Tag Archive for: devices

Hackers use pirated software to hijack Mac, Android, and Windows devices

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Trading in cryptocurrency? You might be sitting on a pretty penny in that digital wallet of yours. Feels great, doesn’t it? But here’s the catch with digital currency: keeping it secure isn’t a walk in the park.

Hackers are out there, working overtime to come up with new tricks to swipe your crypto, potentially emptying your wallet in one fell swoop. Yep, for these cyber thieves, your digital cash is the ultimate prize. And the worst part? Most of the time, you won’t even realize you’ve been hit until your balance is zero.

Case in point: there’s this fresh malware out there, specifically targeting macOS, Android, and Windows devices. It sneaks in through pirated software, hunting for your cryptocurrency to make it its own. Here’s how it works.

What is the new malware targeting cryptocurrency users?

The cybersecurity company Kaspersky has uncovered a sophisticated new malware campaign designed to pilfer cryptocurrency from users’ wallets. This campaign leverages pirated or improperly licensed software as a vector for infection, exploiting the common practice of seeking out ‘free’ versions of paid software online.

These cracked applications, distributed through unauthorized websites, are embedded with a Trojan-Proxy type of malware. This malware is not limited to just macOS users, as recent findings have shown; variants targeting Android and Windows platforms have also been discovered, connecting to the same Command and Control (C&C) server. These variants, like their macOS counterparts, are concealed within cracked software, illustrating the widespread risk across different operating systems.

Once the malware is downloaded into your device, it’ll immediately start checking for Bitcoin and Exodus cryptocurrency wallets. If it discovers either one (which is very unfortunate for some users who have both), the malware replaces the wallet and infects it with another version that’s able to steal the cryptocurrency. For some people, this could amount to thousands of dollars. And, it’s all because you unintentionally downloaded the malware to your macOS, Android, and Windows devices.

MORE: HOW CROOKS ARE USING SKIMMERS AND SHIMMERS TO STEAL YOUR MONEY AT…

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Meta Warns of 8 Spyware Firms Targeting iOS, Android, and Windows Devices

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Spyware Firms

Meta Platforms said it took a series of steps to curtail malicious activity from eight different firms based in Italy, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) operating in the surveillance-for-hire industry.

The findings are part of its Adversarial Threat Report for the fourth quarter of 2023. The spyware targeted iOS, Android, and Windows devices.

“Their various malware included capabilities to collect and access device information, location, photos and media, contacts, calendar, email, SMS, social media, and messaging apps, and enable microphone,camera, and screenshot functionality,” the company said.

The eight companies are Cy4Gate/ELT Group, RCS Labs, IPS Intelligence, Variston IT, TrueL IT, Protect Electronic Systems, Negg Group, and Mollitiam Industries.

These firms, per Meta, also engaged in scraping, social engineering, and phishing activity that targeted a wide range of platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, Skype, GitHub, Reddit, Google, LinkedIn, Quora, Tumblr, VK, Flickr, TikTok, SnapChat, Gettr, Viber, Twitch and Telegram.

Specifically, a network of fictitious personas linked to RCS Labs, which is owned by Cy4Gate, is said to have tricked users into providing their phone numbers and email addresses, in addition to clicking on bogus links for conducting reconnaisance.

Another set of now-removed Facebook and Instagram accounts associated with Spanish spyware vendor Variston IT was employed for exploit development and testing, including sharing of malicious links. Last week, reports emerged that the company is shutting down its operations.

Cybersecurity

Meta also said it identified accounts used by Negg Group to test the delivery of its spyware, as well as by Mollitiam Industries, a Spanish firm that advertises a data collection service and spyware targeting Windows, macOS, and Android, to scrape public information.

Elsewhere, the social media giant actioned on networks from China, Myanmar, and Ukraine exhibiting coordinated inauthentic behavior (CIB) by removing over 2,000 accounts, Pages, and Groups from Facebook and Instagram.

While the Chinese cluster targeted U.S. audiences with content related to criticism of U.S. foreign policy towards…

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Audio Router routes audio from programs to different audio devices

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Let’s assume that you want to use headphone for Microsoft Edge’s YouTube video but a speaker when watching movies on the VLC media player or Windows Media Player. Such things are not possible on a Windows PC. While Windows 10 lets you set preferred speakers for an app, Windows 8.1/7 users have no such option. If your version of Windows does not allow you to set different speaker for different apps, you may want to check out Audio Router.

Audio Router for Windows PC

Audio Router is a free Windows software that allows you to choose the different audio output for different apps. For instance, you can set headphone while listening to music on Spotify and use the speaker for other purposes. It is a portable Windows software, which means you do not have to install it on your computer.

After downloading, unzip the zipped folder and double-click on Audio Router.exe file to open it.

set different speaker for different apps in Windows 10

On the UI, you can find all the opened apps as well as default audio device, and all the connected audio devices including headphone, Bluetooth speaker, wired speaker, etc.

Let’s assume that you want to set speakers for Microsoft Edge. For that, click the arrow icon visible in the bottom of an app and select Route.

Audio Router for Windows PC

You will get a popup window with a drop-down menu. You need to select an audio device or output from the corresponding drop-down menu.

Having done that, your app will start using that audio output instead of the default one.

Audio Router has some other options as well. Like you can mute a device by clicking the Mute button, duplicate an audio output by clicking the Duplicate button and so on.

Audio Router is a simple open-source Windows software, and if you like it, you can download it from Github.

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The top 3 ways to protect your new devices online

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Cyberattacks are at an all-time high, and with the cost of dealing with a cyberattack doubling last year, their ramifications are more intense than ever. With your ISP and government trying to track your IP and internet activities, malicious actors devising schemes to infiltrate your device with malware or steal your sensitive data using phishing attacks, you absolutely need to wrap your devices with foolproof safety nets using the best VPN, the best antivirus, and the best password manager.

However, with so many security software on the market that release updates left, right, and center, you need a reliable team of experts that regularly test VPNs, antiviruses, and password managers first-hand—and TechRadar’s in-house experts do just that.

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