Artemis (Optimus) is a malicious program classified as ransomware. Systems infected with this malware have their data encrypted and users receive ransom demands for decryption. I.e., the files affected by this ransomware are rendered inaccessible, and victims are asked to pay to recover access. D
Project Plague is malware that adds infected computers to a botnet and installs a cryptocurrency miner onto them. Cyber criminals control Project Plague through a website used as the Command and Control server. The more computers in the botnet, the more resources cyber criminals have at their dis
security-protect[.]systems is a deceptive site, which runs various scams. At the time of research, this page promoted two schemes: one claiming that the user's iPhone has been infected; the other that cyber criminals have hacked the device and are monitoring them. The goal of these scams is to
Bqd2 is a ransomware variant that encrypts files (blocking access to them), displays a pop-up window with contact details, and creates the "FILES ENCRYPTED.txt" file (another ransom message). It also renames files by appending the victim's ID, badhach@aol.com email address, and ".bqd2" extension
There are many fake error messages that are displayed when users visit deceptive/untrustworthy websites. These include "Your System Detected Some Unusual Activity", a fake virus alert message that is displayed in text format and also plays an audio message. Typically, people arrive at these decep
DominantCommand generates ads and promotes a fake search engine by modifying browser settings. Therefore, this app is classified as adware and a browser hijacker. Note that apps like DominantCommand are capable of accessing sensitive information. Both adware-type apps and browser hijackers are
"Banca Sella email scam" refers to a spam campaign. This term defines a mass-scale operation during which thousands of deceptive emails are sent. The scam messages sent through this campaign are presented as emails from Banca Sella, a genuine Italian bank based in Biella, Piedmont. The fake messa
Practically identical to "You've Made The 5-billionth Search", "Chrome search contest 2021" is a scam promoted on various deceptive websites. This scheme claims that users have been selected as winners to win valuable prizes. All scams aim to generate revenue for their designers, yet how they pro
Conf Search is a browser hijacker which changes certain browser settings to conf-search.com, the address of a fake search engine. This app also adds the "Managed by your organization" feature (on Chrome browsers). Note that most browser hijackers collect details relating to web browsing activity,
Search Monster is rogue software categorized as a browser hijacker. It is designed to promote the search.wemakemonsters.it bogus search engine by making modifications to browser settings. Search Monster also adds the "Managed by your organization" feature to Google Chrome browsers. Furthermore, m