#malware prevention

[digitalworldvision]

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[safenet]

Is Your Click Safe? Discover the Power of a URL Safety Checker!

Introduction

With the internet becoming increasingly essential in daily life, so has the threat of online scams, malware, and phishing attacks. Just a single careless click can open the door to a world of risks, from stolen data to financial loss. This reality makes the need for a safe URL checker critical, both for individuals and businesses. A URL safety checker is an essential tool that evaluates whether links are safe before you click on them, adding a vital layer of security to your online experience. In this guide, we’ll explore how a website safety checker works, why it’s crucial for your online safety, and how you can use a variety of URL checkers to protect yourself and your devices.

What Is a Safe URL Checker and Why You Need It

A safe URL checker is a tool designed to verify the safety of a URL or website link before you access it. It analyzes various elements of a URL, from checking for signs of malware to scanning for phishing markers. URL checkers utilize extensive databases and machine-learning algorithms to identify potential threats embedded within websites. With the rapid growth of cyber threats, having a reliable URL safety checker is more important than ever, especially when cybercriminals increasingly rely on deceptive links to access personal data.

Why Do You Need a URL Safety Checker?

Using a URL checker online allows you to verify if a website is secure before you enter sensitive information, like passwords or credit card details. These tools can protect you against common types of cyber attacks, including phishing and malware-infected sites. For anyone who shops, banks, or simply browses online, a website safety checker is an invaluable layer of defense. A single security check URL can save you from potential data breaches or malware infections.

The Role of a URL Safety Checker in Everyday Browsing

For many people, browsing the internet is a seamless experience—until it’s disrupted by a suspicious link or a pop-up warning. A URL safety checker is essential in such situations, allowing users to verify suspicious links. Imagine receiving an unexpected email from a reputable company asking you to click on a link to "update your account." With a phishing URL checker, you can immediately assess whether the link is legitimate or a scam.

How to Integrate Safe URL Checkers in Everyday Use

You can make URL checkers part of your daily browsing habits with browser extensions or dedicated mobile apps. Some URL safety checkers also integrate into web filters, alerting you to malicious links before you even click them. With the rising prevalence of online scams, integrating a reliable website safety checker into your daily browsing is a smart choice to avoid dangerous clicks.

How a Website Safety Checker Protects You from Online Threats

From viruses to phishing scams, online threats are continuously evolving. A website safety checker offers real-time scanning to help you avoid these hazards. By evaluating a link's reputation, scanning for malware signatures, and checking for phishing indicators, a URL reputation checker helps shield your device and personal data from harm. Some advanced tools even analyze the website's SSL certificate and IP reputation, enhancing security.

The Technology Behind URL Scanners

Modern URL checkers utilize AI and machine learning to detect new patterns in cyber threats. For example, Google Safe Browsing, an extensive database maintained by Google, is frequently used by URL scanners to check if a site is flagged for unsafe content. Some tools, like VirusTotal, even aggregate data from multiple security databases, ensuring that the analysis of each link is comprehensive.

Using a URL Scanner to Identify Unsafe Links

If you’re sent a link from an unknown sender, using a URL scanner is a smart first step. These tools can inspect the link's destination without you needing to visit it, and they’ll alert you to any flagged content or suspicious activity. This is especially useful in emails or messages where scams often circulate.

How to Use a URL Scanner

Many popular URL scanners like Norton Safe Web or Kaspersky Threat Intelligence Portal allow you to paste the URL directly for an instant analysis. By performing a security check URL scan before clicking, you add a layer of proactive security to your browsing habits. This strategy is particularly useful when you’re unsure about a link’s origin or if it’s from a source that you don’t trust entirely.

Stay Vigilant: The Importance of a Phishing URL Checker

Phishing attacks are designed to trick users into revealing sensitive information by impersonating reputable entities. A phishing URL checker specifically looks for indicators of a phishing site, such as suspicious URLs, fake SSL certificates, or domain names that mimic trusted brands. With a phishing URL checker, you can ensure that the link isn’t attempting to exploit your trust or steal your information.

How Phishing URL Checkers Identify Dangerous Links

Phishing URL checkers rely on databases of known phishing sites, as well as detection algorithms that analyze website structure and content. For instance, tools like PhishTank maintain lists of verified phishing URLs, allowing you to cross-check URLs against a constantly updated registry. Using these checkers before entering sensitive information can protect you from some of the most common online scams.

The Benefits of Performing a Regular Link Safety Check

Regularly performing a link safety check is a proactive approach to cyber hygiene. Rather than waiting to be alerted to a scam, you can regularly check URLs you encounter, especially in work environments where cyber threats are frequent. By incorporating link safety checks into your routine, you build a habit of cautious clicking, reducing the risk of accidental exposure to malicious content.

Link Safety in Personal and Professional Settings

Whether for personal or business use, regularly scanning links can minimize the impact of cyber attacks. Many businesses now mandate link safety checks to secure their networks against phishing and malware. By adding a website link checker to your digital toolkit, you’re investing in long-term digital safety and protecting valuable data.

Choosing the Best URL Checker Online for Your Security Needs

When it comes to selecting the right URL checker online, consider factors like accuracy, speed, and the scope of detection. While basic URL scanners are free, paid versions often offer more extensive analysis, checking for broader security threats, such as advanced phishing tactics and ransomware.

Top URL Checkers Online

For the best security results, look for URL checkers like ScanURL, URLVoid, or SiteCheck by Sucuri. Each of these tools has unique strengths, from evaluating link reputation to detecting malware and phishing tactics. A URL checker online that suits your specific needs can significantly reduce your vulnerability to online threats.

Conclusion

In a world where one wrong click can lead to identity theft or financial loss, a safe link checker is more than just a tool—it’s a necessity. From basic phishing checks to comprehensive malware scans, URL safety checkers provide critical defenses against a range of online threats. By using URL scanners, incorporating regular link safety checks, and choosing the right online tools, you can transform your browsing habits and shield yourself from common cyber risks. Embracing URL safety practices empowers you to browse with confidence, secure in the knowledge that your clicks are safe.

[internett1line]

Enhancing SASE with Network Sandboxing: A Modern Cybersecurity Approach

In the rapidly evolving world of cybersecurity, businesses must adopt robust strategies to defend against increasingly sophisticated threats. One of the most comprehensive and modern approaches is Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), which combines wide area networking (WAN) with cloud-delivered security services. To further strengthen this architecture, integrating network sandboxing can provide…

[magz]

FUTO keyboard is a Local, private source-available digital keyboard for Android devices with Voice to Text feature.

The early full release version of the keyboard application is available.

Uses local transcription machine learning (Whisper AI) for voice to text, without the use of internet or cloud or data collection.

FUTO Keyboard is intended to be an alternative to Google and Samsung Keyboard on Android devices, since the defaults collect user data.

Video by Louis Rossman of FUTO (posted on July 1, 2024):

FUTO Keyboard Website Link

[hsd-industries]

i think now is a good a time as ever to mention my very brilliant scheme in which i make a malware program and display it on github so that when employers look at the coding things i have done they see the malware and go “this man is very smart he made a computer program that crashes your computer”

Fuck it *shitposts on LinkedIn*

[theseoblogspace]

10 Essential Security Measures to Protect Your Website from Hackers and Malware

In today’s digital world, keeping your website safe is a big worry for Aussie businesses. Sadly, Australia loses heaps of money every year fixing the damage from hackers1. With 56% of WordPress site attacks coming from old plugins2, it’s clear we need to act fast to protect our online stuff and customer info. This guide gives you 10 key steps to keep your website safe from malware and cyber…

[familythings]

Beware of Malicious Apps: The WallConnect Cryptocurrency Scam

A recent discovery by Check Point Research (CPR) has unveiled a dangerous app lurking on Google Play. Named WallConnect, this app tricked users into downloading it under the guise of being a helpful tool for connecting crypto wallets to decentralized applications (dApps). Unfortunately, it led to a shocking theft of around $70,000 in cryptocurrency. The Deceptive Tactics WallConnect, which…

[bob3160]

Supply Chain Attacks

[noob2networking]

Server Saturday: The Importance of Antivirus Software for Your Servers

Welcome to another exciting edition of Server Saturday! 🎉 Today, we’re going to delve into the fascinating world of antivirus software and explore why it’s crucial for your servers. 🖥️✨ Why Antivirus Software Matters Imagine your servers as a bustling city, with data flowing through its virtual streets like busy commuters. Just like in any vibrant city, there are bound to be some unsavory…

[hummussexual]

Over the decades, numerous investigations have exposed how Israeli intelligence targets LGBTQ+ people. In 2013, Vice published an investigation detailing how the Palestinian Authority’s preventative security forces, under the direction of the IDF, had isolated gay Palestinians from their communities, kept files on them, and exploited them for intelligence. In 2015, news reports revealed that a surveillance technology company run by a former Unit 8200 official had helped provide Uganda with malware allegedly used against LGBTQ+ activists.

Click the link for all the details.

[loving-n0t-heyting]

In one case, Daniel, a Palestinian man who worked for the Catholic church, was threatened by an individual on Facebook who said he had evidence of his homosexuality. “we know that you are a f* you disgrace Christianity and Palestinians with your disgusting nature and I will expose you for what you really are,” the user wrote. “I’m gonna tell the whole world that you are gay and that you are a danger to the children of this society. you are disgusting and you will never get anywhere because I will stop you,” he added. Daniel said the only way someone could have known of his sexuality is if they had monitored his search history. (Drop Site News has changed his name to protect him from retaliation.)

Over the decades, numerous investigations have exposed how Israeli intelligence targets LGBTQ+ people. In 2013, Vice published an investigation detailing how the Palestinian Authority’s preventative security forces, under the direction of the IDF, had isolated gay Palestinians from their communities, kept files on them, and exploited them for intelligence. In 2015, news reports revealed that a surveillance technology company run by a former Unit 8200 official had helped provide Uganda with malware allegedly used against LGBTQ+ activists.

remember tho that israel is a safe haven for the gays

[alphaitsolutionspa]

Alpha IT Solutions work with a highly trained IT consultation to learn about your managed IT and networking security options. IT management specialists provide tech support, IT cloud security, and cyber security support.

[wolexsocial]

Persistence Cyber Security Threat Facing Businesses

As technology advances, cybercriminals continue to develop new tactics to steal sensitive information and disrupt business operations. One of the most persistent threats to businesses is cyber-attacks that are designed to infiltrate and compromise computer systems. These attacks can take many forms, such as phishing, malware, ransomware, and social engineering. The threat of persistent cyber-attacks is real and can cause significant harm to businesses of all sizes.

What is a Persistent Cybersecurity Threat?

Persistent cybersecurity threats are those that are designed to continually attempt to compromise a target system. These threats are often initiated by sophisticated attackers who are highly motivated and well-resourced. They may use a variety of tactics to gain access to a system, such as exploiting vulnerabilities in software, stealing user credentials, or using social engineering techniques to trick users into giving up sensitive information.

Once attackers have gained access to a system, they may use a range of techniques to maintain persistence and avoid detection. For example, they may create backdoors that allow them to regain access to the system after it has been patched or reset. They may also use rootkits to hide their presence on the system, making it difficult for security teams to detect and remove them.

Why are Persistent Cybersecurity Threats a Concern for Businesses?

Persistent cybersecurity threats pose a significant risk to businesses for several reasons. First, they can be difficult to detect and remove. Attackers may use advanced techniques to evade detection by security tools, making it challenging to identify and stop the attack.

Second, persistent cyber-attacks can result in the loss or theft of sensitive information. Attackers may use the access they have gained to steal valuable data, such as customer information, intellectual property, or financial data. This can lead to reputational damage, legal liabilities, and financial losses for the business.

Third, persistent cybersecurity threats can disrupt business operations. Attackers may use their access to the system to launch denial-of-service attacks, ransomware attacks, or other types of disruptive attacks. This can cause significant downtime and lost productivity, resulting in financial losses for the business.

What Can Businesses Do to Protect Themselves from Persistent Cybersecurity Threats?

There are several steps that businesses can take to protect themselves from persistent cybersecurity threats. First, they should implement robust cybersecurity controls, such as firewalls, antivirus software, and intrusion detection systems. These tools can help to detect and prevent attacks, as well as provide early warning of potential threats.

Second, businesses should provide regular cybersecurity training for employees. Employees are often the weakest link in cybersecurity defenses, and attackers may use social engineering tactics to gain access to sensitive information. By providing regular training and awareness programs, businesses can help to reduce the risk of successful attacks.

Third, businesses should conduct regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing to identify and remediate weaknesses in their systems. This can help to identify potential attack vectors and prevent attackers from exploiting vulnerabilities.

Finally, businesses should have a robust incident response plan in place. This should include procedures for detecting and responding to attacks, as well as steps for mitigating the damage caused by an attack. By having a clear plan in place, businesses can respond quickly and effectively to cyber-attacks, minimizing the impact on their operations and reputation.

In conclusion, persistent cybersecurity threats are a significant concern for businesses of all sizes. These threats can be difficult to detect and remove, and they can result in the theft of sensitive information, disruption of business operations, and financial losses. To protect themselves from persistent cyber-attacks, businesses should implement robust cybersecurity controls, provide regular training for employees, conduct regular vulnerability assessments and penetration testing, and have a robust incident response plan in place. By taking these steps, businesses can reduce the risk of cyber-attacks and protect themselves from the potentially devastating consequences of persistent cybersecurity threats.

[littlemssam]

!Important Warning!

These Days some Mods containing Malware have been uploaded on various Sites.

The Sims After Dark Discord Server has posted the following Info regarding the Issue:

+++

Malware Update: What We Know Now To recap, here are the mods we know for sure were affected by the recent malware outbreak: "Cult Mod v2" uploaded to ModTheSims by PimpMySims (impostor account) "Social Events - Unlimited Time" uploaded to CurseForge by MySims4 (single-use account) "Weather and Forecast Cheat Menu" uploaded to The Sims Resource by MSQSIMS (hacked, real account) "Seasons Cheats Menu" uploaded to The Sims Resource by MSQSIMS (hacked, real account)

Due to this malware using an exe file, we believe that anyone using a Mac or Linux device is completely unaffected by this.

If the exe file was downloaded and executed on your Windows device, it has likely stolen a vast amount of your data and saved passwords from your operating system, your internet browser (Chrome, Edge, Opera, Firefox, and more all affected), Discord, Steam, Telegram, and certain crypto wallets. Thank you to anadius for decompiling the exe.

To quickly check if you have been compromised, press Windows + R on your keyboard to open the Run window. Enter %AppData%/Microsoft/Internet Explorer/UserData in the prompt and hit OK. This will open up the folder the malware was using. If there is a file in this folder called Updater.exe, you have unfortunately fallen victim to the malware. We are unware at this time if the malware has any function which would delete the file at a later time to cover its tracks.

To quickly remove the malware from your computer, Overwolf has put together a cleaner program to deal with it. This program should work even if you downloaded the malware outside of CurseForge. Download SimsVirusCleaner.exe from their github page linked here and run it. Once it has finished, it will give you an output about whether any files have been removed.

+++

For more Information please check the Sims After Dark Server News Channel! Or here https://scarletsrealm.com/malware-mod-information/

TwistedMexi made a Mod to help detect & block such Mods in the Future: https://www.patreon.com/posts/98126153

CurseForge took actions and added mechanics to prevent such Files to be uploaded, so downloading there should be safe.

In general be careful, where and what you download, and do not download my Mods at any other Places than my own Sites and my CurseForge Page.

[ask-the-rag-dolly]

Maybe this is stepping a bit out of line as a mostly benevolent piece of malware, but I would like to propose an idea?

*a pair of notes appears, the first with a short message and a diagram*

If the problem is that Ragatha is incapable of getting a break from us, what if you both did something like this:

*the second note has a longer message*

There are three main issues with this, as far as I can tell:

A) We don't know if the Antivirus Spin Cycle permanently prevents re-infection. If it does, then this would be less 'sharing the burden' and more 'passing on the curse'. We might need to punch Jax again to check that. For science.

B) The Antivirus would have to be accessible without Caine's help, because if you're routinely asking to be put in the spin cycle, he's gonna eventually figure out something's up here. Again, Jax might need to be interrogated.

C) Pomni has not...volunteered to share the burden. Which, honestly, fair, it's been made abundantly clear that we are...overwhelming to deal with. And she would be entirely within her right to not have any interest in helping this way.

This isn't meant to put pressure on anyone, or to be a thesis statement on why this is the best idea ever and Pomni has no choice but to cave. That's not my job here, I just drew a picture.

There's like. 750+ of us, so everyone else is free to help brainstorm this. Tbh we still don't even know if there's a benign way to infect someone. I don't want Pomni to get glitch-punched.

"I very much appreciate that you tried, though! But we do have a limited knowledge of what's going on..."

[mariacallous]

Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella has hailed the company's new Recall feature, which stores a history of your computer desktop and makes it available to AI for analysis, as “photographic memory” for your PC. Within the cybersecurity community, meanwhile, the notion of a tool that silently takes a screenshot of your desktop every five seconds has been hailed as a hacker's dream come true and the worst product idea in recent memory.

Now, security researchers have pointed out that even the one remaining security safeguard meant to protect that feature from exploitation can be trivially defeated.

Since Recall was first announced last month, the cybersecurity world has pointed out that if a hacker can install malicious software to gain a foothold on a target machine with the feature enabled, they can quickly gain access to the user's entire history stored by the function. The only barrier, it seemed, to that high-resolution view of a victim's entire life at the keyboard was that accessing Recall's data required administrator privileges on a user's machine. That meant malware without that higher-level privilege would trigger a permission pop-up, allowing users to prevent access, and that malware would also likely be blocked by default from accessing the data on most corporate machines.

Then on Wednesday, James Forshaw, a researcher with Google's Project Zero vulnerability research team, published an update to a blog post pointing out that he had found methods for accessing Recall data without administrator privileges—essentially stripping away even that last fig leaf of protection. “No admin required ;-)” the post concluded.

“Damn,” Forshaw added on Mastodon. “I really thought the Recall database security would at least be, you know, secure.”

Forshaw's blog post described two different techniques to bypass the administrator privilege requirement, both of which exploit ways of defeating a basic security function in Windows known as access control lists that determine which elements on a computer require which privileges to read and alter. One of Forshaw's methods exploits an exception to those control lists, temporarily impersonating a program on Windows machines called AIXHost.exe that can access even restricted databases. Another is even simpler: Forshaw points out that because the Recall data stored on a machine is considered to belong to the user, a hacker with the same privileges as the user could simply rewrite the access control lists on a target machine to grant themselves access to the full database.

That second, simpler bypass technique “is just mindblowing, to be honest,” says Alex Hagenah, a cybersecurity strategist and ethical hacker. Hagenah recently built a proof-of-concept hacker tool called TotalRecall designed to show that someone who gained access to a victim's machine with Recall could immediately siphon out all the user's history recorded by the feature. Hagenah's tool, however, still required that hackers find another way to gain administrator privileges through a so-called “privilege escalation” technique before his tool would work.

With Forshaw's technique, “you don’t need any privilege escalation, no pop-up, nothing,” says Hagenah. “This would make sense to implement in the tool for a bad guy.”

In fact, just an hour after speaking to WIRED about Forshaw's finding, Hagenah added the simpler of Forshaw's two techniques to his TotalRecall tool, then confirmed that the trick worked by accessing all the Recall history data stored on another user's machine for which he didn't have administrator access. “So simple and genius,” he wrote in a text to WIRED after testing the technique.

That confirmation removes one of the last arguments Recall's defenders have had against criticisms that the feature acts as, essentially, a piece of pre-installed spyware on a user's machine, ready to be exploited by any hacker who can gain a foothold on the device. “It makes your security very fragile, in the sense that anyone who penetrates your computer for even a second can get your whole history,” says Dave Aitel, the founder of the cybersecurity firm Immunity and a former NSA hacker. “Which is not something people want.”

For now, security researchers have been testing Recall in preview versions of the tool ahead of its expected launch later this month. Microsoft said it plans to integrate Recall on compatible Copilot+ PCs with the feature turned on by default. WIRED reached out to the company for comment on Forshaw's findings about Recall's security issues, but the company has yet to respond.

The revelation that hackers can exploit Recall without even using a separate privilege escalation technique only contributes further to the sense that the feature was rushed to market without a proper review from the company's cybersecurity team—despite the company's CEO Nadella proclaiming just last month that Microsoft would make security its first priority in every decision going forward. “You cannot convince me that Microsoft's security teams looked at this and said ‘that looks secure,’” says Jake Williams, a former NSA hacker and now the VP of R&D at the cybersecurity consultancy Hunter Strategy, where he says he's been asked by some of the firm's clients to test Recall's security before they add Microsoft devices that use it to their networks.

“As it stands now, it’s a security dumpster fire,” Williams says. “This is one of the scariest things I’ve ever seen from an enterprise security standpoint.”