BugsFighter

Steadycaptcha.live is one of many social engineering pages aimed to promote their spam advertising campaigns. The website is usually visited once after clicking on shady ads, buttons, or links. Though, it can also appear each time at browser startup due to adware installed on a PC. Such websites display various messages like Click "Allow" if you are not a robot, Watch a video, or Start downloading to urge users into allowing fake push notifications. Steadycaptcha.live does the same to impose its advertising content. Once users click on the "Allow" button, the page will be permitted to send a number of ad notifications right to the desktop. Such content may contain unwanted redirects to numerous resources (e.g. adult pages, web games, casinos, etc.) that might be capable of spreading other infections. If became a victim of similar symptoms, please follow our guide below to get rid of the threats. We recommend doing it now unless you want your system to be at potential risk.

Alpha865qqz is a new file encryptor that belongs to the Maoloa ransomware family. While running an investigation concerning this malware, it was spotted that Alpha865qqz mimics some traits of another infection called GlobeImposter. For instance, during encryption, it appends the .Globeimposter-Alpha865qqz extension to targeted files. To illustrate, 1.pdf will change to 1.pdf.Globeimposter-Alpha865qqz, 1.png to 1.png.Globeimposter-Alpha865qqz, and so forth. After completing the encryption process, Alpha865qqz creates an executable file called HOW TO BACK YOUR FILES.exe that lists decryption instructions. Some other versions of Alpha865qqz created the HOW TO BACK YOUR FILES.txt text file instead, and also changed the original icons of files.

Faust is a new ransomware variant developed by the Phobos malware group. Its purpose is to encrypt potentially important pieces of data and make victims pay money for its decryption. Along with encryption, the virus also alters the way files appear - for instance, a file originally named 1.pdf will change to something like 1.pdf.id[9ECFA84E-3421].[gardex_recofast@zohomail.eu].faust and reset its original icon after encryption. This new string of characters that ransomware appends consists of a unique victim's ID, cybercriminals' email address, and the .faust extension. Following the successful completion of the encryption, Faust Ransomware generates a pop-up window (info.hta) and text file (info.txt) that contain decryption guidelines.

BasicSkill is likely the reason for the changed browser settings and increased generation of ads. Such software falls under the category of adware and browser hijackers and can be installed in the form of an unwanted app or browser extension on Mac without your consent. It is known that BasicSkill changes the default search settings and redirects all entered queries through dubious intermediary engine search.initialunit.com to legitimate search.yahoo.com. Many browser hijackers are unable to generate their own results and are forced to use legitimate engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.) as end-result-providers. This is done to pump up fake traffic and earn money on page visits. In addition, those infected by BasicSkill may also become subject to facing an increased number of ads. The displayed content is therefore likely to be unwanted and lead to explicit or suspicious pages promoting fake updates, low-quality software, or online scams. Sometimes unwanted software like adware or browser hijackers install certain values to make your browser "managed by your organization". In the majority of cases, the appearance of this new setting is meant to complicate the deletion process for regular users and make the unwanted software operate longer. If you are also unable to get rid of the unwanted changes on your own or are simply unsure how to do it correctly, follow our instructions below to do it safely and without traces.

Search.scalableadmin.com (ScalableAdmin) is a fake search engine promoted by unwanted software that combines traits of browser hijackers and adware. As a rule, search engines installed by browser hijackers are considered fake because they are unable to generate their own results. Instead, the entered search queries usually get redirected through intermediary pages and end up on legitimate engines like Yahoo, Google, Bing, and so forth. This way, cybercriminals generate fake traffic and earn money without significant development efforts. Another way unwanted software can capitalize on users financially is by getting commissions from displayed ads that try to sell low-quality programs, promote online scams, lead users to explicit (18+) pages, and then some. Beware of clicking on such content to prevent financial losses or infections with malware. One more feature activated by many browser hijackers and adware is data-tracking abilities. In other words, developers may get access to live monitoring of various data entered/generated (passwords, IP-addresses, geolocations, etc. ) during browser sessions. If you see search.scalableadmin.com and its changes surface inside your browser, we advise you to take immediate action in order to delete it from your system. Follow our step-by-step instructions below to do so and restore safety on your Mac.

The storage and exchange of data have never been as easy as is now, especially since the adaptation of cloud services that are already installed on practically any device and offer a solid amount of space for storing backups. WhatsApp is one of the most popular messengers linking people and allowing their data exchange from different parts of the world. Each time users are about to change their smartphone or simply perform a factory reset, nobody wants to lose chat history and media that accumulated over time while communicating with others. And in this article, we are going to show how to back up and restore your WhatsApp chat history - be it on a new or the same device, and iPhone or Android. Check out this list of options and choose the one that fits you the most!

Cypher is a remote administration trojan (RAT) promoted by cybercriminals to control Android devices and run a number of malicious actions on them. Once it hacks an Android device, threat actors become able to manage almost the whole device for achieving their purposes. Cypher is also a public trojan that can be purchased by anyone in form of subscription plans on the developers' website. One of the special features that cybercriminals behind Cypher get access to is the so-called clipboard hijacker. It is designed to substitute copied addresses of crypto wallets with ones owned by trojan owners. In other words, if a victim runs some cryptocurrency transaction while the trojan is on the smartphone, cybercriminals will be able to stealthily replace the copied address and receive the payment to their wallet instead. Apart from this, Cypher RAT has a plethora of other capabilities typical for such malware. For instance, it can change smartphone wallpapers, manage calls and SMSs, force-open various apps, manipulate the screen, memorize keyboard strokes, take screenshots, use a microphone to record incoming audio, analyze the device location, download additional software, read 2-factor authentication codes, imitate log-in windows, and other such functions aimed at benefiting cybercriminals in any desired way.

AXLocker is a ransomware virus that encrypts personal data (documents, photos, databases, etc,) and demands victims to pay money for its decryption. Unlike other ransomware infections that typically rename encrypted data (by adding new extensions), AXLocker leaves files to look in their original appearance. Despite this, victims will not be able to access their data and the virus will then display a pop-up window with decryption-related demands and allocated time to meet them.