malware - SlashGear

SonicSpy malware sneaks into Google Play Store

JC Torres | Aug 14, 2017

There are pros and cons to the way Apple screens apps that go into its App Store and the way Google prefers to rely on automation to preserve the quality and security of Android apps. The latter methods is more efficient and more open to the hundreds of apps submitted to the Google Play Store. Unfortunately, that does mean that some less than innocent apps do slip in through the cracks. Case in point is a family of spyware collectively named “SonicSpy”, which was able to bypass Google’s automated bouncer, allowing infected apps to join the Google Play Store list, potentially infecting unsuspected Android users.

WannaCry Bitcoin trail leads investigators to Swiss exchange

Chris Davies | Aug 4, 2017

Investigators are following the trail of the WannaCry attackers' Bitcoin ransom, with one digital currency asset change service confirming they were used to convert the nefarious funds. The notorious ransomeware took advantage of security loopholes in older versions of Windows to seize control of users' systems, locking up their files until they coughed up $300 or more. That cash, amounting to more than 50 BTC, had been sitting in digital wallets until earlier this week.

WannaCry’s accidental hero arrested for malware past

Eric Abent | Aug 3, 2017

Earlier this year, the WannaCry virus infected computer systems around the world. Most notably, the ransomware was responsible for crippling hospital systems in the UK, but it also spread to countries like Russia, German, Turkey, and Spain before it was brought down. This week, one of the researchers responsible for stopping WannaCry was arrested in Nevada.

WannaCry Bitcoin wallets emptied as $143k ransom moved

Chris Davies | Aug 3, 2017

Bitcoin wallets related to the WannaCry ransomware attacks and stuffed with more than $140,000 worth of the cryptocurrency have been emptied, experts say. The balance of the various accounts, which amounted to 52.2 BTC, was unexpectedly drained overnight. Funds began to mount in early May 2017, as victims of WannaCry coughed up the virtual cash needed to unlock their data.

AdUps Chinese spyware still on Android phones, including Blu

JC Torres | Jul 27, 2017

They say good things never last and bad things last for ages. That seems to be the case with AdUps, a Chinese “technology firm” that was blatantly installing spyware on countless of Android smartphones worldwide. Despite being involved in a scandal that even got the US Homeland Security’s attention, AdUps’ operation continues and its spyware still infects entry-level and budget smartphones, even Blu Product’s own, which was at the heart of that scandal.

Kaspersky Free is the anti-virus no one probably asked for

JC Torres | Jul 26, 2017

It’s 2017 and we are still under constant threat from viruses, even biological ones. In fact, malware has taken on an even darker tone, including strains that have no purpose but to destroy your files, whether you pay a handsome ransom or not. And yet the anti-virus industry isn’t on the rise despite the rise in threats. Sensing a disturbance in the force, Kaspersky, one of the more popular names in the AV market, has finally released a free version of its eponymous software. While free is good, it’s timing is also too good to be true.

Android’s WannaCry “SLocker” source leaks online: Here’s how to avoid it

Chris Burns | Jul 24, 2017

A piece of mobile ransomware that mimics the methods of WannaCry malware has leaked online. The source code for the malicious software has been spilled to the web, allowing this "SLocker" to be downloaded and spread ad infinitum. The source code might also give security experts an easy way to ramp up protection against the malicious code - but the potential costs far outweigh the potential benefits.

CopyCat Android malware enters here: how to avoid its coils

Chris Burns | Jul 7, 2017

Over the past couple of years, the Android-based malware known as CopyCat infected 14-million devices. This monster of a smartphone infection is based in rooting the smartphone, thereby giving it access to the entirety of the device's innards. There's only one known way for CopyCat to make its way into an Android device - installation through a non-Google Play app market.

2017 Petya malware actually irreversibly wipes data

JC Torres | Jun 28, 2017

It smelled like a ransomware and talked like a ransomware but, in fact, it was worse than a ransomware. Although it has been labeled as a strain of a 2016 ransomware, this year's "Petya" malware has been mislabeled. According to cybersecurity outfit Comae Technologies, the so-called Petya.2017 is actually a wiper masquerading as a ransomware, doing irrecoverable damage to data on drives. To add insult to injury, this wiper was specifically designed to look like the first Petya in order to fool media into thinking that it is.

There’s a huge ransomware attack going on: What you need to know

Eric Abent | Jun 27, 2017

As if last month's major malware attack wasn't enough, today we're hearing about large-scale ransomware attack that that is crippling IT systems around the world. While some of the details are a little unclear at this early stage, it's obvious that this is a massive attack. It may even take advantage of the same weaknesses that allowed Wannacry to spread so quickly last month.

This popular app is infected: Chrome-lookalike Magic Browser

Chris Burns | Jun 26, 2017

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 PSA: There’s a huge, unusual security update you need to install

Chris Davies | Jun 13, 2017

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.