Posts

Showing posts from November, 2018

Now VLC site Under the Radar!

Image
VideoLan.org is the official website for downloading famous VLC media player, VLMC & other professional & developer projects. This popular website is displaying a ruinous warning in Bing, an internet search engine which is owned & operated by Microsoft. The warning is displayed when users hover the cursor over the first hyperlink on the page:  VLC media player – Official Site . It states “ Site might be dangerous ” followed by another baleful warning that “ it could lead you to malicious software that can harm your device ”. VLC media player is a renowned free, open-source & portable media server that is capable of playing almost all multimedia files & DVDs, VCDs & Audio DCs. This cross-platform multimedia player is widely used by people from all over the world as it is free & available for desktop operating systems & mobile platforms like Android, Windows, iOS & Tizen. In addition to that, it can be downloaded from any digital distribu

How to remove Search.hrecipenetwork.co Browser Hijacker?

Image
Recipe Network is a rogue application that supposedly provides access to various popular recipes. The application claims to be an efficient gateway to various recipes that you can access online. Recipe Network is however a malicious extension deemed as a Browser Hijacker. This pernicious browser redirect seizes the system by sneaking in with a bunch of other vicious programs that user downloads by clicking on tempting advertisements. Search.hrecipenetwork.co Browser Hijacker is a noxious domain that lands innocent users on this malignant web page- Recipe Network. This hoax search engine manipulates the home page and browser settings of default browser without user consent. Moreover, it blocks the possibility of displaying appropriate results on internet. User searches are directed to sponsored web pages. The web pages in turn are flooded with tons of maddening ads and pop-ups. Accidental or deliberate installation of Search.hrecipenetwork.co Browser Hijacker encounters us

Flawed API of US Postal Services Exposed 60 Million Users Data

Image
A ruinous security flaw in Application program Interface of US Postal Services  exposed personal data  of over  60 million users over the course of 2017 & 2018. This vulnerability on USPC’s website allowed anyone with an account at usps.com to view personal information & account details of other users. In some cases, this flaw even allowed users to modify the details in the affected accounts. The leaked information included  user name ,  user ID ,  e-mail address ,  account number ,  street addresses  &  contact numbers  of the users. An anonymous researcher discovered this problem a year ago & informed US Postal Services, however, USPC failed to pay heed to researcher’s warning at that time. USPS patched this issue last week when a cyber security investigator, Krebs flagged it. Insight into the API Defect The root-cause of the vulnerability is hitched to an authentication weakness in the site’s Application program Interface- an array of tools that defines h

New Chrome Cleanup Tool loaded with Extension Removing features!

Image
Google to Empower special extension cleaning features to Chrome Cleanup High level of customization, speed& synchronization across computers are predominant reasons that make Google Chrome web browser indispensable among users. With loads of add-ons and extensions available, along with independent process for each open tab, Chrome’s feature set & appearance can be easily tailored to user’s choice without sacrificing a great deal of its performance. The extensive browser flexibility offered by Google Chrome browser often lands users to hornets’ nest. Users occasionally end up with unwanted programs or settings that can range from minor annoyances to potentially dangerous malware. The malware programs once injected in the system can pose threat to user privacy and security. The die-hard need to automatically detect & remove malware programs from the system to safeguard user information led to the introduction of Chrome Cleanup tool, that periodically scans the syste

How to Get Rid of Rotexy Mobile Trojan?

Image
Security researchers recently discovered a new member of Rotexy family that has casted attacks on over 70,000 Android devices in Russia, Germany, Ukraine & nearby countries. The Rotexy Banking Trojan uses three distinct communication channels to receive commands & is spreading through phishing links & enthralling texts sent via SMSs.  A recent security report revealed a Banking Trojan from the Rotexy Malware family that casted over 70,000 attacks in a period of three months. The attack of Rotexy Mobile Trojan primarily targeted the users in Russia & is continuously spreading its tentacles to carry out its pernicious motives. This new Rotexy Mobile Trojan is a blend of a Banking Mobile Trojan & a Ransomware Blocker that makes Rotexy a daunting threat. The security experts registered over 40,000 devious attempts of this Banking Trojan throughout the months of August & September. The baleful Trojan aimed at implanting a malicious app on Android smart phones

Active XSS injection campaigns attack WP WordPress Plug-in

Image
WordPress (WP) is by far the most popular open source  Content management system  (CMS) used by approximately  75 million websites . The ease to deploy and upgrade this free tool makes it popular among web- savvy users and web- novices alike. Whether it’ a commercial site or a personal blog, the fact that WordPress doesn’t charge a penny makes it a preferable tool among people. The compatibility and flexibility of Word Press to host thousands of plugins and templates gives it an edge over its contemporaries. However, the popularity of this tool among users has made this popular tool a lucrative target among threat actors. Recent research reveals that vulnerability in a high profile WordPress plugin that is installed on more than 100,000 sites has come under active exploitation.   The vulnerability discovered in the popular AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) for WP plugin allows any registered user to perform administrative actions on a WordPress site. What is AMP for WP plugin?

Mining Attack affects Canadian University Network for 4 days

Image
Cryptocurrency related attacks have surpassed all other types of cyber attacks in 2018. Spike in cryptocurrency prices and beefed up security measures following relentless run of heists have compelled threat actors to adopt unethical means to mine cryptocurrency. Cyber criminals have turned to launch Cryptocoin mining attacks on users’ system and exploit their resources. Recently an automated mining Attack on Canadian University, St. Francis Xavier launched by unknown threat actors compelled the university officials to shut down its entire computer network for four days. The mining attack was launched to steal computing power and bend it towards cryptocurrency mining. Nova Scotia’s St. Francis Xavier University unveiled a Crypto Jacking scheme on 15th November 2018 on its networks. The malicious software was implanted on the servers that attempted to utilize the StFX’s collective computing power to mine cryptocurrency for monetary gains. Though there is no evidence of los

Russian Cryptojacking Malware Webcobra Exposed by McAfee

Image
Rise in crypto currency mining has resulted in a number of concerns. While regulations of ongoing crypto currency hacks seem to be the primary worry, a new threat known as “cryptojacking” has entered the picture. Threat actors inspired by spike in cryptocurrency prices see it as a lucrative opportunity to fill their pockets. Hence, hackers have come up with a new tactic to design malware to cannibalize unsuspecting victims’ computers to mine cryptocurrency. WebCobra: A New Silent Killer Researchers at McAfee Labs, a cyber security firm recently discovered a new lethal Russian cryptojacking malware known as WebCobra.  According to them, the threat arrives via rogue software installers that users install deliberately or accidentally. WebCobra is a nasty system infection that leverages victim’s computing power to mine cryptocurrencies  Monero  and  Zcash secretly. It infects the victim’s system by stealthily installing the  Cryptonight miner  or  Claymore’s Zcash miner  depend

Google Services- lost in transit or lost in translation?

Image
According to a News report by the Wall Street Journal, some of the web services provided by the internet Giant Google were temporarily unavailable for nearly 2 hours on 12thNovember 2018. The users trying to reach Google Services were rerouted to a sinuous path through operators existing in Russia, China and Nigeria. A Google spokesman wrote that a portion of web traffic was impacted due to incorrect routing of IP addresses, and passage to Google Services was affected. The issue was resolved at 2:35 pm on Monday and services began to operate as expected. However, the root cause of BGP Traffic Hijacking was external to Google and what exactly happened remains obscure. The issue was first noticed by a network monitoring company, ThousandEyes, when they could not connect to Google’s G suite & incorrect routing instructions redirected them to Russian network operator TransTelekom, China Telecom & Nigerian Network provider, MainOne. The issue became crucial when the entire w

Infowars Store Affected by Magecart Credit Card Stealing Hack

Image
Magecart credit card skimming attack Ever wondered what it takes to get scammed @ Infowars store? Nothing! Absolutely Nothing! Customers facing Scams is an everyday facade here! A recently discovered attack at Infowars web site involves a new tactic. A malware embedded in the conspiracy site’s checkout process records customer’s credit card details and transmits them to threat actor’s remote servers. In today’s golden age of online shopping, people usually prefer to receive products at their doorsteps by punching in credit card details in ecommerce websites. Threat actors leverage this lucrative opportunity to yank the chain of innocent consumers by unethical means. Consumers remain unaware of the fact that the well-known & vetted websites that they blindly rely on can swindle them of their hard earned money. What is Magecart? Attacks on websites with the purpose of stealing user financial details are not new. Magecart credit card skimming attack has been recently d

HookAds Malvertising Uses Fallout Exploit Kit to Distribute Malware

Image
Another HookAds Malvertising Campaign has been reported to be active recently, which is redirecting the potential visitors to the Fallout Exploit Kit. Following the activation, the kit will strive to capitalize on the known susceptibilities in Windows to download & install malicious malware in the infected system. The malign malware include DanaBot banking  Trojan , GlobeImposter  Ransomware  and the Nocturnal information & data stealer. Insight in HookAds Malvertising Campaign The HookAds Malvertising Campaign acquires contemptible ad space on cheap quality ad networks that are commonly used by online games sites, adult web sites or blackhat SEO Sites. These pernicious ads include JavaScript that redirects the innocent visitors through a string of tempting sites. One such enticing site was discovered last week by Exploit Kit Expert nao_sec. The sites resemble the pages filled with online games, local advertisements or other low quality pages. Unaware of the vicio

New Microsoft Bug unveiled: Windows 10 Pro Licenses Downgraded to Windows 10 Home

Image
Windows 10 Pro Licenses getting downgraded by New Microsoft Bug Microsoft’s roll-out of  Windows 10 October 2018 update  has arguably been the most troublesome release in recent times. The non- exhaustive list of Microsoft bugs in  Windows 10 Version 1809 Update  ranging from  Zip Extraction Overwriting Files without Confirmation to user files being deleted, Intel driver incompatibility, Impaired Audio  have irked users worldwide. Before users could heave a sigh of relief, another critical bug left Microsoft Windows 10 users livid after  Microsoft invalidly displayed an activation error message depicting their licenses invalid. The users recently reported that they encountered one critical bug in Windows that caused activation problems on their machines.  They complained that Microsoft downgraded their Windows 10 pro license to Windows 10 Home. The growing number of reports point to a server side bug with Microsoft’s activation system.  According to the posts on Reddit, the

Chrome 71: The New Safe Browsing Tool against Fake Websites

Image
Internet Browsing has become an integral part of our lives today. The influence of surfing the Web  even for the tiniest bit of information  is undeniable. It is hence a necessity for the web pages to be fair and truthful. When a web page deliberately plays truant or tries to misinterpret facts to mislead consumers, it is categorized as objectionable web page. The problem of Fake web pages in disguise with misleading information  is getting worse day by day. The practice of designing misleading and fake web pages is not just unethical; it  also violates the major  rights of consumers. Recent research reveals that in a bid to scam users, Web Pages deliver insufficient information about their subscription services. In order to access games or specific content in the website,  many deceptive sites seek mobile information. Users, apart from gaining access to the prompted content,  also get signed up for a mobile subscription without consent on entering their mobile details. A