Google Translate phishing attacks, a new Android image security threat, a popular email service loses everything, and more in This Week in Cybersecurity: where we highlight a select few of each week's new cyber security stories and share them here. Don't forget to follow our daily blog and social media for more in-depth cyber security and technology news.

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The Week of February 15th, 2019:

  • Google Translate is being used for more ill-intended uses than we might think. People have been reporting that hackers are using Google Translate to send out convincing Phishing scams with a link that takes them to a fake website asking to log in with their Google Account credentials. An Akamai researcher stated that “it [Google Translate] fills the URL (address) bar with random text, but the most important thing visually is that the victim sees a legitimate Google domain and helps the criminal bypass endpoint defenses.” (Akamai)
  • Android users beware: Google recently found out that a bogus PNG image could be used to hijack a wide variety of phones running either Android Nougat (7.0), Oreo (8.0), and even Android OS Pie (9.0). Google is pushing for manufacturers to send out security updates to resolve this potential threat but bear in mind that many Android phones are at the mercy of other companies and cellular providers to push out updates. Check your Android to see if a security update is available and if so, update now. (CSO Online)
  • Carefully crafted altered versions of popular iOS apps such as Angry Birds, Spotify and Minecraft have been popping up in the App Store. These bogus apps block in-app ads and remove the sign-ins required to access paid services, which takes earnings away from the original creators. Reportedly, a few of these pirated apps are bold enough to offer better-performing versions of their modified apps for a monthly fee. (CNET Security)
  • Ever used the online dating app, Coffee Meets Bagel? If you have, you may have been a victim of a breach. This week, a spokesperson for the company confirmed that approximately six million of its app users were compromised in a breach. The company also confirmed that the stolen data was sold by a user of Dream Market, a credential marketplace on the Dark Web. (InfoSec Magazine)
  • Email service VFEmail was horrified to discover that in the blink of an eye, their entire server was wiped clean by an anonymous hacker, with no ransomware demand. The attacker breached their way through and formatted the disks on all their servers within minutes. Thankfully they do have a backup in the Netherlands that they are working on restoring but according to their Twitter account: “it’s nowhere near a full restore.” Sometimes hackers don’t want money, they just want to wreak havoc. (CNET Security)

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