WebDiscover Browser is an adware threat developed by a Canada-based company named WebDiscover Media. Once installed on a PC, the malicious app makes a series of unwanted changes to all browsers installed on the computer, leading to a deteriorating online surfing experience. WebDiscover replaces the default home pages and search engines of affected Internet browsers with its own WebDiscover Homepage and WebDiscover Search, respectively. Furthermore, the malicious app modifies the “new tab” settings so that the corrupted browsers launch the malware's own search portal page when the user opens a new tab. Chrome users may not even recognize WebDiscover as an unwanted program and think they...

Getting an OS system error message while working on a project can be quite an unpleasant surprise. Whether relating to MS Windows, or Mac OS, such a bug is always bound to disrupt your normal computer work. While some errors tend to be system-specific, others can affect both Windows and Mac-based systems, albeit designating totally different problems. The so-called Code 43 error message, for example, is primarily associated with device driver problems in Windows PCs, on the one hand, and file transfer issues on Mac machines, on the other. If you are using Windows and looking for a way to fix this specific error, click here for a guide with possible solutions. If you are a Mac user,...

At first glance, the Newsbreak.com website appears to be a useful tool that would provide its visitors with the latest news. However, this is one of the countless bogus websites online that do not provide any content of value, and instead, seek to benefit from their visitors using various shady tricks. Spams Users with a Constant Flow of Advertisements Upon visiting the Newsbreak.com page, users will be asked to permit the site to display Web browser notifications. Keeping in mind that this fake page poses as a legitimate news website, many users may be tricked to allow browser notifications thinking that they will be alerted for the latest breaking news. However, this is not the case,...

The APT (Advanced Persistent Threat) group was spotted sending out spear-phishing emails that allegedly have detailed information about COVID-19, a.k.a. Coronavirus, but instead, they infect the victims with a custom remote access Trojan (RAT). The group is using the coronavirus pandemic to infect unsuspecting victims with a previously unseen malware. The malware is dubbed 'Vicious Panda' by researchers, with the attackers using it in a campaign at the moment. Researchers managed to find two Rich Text Format (RTF) files that were targeting the Mongolian public sector during the outbreak. Once the files are open, a unique and custom-made remote access Trojan is executed. It develops a list...

.HOW Ransomware is a new file-encrypting Trojan, which appears to belong to the notorious Dharma Ransomware family. Data-lockers like the .HOW Ransomware are not built from scratch. Instead, their creators borrow the code of well-established threats like the Dharma Ransomware and create a new copy of it with a different name.  Propagation and Encryption To cause a significant amount of damage to the compromised host, the .HOW Ransomware is likely to go after a wide array of filetypes, such as .doc, .docx, .pdf, .txt, .mp3, .midi, .mid, .aac, .wav, .mov, .webm, .mp4, .db, .zip, .rar, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .svg, .gif, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx and others. The .HOW Ransomware uses a complex...

IT Ransomware is a brand-new data-locking Trojan that appears to be a rather basic project. This file-locker is also known as the CobraLocker Ransomware. Despite not being a very high-end threat, the IT Ransomware is fully capable of causing significant damage to its targets. Unfortunately, the IT Ransomware does not appear to be decryptable for free. Propagation and Encryption Threats like the IT Ransomware often go after a variety of filetypes that are likely to be present on the system of every regular user. This means that the IT Ransomware will not spare any images, documents, presentations, databases, spreadsheets, archives, audio files, videos and other filetypes that are common....

The Zeus Trojan is the most widespread and common banking Trojan today. There are countless variants of the Zeus Trojan, also known as Zbot and Zitmo. There are regional variants that target computers in specific areas of the world as well as mobile-specific variants designed to attack mobile operating systems such as Android or BlackBerry platforms. In all cases, the Zeus Trojan is used to steal banking information. This dangerous malware infection can be used to steal account names and numbers, banking account passwords, and credit card numbers. The Zeus Trojan can also be utilized to capture particular information that can then be used to steal a victim's identity. ESG security...

Over the course of the past few years, hackers and cybercrooks armed with sophisticated malware have stolen literally hundreds of millions of dollars from online banking accounts and individuals all over the world. We have said it many times before in recent articles, the days of robbing banks in person are gone and now it all takes place behind a screen of a computer connected to the Internet. The Internet can be the most useful tool in business, school or every-day life. At the same time, the Internet can make someone's life a living hell in the event that one becomes the next victim of a cybercrime. A large percentage of the world's population that uses computers over the Internet are aware of cybercrime and the consequences that they may face if they succumb to a cybercriminals' trap. Others who have no clue as to the dangers they...

Search Marquis is a Mac utility that disguises itself as a helpful tool that will enhance the browsing quality of popular browsers like Chrome and Safari. In fact, it is a malicious browser extension that aims to alter the browser's setting without the user’s knowledge and consent. The main purpose of this Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP) that sneaks stealthily into Mac computers is to generate revenues for its operators by popularizing the search engine Bing.com on Mac Safari browser. This happens through a number of intermediate redirects through various dubious domains. Once installed on a Mac computer, this browser hijacking tool starts to modify crucial changes on the user's...

The Smooth Search Tab is a Possibly Unwanted Program (PUP) that acts as a browse-hijacker application that takes over a particular browser setting to promote a fake search engine. While the Smooth Search Tab tries to entice users by offering them a clean tab look and a couple of useful links to popular websites. Its main goal, however, is, as we said, to drive artificial traffic to its promoted site. Once installed, oftentimes through deceitful distribution methods such as bundling, the Smooth Search Tab will modify the homepage, new page tab, and the default search engine of the browser to open https://smoothsearch.online immediately. By simply starting the browser afterward, the user will already be generating traffic towards it. It should be noted that by itself, https://smoothsearch.online cannot provide any search results at all,...

Tiktok-labs.com is an advertising website that delivers various dubious advertisements to any visitors who land on it. It should be noted that in almost zero cases, users land on websites such as Tiktok-labs.com willingly. Instead, they are driven there by either a previously visited website or by having an adware application present on their devices. The advertisements generated by Tiktok-labs.com could be for various barely useful Chrome extensions, suspicious software updates, adult websites, shady online games or casino websites. Users who see the advertisements by Tiktok-labs.com should try to contain the urge to click on any of them. If the redirects persist, it is recommended to scan the device with a reputable anti-malware program for any potential adware applications that might be lurking on it. These applications often rely...

No matter how it might seem at first glance, the email that starts with 'I have some bad news for you' is nothing more than a blatant attempt to scare users into sending money to the people behind the tactic. Not a single one of the claims made in the email are true, and, as such, the entire email shouldn't be taken seriously. Instead, it should be ignored and disregarded completely. The fraudsters state that they have injected the targeted user's computer with a Trojan threat that has allowed them to collect various contact lists and data. They also claim that by taking control of the camera and microphone, they have been able to obtain an explicit video of the user visiting adult websites. If the sum of $1500 in Bitcoin is not sent to the provided wallet address, the con artists threaten to release the video to all of the victim's...

Meetclick.biz is an unsafe website that promotes a browser-based tactic. Usually, users do not open sites similar to Meetclick.biz willingly. Instead, they are being redirected by other suspicious websites, by clicking on shady advertisements, or by having adware or Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs) installed on their devices. No matter why people get to land on Meetclick.biz, they will be subjected to various fake alert or error messages. The specific text of the fake messages may vary, but they all rely on social-engineering tricks to convince unsuspecting users into clicking the 'Allow' button. This is the crux of the tactic, as once the users fall the trap and click the button, Meetclick.biz will receive the necessary browser permission to start delivering third-party advertisements to the screen of the device directly. Closing...

The infosec experts who first detected the JB88 Ransomware determined that it is not an entirely new ransomware threat. Instead, it can be categorized as being part of the Matrix Ransomware family. Being based on a previously released malware doesn't diminish the JB88 Ransomware's potency in the slightest, though. Suppose the JB88 Ransomware manages to infiltrate a computer successfully. In that case, it will proceed to encrypt the stored files by using a combination of two strong encryption algorithms - AES-256 and RSA-2048, to ensure that the locked files cannot be restored by brute-forcing the decryption key. The JB88 Ransomware follows a complex pattern for the names it assigns to every encrypted file. First, it appends an email address that belongs to the hackers - Jonbrown88@criptext.com, in this case, then a random string that...

The ExecutorV3 Ransomware is a crypto locker threat that has been discovered to be lurking in the wild. The ExecutorV3 Ransomware targets the data stored on users' computers and uses powerful encryption algorithms to render it inaccessible effectively. Nearly all file types are affected - image and photos, audio and video, documents, PDFs, spreadsheets, databases, etc. Every encrypted file will have '.babaxed' appended as a new extension to the original filename. As for the instructions that the hackers leave to their victims, they are dropped as ten text files dropped on the compromised systems' desktop. The files are named 'RECOVERY INSTRUCTIONS 0.txt' through 'RECOVERY INSTRUCTIONS 9.txt.' However, in some cases, due to a possible bug in the coding of the threat, the ransom notes are created before the encryption process has...

Lokpresearch.club is a browser-based tactic designed to promote dubious links or files on the Internet. The first step of this fraudulent scheme is to attract users to its website Lokpresearch.club, which usually happens through unsolicited redirects by other similarly corrupted pages or a browser hijacker installed on a user's device. Once you open Lokpresearch.club, you see a fake test message that is supposed to confirm that you are not a robot. However, clicking on the "Allow' button included in the text subscribes the user to browser notifications from this unsafe website. The banners and advertisements that will be displayed directly on their screen subsequently have absolutely no benefits for the user. Instead, they only expose users to the risk of having their devices infected with severe malware threats as they cause redirects...

Murranges.club's mission is to deliver unwanted advertisements to users' computers or mobile phones directly. Murranges.club operates through the website Murranges.club by gaining its visitors' agreement to receive messages in a misleading and unfair way. When users go to this website, they see the following error message: 'Murranges.club wants to Show notifications Click Allow to confirm that you are not a robot!' Murranges.club states that it wants the user's approval for browser notifications. However, it also claims that the user needs to click on the "Allow" button to proceed to the website's content. In fact, Murranges.club does not display any meaningful or useful information to its viewers; its only purpose is to trick users into subscribing to push notifications so that it can deliver advertising content to their devices...

Contentcloud.work is a mostly empty website with a single purpose - to trick users into subscribing to its push notification services. This browser-based tactic aims to deliver unsolicited advertisements to the affected device and generate revenue for its creators in the process. There are countless websites similar to Contentcloud.work and they all operate in a nearly identical way. They abuse various social-engineering tricks that aim to convince unsuspecting visitors to click the 'Allow' button and give the websites all the permissions they require to carry out their disruptive activity. Indeed, the sheer number of pop-up advertisements can reach such heights that the device's regular use could be impacted. Upon landing on Contentcloud.work, visitors will be greeted by several fake alert or error messages. While most websites...

Willianpadilla.pro is an unsafe website that is dedicated to the propagation of a browser-based scheme. The creators of the website want to generate revenue by tricking all unsuspecting visitors to the site into subscribing to its push notifications. The specific method for achieving this goal is through various social-engineering tactics geared towards convincing the users into clicking the 'Allow' button. As a result, Willianpadilla.pro will receive all the browser permissions it requires and starts flooding the affected device's screen with pop-up advertisements. The most popular message employed by these misleading websites is one that mimics a legitimate bot captcha check stating that visitors should click 'Allow' to verify that they are not robots. Willianpadilla.pro, however, relies on the people's curiosity and promises that...

Atharori.net is a service used by publishers to promote their websites and generate revenue. If users notice that they are experiencing abnormal amounts of redirects to Atharori.net, however, they may have an adware present on their computers. There are two main reasons why users might be seeing advertisements from Atharori.net. The first one is by being redirected from a previously visited website. In this circumstance, the solution is simply to close the page and move on with your browsing. If the redirects persist, however, the underlying cause may be more serious. Therefore, all those affected should then use a professional anti-malware program to scan their computers for potential adware applications that might be lurking undetected. Any such application should be removed as soon as possible. Indeed, landing on Atharori.net could...

No matter what features SearchAnyGame may boast having, the truth is that the primary purpose of the application is to drive artificial traffic towards a fake search engine. A lot of times, users do not download and install applications such as SearchAnyGame willingly. Instead, these browser hijackers employ various dubious distribution techniques designed to be as deceptive as possible. One of the most used techniques is called 'bundling' - when the option to remove the installation of the browser hijacker application is hidden beneath several menu layers of the installation process of another freeware program. As for SearchAnyGame, when it gets installed, it changes the homepage, new page tab, and the default search engine of the browser to open feed.searchanygame.com immediately. As a result, by simply opening the browser, traffic...

It is apparent that Dharma Ransomware has remained as popular as ever among cybercriminals with new ransomware threats based on it being discovered almost daily. One of the latest malware that can be attributed to being a part of the Dharma Ransomware malware family is the 'biashabtc@redchan.it' Ransomware. This new threat's behavior doesn't deviate from what is the norm when it comes to Dharma. The 'biashabtc@redchan.it' Ransomware uses powerful cryptographic algorithms to encrypt the compromised system files and render them unusable. Every encrypted file will have its name changed significantly - a unique ID assigned to the specific victim, followed by the email address 'biashabtc@redchan.it', and finally '.arrow' will be appended to the original filename. To minimize the chances of the affected users somehow missing the fact that...

The Copa Ransomware is a potent malware that can cause severe damage if it manages to infiltrate a computer. The Copa Ransomware uses a combination of powerful cryptographic algorithms - AES and RSA, to lock the users from accessing or using the files stored on the compromised system effectively. Nearly all filetypes can be encrypted by the Copa Ransomware, including documents, audio and video files, PDFs, photos, databases, spreadsheets, etc. Every locked file will have '.copa' added as a new extension to its original filename. The note with instructions from the hackers is dropped in every folder containing encrypted data and on the desktop. The ransom note file's name is '_readme.txt.' The Copa Ransomware is a new ransomware threat that was discovered to be part of the prolific STOP/DJVU family of crypto locker threats. The Copa...

Okopartment.club is an online tactic that tricks users into accepting browser notifications from a corrupted website. The purpose of this fraudulent scheme is to deliver sponsored advertising content to users' computers directly and then redirect users to potentially corrupted websites where they can get infected with additional malware threats. Okopartment.club exploits a social engineering trick to acquirethe users' permission to send them notifications. Okopartment.club displays a fake error message with the following text: 'Okopartment.club wants to Show notifications Click Allow to confirm that you are not a robot!' As you can imagine, clicking on the 'Allow' button subscribes you to intrusive pop-ups and banners about suspicious online gambling pages, websites with adult content, pages where Potentially Unwanted Applications...