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6 common Geek Squad scams and how to defend against them

Scams Learn about the main tactics used by scammers impersonating Best Buy’s tech support arm and how to avoid falling for their tricks Phil Muncaster 11 Sep 2024  •  , 5 min. read For three decades, Geek Squad has been a trusted name in tech for anyone needing IT support. The Best Buy subsidiary dispenses diagnostics, repairs and advice to consumers across the US in-store and online – including 24-hour emergency support. But like many…

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CosmicBeetle steps up: Probation period at RansomHub

ESET researchers have mapped the recent activities of the CosmicBeetle threat actor, documenting its new ScRansom ransomware and highlighting connections to other well-established ransomware gangs. CosmicBeetle actively deploys ScRansom to SMBs in various parts of the world. While not being top notch, the threat actor is able to compromise interesting targets. CosmicBeetle replaced its previously deployed ransomware, Scarab, with ScRansom, which is continually improved. We have also observed the threat actor using the leaked LockBit…

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Bug Left Some Windows PCs Dangerously Unpatched

Microsoft Corp. today released updates to fix at least 79 security vulnerabilities in its Windows operating systems and related software, including multiple flaws that are already showing up in active attacks. Microsoft also corrected a critical bug that has caused some Windows 10 PCs to remain dangerously unpatched against actively exploited vulnerabilities for several months this year. By far the most curious security weakness Microsoft disclosed today has the snappy name of CVE-2024-43491, which Microsoft…

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Bitcoin ATM scams skyrocket – Week in security with Tony Anscombe

Video The schemes disproportionately victimize senior citizens, as those aged 60 or over were more than three times as likely as younger adults to fall prey to the scams 06 Sep 2024 Consumers in the United States lost more than $114 million to scams involving Bitcoin ATMs (BTMs) last year, with the figure soaring ten-fold from 2020, according to data released by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) this week. As consumers lost $65 million…

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ESET Research Podcast: HotPage

ESET Research ESET researchers discuss HotPage, a recently discovered adware armed with a highest-privilege, yet vulnerable, Microsoft-signed driver ESET Research 05 Sep 2024  •  , 1 min. read Usually when someone mentions adware, people think of low-quality half-baked malicious code used to spam victims with sketchy ads. But as we explain in this episode of our podcast, not all adware is created equal. HotPage is a recently discovered trojan using a vulnerable, Microsoft-signed, kernel driver…

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The key considerations for cyber insurance: A pragmatic approach

Business Security Would a more robust cybersecurity posture impact premium costs? Does the policy offer legal cover? These are some of the questions organizations should consider when reviewing their cyber insurance options Tony Anscombe 04 Sep 2024  •  , 3 min. read There must be a consideration of the ethical question of contributing to the payment of extortion demands of cybercriminals. Any company that is paying a cyber insurance premium, regardless of whether they suffer…

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In plain sight: Malicious ads hiding in search results

Malware Sometimes there’s more than just an enticing product offer hiding behind an ad Márk Szabó 03 Sep 2024  •  , 3 min. read One thing is true: Malware developers are deeply invested in improving their malware and exploring different ways to compromise end users. Malware spreading through ads is nothing new; for a long time, cybercriminals have had their sights fixed on online advertising networks as a distribution vector.  With just a click, a…

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Sextortion Scams Now Include Photos of Your Home

An old but persistent email scam known as “sextortion” has a new personalized touch: The missives, which claim that malware has captured webcam footage of recipients pleasuring themselves, now include a photo of the target’s home in a bid to make threats about publishing the videos more frightening and convincing. This week, several readers reported receiving sextortion emails that addressed them by name and included images of their street or front yard that were apparently lifted…

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Owners of 1-Time Passcode Theft Service Plead Guilty

Three men in the United Kingdom have pleaded guilty to operating otp[.]agency, a once popular online service that helped attackers intercept the one-time passcodes (OTPs) that many websites require as a second authentication factor in addition to passwords. Launched in November 2019, OTP Agency was a service for intercepting one-time passcodes needed to log in to various websites. Scammers who had already stolen someone’s bank account credentials could enter the target’s phone number and name,…

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Analysis of two arbitrary code execution vulnerabilities affecting WPS Office

ESET researchers discovered a code execution vulnerability in WPS Office for Windows (CVE⁠-⁠2024⁠-⁠7262), as it was being exploited by APT-C-60, a South Korea-aligned cyberespionage group. Upon analyzing the root cause, we subsequently discovered another way to exploit the faulty code (CVE-2924-7263). Following a coordinated disclosure process, both vulnerabilities are now patched – in this blogpost, we provide technical details.  Key points of the blogpost: APT-C-60 weaponized a code execution vulnerability in WPS Office for Windows…

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