Less sophisticated criminals just throw words like "paypal", or anything else you might recognise, into the link and hope you'll notice that bit and ignore the rest.Īgainst that backdrop, Google inexplicably decided to introduce something that will generate no useful revenue but will give cybercrooks an entirely new form of file and domain name misdirection, to add to all the others we're still wrestling with. Criminals make extensive use of open redirects for example-web pages that will redirect you anywhere you want to go-to make it look as if their malicious URLs are actually links to Google, Twitter or other respectable sites. Hilariousy, Windows helps the subterfuge along by hiding the second file extension, the one you really should be paying attention to, by default.ĭomain names get the same treatment. Most aren't even faced with that choice though. Given a choice of two, users have to decide which one to believe. The second is the real one: A dangerous executable type. An old favourite is giving malicious files two files extensions, like. The attack chain is there to confuse (there's that word again) and mislead users and security software.Ĭriminals use other forms of misdirection in file extensions too. In a longer chain it might contain something that links to something bad, or contain something that contains something that links to something bad, or contain something that links to something that contains something that links to something bad. In a short chain, the zip file might simply contain something bad. Typically, the zip file is first in a sequence of files known as an "attack chain". zip files and the last couple of years has seen an explosion in their use as malicious email attachments. The icon even includes a picture of a zipper on it (because reinforcement is good, and confusion is bad.)Īs it happens, cybercriminals love. If the three letters after the dot spell z-i-p, then that indicates an archive full of compressed-"zipped up"-files. Since the very beginning, files on Windows computers have used an icon, and a filename ending in a dot followed by three letters to indicate what kind of file you're dealing with. zip means something completely different. Meanwhile, plenty of users already have a clear idea that. zip URL lets your audience know that you're fast, efficient, and ready to move. When you're offering services where speed is of the essence, a. Against that indifference, it seems laughable that dot zip will ever come to indicate that a site is "zippy" or fast, as Google intends. Despite the fact that both dot com and dot org have been around since 1985, it's my experience that most people are oblivious to this idea. Dot com was supposed to indicate that a site was commercial, and dot org was originally meant for non-profit organizations. The TLD is supposed to act as a sort of indicator for the type of site you're visiting. TLDs are the letters that come after the dot at the end of the domain name in an Internet address, like, , and example.zip.įile extensions are the three letters that came after the dot at the end of a file name, like example.docx, example.ppt, and example.zip.ĭomain names and filenames are not the same thing, not even close, but both of them play an important role in modern cyberattacks, and correctly identifying them has formed part of lots of basic security advice for a long, long time. nexus, but it was dot zip and dot mov that had security eyeballs looking skywards, because of their obvious similarity to the extremely popular and long-lived. Google Registry actually announced eight new top-level domains (TLDs) that day. The synchronised ocular rotation was the less than warm welcome that parts of the IT and security industries-this author included-gave to Google's decision to put. Please attach the file in your next reply.If you heard a strange and unfamiliar creaking noise on May 3, it may have been the simultaneous rolling of a million eyeballs. Upon completion, a file named mbst-grab-results.zip will be found on your Desktop. You will be presented with a page stating, " Get Started!"Ĭlick the Advanced tab on the left columnĪ progress bar will appear and the program will proceed with getting logs from your computer Place a checkmark next to Accept License Agreement and click Next You may be prompted by User Account Control (UAC) to allow changes to be made to your computer. Once the file is downloaded, open your Downloads folder/location of the downloaded fileĭouble-click mb-support-X.X.X.XXXX.exe to run the program NOTE: The tools and the information obtained is safe and not harmful to your privacy or your computer, please allow the programs to run if blocked by your system. If you haven’t already done so, please run the Malwarebytes Support Tool and then attach the logs in your next reply:
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