This week on Lock and Code, we offer something special for listeners—a backstage pass to a cybersecurity training that we held for employees during Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which ended in October. The topic? The future of cybersecurity for the Internet of Things. Our guests, Chief Information Security Officer John Donovan and Security Evangelist and a Director for Malwarebytes Labs … [Read more...]
November 9, 2020
July 8, 2020
We found yet another phone with pre-installed malware via the Lifeline Assistance program
We have discovered, yet again, another phone model with pre-installed malware provided from the Lifeline Assistance program via Assurance Wireless by Virgin Mobile. This time, an ANS (American Network Solutions) UL40 running Android OS 7.1.1. After our writing back in January—”United States government-funded phones come pre-installed with unremovable malware“—we heard … [Read more...]
March 9, 2020
A week in security (March 2 – 8)
Last week on Malwarebytes Labs, we fired up part 1 of our series on child identity theft, asked how well law enforcement can deal with cybercriminals, and took a trip down the memory lane of moral panic. We also looked at the positives and negatives of VPNs and examined our own progress in the fight against stalkerware, spyware, and monitoring apps. Other cybersecurity news Trouble strikes for … [Read more...]
March 6, 2020
Bring your own privacy: VPNs for consumers and orgs
VPNs (virtual private networks) have been popular for quite some time now, and they’re worth a huge amount of money for the companies working in this area. They’re also at the forefront of combating potential repression and censorship around the world. It might all sound a bit esoteric and unrelated to your general day-to-day requirements, but VPNs are absolutely a mainstream topic whether at home … [Read more...]
January 9, 2020
United States government-funded phones come pre-installed with unremovable malware
A United States–funded mobile carrier that offers phones via the Lifeline Assistance program is selling a mobile device pre-installed with not one, but two malicious applications. Assurance Wireless by Virgin Mobile offers the UMX U686CL phone as their most budget conscious option. At only $35 under the government-funded program, it’s an attractive offering. However, what it comes installed with … [Read more...]
December 11, 2019
The little-known ways mobile device sensors can be exploited by cybercriminals
The bevy of mobile device sensors in modern smartphones and tablets make them more akin to pocket-sized laboratories and media studios than mere communication devices. Cameras, microphones, accelerometers, and gyroscopes give incredible flexibility to app developers and utility to mobile device users. But the variety of inputs also give clever hackers new methods of bypassing conventional mobile … [Read more...]
November 11, 2019
September 16, 2019
July 29, 2019
July 12, 2019
Cellular networks under fire from Soft Cell attacks
We place a lot of trust in our mobile experience, given they’re one of the most constant companions we have. Huge reams of data, tied to a device we always carry with us, with said device frequently offering additional built-in app functionality. An astonishing wealth of information, for anyone bold enough to try and take it. Security firm Cybereason uncovered an astonishing attack dubbed … [Read more...]
