Latest News

22nd June 2015

Malwarebytes Acquires Junkware Removal Tool

As you know, Malwarebytes has worked hard on making a stance against Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs) and through our diligent efforts have managed to not only protect our users from the junk of the internet but also upset quite a few PUP peddlers (as we like to call them). Well, we are about to get a whole truck load of angry letters after this! This morning, our CEO Marcin Kleczynski posted on our forums about a new acquisition by the Malwarebytes team of a really great tool that will assist us in fighting the bad guys on the PUP front: Junkware Removal Tool is consistently one of the top downloads on Bleeping Computer, Major Geeks and other download sites, and you want to check it out for yourself before we add it to the powerhouse that is Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. Keep in mind that this tool does not have an “Install” phase and runs when you execute it. It will also automatically close the applications you may be using while it scans so make sure you have saved and closed ..

15th June 2015

LastPass Security Notice Issued

Way back in 2011, LastPass had a bit of a security wobble as they noticed a “Network traffic anomaly” on one of their non critical machines. They took appropriate action, and posted an awful lot of words about what had happened. They’ve just published an advisory letting users know that there’s been a breach and the steps they should take to avert any potential threat to their accounts. ...we have found no evidence that encrypted user vault data was taken, nor that LastPass user accounts were accessed. The investigation has shown, however, that LastPass account email addresses, password reminders, server per user salts, and authentication hashes were compromised. On the off-chance you reused your LastPass master password on another site(s), you should alter all affected logins – password reuse is a major problem and not one to be taken lightly. This might also be a good time to remind everybody of the following: * Two factor authentication is available for LastPass users – Google ..

1st June 2015

Google Launches “My Account” Privacy and Security Aid

Google didn’t have a great time of things last time they rolled out a new security feature – I was halfway through drafting a blog on their Password Alert tool when someone found a way to bypass it completely. Their new addition to beefing up the security of accounts comes in the form of an all-in-one Account page, which lets Google users manage security and privacy in one easy to find location: myaccount(dot)google(dot)com This is a vast improvement over the occasional game of “click the link leapfrog” we’ve had to play in the past when attempting to find a specific security feature buried in a hard to find page. “Sign In & Security”, “Personal Info & Privacy” and “Account Preferences” deal with everything from ad settings and account history to signing in and device activity. You can drill down as much as you like, or take the more general overview listed under the Security / Privacy Check-Up banners. I particularly like the Account History section, which organises all of those ..

23rd April 2015

InfoSec Books to Read for World Book Day

Every 23rd of April, the world commemorates and celebrates World Book Day, otherwise known as International Day of the Book. During the evening, World Book Night then takes place. Regardless of when you prefer to read, it is no doubt that today is a special day for book lovers and knowledge-seekers alike. In 2014, we reviewed a privacy-centric book entitled “The Smart Girl’s Guide to Privacy” as a way to celebrate this day. This year, we’re not reviewing one book but two. Both can be finished in one day as they are very short. Let’s begin! Book 1: Make Your Smartphone 007 Smart by Conrad Jaeger One doesn’t have to be James Bond to be worthy of a gadget used for intelligence and counter-intelligence. In this digital age, privacy has become too essential a commodity that some are willing to jump through hoops to protect it. A smartphone that is “Bond smart”, as the book intuits, is free of malicious apps (that may be pre-installed to steal information or spy on you), untrackable, cove..

19th April 2015

Steam Introduce Limited User Accounts

The disposable nature of scam accounts on Steam has always been a bit of a problem – roll into town, set up some fakes, spam to your heart’s content then roll right out again. If the account is banhammered? No problem, you can just set up a new one and start all over again. Not any more. Many features are now going to be walled behind a $5 cost (for example, purchasing a game) – and there are very specific criteria where and how that money needs to be spent, before your account moves from Limited to Regular. From the Steam support page: Limited users are prevented from accessing several features on Steam, including but not limited to: Sending friend invites Opening group chat Voting on Greenlight, Steam Reviews and Workshop items Participating in the Steam Market Posting frequently in the Steam Discussions Gaining Steam Profile Levels (Locked to level 0) and Trading Cards Submitting content on the Steam Workshop Posting in an item's Steam Workshop Discussions Accessing the Ste..