A new malware, an old flaw, and social media as a weapon | Avast
Smoke Loader chokes Windows in a new way
Tag Archives: Security News
Do you expect more from your browser? | Avast
What do you want from your browser? These days, we all spend more time online than ever before, so it’s not a bad idea to take a closer look at the tools we use to surf the web. In today’s digital world of large-scale cybercrime, weekly ransomware attacks, and nonstop phishing, it’s time to upgrade these magic windows to the web with some more relevant and timely features. That’s why we created Avast Secure Browser — everything you need to surf online safely in this new and sophisticated technological age.
Data breaches, Fortnite flim-flam, and a whammy of a cyberattack | Avast
Data breach #1: Ticketmaster UK
On Wednesday, Ticketmaster UK alerted customers their data may have been stolen due to malware found in one of its customer support products. The infected product, hosted by third-party supplier Inbenta Technologies, wa…
Stay a Step Ahead of Today’s Bigger, Badder Cyberthreats | Avast
Cyberthreats and attacks have been a negative side effect of our computer age for more than three decades. The first viruses or worms were less harmful, designed to slow a system down or annoy other users. Some even say the first viruses were designed …
Three new threats at large and one thrown behind bars | Avast
SamSam ransomware is back with a surprising addition
The ransomware strain that locked up the city of Atlanta in March of this year has returned, cybersecurity experts report, but with one mysterious addition. This new variant of the most infamous ran…
Major Microsoft fixes and risky Android devices | Avast
Microsoft fixes 50 flaws for Windows, Adobe, Spectre, and more
Microsoft packed a lot into its Patch Tuesday updates this week, providing 50 fixes for vulnerabilities covering everything from the Windows OS, Internet Explorer, and Microsoft Office to …
How to fight sophisticated cybercrime | Avast
As all the pieces of our cyberworld — personal laptops, business desktops, smartphones, digital assistants, TVs, appliances — grow more connected, they also make us more vulnerable to cyberattacks. Both on the individual and corporate levels, cyberattacks have become big business, which in turn has made cybersecurity big business as well. The research firm Gartner estimates that $96 billion will be spent on global information security in 2018, an 8% increase from 2017.
Travel site phishing scam and genealogy site data breach | Avast
Booking.com users get phished
Some unfortunate travelers had their thirst for adventure rewarded with a steaming mug of scam. Users of the popular travel-booking site booking.com received bogus texts directing them to change their passwords “due to a security breach.” A malicious link in the text, if clicked, gave the phishers access to that user’s bookings. A second text then capitalized on the booking data by demanding bank info to “process payment” for the user’s specific trip. Booking.com is part of the hospitality magnate that includes priceline.com, kayak.com, and opentable.com. A spokesperson for the site states their system was not compromised, pointing to select hotel partners as the attack victims. The company claims all impacted guests have been notified and that any damages will be compensated.
Routers at risk, Canadian chaos, and a Hidden Cobra | Avast
FBI advises Americans to reset their routers
Last week, we reported how the FBI had seized a key domain to the botnet VPNFilter. That story continued yesterday when the Bureau publicly asked all US residents to reboot their routers. The advice comes with the knowledge that while VPNFilter can take control of a router, part of the malware can be easily kicked off the system with a simple reboot — turning the device off for a moment. This renders the malicious program harmless, though the router can be reinfected. To prevent that, users are also advised to make sure the router’s security is fully up to date and the password has been changed from the default to a suitably complex one. The malware attacks many kinds of routers, most notably Linksys, MikroTik, Netgear, and TP-Link. Each of those companies have posted further detailed instructions to combat VPNFilter on their websites.
Don’t forget to reboot your router | Avast
The FBI recently issued an immediate call-to-action for every small office and homeowner out there: power cycle (reboot) your router ASAP. The malware is coming. Chances are your router might be hiding in plain sight — you probably take it for granted since it just does its thing — but it needs your attention, and the sooner the better. If you are like many, you don’t always update your router firmware (only 14% of those recently surveyed have done so). Or, change the default administrator password (only 18% of those recently surveyed have done so) according to Broadband Genie. But, this time, you really need to.