Skip to main content

There's a new top dog when it comes to dangerous malware

Qbot has become the most prevalent banking trojan around, taking the top spot from Emotet, new figures have claimed.

According to fresh figures from the Check Point Global Threat Index for December 2022, Qbot (also known as Qakbot) impacted 7% of organizations worldwide, retaking the number one spot from Emotet (4%).

Based on proprietary data, Check Point’s report says that besides Qbot and Emotet, XMRig rounded off the top three most prevalent malicious programs around, for the last month of the year.

Abusing known vulnerabilities

XMRig, impacting 3% of businesses worldwide is a cryptominer, a program that “mines” the XMR cryptocurrency for the attackers. It’s a popular application, which the threat actors aim mostly to install on servers and other high-end machines.

When it comes to mobile devices, a completely different set of malware prevailed. Anubis was the most prevalent variant, followed by Hiddad and AlienBot.

But to install these malware, hackers need to have some way to access the target endpoints, which is mostly done through known vulnerabilities.

“Web Server Exposed Git Repository Information Disclosure” was the most commonly exploited vulnerability, Check Point said, impacting almost half (46%) of organizations globally. “Web Server Malicious URL Directory Traversal” was second-placed with 44% of businesses around the world being impacted. The top three were rounded off with “Command INjection Over HTTP” - 43%. 

Education and Research remained the most attacked industry, before Government and Military, and Healthcare.

Read more

> Qbot malware found smuggled inside Windows Installer packages

 > This huge typosquatting campaign is being used to run tech support scams

 > Check out the best endpoint protection right now

“The overwhelming theme from our latest research is how malware often masquerades as legitimate software to give hackers backdoor access to devices without raising suspicion. said Maya Horowitz, VP Research at Check Point Software. “That is why it is important to do your due diligence when downloading any software and applications or clicking on links, regardless of how genuine they look.”  

Last year, hackers were busy building fake landing pages, tricking people into either downloading malware, or giving away sensitive data. In just one instance, in late October last year, cybersecurity researchers from Malwarebytes discovered a major campaign that leveraged more than 200 landing pages used to gain access to people’s bank accounts. 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Windows Copilot leak suggests deeper assimilation with Windows 11 features

Key Windows 11 features may soon be customizable as Microsoft further integrates its Windows Copilot AI assistant into the operating system. This tidbit comes from tech news site Windows Latest , which claims to have discovered new .json (JavaScript Object Notation) files within recent preview builds of Windows 11. These files apparently hint at future upgrades for the desktop AI assistant. For example, a “TaskManagerService-ai-plugin.json” was found which is supposedly a “plugin for Task Manager integration”. If this ever comes out, it could give users the ability to “monitor or close running apps using” Copilot. In total, six are currently tested and they affect various aspects of Windows 11. Next, there is an “AccessbilityTools-ai-plugin.json” that gives Copilot a way to “control accessibility [tools]. This would make it "easier for those with [a] disability to navigate through the system.” Third is “ai-plugin-WindowsSettings.json” for controlling important Windows 11 set...
Post a Comment
Read more

Google Chrome releases security fix for this major flaw, so update now

Google says it has fixed a high-severity flaw in its Chrome browser which is currently being exploited by threat actors in the wild.  In a security advisory , the company described the flaw being abused and urged the users to apply the fix immediately.  "Google is aware that an exploit for CVE-2023-2033 exists in the wild," the advisory reads. Automatic updates The zero-day in question is a confusion weakness vulnerability in the Chrome V8 JavaScript engine, the company said. Usually, this type of flaw can be used to crash the browser, but in this case it can also be used to run arbitrary code on compromised endpoints.  The flaw was discovered by Clement Lecigne from the Google Threat Analysis Group (TAG). Usually, TAG works on finding flaws abused by nation-states, or state-sponsored threat actors. There is no word on who the threat actors abusing this flaw are, though. Read more > Patch Google Chrome now to fix this emergency security flaw > Emergency...
Post a Comment
Read more

Samsung's ViewFinity S9 may be the monitor creatives have been searching for

Originally revealed during CES 2023 , Samsung has finally launched its ViewFinity S9 5K monitor after nine long months of waiting.  According to the announcement, the ViewFinity S9 is the company’s first-ever 5K resolution (5,120 x 2880 pixels) IPS display aimed primarily at creatives. IPS stands for in-plane switching , a form of LED tech offering some of the best color output and viewing angles on the market. This quality is highlighted by the fact that the 27-inch screen supports 99 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut plus delivers 600 nits of brightness.  Altogether, these deliver great picture quality made vibrant by saturated colors and dark shadows. The cherry on top for the ViewFinity S9 is a Matte Display coating to “drastically [reduce] light reflections.”  As a direct rival to the Apple Studio Display , the monitor is an alternative for creative professionals looking for options. It appears Samsung has done its homework as the ViewFinity S9 addresses some of...
Post a Comment
Read more