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Showing posts from January, 2019

Guide to Remove Initdex.com browser hijacker

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Cybercrime is becoming popular among the criminals as a way to scam the naïve. Internet is prone to multitude of threats that is harmful to anyone with an online connection. One parasite that has caused a lot of trouble is the  browser hijacker , a malicious program that modifies user’s browser settings without their consent. The malice may appear relatively harmless yet can inflict damage comparable to a heinous virus. Last few years saw a remarkable uptick in this particularly nasty genre of system attack. Initdex.com is a recently discovered devastating domain that runs as an extension to browser program. Deemed as a web browser hijacker, Initdex.com browser hijacker arrives with the payload of legitimate applications & free download programs. The infiltration of this pernicious program is followed by the replacement of browser’s home page, search engine & new tab with  https://www.initdex.com/search/ The sole motive behind this browser add-on is to advertise affiliate p

How To Remove Scarab Ransomware?

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Ransomware attacks have grown to be one of the major problems on the web. In the recent past,  Ransomware  features have expanded to include data exfiltration, participation in distributed denial of service attacks (DDOS) & anti-detection components. Recently a series of Scarab Ransomware variants were released that dominated Ransomware distribution. The malicious program employs sophisticated AES-256 & RSA-2018 encryption algorithm to lock personal information on targeted systems. The Ransomware belongs to hidden tear Ransomware family. Scarab Ransomware was spotted for the first time in June 2017 & since then has been reappearing with new versions. Amongst the many variants of this Ransomware the updated ones encrypt files by appending it with .RAP, .zzzzzzzz, .krab, .fast, .key, .ERROR, .skype, .hitler, .mammon, .walker, .please, .Recovery, .red, .osk, .dan@cock.email, .bomber etc. The list of scarab Ransomware variants is endless. Scarab Ransomware is no ordin

How to Remove BlackRouter Ransomware?

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Ransomware attacks continue to dominate the cyber security landscape this year, with businesses paying millions of dollars to unlock encrypted files. Research reveals that almost 40% of successful malware based attacks involve Ransomware. Moreover, when it comes to Ransomware & its distribution, the threat intelligence strategy is not much needed making it popular among threat actors. The world has seen its fair share of Ransomware attacks- the  WannaCry  being the deadliest of all. Ransomware is a ubiquitous security threat with one aim- extract payments from victims. Its impact continues to be significant with global organizations held to ransom every day. There are many variants of Ransomware with new strains appearing with regularity denying users access to important files until ransom is paid. Recently researchers discovered a new Ransomware called BlackRouter being promoted as a Ransomware-as-a-service in a hacking channel on telegram by an Iranian Developer. Originally s

How to Remove Djvu Ransomware?

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Ransomware  is a growing plague running in the forefront of internet-borne extortion. Last few years saw a remarkable uptick in this particularly nasty genre of system attack. The scale & automated nature of Ransomware attack makes it popular in the cyber crime world. Profitable through economies of scale, a successful Ransomware attack allows criminals to demand payment from victims in exchange for restoring access. Djvu Ransomware also known as .djvu files virus is a devastating file locker that was released in December 2018 in an attack campaigns against computer users worldwide. In order to inhibit users from accessing valuable data, the Ransomware interferes with essential system settings & encodes certain types of files. The infected files are appended with .djvu extension and a ransom note is dropped to inform users about the attack. The note further demands a whopping ransom fees from victims to retrieve the encrypted files which is a delusion! Djvu Ransomware-

How to Remove Babylon Browser Hijacker?

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The Babylon Search malware is deemed to be one of the most widespread browser extensions. The malicious domain initiates its inbuilt behavioral pattern once it invades the system. Often distributed via third party apps, Babylon  browser hijacker  infects the default browser and makes unwanted modifications to its settings. The sole motive of this browser add-on is to advertise sponsored products & services to generate unscrupulous revenue. Babylon Browser Hijacker- Threat Behavior Babylon Browser Hijacker  exhibits multitude of pernicious traits such as: Babylon Toolbar alters browser settings  & replaces the home page, search engine & new tab with  http://isearch.babylon.com/  or  http://search.babylon.com/ . This interferes with the user experience by displaying inaccurate results. For instance, search results are directed to third party web pages that may be malicious & land users to array of negatives. It exhibits rootkit capabilities to hook deep

ILOVEYOU virus- A Threatening Menace

When it comes to malware,  viruses  are the ancestors on the block.  While most people can rattle off names like ‘Trojan’, ‘viruses’, and ‘spyware’ etc, they’re often not too familiar with their causes and remedies. Computers & mobile devices though not biotic like you & me, can get sick from virus proliferation. A computer virus, much like a flu virus, is designed to replicate itself & wreck havoc. A flu virus cannot reproduce without a host cell. In the same way a computer viruses cannot reproduce & spread without programming script embedded in a file or a document. Instead of sniffles and a fever, some common symptoms of a computer viral infection are slow performance, data loss and system crashes. All of these can make people using the machine feel ill as well. What is ILOVEYOU virus? While  ILOVEYOU  sounds like a cheerful bon mot often found printed on the inside of a Valentine’s Day card, it is far more baleful than that. ILOVEYOU is one of the most renowne

Malevolent apps on Google Play Store infects 9 million Android users

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With the evolving technology, people in this ultra connected world process billions of corporate & personal data points through mobile devices every second. While organizations leverage these handy devices to boost their productivity & offer optimal experience to their users, threat actors  exploit mobile devices  to launch attack for their own illicit gain. Smart phones have inherit capabilities that when legally exploited enable attackers to locate users, steal credentials & other important information, access files, messages & eavesdrop on their communications etc. Smart phones are hence target of choice among cyber maniacs. Recent research reveals that the renowned digital distribution service, Google Play store was recently targeted by adware developers to extort users. The now-removed 85 apps in question disguised as streaming TV, games, remote control simulator apps in Google Play store had collectively been installed by 9 million users from around the globe.

Germany’s Major Cyber Attack: Private data of Politicians leaked by 20-Year-Old Man

German  Cyber Attack A comprehensive confession made by a 20 year old man regarding the data breach attack has marked an end to the misery over the information leak of Angela Merkel and other public figures. Styling himself  G0d , the anonymous 20 year old published private information about journalists, politicians & celebrities on Twitter under the username  @_0rbit . The computer amateur managed to access & leak personal data of around 1000 people including  German Chancellor Angela Merkel . The defendant is a student who lives with his parents. He is believed to have acted alone out of rage by the political statements made by public figures he targeted. The target included politicians from every major political party except for the  far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD)  raising a suspicion of their influence in this cyber crime activity. However there is no evidence of involvement of foreign intelligence or activists from the far-right AfD in this security breach.

Google Notifies Affected Users of the Private Data Exposed to Third party Developers

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Google Emails Users Affected By Data Breach  Umpteen cyber security issues in Google+ have led to data breaches of millions of customers. The bug in Google+ People API & the decline in the engagement rate of Google+ have triggered the shutdown of this little loved social media platform. Recent research reveals that Google Emails users affected by Google+ API Bug providing the following details: The profile data exposed The third party apps that had access to it. The exposed fields & the associated apps are listed in  details.csv attachment . The full text of the email reads as: Google pulled the plug on its social networking platform  Google + in October last year .  The move came after the company discovered a software glitch that gave third party developers access to Google+ user profile data. In total personal information of around  500,000 Google+ accounts were potentially exposed  even when the relevant information was not marked as public. Though there a

Tampermonkey Chrome Extension Blacklisted by the popular Web Browser Opera

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Chrome Web Store is facing an uphill battle from the last few years for hosting malevolent add-ons that claim to enhance your web browser capabilities. Tampermonkey, the widely used free browser extension known to manage user scripts & offer valuable features to improve user’s browsing experience has been declared malicious by the infamous Opera web Browser. So if you have installed  Tampermonkey 4.7.54  extension from Chrome web Store in Opera Browser & using it, you will be alerted by the warning: Opera has blacklisted one of your extensions, and we’ve blocked it for your safety. Go to the extensions manager for more details The popular user script manager extension, Tampermonkey has over 10 million users & is available for all the popular browsers including Chrome, Safari, Opera, Firefox & Microsoft Edge. The distinctive attributes offered by the extension include: Clear Overview over the running scripts. ZIP- based import & export A built-in editor Au

Apple Clears Germany of New iPhones

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The Tech Giant Apple did not have a pretty good start for the year 2019 as two of company’s model iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 have been banned from sale in its retail German stores. Apple removed two models after an injunction was issued by a Munich court in relation with a patent lawsuit brought by California based chipmaker Qualcomm. This patent conflict involves smart phone power management technology that extends battery life. Insight In to the Patent Infringement Case The renowned chipmaker company posted around $1.5 Billion in a security obligation to effectuate a German Court decision from 20 th  December that levied precursory injunctions on iPhone 7 and iPhone 8. According to a report by MacRumors, Qualcomm posted security bonds to cover probable damages that Apple might experience while appealing the iPhone ban in Germany. The Munich Court supported Qualcomm after finding that Apple had infringed Qualcomm Smartphone power saving technology in two of its models, iPhone 7 and

Android Nemesis MobSTSPY goes global via Google Play

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An Android Spyware disguised as games & utilities struck more than 100,000 victims in 196 countries before being taken out of Google Play. Detected as  ANDROIDOS_MOBSTSPY  & dubbed  MobSTSPY,  the malware initially grabbed attention when it was masqueraded as a called  Flappy Birr Dog . While it is common to find unarmed goods in third party app stores,  MobSTSPY  managed to infiltrate the authentic & reliable App Store i.e. Google Play with at least six different apps in 2018. These apps include: FlashLight, HZPermis Pro Arabe, Win7imulator, Win7Launcher, and Flappy Bird Flappy Birr Dog These apps pose as legitimate & claim to be torches, games & tools for productivity. Some of these have seen 10,000 download from users around the world. Though malware invasion in devices is common, but what makes this case more interesting is the widespread distribution of its applications. Among the countries where the malware is scattered include Poland, Mozambique,

Ryuk Ransomware attack cripples major Newspaper publications in the US

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Ryuk ransomware is believed to be the culprit behind the impeded printing & delivery of major newspaper publications in the United States i.e.  Los Angeles Times and Tribune Publishing. The malware attack on Tribune Publishing’s software systems was discovered on 28 th  December 2018. The abuse on the software delayed weekend distribution of the newspaper & affected Tribune publications throughout the country. Among the publications affected include: Baltimore Sun, Capital Gazette, Chicago Tribune, Hartford Courant, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Carroll County Times, Lake County News-Sun, the South Florida Sun Sentinel & Post-Tribune. The  Los Angeles Times & San Diego Union-Tribune  that were formerly part of Tribune Publishing newspapers were also slammed by the Ransomware. The print editions of the affected newspapers were published on Saturday without obituary section & paid classified ads according to the publications. The attack is believed

How to Remove Permanyabbot.club pop-up ads?

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Permanyabbot.club  pop-ups are potentially unwanted programs that generate illegitimate ads and spam capable of installing other malicious software that can put your personal information at stake. This malevolent pop-up program tricks user into subscribing to its push notifications to deliver unwanted advertisements to user’s desktop. Although web push notifications is a common marketing feature leveraged by most online sites in order to increase traffic & popularity. However,  Permanyabbot.club  totally abuses the given authorization to build revenue to its developers by malvertising & infecting vulnerable user’s systems. Permanyabbot.club  site displays a  “Confirm notifications”  message that attempts to get users to click the  “Allow”  button to subscribe to its notifications. If you click on the Allow button, then you fall in the vicious trap of unwanted pop-ads from  Permanyabbot.club  on your desktop even when the browser is closed. The notifications displayed in the

How to Remove JungleSec Ransomware?

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Guide to Remove Junglesec Ransomware JungleSec is the new name of a  Ransomware  virus that is infecting victims through an  unsecured IPMI cards  (Intelligent Platform Management Interface) from early November. This treacherous malware has been created by cyber criminals with the sole motive of swindling innocent users & minting shady money. Once the system is infected by this perilous Junglesec Ransomware, it  encrypts files & stipulates a ransom  of several hundred dollars from the user. The prime operating system targeted by it is Linux. Junglesec, an encryption Ransomware  Trojan  was first detected by the PC security researchers on 19 th June 2018. They revealed that Junglesec Ransomware is a  variant of HiddenTear Ransomware , an open-source encryption Ransomware program released in 2015. This threat was initially meant for educational purposes; however criminals skillfully adapted it to  execute harmful attacks , which ultimately led to invention of countless va