Do you use Gmail? If you do, you might have noticed a new addition to…

Encryption; why it should matter to you

Springtime for us means it’s time for none another than…spring cleaning! And if there is…

How to spring clean your PC!

Remember that time that you, channeling your inner diva, began to belt it out on…

The dangers of public Wi-Fi

Chalk it up to the fact that homo sapiens have always had to find new…

Curiosity killed the computer

Perhaps it’s no coincidence that “adware” and “annoying” both start with the letter A, because…

Adware Goes Rogue

We have written a lot about ransomware in all different forms and incarnations here on…

Ransomware, Ransomware , Everywhere

We’re betting you love your smartphone. It’s okay if you do, because you’re in good…

The Banking Trojan in Your Pocket (or, Why Your Smartphone is Way Less Secure Than you Think it is)

Where were you in 2012? If you were on LinkedIn back then, there’s a good…

Have you Been Pwned in the LinkedIn Data Dump? Here is how to Tell!

Remember how your crazy old Aunt Sally stashed all her money in between mattresses because…

Lessons from the SWIFT Fiasco; Could you be Banking Safer ?

June is upon us and with it comes some of life’s sweet little pleasures –…

The Mega Hacks Cometh!

Invariably, if you use the internet a lot, you probably hear the term “The cloud”…

Are You a Closet-Cloud-Confusee? Understanding The Cloud and What it Means for Your Security

So if you remember, about two weeks ago we told you about a huge string…

Mark Zuckerberg Gets a Lesson in Password Safety

Boom! Whizz! Bang! Typically, when you think of the Fourth of July, you think about…

The How to Liberate  Your Device From Intruders Guide for the Fourth of July

Wondering what your friend or co-worker is doing, staring at his or her phone, wandering…

Go, Pokemon Go! The Latest Craze that Could Fill your Device with Malware

So not only is Pokemon go the biggest craze ever (seemingly anyway), it also seems…

Privacy in the Age of Pokemon Go!

We are well into the summer and for a whole lot of people that means…

Sure, it's Not Your Fault; But They Got Your CC Info Anyway

We’re finally in the home stretch – In just a few days, school starts up…

8 Essential Back-to-School Cyber Security Tips for a Rockin&#039; (and secure) School Year

Happy National Online Learning Day! Wait, is that even a thing? Well, it is and…

Happy Online Learning Day! (Yup, it's Really a Thing!)

Here at Reason Software, we are excited to announce the release of Unchecky v1.0. This…

Unchecky v1.0 is Here! Interview with Michael Maltsev

Attention any and all persons weighing 400 pounds or more — Donald Trump thinks you…

Is Cyber Security Worth a Spotlight at the Debates?

Gather ‘round and we’ll tell you a tale (okay, a few tales) of mystery, murder,…

Creepy Tales from the Internet of Things Crypt

As morning hits around the globe, the world is waking up to find out that…

Lessons Learned From the Election Shocker; Don't Let Hacks Take You by Surprise

For better or for worse, the biggest shopping season of the year has arrived. Now…

The Ultimate How to Not Get Hacked While Shopping Online Guide

Oh, Thanksgiving Day. You probably get a warm and fuzzy feeling even before the sugar…

The (Rotten) Gift that Keeps on Giving

As if worrying that your Android might suddenly explode wasn’t enough to worry about. Researchers…

The Gooligan Android Breach; What you Need to Know

“Um, honey, I think we have a problem. The computer is telling me that all…

Vulnerability of the year: Ransomware

2016 has come and gone and now we can look back at the year that…

A is for Apple, B is for BitCoin; The Most Noteworthy Data Breaches of 2016

It’s been a full fifteen minutes since you last checked your Facebook account (oh, the…

Fake News Flash; Think Before you Share!

Mobile devices have come a long way. We mean a reeeallly long way. In but…

Simple Tips to Spotting Evil Apps

How does the idea of a smart city sound to you? The term might conjure…

The Hidden Dangers in Smart Cities + 5 Bonus Tips to Secure Your IoT Devices

You know the only saying “Nothing is certain but death and taxes”? Seems pretty clear…

5 Tricky Tax Season Scams and How to Avoid Them

When was the last time you went to your bank? If it feels like you’re…

5 Major FinTech Security Concerns You Need to Know About Before You Bank

In honor of Mother’s Day, we thought it would be fitting to take a look…

The amazing mothers of tech

By now, WannaCry is a household name. The ransomware that shocked the world on May…

WannaCry No More? You Better Start Patching

When is adware not just adware? When it’s also malware, of course! Fireball, a new…

Fireball & the explosive malware heard around the world

Imagine this scene: You’re sitting at home one night, happily watching House of Cards on…

Attacks to critical Infrastructures: the next cyber front to worry about

“We pride ourselves on being a leader in managing and protecting data….We also are focused…

Think Your ID was Exposed in the Equifax Breach? Here&#039;s What to do About it

This post has been updated to reflect the current BitCoin to UD Dollar exchange rate,…

Everything You Need to Know About Cryptocurrency

In a recent post, we discussed the basics of cryptocurrency — what it is, how…

The Role of Cryptocurrency In Cyber Crime

Remember the Petya/NotPetya ransomware outbreak from back in June? That was the ransomware that was…

Bad Rabbit: The New Ransomware With Some Famous Cousins

“It’s the most hackable time of the year.”  Oh wait, that’s not how the song…

How To Steer Clear of Cyber Monday Scams

As the holidays draw closer, chances are you’re busy making your gift list and checking…

What NOT to buy for the holidays

Another day, another oddly named malware attack. Last week, researchers from Kaspersky disclosed that they…

ZooPark and Watering Hole Attacks

So now, May 25th has come and gone. If you live in the EU, you’re…

Oh, the irony; phishers are using GDPR to scam you

Which is worse: getting hit with crypto mining malware or falling prey to ransomware? with…

Ransomware or crypto mining malware? Rakhni is both!

You may not have known, but September 15th is National Online Learning Day. Nowadays, it…

Watch out for online learning scams!

Veux-tu Virobot? For the non-francophones among us, what we’re asking is if you’ve heard about…

Virobot: are monster mash-ups the future of ransomware?

January 28th is International Data Privacy Day. If you’re wondering why data privacy needs its…

It's Data Privacy Day: What does your camera know about you?

Today, cameras are everywhere — on our phones, our Alexas, baby monitors, desktops, laptops, home…

Webcam hacking; taking back what’s yours

In spring 2018, a powerful banking Trojan named BackSwap surfaced, targeting online banking users in…

Browser-based threats; Don’t worry, we’ve got your back

Another day, another major hack. This time around, India-based outsourcing giant Wipro was hit with…

To Scan or Not to Scan; The Proactive Way to Protect Your PC

  Today is Mother’s Day, the day set aside to honor those special women, who…

The 5 Coolest Mother’s Day Tech Gifts You Can Find (and how to secure them!)

Reason is excited to launch Reason for Business, a powerful endpoint security protection solution for…

We Invite You to Join Reason for Business Beta

Cybersecurity breaches only make the headlines when they involve large entities like banks or tech…

Think SMBs Fall Under the Radar as Targets for Cyber Threats? Think Again.

The threat landscape is undeniably becoming more challenging and more menacing every day. It seems…

Reason Download Defender- It’s time to defend your downloads.

While spring cleaning may only come around once a year, PC cleaning needs to happen…

Should I Remove It? It’s cleaning time! How to declutter your PC.

6 tips for celebrating National Online Learning Day and keeping your data safe! Magnifying the…

To learn (online) or not to learn?

Next up on the ‘crazy meter’, and probably the ‘creepy meter’ as well, is the…

What happens when ‘ransomware’ meets ‘crazy’?

Recently, the cryptoblackmail scam, “ScamYourself”, has returned to the market – many usersworldwide have been…

Threat Analysis Report: Save Yourself Malware

The advent of the Internet and Internet-enabled technologies not only ushered in the era of…

Threat Intelligence; A Unifying Force of the Future.

Halloween: Famous SMB Cyber Attacks in Disguise. Halloween normally conjures up images of costumes and…

All Tricks and No Treats

Looking for another reason to put on your party hat? Well, we’ve got one: International…

International Internet Day: A Reminder about Security Online.

Hacking has evolved into a billion-dollar growth business, making hackers relentless in their pursuit to…

Can Antivirus Programs Stop Hackers?

Antivirus programs were initially created to distinguish and expel PC infections. Be that as it…

What is antivirus software and how can it protect you?

Before launching into a discussion on how an antivirus detects malware, it’s important to first…

How does an antivirus detect malware?

Windows 10, according to theinquirer.net, is a particularly appealing target for hackers and virus writers…

Which Antivirus is Best for Window 10?

Start by Installing Reason Cybersecurity – Get 70% Off Today! Think about this for a minute:…

How to Keep Your Business Safe on Cyber Monday

Get 70% Off Reason Cybersecurity on Black Friday and Keep Your Business out of the…

Cyber attacks and Black Friday: It only takes one to put you on the red

I think we can all agree that pups, the friendly, loyal, man’s-best-friend kind are cute…

Unwanted Software Blockers: Why Small Businesses Need Them

It’s here, 2020, the start of not just a new year, but a new decade…

Small business growth and guardianship in 2020: staying safe from hackers

The term ‘antivirus’ is a bit of a misnomer today, since today’s antivirus software must…

why antivirus is needed?

We hear the terms ‘antivirus’ and ‘antimalware’ bandied about so much it’s easy to understand…

Can antivirus detect malware?

While there is no quick way to answer which antivirus is better, there are at…

Which antivirus is better?

Today, Windows 10 comes with Windows Defender, a native, comprehensive antivirus solution already integrated into…

What antivirus software comes with Windows 10?

So you’ve finally decided on the antivirus (AV) software you want to install and are…

Will antivirus software remove existing viruses?

If Windows is your computer operating system, you’re in good company; according to statista.com, Windows…

Which is the best antivirus for Windows?

The best protection against viruses and malware is reliable, up-to-date, antivirus software. Fortunately, there are…

Which antivirus should I use?

According to a recent report from statista.com, an online statistics portal, 74% of Americans own…

Which antivirus is best for a Windows 10 laptop?

If you perform a Google search to find out which antivirus is good, the search…

Which antivirus is good?

The alarming proliferation of malware and cyber attacks, reported almost daily in the news, has…

What antivirus do I need?

We hear a lot about the importance of having antivirus software on our computers, but…

How Does Antivirus Software Work?

It’s been over 40 years since the Creeper computer virus, made its appearance, and although…

Is an antivirus necessary?

If you’re alarmed by all the news reports about malware attacks and the damage they…

Learning about antivirus programs and how antivirus programs protect your computer is a good first…

How antivirus programs protect your computer

According to cybercrime statistics from cpomagazine.com and websitehostingrating.com respectively, cybercrimes account for trillions of dollars…

Why is antivirus software important?

The first question people usually ask about antivirus (AV) software, is ‘do I really need…

How do you know what antivirus to use?

Windows 10 was first launched in 2015, but it wasn’t until January 2018 that it…

Which Antivirus is Best for Windows 7

Hackers are always looking for security holes so that they can install malware on your…

Which Antivirus is Best for Laptops?

To answer the question, ‘can antivirus software remove viruses’, we should first examine what antivirus…

Can Antivirus Remove Virus?

“Reaper”, the first antivirus software, was created in response to “Creeper” the first computer virus,…

Are antivirus programs worth it?

If a salesperson at a clothing store asked you if you needed any help and…

Browser or big brother? ReasonLab’s secure browsing premium feature protects your business

To combat the continuously evolving landscape of cybersecurity threats, antivirus software has been changing and…

How Antivirus Software Works

Antivirus, aka anti-virus, aka anti-malware, aka security software, has been around since 1971, and yes,…

What do antivirus do?

Cybercrime is on the rise; it is becoming increasingly ubiquitous and menacing. From private individuals,…

Which antivirus should I buy?

For a very long time, it was widely promulgated that Apple computers didn’t get infected…

What antivirus does Apple use?

Cybercrime is a global phenomenon and India has been just as affected by it as…

Which antivirus is best for PCs in India

Pretty much anyone who uses the Internet today has heard of computer viruses and malware…

How Antivirus Protects Your Data

The right to privacy has a long, sometimes contentious history, but today it is recognized…

Can small businesses really keep their data private?

Happy Valentine’s Day to all the cyber criminals in the world! …said no small business…

Small businesses need some Valentine’s Day love too

You can’t make this stuff up. One Sunday last year, Gillian Franklin, owner of Heat…

7 Cybersecurity Beauty Hacks You Need to Know!

## Persistence vector via Facebook Messenger desktop app on Microsoft store

Covid-19 has had far-reaching consequences not just for our health, but also for our social lives, our personal lives, and our work lives. It has necessitated physical and social distancing, working from home, and contact and communication mainly through chat applications. We find ourselves spending more of our lives online than ever before, resulting in a marked increase in the use of mobile and desktop chat applications, with some applications seeing a 40% increase since the start of the pandemic. Facebook alone reported a 70% increase in time spent on its apps since the crisis and a 50% increase in messaging.

Recently, ReasonLabs researchers discovered a problem in the Facebook Messenger app for Windows, which is available on the Microsoft Store. The app executes code that shouldn’t be executed, resulting in a vulnerability that allows attackers to hijack a call for a resource within the Messenger code in order to run their malware. It is also a persistence threat that gives the attacker undetected access for an extended period of time. The vulnerability was previously unknown until it was discovered and identified by a ReasonLabs security review. The version of the desktop Facebook Messenger app, Version 460.16, no longer has this problem and was replaced with Version 480.5. In this article, we dissect and analyze the vulnerability.

## The operational usage of persistence

In the offensive cybersecurity kill chain, the usage of a persistence threat is one of the most important steps an attacker needs to take in order to make sure he will not lose a connection with the remote workstation. Most of the persistence methods used on Windows are pretty common and well known such as registry keys, scheduled tasks, auto-start services, and many more. For a cybersecurity researcher or forensics investigator, it’s pretty easy to find a malicious actor using a persistence method since the common logic for all malware requires only three things:

- Malware needs to communicate.
- Malware needs to run.
- Malware needs to stay hidden.

A second-stage persistence threat is more complex since attackers will try to find a binary that will cause an unwanted call to a process or a DLL that is not existent so they can hijack that call to run a malicious file instead. Anyone who has ever inspected processes with Procmon will have noticed that a lot of programs attempt to load resources that do not exist. There are two reasons for this:

1. The resource is optional and really doesn’t exist.  
2. The program does not have the absolute path for the resource and needs to traverse the search order.

By testing the new “Messenger” desktop application, the ReasonLabs research team found a strange call to load the Powershell.exe from the Python27 directory. When we saw that, we knew we found something since the location of “Python27” is in the “c:\\python27” directory, which is a low-integrity location. This means that every malicious program can access the path without any admin privileges.

![1-4.png](https://cms-reasonlabs-com.s3.amazonaws.com/cdn/1_4_dc4b433259.png)

We decided to create a reverse shell with msfvenom and a listener with Metasploit just as a POC. Once the reverse shell was created, it was transferred it to the c:\\python27 directory and its name was changed to Powershell.exe so we could hijack the call:

![unnamed-1.gif](https://cms-reasonlabs-com.s3.amazonaws.com/cdn/unnamed_1_0bb1164d0a.gif)

We ran our listener on the attacker machine so it would be ready to get the reverse shell connection from the victim machine:

![Create-listenr.gif](https://cms-reasonlabs-com.s3.amazonaws.com/cdn/Create_listenr_0fb2136d2a.gif)

Then we executed the “Messenger” application and got the reverse shell connection:

![4.gif](https://cms-reasonlabs-com.s3.amazonaws.com/cdn/4_20435a9390.gif)

While the vulnerability discovered by ReasonLabs has been patched by Facebook, we must still continue to be vigilant and mindful about the potential for vulnerabilities in other online technologies such as messaging and videoconferencing apps, remote work tools, and more.

**Sources**: 

[https://about.fb.com/news/2020/03/keeping-our-apps-stable-during-covid-19/](https://about.fb.com/news/2020/03/keeping-our-apps-stable-during-covid-19/)

[https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/26/report-whatsapp-has-seen-a-40-increase-in-usage-due-to-covid-19-pandemic/](https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/26/report-whatsapp-has-seen-a-40-increase-in-usage-due-to-covid-19-pandemic/)

Reason Labs researcher, Shai Alfasi, finds persistence method on the Facebook Messenger desktop app. The…

#Privacy Invasion

Persistence method using Facebook Messenger desktop app

Raccoon Malware: What Is It And How Can You Prevent It?

Tell me about yourself: Conducting job interviews from home

COVID-19: Keeping internal work teams up to speed