Advertising, Cybersecurity and Scams - Cyber Security Informer

The great Google Ads heist: criminals ransack advertiser accounts via fake Google ads

Malwarebytes

JANUARY 15, 2025

Fuel for other malware and scam campaigns Indicators of Compromise Overview Online criminals are targeting individuals and businesses that advertise via Google Ads by phishing them for their credentials ironically via fraudulent Google ads. This earned Google a whopping $175 billion in search-based ad revenues in 2023.

Advertising

Advertising Accountability Phishing Scams

Fake bank ads on Instagram scam victims out of money

Malwarebytes

JUNE 18, 2025

Ads on Instagram—including deepfake videos—are impersonating trusted financial institutions like Bank of Montreal (BMO) and EQ Bank (Equitable Bank) in order to scam people, according to BleepingComputer. By staying alert and proactive, you can outsmart even the most convincing deepfake scams. Awareness is your best defense.

Banking

Banking Scams Advertising Identity Theft

Repeat offenders drive bulk of tech support scams via Google Ads

Malwarebytes

DECEMBER 3, 2024

While hard to measure precisely, tech support scams accounted for $924M, according to the FBI’s 2023 Internet Crime Report. We’ve identified specific advertiser accounts that make up the bulk of fraudulent ads we have reported to Google this past year. Keep threats off by downloading Malwarebytes Browser Guard today.

Scams

Scams Advertising Accountability Engineering

Election season raises fears for nearly a third of people who worry their vote could be leaked

Malwarebytes

OCTOBER 15, 2024

According to new research from Malwarebytes, people see this election season as a particularly risky time for their online privacy and cybersecurity. Political ads could be hiding online scams, many people feel, and the election, they say, will likely fall victim to some type of “cyber interference.” The reasons could be obvious.

Scams

Scams Identity Theft Cybercrime Accountability

Romantic Lawsuit for Two? Don't Let Cybercriminals Scam You this Valentine's Day

SecureWorld News

FEBRUARY 14, 2025

And 2025 will be no different, as increasingly sophisticated online hackers seek to take advantage of Valentine's themed email traffic, social media advertisements, or marketing campaigns, and exploit heightened emotions and a desire to connect. Verify charities before donating Scam emails and messages impersonating charities are common.

Scams

Scams Cybercrime Phishing Social Engineering

PayPal’s “no-code checkout” abused by scammers

Malwarebytes

FEBRUARY 27, 2025

We recently identified a new scam targeting PayPal customers with very convincing ads and pages. Overview Scammers are creating ads impersonating PayPal from various advertiser accounts that may have been hacked. This is not a coincidence of course, and is why search advertising is worth billions of dollars.

Scams

Scams Mobile Small Business Advertising

Semrush impersonation scam hits Google Ads

Malwarebytes

MARCH 20, 2025

This blog post was co-authored with Elie Berreby, Senior SEO Strategist Criminals are highly interested in online marketing and advertising tools that they can leverage as part of their ongoing malware campaigns. Malicious Semrush domains adsense-word[.]com help sem-russhh[.]com com sem-rushhh[.]com com sem-rushh[.]com com semrush[.]click

Scams

Scams Accountability Phishing Advertising

March Madness Meets Cyber Mayhem: How Cybercriminals Are Playing Offense this Season

SecureWorld News

MARCH 20, 2025

March Madness is here, and while fans are busy filling out brackets and making last-minute bets, cybercriminals are running their own full-court presstargeting unsuspecting fans with phishing scams, fake betting apps, and credential-harvesting schemes. March Madness may be unpredictable, but your cybersecurity game plan doesn't have to be.

Scams

Scams Social Engineering Phishing Mobile

A Day in the Life of a Prolific Voice Phishing Crew

Krebs on Security

JANUARY 7, 2025

Before we get to the Apple scam in detail, we need to revisit Tony’s case. The Owner: The phishing panel owner, who will frequently listen in on and participate in scam calls. One “autodoxer” service advertised on Telegram that promotes a range of voice phishing tools and services.

Phishing

Phishing Cryptocurrency Accountability Social Engineering

Fake AI Video Tools Spreading New “Noodlophile” Malware, Targets Thousands on Facebook

eSecurity Planet

MAY 11, 2025

Researchers from cybersecurity firm Morphisec have uncovered the scheme’s full extent. How the scam works: Free AI tools that cost you everything The trap begins on Facebook, where well-designed posts and pages promote fake AI services. One post alone racked up over 62,000 views, showing how wide the scam has spread.

Malware

Malware Scams Media Artificial Intelligence

1 in 10 people do nothing to stay secure and private on vacation

Malwarebytes

MARCH 17, 2025

This year, Spring Break vacationers are packing more than their flip-flops, bucket hats, and sunglassestheyre also packing a few cybersecurity anxieties for the trip. Broadly, Malwarebytes found that: 52% of people agreed or strongly agreed that they worry about being scammed while traveling.

Scams

Scams Passwords Backups VPN

AI-Driven Fraud and Impersonation: The New Face of Financial Crime

SecureWorld News

JULY 17, 2025

Introduction: A high-tech twist on age-old scams Impersonation fraud is not new, but the scale and believability of recent AI-driven schemes pose an unprecedented threat to financial organizations. In 2025, U.S. Figure 1: Projected U.S. What used to require Hollywood-level resources can now be done with off-the-shelf AI tools.

Banking

Banking Scams Social Engineering Financial Services

New AI “agents” could hold people for ransom in 2025

Malwarebytes

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

A paradigm shift in technology is hurtling towards us, and it could change everything we know about cybersecurity. Remember that just last year a widespread IT outage grounded flights globally, cementing the relationship between companies, cybersecurity, and everyday people. Uhh, again, that is. Heres what we might expect.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence Small Business Malware Technology

1,000+ web shops infected by “Phish ‘n Ships” criminals who create fake product listings for in-demand products

Malwarebytes

NOVEMBER 1, 2024

SEO poisoning is a technique employed by cybercriminals to manipulate search engine results, making harmful websites or advertisements appear at the top of search results. Did the advertisement you clicked on take you to the expected web shop? So, what can consumers do to stay safe?

Phishing

Phishing Advertising Engineering Risk

Cybersecurity Snapshot: Tenable Highlights Risks of AI Use in the Cloud, as UK’s NCSC Offers Tips for Post-Quantum Cryptography Adoption

Security Boulevard

MARCH 21, 2025

And get the latest on open source software security; cyber scams; and IoT security. Make sure your organization is aware of and prepared for the complex cybersecurity risks that emerge when you mix AI and the cloud. Stewards should help scale and standardize cybersecurity practices and processes throughout the open source ecosystem.

Risk

Risk IoT Cybersecurity Manufacturing

Dark web threats and dark market predictions for 2025

SecureList

DECEMBER 16, 2024

In 2024, our expert observations indicate that commercial advertising for these cryptors have indeed gained momentum. Not every data breach advertisement on the dark web is the result of a genuinely serious incident. The primary purpose of these tools is to render the code undetectable by security software.

Marketing

Marketing Data breaches Cryptocurrency Malware

86 million AT&T customer records reportedly up for sale on the dark web

Zero Day

JUNE 6, 2025

Based on an analysis by cybersecurity news platform Hackread , the data contains dates of birth, phone numbers, email addresses, street addresses, and even social security numbers. Trey Ford, Chief Information Security Officer at crowdsourced cybersecurity firm Bugcrowd offers an interesting take. million former account holders.

Password Management

Password Management Passwords Identity Theft Software

AI and collaboration tools: how cyberattackers are targeting SMBs in 2025

SecureList

JUNE 25, 2025

Meanwhile, cybersecurity regulations are tightening, adding more compliance pressure on SMBs. These programs are designed to display advertisements on infected computers or substitute a promotional website for the default search engine in a browser. SMBs can even find themselves targeted by classic Nigerian scams.

Adware

Adware Phishing Computers and Electronics Banking

You should probably delete any sensitive screenshots you have in your phone right now. Here's why

Zero Day

JUNE 26, 2025

Also: How Avast's free AI-powered Scam Guardian protects you from online con artists According to Kaspersky, the malware targets iOS and Android devices. Privacy Policy | | Cookie Settings | Advertise | Terms of Use The new Trojan was first mentioned on SecureList by Kaspersky. All rights reserved.

Password Management

Password Management Small Business Passwords Artificial Intelligence

From Stealer to Spy: AMOS Malware Evolves into Full-Fledged Backdoor Threat for macOS

Penetration Testing

JULY 9, 2025

Its distribution now spans: Fake or cracked software downloads Spear phishing job scams, targeting high-value crypto holders and freelancers Once inside, victims are socially engineered to enter system passwords under the guise of enabling screen sharing or installing job-related software. Support independent cybersecurity journalism.

Malware

Malware Surveillance InfoSec Penetration Testing

Cyber criminals impersonate payroll, HR and benefits platforms to steal information and funds

Malwarebytes

MAY 8, 2025

In that same report, the FBI advises consumers to check the URL to make sure the site is authentic before clicking on an advertisement. Browser extensions such as Malwarebytes Browser Guard will block ads but also the scams or malware sites associated with these schemes.

Phishing

Phishing Authentication Engineering Banking

16 billion passwords leaked across Apple, Google, more: What to know and how to protect yourself

Zero Day

JUNE 22, 2025

Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers. But Bob Diachenko, a Cybernews contributor, cybersecurity researcher, and owner of SecurityDiscovery.com told Cybernews that there was no centralized data breach at any of those companies. Take the latest report of a major breach.

Passwords

Passwords Data breaches Password Management Identity Theft

From Menu to Malware: How Innocent Scans Lead to Quishing Attacks

SecureWorld News

JUNE 23, 2025

At the gym, the flyer advertising a free class also has a QR code. RELATED: QR Codes Exposed: From Convenience to Cybersecurity Nightmare ] Marketing's role in normalizing blind trust Marketers love QR codes. You're at a café, waiting for your coffee. Instead of a physical menu, there's a QR code on the table.

Malware

Malware Phishing Marketing Mobile

Privacy Roundup: Week 7 of Year 2025

Security Boulevard

FEBRUARY 17, 2025

The research also shows that reCAPTCHA relies on fingerprinting (collecting "user agent data and other identifying information") and shares this data with advertisers. Information and summaries provided here are as-is for warranty purposes.

Surveillance

Surveillance Data breaches VPN Malware

How passkeys work: Do your favorite sites even support passkeys?

Zero Day

JULY 9, 2025

In anticipation of AI's role as a hacker's weapon of choice, Visa announced in December 2024 that "it will require Australian financial institutions to move away from SMS OTPs as the sole factor for payment authentication to address the threat of AI-driven fraud and scams." All rights reserved.

Passwords

Passwords Password Management Authentication Artificial Intelligence

Top Cyber Attacker Techniques, August–October 2024

Digital Shadows

NOVEMBER 26, 2024

The proliferation of cybercrime guides on forums and a 7% rise in insider threat content, driven by significant financial incentives, highlight the growing complexity of cybersecurity challenges. Organizations with limited cybersecurity budgets or outdated legacy and end-of-life systems are prime targets for threat actors.

Cyber Attacks

Cyber Attacks Phishing Ransomware Cyber Insurance

Privacy Roundup: Week 11 of Year 2025

Security Boulevard

MARCH 17, 2025

The CEO claims that thanks to their "CoreAI" product/service/feature, they can leverage extreme personalized (and prediction) advertising for 91 percent of adults around the world. Information and summaries provided here are as-is for warranty purposes.

Surveillance

Surveillance Data breaches Spyware Malware

Facebook's new passkey support could let you ditch your password once and for all

Zero Day

JUNE 19, 2025

"Passkeys are an upgrade in security compared to traditional passwords and one-time SMS codes because they are resistant to guessing or theft by malicious websites or scam links, making them effective against phishing and password spraying attacks," Facebook said in its announcement. All rights reserved.

Passwords

Passwords Password Management Small Business Mobile

Heard about the 16 billion passwords leak? Here are the facts and how to protect yourself

Zero Day

JUNE 20, 2025

Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers. But Bob Diachenko, a Cybernews contributor, cybersecurity researcher, and owner of SecurityDiscovery.com told Cybernews that there was no centralized data breach at any of those companies. Take the latest report of a major breach.

Passwords

Passwords Data breaches Password Management Identity Theft

Two new Android 16 security features protect you better - how to switch them on now

Zero Day

JULY 14, 2025

Privacy Policy | | Cookie Settings | Advertise | Terms of Use Topics Galleries Videos Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information about ZDNET Meet The Team Sitemap Reprint Policy Join | Log In Newsletters Licensing Accessibility © 2025 ZDNET, A Ziff Davis company. All rights reserved.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence Digital transformation Password Management Mobile

Identity at a Crossroads: Why Existential Identity Matters

Thales Cloud Protection & Licensing

APRIL 7, 2025

For many years now, it has been defined as the new cybersecurity perimeter, and the premise is simple: As businesses become increasingly dispersed in terms of services and serviced users, it's no longer applicable that all users, devices, and data are safely managed inside company networks. Are We Sacrificing Safety for Simplicity?

Authentication

Authentication Identity Theft Digital transformation Passwords

This handy NordVPN tool flags scam calls on Android - even before you answer

Zero Day

JULY 31, 2025

PT Reviewed by Elyse Betters Picaro NordVPN / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET ZDNET's key takeaways NordVPN can detect a scam call before you answer it. The Scam Call Protection is only for NordVPN Premium Android users. Or it could be a scam call. Here's how to set it up. Should you pick it up? It could be important.

Scams

Scams Artificial Intelligence Digital transformation Software

Your Android phone just got a major feature upgrade for free - including these Pixel models

Zero Day

JUNE 13, 2025

It protects your device from a variety of attacks, including scam calls, harmful apps, unsafe websites, phishing attempts, malicious links, and more. Privacy Policy | | Cookie Settings | Advertise | Terms of Use All rights reserved.

Password Management

Password Management Small Business Artificial Intelligence Software

Your Android phone just got a big upgrade for free - these Pixel models included

Zero Day

JUNE 17, 2025

It protects your device from a variety of attacks, including scam calls, harmful apps, unsafe websites, phishing attempts, malicious links, and more. Privacy Policy | | Cookie Settings | Advertise | Terms of Use All rights reserved.

Password Management

Password Management Small Business Artificial Intelligence Software

Are software professionals truly an endangered species? It's complicated

Zero Day

JUNE 30, 2025

Privacy Policy | | Cookie Settings | Advertise | Terms of Use Topics Galleries Videos Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information about ZDNET Meet The Team Sitemap Reprint Policy Join | Log In Newsletters Licensing Accessibility © 2025 ZDNET, A Ziff Davis company. All rights reserved.

Software

Software Password Management Small Business Engineering

Fighting AI with AI, finance firms prevented $5 million in fraud - but at what cost?

Zero Day

JULY 17, 2025

AI has made scam artists much more powerful - but the technology also offers solutions to the very problems it's exacerbating. PT d3sign/Getty Imageds When most people think of AI, the first thing that probably comes to mind isn't superintelligence or the promise of agents to boost productivity , but scams.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence Financial Services Digital transformation Software

Adult sites trick users into Liking Facebook posts using a clickjack Trojan

Malwarebytes

AUGUST 7, 2025

During our daily rounds on Facebook, looking for the latest scams, we noticed something odd about some posts pointing to adult websites. We don’t just report on threats—we remove them Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. We found that several of the sites promoted in this way were hosted on blogspot[.]com,

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence VPN Scams Malware

This Debian-based Linux distro is an overlooked and user-friendly gem

Zero Day

JUNE 30, 2025

My verdict after testing one during a heat wave Finally, a premium multitool that doesn't feel like I'm getting scammed The top 10 laptops our readers are buying this year (no. Privacy Policy | | Cookie Settings | Advertise | Terms of Use All rights reserved.

Password Management

Password Management Small Business Energy and Utilities Software

Alleged ‘tap-in’ scammer advertised services on social media

Malwarebytes

AUGUST 5, 2025

Police are calling this a ‘tap-in’ scam. It’s not uncommon, and it works like this: The scammer advertises for people who want to make fast, easy money by providing access to their bank account. We don’t just report on threats—we remove them Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline.

Advertising

Advertising Media Banking Accountability

Paid proxy servers vs free proxies: Is paying for a proxy service worth it?

Zero Day

JUNE 13, 2025

Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers. Are free proxies a cybersecurity risk? Also: The best free VPNs: Secure, safe, and tested solutions That's not to say all free proxies are scams -- far from it. How do I check to see if a proxy service is a scam?

Password Management

Password Management VPN Small Business Mobile

Play Fortnite? You can get part of Epic's $245 million settlement payout - here's how

Zero Day

JULY 1, 2025

Don't reply - it might be a scam. Privacy Policy | | Cookie Settings | Advertise | Terms of Use Topics Galleries Videos Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information about ZDNET Meet The Team Sitemap Reprint Policy Join | Log In Newsletters Licensing Accessibility © 2025 ZDNET, A Ziff Davis company. All rights reserved.

Password Management

Password Management Artificial Intelligence Digital transformation Passwords

Google is using passkeys and new security tools to help you fight cyberattacks - here's how

Zero Day

JULY 30, 2025

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence Authentication Digital transformation Software

Finally, I found a GPS tracker with infinite battery life, high accuracy, and a great price

Zero Day

JULY 1, 2025

Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers. This GPS handheld provides up to 200 hours of GPS navigation with no solar charging; in an area with 75,000 lux sun -- bright sunlight -- the battery is advertised as providing unlimited GPS navigation support. All rights reserved.

Password Management

Password Management Artificial Intelligence Digital transformation Passwords

iOS 26 envy? 5 iPhone features you can already use on your Android (Samsung included)

Zero Day

JULY 25, 2025

We haven't even touched on Google's most recent inclusion of real-time scam detection during phone calls using on-device AI, which feels like pure magic. Privacy Policy | | Cookie Settings | Advertise | Terms of Use Google goes one step further by also automatically warning and filtering spam calls inside the Phone app.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence Software Digital transformation Password Management

The great Google Ads heist: criminals ransack advertiser accounts via fake Google ads

Fake bank ads on Instagram scam victims out of money

Trending Sources

Repeat offenders drive bulk of tech support scams via Google Ads

Election season raises fears for nearly a third of people who worry their vote could be leaked

Romantic Lawsuit for Two? Don't Let Cybercriminals Scam You this Valentine's Day

PayPal’s “no-code checkout” abused by scammers

Semrush impersonation scam hits Google Ads

March Madness Meets Cyber Mayhem: How Cybercriminals Are Playing Offense this Season

A Day in the Life of a Prolific Voice Phishing Crew

Fake AI Video Tools Spreading New “Noodlophile” Malware, Targets Thousands on Facebook

1 in 10 people do nothing to stay secure and private on vacation

AI-Driven Fraud and Impersonation: The New Face of Financial Crime

New AI “agents” could hold people for ransom in 2025

1,000+ web shops infected by “Phish ‘n Ships” criminals who create fake product listings for in-demand products

Cybersecurity Snapshot: Tenable Highlights Risks of AI Use in the Cloud, as UK’s NCSC Offers Tips for Post-Quantum Cryptography Adoption

Dark web threats and dark market predictions for 2025

86 million AT&T customer records reportedly up for sale on the dark web

AI and collaboration tools: how cyberattackers are targeting SMBs in 2025

You should probably delete any sensitive screenshots you have in your phone right now. Here's why

From Stealer to Spy: AMOS Malware Evolves into Full-Fledged Backdoor Threat for macOS

Cyber criminals impersonate payroll, HR and benefits platforms to steal information and funds

16 billion passwords leaked across Apple, Google, more: What to know and how to protect yourself

From Menu to Malware: How Innocent Scans Lead to Quishing Attacks

Privacy Roundup: Week 7 of Year 2025

How passkeys work: Do your favorite sites even support passkeys?

Top Cyber Attacker Techniques, August–October 2024

Privacy Roundup: Week 11 of Year 2025

Facebook's new passkey support could let you ditch your password once and for all

Heard about the 16 billion passwords leak? Here are the facts and how to protect yourself

Two new Android 16 security features protect you better - how to switch them on now

Identity at a Crossroads: Why Existential Identity Matters

This handy NordVPN tool flags scam calls on Android - even before you answer

Your Android phone just got a major feature upgrade for free - including these Pixel models

Your Android phone just got a big upgrade for free - these Pixel models included

Are software professionals truly an endangered species? It's complicated

Fighting AI with AI, finance firms prevented $5 million in fraud - but at what cost?

Adult sites trick users into Liking Facebook posts using a clickjack Trojan

This Debian-based Linux distro is an overlooked and user-friendly gem

Alleged ‘tap-in’ scammer advertised services on social media

Paid proxy servers vs free proxies: Is paying for a proxy service worth it?

Play Fortnite? You can get part of Epic's $245 million settlement payout - here's how

Google is using passkeys and new security tools to help you fight cyberattacks - here's how

Finally, I found a GPS tracker with infinite battery life, high accuracy, and a great price

iOS 26 envy? 5 iPhone features you can already use on your Android (Samsung included)

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