookalike domains copying Bitrefill's gift card checkout, surfaced via search engine results rather than email. Victims choose an amount up to $1,990 and pay in Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDC, USDT, Solana, or Litecoin to scammer-controlled addresses, with no recourse since crypto payments are irreversible. Domains use typosquatting and Punycode/IDN homoglyph tricks, and the fake sites run commercial analytics software to measure and optimize victim conversion. Bitrefill's security team is working with takedown specialists to remove the sites.

Malwarebytes LabsSep 15, 08:40 UTC · 1d agoPhishing & fraud

ThreatsDay: 296K IoT Botnet, 100+ Water Systems Targeted, SharePoint RCE Chain + 27 New Stories

Weekly ThreatsDay bulletin details a ShinyHunters-style social engineering hit on ReliaQuest, the 296,000-device Dysphoria IoT botnet, and several new malware families.

ReliaQuest confirmed a social engineering attack on August 22, 2026, in which an attacker used a fake SSO page and MFA push approval to gain brief view-only access to an identity dashboard, with tactics matching ShinyHunters, which has since listed the firm on its leak portal. The Shadowserver Foundation reported the Dysphoria botnet has compromised nearly 296,000 IoT devices for DDoS attacks and recently added residential proxy capability. Cisco Talos documented JWR, an operator-driven phishing-as-a-service framework linked to The Outsider that harvests credentials, identity documents, and 2FA codes over an encrypted WebSocket. New malware coverage includes the Octagon Android fraud bot ($1,400/month), the C2Looper Rust backdoor delivered via ClickFix, and the Aeternum loader that moved C2 to the Polygon blockchain.

The Hacker NewsSep 1, 17:35 UTC · 14d agoMalware in the wild

The 12 Best Antivirus (Endpoint Protection) Software for Business, Compared and Priced

GBHackers compares 12 business antivirus products on detection, EDR depth, pricing, and platform coverage, ranking CrowdStrike and Bitdefender joint top at 8.8.

The roundup scores 12 enterprise endpoint protection vendors across detection, EDR depth, management, pricing transparency, and platform coverage. CrowdStrike and Bitdefender tie at 8.8, with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint scoring 8.5 and noted as effectively free for Microsoft 365 E5 licensees. The piece also flags that Kaspersky cannot legally be sold in the US and that Panda and Webroot now sit under WatchGuard and OpenText respectively.

GBHackersSep 8, 10:24 UTC · 8d agoIndustry 2 sources1

Rogue ScreenConnect Installations Across Unrelated Hosts Suggest Worm-Like Activity

Huntress observed rogue ScreenConnect deployments with worm-like VBScript propagation across unrelated organizations, prompting a ConnectWise advisory on file transfer behavior.

Huntress identified multiple incidents in late August 2026 where social engineering led to rogue ScreenConnect remote access clients deployed on victim machines, which then spawned wscript.exe to run four VBScript payloads (1.vbs through 4.vbs) for profiling, telemetry collection, and persistence via a WindowsServiceHost Run key. Modified ScreenConnect clients propagated the VBScript chain to connected endpoints, creating worm-like spread. ConnectWise published an advisory on September 3, 2026, confirming an issue affecting file transfer behavior in both cloud and on-premises ScreenConnect deployments, with a CVE and fix expected within the week; partners were advised to review and disable TransferFiles permissions in the interim.

HuntressSep 3, 08:50 UTC · 13d agoExploit / PoC in the wild1

Revolut gave customer IDs and financial data to a government impostor

Revolut handed customer IDs, selfies, and financial records to criminals using a legitimate government agency email domain.

Revolut acknowledged disclosing sensitive customer records after accepting fraudulent information requests sent from an email address on a legitimate government agency domain, describing it as an external impersonation scam rather than a system intrusion. The London-based fintech, which serves more than 80 million customers globally, says customer funds were not affected and only a 'very limited' number of customers were impacted. Disclosed data includes identity and contact information, copies of passports and driver's licenses, verification selfies, account statements, and transaction histories. Revolut blocked the sending address and notified the relevant agency, law enforcement, data protection authorities, and financial regulators.

Malwarebytes LabsSep 14, 11:15 UTC · 2d agoData breach

12 Best Ransomware Protection Solutions Compared (2026): Features & Pricing

GBHackers compares 12 ransomware protection solutions for 2026, recommending layered stacks of EDR prevention, managed detection, containment, and guaranteed recovery.

The editorial comparison argues no single product stops ransomware, recommending a layered strategy across prevention, early detection, blast-radius containment, and clean recovery. CrowdStrike and SentinelOne are named best-in-class EDR, Huntress and Sophos MDR for managed 24/7 coverage, ColorTokens for microsegmentation containment, and Rubrik and Acronis for guaranteed recovery. The guide notes ransomware is now professionalized with double extortion and encryption sprints measured in minutes.

GBHackersupdated 09:52 UTC · 3h agofirst Sep 11, 07:18 UTC · 5d agoIndustry 13 sources1

153M+ driver’s licenses for sale on new dark web platform

New dark web platform Nexus is selling 153 million driver's license scans; FBI investigates apparent breach of IDScan.net.

A dark web platform called Nexus claims to sell more than 153 million driver's license scans, 10 million ID cards, 3 million travel documents, and 579,000 medical cards including marijuana dispensary cards. KrebsOnSecurity linked the trove to identity verification provider IDScan.net, with records reportedly containing front-and-back images plus infrared and ultraviolet scans and timestamps matching holders' travel or car-rental activity. The FBI's New Orleans field office opened an investigation into the apparent breach; IDScan.net says it is investigating.

Malwarebytes LabsSep 2, 10:03 UTC · 14d agoData breach

The 12 Best Antivirus Software for Mac, Compared and Priced

GBHackers ranks 12 Mac antivirus products, naming Bitdefender best overall and noting Gen Digital owns Norton, Avast, and Avira.

GBHackers scored twelve Mac antivirus products, ranking Bitdefender first at 8.8/10, followed by Intego, Malwarebytes, and ESET. The piece highlights that Gen Digital owns Norton, Avast, and Avira following the NortonLifeLock-Avast merger, so three of the twelve options share one corporate owner. It advises comparing year-two renewal prices rather than discounted first-year pricing and notes macOS already ships XProtect, Gatekeeper, and automatic malware removal. The 2026 Mac threat model described is infostealers harvesting passwords, cookies, and wallets via cracked software, fake installers, and malicious search ads.

GBHackersSep 9, 07:39 UTC · 7d agoIndustry 2 sources

Iran-Linked Hackers Use Fake LinkedIn Job Offers to Deploy NodeRabbit and PollCat RATs

Iran-linked Mirage Kitten targets software engineers with fake LinkedIn recruiter coding tests deploying new NodeRabbit and PollCat RATs.

Kaspersky researchers link the campaign to Mirage Kitten (also tracked as UNC1549, Smoke Sandstorm, Nimbus Manticore), with victims in aviation, aerospace and fintech in Egypt, Ethiopia and Afghanistan. Trojanized npm dependencies (colorized_terminal, pretty-log) bundled in coding-challenge archives launch the Node.js implants across Windows, Linux and macOS. NodeRabbit uses AES-256-GCM-encrypted C2 via Azure, and its third variant persists through a fake GitHub Copilot Helper VS Code extension plus Git post-merge/post-checkout hooks. PollCat is an obfuscated JavaScript RAT that registers with C2 before OTP authentication and inventories tools from 24 security vendors.

GBHackersupdated Sep 9, 14:07 UTC · 6d agofirst Sep 9, 12:52 UTC · 7d agoThreat actor in the wild 2 sources1

ThreatsDay: GhostJacking AI Attacks, EtherHiding ClickFix, Cursor CLI Flaw + 17 More Stories

A weekly bulletin aggregating short security updates, including the City-Forum data-theft campaign, a ShipMonk breach, a Cursor CLI flaw, and GhostJacking AI attacks.

The Hacker News ThreatsDay Bulletin bundles roughly 20 short updates across cloud services, AI tools, malware, breaches, and scams. Highlights include the City-Forum campaign pulling data from unauthenticated guest access in Salesforce Experience Cloud and ServiceNow Service Portals since March 2025, and a ShipMonk breach exposing Trezor customer order data for orders in seven countries between May 10 and August 8, 2026. Other items cover a patched Cursor CLI flaw that let cloned repositories run commands before the workspace-trust prompt, Okta's analysis of the Work Panel vishing console used by actors like UNC6671, and GhostJacking AI agent hijacking via a patched Claude Desktop sandbox escape. Meta also launched an on-device WhatsApp Scam Alert machine learning model that keeps message content on the device.

The Hacker NewsAug 18, 16:30 UTC · 28d agoIndustry

Iranian Hackers Pose as Recruiters to Deliver Cross

Kaspersky attributes new cross-platform RATs NodeRabbit and PollCat to Iranian group Nimbus Manticore, spread via recruiter-themed LinkedIn lures.

Kaspersky links two previously undocumented malware families, NodeRabbit (Node.js) and PollCat (obfuscated JavaScript), to the Iranian threat actor Nimbus Manticore, also known as Iranian Dream Job. Victims in Afghanistan, Egypt, and Ethiopia received trojanized coding challenge archives containing fake npm packages (colorized_terminal, pretty-log) that silently launched the RATs as background processes. NodeRabbit contacts Azure-hosted C2 servers via checkin, task, and result API endpoints and supports 11 commands including shell execution, file operations, and network enumeration. Persistence is platform-specific: Windows Run keys or scheduled tasks, Linux cron entries, and macOS launch agents, impersonating Microsoft Edge updates or Intel's Driver & Support Assistant.

The Hacker NewsSep 2, 10:20 UTC · 14d agoThreat actor

ClearFake WebDAV infection chain delivers Amatera stealer, ZigCryptoStealer, and NetSupport Manager

Cisco Talos details ClearFake WebDAV chains delivering Amatera stealer to a Ukrainian government organization, with cryptocurrency and credential theft payloads.

Cisco Talos investigated DLL executions named 'verification.google' via WebDAV UNC paths at a Ukrainian government organization, tracking the actor as UAT-10820 and assessing with moderate confidence the activity is Russian and opportunistic rather than targeted. The infection chain uses ClearFake JavaScript injected via a Cloudflare Worker, EtherHiding storage on BNB Smart Chain contracts, and a ClickFix fake Google CAPTCHA prompt to deliver Amatera stealer. Secondary payloads differ by C2: one loader deploys ZigCryptoStealer with a Go reverse TCP proxy and a vulnerable driver that kills EDR, while the other installs an unauthorized NetSupport Manager with a Russia-based C2. Similar Amatera chains were separately documented by Malwarebytes and Blackpoint Cyber, but with no shared infrastructure.

Cisco TalosSep 8, 10:01 UTC · 8d agoMalware in the wild1

HBO Max’s verified Reddit account hijacked to spread malware

Cybercriminals hijacked HBO Max's verified Reddit account to run 108 ClickFix ads pushing AMOS and Amatera infostealers via fake HBO app sites.

Hudson Rock found that hijackers used HBO Max's verified Reddit account to run 108 malicious ads over roughly 48 hours promoting fake AI tools and macOS utilities. The ads led to HBO lookalike sites instructing victims to paste commands into Terminal or PowerShell, a ClickFix social-engineering technique ADAMnetworks dubbed PasteSwitch. macOS payloads included MacSync and AMOS infostealers targeting browser credentials, Telegram data, Apple Notes, passwords, and crypto recovery phrases; Windows users received the in-memory Amatera infostealer. The operation is also linked to cryptocurrency clipboard hijackers, and Reddit admins paused the ads and opened an investigation.

Malwarebytes LabsSep 15, 11:51 UTC · 1d agoMalware in the wild 7 sources1

Microsoft fixes record 964 flaws, including 2 exploited zero-days

Microsoft's September Patch Tuesday fixes a record 964 CVEs, including two actively exploited Windows privilege-escalation zero-days, CVE-2026-81963 and CVE-2026-85880.

Microsoft's September 2026 Patch Tuesday addresses 964 customer-patchable CVEs (104 Critical, 860 Important), the largest release on record, out of 974 total listed. Two actively exploited zero-days are fixed: CVE-2026-81963, a link-following elevation-of-privilege flaw in the Windows Update Stack, and CVE-2026-85880, a Windows ALPC heap overflow enabling AppContainer sandbox escape, both with CVSS 7.8. Both zero-days were exploited before a patch was available and grant SYSTEM-level access after an initial foothold. The release also includes high-severity RCE fixes for Windows DNS Server, Remote Desktop Services, Exchange Server, SharePoint, and SQL Server.

Malwarebytes LabsSep 9, 10:01 UTC · 7d agoExploit / PoC in the wildCVE-2026-81963 CVE-2026-858801

H1 2026 Malware Vulnerability Trends

Recorded Future's H1 2026 report finds 215 actively exploited CVEs, RAT dominance, NFC payment fraud, and AI-augmented but not autonomous tradecraft.

Recorded Future's Insikt Group identified 215 actively exploited CVEs in H1 2026, up 34% from 161 in H1 2025, with the most impactful flaws combining network reachability, no authentication, and code execution. AsyncRAT was the top malware family, with AsyncRAT, Cobalt Strike, XWorm, Stealc, and REMCOS remaining top-ten staples; Android NFC malware like NFCShare and NGate enabled payment card theft and ATM cash-outs. AI-enabled attacks remained additive to established tradecraft, concentrated in Levels 1-3 of Recorded Future's AIM3 maturity model, with AI-assisted vulnerability research (e.g., Claude Mythos fixing 271 Firefox bugs in Firefox 150) inflating NVD disclosure volumes 43% above the prior six-month average. The report urges defenders to prioritize remotely exploitable RCE flaws, behavioral detection, developer credential security, and third-party oversight.

Recorded FutureSep 3, 00:00 UTC · 13d agoThreat actor in the wild1

Google’s New Search Redirects Make It Harder to Check Where Links Lead Before Clicking

Malwarebytes reports Google's new encoded google.com/goto?url= redirects break hover-preview link checking, weakening a common phishing defense.

Google now routes some search results through opaque google.com/goto?url= redirects using custom encoding, so browser link previews no longer reveal the true destination, only the claimed label above the result. Malwarebytes found the final destination is visible only in the redirect response's Location header, complicating hover-based safety checks as well as scraping, archiving, and audit tools. The change arrives amid malvertising, search-result poisoning, and fake installer campaigns like the recent Node.js infostealer lure. Google says it deploys measures against evolving abuse but did not explain the change.

Cyber Security NewsSep 15, 12:21 UTC · 1d agoResearch

Rogue ScreenConnect Clients Spread Four-Stage VBScript Chain to Newly Connected Hosts

Huntress says rogue ScreenConnect clients spread a four-stage VBScript chain delivering backdoors, privilege-escalation tools, or an XMRig miner to newly connected hosts.

Huntress identified three unrelated August 2026 incidents using a Quick Assist tech-support scam, a phishing-delivered MSI installer, and a fake Geek Squad refund form to install rogue ScreenConnect clients. Each client repeatedly spawned wscript.exe to run 1.vbs through 4.vbs, which profiled the host, enumerated installed security products, and downloaded stage-specific payloads from Dropbox. Depending on detected state, payloads included a user-level ScreenConnect backdoor, UAC-bypass privilege escalation tooling, or tunneling utilities with an XMRig cryptocurrency miner. Infected clients re-infected newly connected hosts, creating worm-like propagation, and ConnectWise issued an advisory about affected file transfer behavior in ScreenConnect.

The Hacker NewsSep 7, 11:36 UTC · 9d agoMalware in the wild

BlueMoon exploit kit turns Chrome and Windows flaws into attacks

Proofpoint documents BlueMoon exploit kit used by four espionage groups to chain Chrome V8 and Windows flaws via phishing, all now in CISA's KEV.

Proofpoint identified a shared Chrome and Windows exploit kit, BlueMoon, used by four espionage groups against Chrome on Windows within days of one another. Attacks began with phishing emails leading to web pages that exploited two Chrome V8 vulnerabilities, followed by a Windows flaw to escape browser protections and gain higher privileges. The Chrome flaws were patched in Stable on September 3 and 8, 2026, the Windows flaw was fixed in September Patch Tuesday, and all three were actively exploited and added to CISA's KEV catalog. Researchers found clues, but no conclusive evidence, that the kit was developed with AI assistance.

Malwarebytes Labsupdated Sep 15, 10:17 UTC · 1d agofirst Sep 10, 15:49 UTC · 5d agoExploit / PoC in the wild 20 sources1

Two critical Chrome flaws put users at risk on malicious websites

Google patched 26 Chrome flaws, including two critical use-after-frees and an actively exploited V8 sandbox escape (CVE-2026-85046); update to 152.0.7977.82/.83.

Chrome's desktop update fixes 26 security issues, including critical use-after-free flaws CVE-2026-84353 in Shared Tab Groups and CVE-2026-84352 in WebGL, both allowing code execution outside the browser sandbox via crafted HTML pages. Google subsequently patched CVE-2026-85046, a high-severity V8 JavaScript engine flaw with exploits already in the wild that enables arbitrary code execution inside the Chrome sandbox; HKCERT rates the overall risk as extremely high. Fixed versions are 152.0.7977.82/.83 on Windows and Mac and 152.0.7977.82 on Linux.

Malwarebytes LabsSep 2, 11:15 UTC · 14d agoExploit / PoC in the wildCVE-2026-84352 CVE-2026-84353 CVE-2026-850461

Update Chrome now to protect against an actively exploited vulnerability

Google shipped Chrome 153.0.8010.36/.37 fixing 230 flaws including actively exploited V8 out-of-bounds write CVE-2026-87491 enabling sandboxed code execution.

Chrome stable channel updated to 153.0.8010.36/.37 for Windows and Mac and 153.0.8010.36 for Linux, including 230 security fixes. CVE-2026-87491 is an out-of-bounds write in Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine that a crafted HTML page can exploit to execute arbitrary code inside the browser sandbox; Google rates it medium severity, but it is confirmed as actively exploited. The update also fixes five Critical vulnerabilities, four of which were found in WebGL. Users should update via Settings > About Chrome and restart the browser.

Malwarebytes LabsSep 10, 10:52 UTC · 6d agoExploit / PoC in the wild 2 sources CVE-2026-874911

Your phone or computer may soon ask how old you are

California's Digital Age Assurance Act forces Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android to collect age brackets from January 2027, with open-source exemptions pending.

California's Digital Age Assurance Act, signed in October 2025, requires major operating systems to collect user age brackets (under 13, 13-15, 16-17, 18+) and share non-identifying age signals with app developers starting January 1, 2027, with existing setups complying by July 1, 2027. AB1856, passed in late August 2026, would exempt open-source operating systems under GPL, MIT, BSD, and Apache licenses and awaits the governor's signature. Colorado, Illinois, and New York have similar age assurance measures, and the EFF has criticized the law for privacy and censorship concerns.

Malwarebytes LabsSep 3, 08:54 UTC · 13d agoPolicy & legal