Users that've downloaded the app "Magic Browser" at any point in the past should delete the app immediately. This app has been found to contain malware of a simple sort - but terrible nonetheless. This app's malware is especially dangerous not because of what it can do to an average user's phone, but because of how crafty it is in making it's way into the phone - trickery!
Windows XP users are being warned to update their PC, after Microsoft spotted "elevated risk" of cyberattacks from WannaCrypt-style malware. The update, which is being pushed out today as part of the company's regular Update Tuesday service, is unusual, because officially Windows XP falls outside of the currently active operating systems that Microsoft supports. In fact, Microsoft put Windows XP out to pasture back in April 2014.
As if it weren't already difficult enough to steer clear of suspicious downloaded programs, some hackers have managed to infiltrate even legitimate sources of software to turn them into sources of malware. That was the case last week when it was discovered that HandBrake, a popular open source DVD-ripping and transcoding program, was carrying and installing the OSX.Proton malware through no fault of HandBrake itself. It's all because someone managed to hack HandBrake's website and replace a legit copy of the program with an infected one.
These days, it's no surprise when a new type of malware turns up to exploit and abuse users, but a recently discovered variant of ransomware is something else entirely. Instead of holding someone's files for ransom until a payment is made to hackers, "Rensenware" requires that users play a punishing video game and reach a high score in order to get their data back.
The Washington DC police department has revealed that a large percentage of its CCTV cameras were taken offline in a ransomware attack. The security breach was discovered earlier in the month, and it left a number of cameras unable to record as the police department worked to remove the ransomware.
![Beware the Meitu photo filter app – it just stole your phone’s ID [UPDATE]](https://c.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/meitu_warning.jpg)
It's time to uninstall Meitu, the photo app masses of users downloaded over the past week to make their selfies look wacky. This app was found today to be sending IMEI numbers to several China-based digital locations. That alone isn't enough to do a whole lot, but given the massive amount of permissions the app seeks (and is granted) when it's installed, the app has effectively given someone in China the ability to take control of the phone it's installed on. In other words - uninstall Meitu (and any apps made by the same company) IMMEDIATELY and consider changing all passwords of apps and accounts associated with your smartphone.
Malware by the name of ADUPS has been discovered this week that the most recent version of the Barnes & Noble NOOK tablet. This is a device available for sale from Barnes & Noble currently, and the device works with ADUPS inside when first taken out of its box. Whatever you do, gift receiver on the eve or morn of your favorite holiday, do not connect that NOOK to the internet and start signing in to accounts - hold off!
![ZTE, Lenovo, Archos dragged into BLU’s AdUps scandal [UPDATE]](https://c.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/adups-800x420.jpg)
Warranted or not, Chinese companies have had the misfortune of being associated with shady business practices and espionage. That has recently come to a rather sour turn when that situation directly reached US shores via Florida-based mobile device maker BLU Products. It seems, however, that the extent of the AdUps spyware is more far-reaching than initially thought. According to a report from mobile security outfit Trustlook, AdUps’ list of customers also includes some rather known brands like ZTE, Lenovo, MediaTek, and even France-based Archos.
Last week it was reported that AirDroid, the popular app that allows Android users to read/send messages and remotely access files on their device from a PC/Mac, has been plagued with several security holes over the last several months. Security research firm Zimperium detailed how hackers could easily gain access to users' information and Android device. Fortunately that news spurred AirDroid's developers to take action, as fixes are now available for both the mobile app and PC/Mac clients.
The year is about to end but one of the most potentially harmful Android malware has just started to take flight. If 2015 had its Stagefright exploit, 2016 might be remembered for the Gooligan malware, a portmanteau of “Google” and “hooligan”. The malware attacks may have already been in operation since summer and has already installed 30,000 infected apps per day, compromising 13,000 devices daily, and putting more than 1 million Google accounts in danger of being hijacked and their data stolen.
Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, or even “professional” ones like LinkedIn have become so ingrained in our modern lifestyles that we sometimes take for granted that they aren’t really as secure as real-world, physical social circles. That is a fact that cybercriminals seem to be trying to exploit, taking advantage of users’ propensity to just click on images and files downloaded from social hubs. Unsurprisingly, those images might contain or are themselves malware in disguise, ready to hold users’ data for ransom.
The widespread internet outage that affected a number of the US's biggest websites on Friday was the result of a huge distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack on Dyn, a domain name registration provider. Now security expert Brian Krebs, of Krebs on Security, has reported that the attack was carried out through the use of a botnet using the Mirai malware, which made use of a wide range of compromised IoT (Internet of Things) devices.
