A newly discovered piece of Android malware shares the same capabilities found within many modern stalkerware-type apps—it can swipe images and video, rifle through online searches, record phone calls and video, and peer into GPS location data—but the infrastructure behind the malware obscures its developer’s primary motivations. First spotted by the research team at Zimperium zLabs, the newly … [Read more...]
Safe Connections Act could help domestic abuse survivors take control of their digital lives
A bill introduced in the US Senate could help domestic abuse and sex trafficking survivors—including those tracked by stalkerware-type applications—regain digital independence through swift, shared phone plan termination and the extension of mobile phone plan subsidies. Titled the Safe Connections Act, the bill targets the significant problem of shared mobile phone contracts between abuse … [Read more...]
The Malwarebytes 2021 State of Malware report: Lock and Code S02E04
This week on Lock and Code, we discuss the top security headlines generated right here on Labs. In addition, we tune in to a special presentation from Adam Kujawa about the 2021 State of Malware report, which analyzed the top cybercrime goals of 2020 amidst the global pandemic. If you just pay attention to the numbers from last year, you might get the wrong idea. After all, malware detections … [Read more...]
TinyCheck: Stalkerware detection that doesn’t leave a trace
In 2019, when Malwarebytes helped found the Coalition Against Stalkerware, which brings together cybersecurity vendors and nonprofits to detect and raise awareness about stalkerware, we encountered a significant roadblock in our fight: For some users, the very detection of these potentially privacy-invasive tools could put their lives at greater risk. In short, we needed a way to detect … [Read more...]
Lock and Code S1Ep11: Locating concerns of Bluetooth and beacon technology with Chris Boyd
This week on Lock and Code, we discuss the top security headlines generated right here on Labs and around the Internet. In addition, we talk to Chris Boyd, lead malware intelligence analyst for Malwarebytes, about Bluetooth and beacon technology. Last month, cybersecurity experts warned the public about the data collection embedded in the Donald Trump 2020 re-election campaign’s mobile … [Read more...]
Stalkerware advertising ban by Google a welcome, if incomplete, step
On Friday, July 10, Google announced it would no longer allow advertising for spyware and similar surveillance technology—often referred to as “stalkerware”—on its platform. The change is a welcome step by one of the largest, most powerful companies in online advertising, but a close read of the policy reveals a potential loophole that could allow stalkerware-type app makers to still advertise … [Read more...]