Fake software updates have been used by online criminals to trick users into installing malware on their computers. Users were targeted by a new version of the Magnitude Exploit Kit, which was disguised as a genuine Microsoft Edge browser update. It turned out to be the Magniber Ransomware, according to recent findings.
What is Magniber Ransomware and how it’s in the trend?
During the course of investigating an update to the Magnitude Exploit Kit, a team of researchers discovered Magniber Ransomware, which was thought to be a routine browser update at the time. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a bogus software update that was intended to defraud people.
Threat Intelligence researchers at Malwarebytes collaborated with nao sec researchers to investigate a recently-discovered update to the Magnitude Exploit Kit that was deceiving users into installing an erroneous version of the Microsoft Edge browser.
The fact that browsers have a very confusing update schedule is well known, but netizens accept the fact that they must install such updates for their everyday use. An alert that emphasizes the danger and urges users to update out-of-date software appears convincing, and it gives users a reason to download and install software from the Internet, even if the source is relatively unknown.
The Magniber ransomware takes advantage of a similar strategy. It employs social engineering techniques to trick web users into downloading a corrupted software update, which then installs ransomware on their computers as a result. So far, it has focused on the Asia-Pacific region, particularly South Korea, but it has the potential to expand to other regions as well.
What is Ransomware?
Ransomware is malicious software that encrypts your files or prevents you from using your computer until you pay a sum of money (a ransom) to have them decrypted. Some of the ways in which you can become infected by ransomware are as follows:
1. Visiting websites that are unsafe, suspicious, or fake.2. Opening file attachments that you didn’t expect to receive or that came from people you don’t recognize. 3. Opening malicious or bad links in emails, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media posts, or in instant messenger or SMS chats is a common method of spreading malware.
In this case, the most effective solution is to check for an Edge update through the browser settings. Unless it specifies that your browser is up to date, you can simply ignore the warning and continue with your work
