Information

OfferUp scammers are out in force: Here’s what you should know

The mobile marketplace app has a growing number of users, but not all of them are genuine. Watch out for these common scams. Phil Muncaster 04 Feb 2026  •  , 6 min. read OfferUp has been in business for nearly 15 years. Although little known outside the US, the marketplace app competes for consumer hearts and minds with industry giants Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and eBay. And like them, it has a problem with fraud. If…

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A slippery slope: Beware of Winter Olympics scams and other cyberthreats

Digital Security It’s snow joke – sporting events are a big draw for cybercriminals. Make sure you’re not on the losing side by following these best practices. Phil Muncaster 02 Feb 2026  •  , 5 min. read Cybercriminals have always been drawn to major sporting events. A combination of global brand awareness and an extensive digital footprint make them a popular option for opportunistic scammers. And events don’t get much bigger or better known than…

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Please Don’t Feed the Scattered Lapsus ShinyHunters

A prolific data ransom gang that calls itself Scattered Lapsus ShinyHunters (SLSH) has a distinctive playbook when it seeks to extort payment from victim firms: Harassing, threatening and even swatting executives and their families, all while notifying journalists and regulators about the extent of the intrusion. Some victims reportedly are paying — perhaps as much to contain the stolen data as to stop the escalating personal attacks. But a top SLSH expert warns that engaging…

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DynoWiper update: Technical analysis and attribution

In this blog post, we provide more technical details related to our previous DynoWiper publication. Key points of the report: ESET researchers identified new data-wiping malware that we have named DynoWiper, used against an energy company in Poland. The tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) observed during the DynoWiper incident closely resemble those seen earlier this year in an incident involving the ZOV wiper in Ukraine: Z, O, and V are Russian military symbols. We attribute…

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This month in security with Tony Anscombe – January 2026 edition

The year got off to a busy start, with January offering an early snapshot of the challenges that (not just) cybersecurity teams are likely to face in the months ahead. It’s therefore time for ESET Chief Security Evangelist Tony Anscombe to look back on some of the month’s most impactful cybersecurity stories. Here’s some of what caught Tony’s eye: What are some of the lessons businesses should take away from these incidents? Be sure to…

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Love? Actually: Fake dating app used as lure in targeted spyware campaign in Pakistan

ESET researchers have uncovered an Android spyware campaign leveraging romance scam tactics to target individuals in Pakistan. The campaign uses a malicious app posing as a chat platform that allows users to initiate conversations with specific “girls” – fake profiles probably operated via WhatsApp. Underneath the romance charade, the real purpose of the malicious app, which we named GhostChat, is exfiltration of the victim’s data – both upon first execution and continually while the app…

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Drowning in spam or scam emails? Here’s probably why

Digital Security Has your inbox recently been deluged with unwanted and even outright malicious messages? Here are 10 possible reasons – and how to stem the tide. Phil Muncaster 27 Jan 2026  •  , 5 min. read For all our modern obsession with social media and messaging apps, email remains a daily staple for many of us. Modern email providers are pretty good at filtering out unsolicited messages known as spam, their checks don’t necessarily…

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Cyber Insights 2026: Offensive Security; Where It Is and Where It’s Going

SecurityWeek’s Cyber Insights 2026 examines expert opinions on the expected evolution of more than a dozen areas of cybersecurity interest over the next 12 months. We spoke to hundreds of individual experts to gain their expert opinions. Here we explore offensive security; where it is today, and where it is going. Cyber red teaming will change more in the next 24 months than it has in the past ten years. Malicious attacks are increasing in…

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Who Operates the Badbox 2.0 Botnet?

The cybercriminals in control of Kimwolf — a disruptive botnet that has infected more than 2 million devices — recently shared a screenshot indicating they’d compromised the control panel for Badbox 2.0, a vast China-based botnet powered by malicious software that comes pre-installed on many Android TV streaming boxes. Both the FBI and Google say they are hunting for the people behind Badbox 2.0, and thanks to bragging by the Kimwolf botmasters we may now…

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ESET Research: Sandworm behind cyberattack on Poland’s power grid in late 2025

ESET Research The attack involved data-wiping malware that ESET researchers have now analyzed and named DynoWiper ESET Research 23 Jan 2026  •  , 1 min. read In late 2025, Poland’s energy system faced what has been described as the “largest cyberattack” targeting the country in years. ESET Research has now found that the attack was the work of the notorious Russia-aligned APT group Sandworm. “Based on our analysis of the malware and associated TTPs, we attribute the…

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