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Credit to Author: msft-mmpc| Date: Fri, 03 Mar 2017 05:39:41 +0000
The cornerstone of tech support scams is the deception that there is something wrong with your PC. To advance this sham, tech support scams have long abused browsers’ full screen function. Coupled with dialogue loops, the pop-up messages that just won’t go away, and the spoofing of brands like Microsoft, tech support scam websites can…
Read MoreCredit to Author: msft-mmpc| Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2017 22:45:06 +0000
In September 2016, we started adding to Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) a malware suite of browser modifiers and other Trojans installed by software bundlers. We documented how the malware in this group install other malware or applications silently, without your consent. This behavior ticks boxes in the evaluation criteria that Microsoft Malware Protection…
Read MoreCredit to Author: msft-mmpc| Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2017 21:56:15 +0000
The volume of ransomware encounters is on a downward trend. Are we seeing the beginning of the end of this vicious threat? Unfortunately, a look at the attack vectors, the number of unique families released into the wild, and the improvements in malware code reveals otherwise. Ransomware was arguably the biggest security story of 2016….
Read MoreCybercriminals are using a combination of improved script and well-maintained download sites in trying to install Locky and Kovter on more computers. A few months ago, we reported an email campaign distributing .lnk files with a malicious script that downloaded Locky ransomware on target computers. Opening the malicious .lnk files executed a PowerShell script that…
Read MoreMicrosoft security researchers continue to observe ransomware campaigns blanketing the market and indiscriminately hitting potential targets. Unsurprisingly, these campaigns also continue to use email and the web as primary delivery mechanisms. Also, it appears that most corporate victims are simply caught by the wide nets cast by ransomware operators. Unlike cyberespionage groups, ransomware operators do…
Read MoreThe Gmail phishing attack is reportedly so effective that it tricks even technical users, but it may be just the tip of the iceberg. We’re seeing similarly simple but clever social engineering tactics using PDF attachments. These deceitful PDF attachments are being used in email phishing attacks that attempt to steal your email credentials. Apparently, the…
Read MoreDespite the disruption of Axpergle (Angler), which dominated the landscape in early 2016, exploit kits as a whole continued to be a threat to PCs running unpatched software. Some of the most prominent threats, from malvertising to ransomware, used exploit kits to infect millions of computers worldwide in 2016. The prevalence of exploit kits as an…
Read MoreAs everybody else winds down for the holidays, the cybercriminals behind Cerber are busy ramping up their operations. Following our discovery of a spam campaign that takes advantage of holiday shopping, we found two new campaigns that continue distributing the latest variants of Cerber ransomware. These campaigns are the latest in a series of persistent cybercriminal…
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