What is Lumma Stealer, the malware Microsoft says infected more than 394,000 Windows PCs worldwide?
Lumma Stealer operates as 'Malware-as-a-Service' and is pretty easy to distribute and difficult to detect by traditional security defences, making it a preferred tool for cybercriminals and threat actors to steal data. Often deployed via spear-phishing emails and malvertising, the malware impersonates trusted brands like Microsoft.
In November last year, threat actors were spotted using fake AI video tools like EditPro laced with Lumma Stealer to infect Windows PCs and send data back to the hacker. Earlier this year, Microsoft identified a phishing campaign that impersonated the popular online travel agency Booking.com, where multiple info stealing malware including Lumma Stealer were used to conducted financial theft and fraud.
The info-stealing malware, which affects popular browsers like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox, is designed to steal information like cryptocurrency wallets, credit card details, bank account information and passwords.
First discovered in 2022, Lumma Stealer is also associated with ransomware attacks, school security system breaches, and even used for stealing information or money from financial institutions.
The takedown operation, conducted by Microsoft's Digital Crimes Unit in coordination with numerous law enforcement agencies across the world like the U.S Department of Justice, Europol and Japan's Cybercrime Control Centre (JC3), has already seized more than 2,300 domains that acted as the backbone of Lumma's infrastructure. The U.S. Department of Justice has announced that it seized the central command structure for Lumma and disrupted the underground marketplaces where the malware was being sold.
For those wondering, Microsoft says Lumma Stealer is one of the 'leading tools' used by cybercriminals around the world to steal information and money on a large scale.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
Microsoft finally fixes Windows 11's broken Dark mode after nearly a decade
Microsoft is addressing long-standing dark mode inconsistencies in Windows 11, with new preview builds showing dark themes applied to file operation dialogs that have remained stubbornly bright since 2016. The latest changes affect copy, delete, and file permission windows that previously displayed in light mode even when users had dark mode enabled system-wide. The improvements were discovered in Windows 11 preview build 26100.5061 , where leaker Phantomofearth spotted the updated interface elements using configuration utilities. While the window backgrounds now properly display in dark gray, some buttons still appear in light colours, indicating the work remains incomplete. The new Dark mode could come later this year with Windows update Dark mode first arrived in Windows 10's Anniversary Update in 2016, but Microsoft abandoned comprehensive implementation, leaving users with a patchwork of light and dark elements. The inconsistency has persisted through Windows 11's launch, with fundamental interface components like the Control Panel, Run prompt, and file operation dialogs remaining bright white. The timing suggests these fixes may debut with Windows 11's 25H2 update later this year. Industry observers have long criticized Microsoft's incomplete dark mode implementation, especially compared to Apple 's comprehensive system-wide dark theme that launched with macOS Mojave in 2018. While Microsoft hasn't officially announced these improvements, the development represents significant progress after years of user complaints. The company still needs to address other legacy interface elements, including the Registry Editor and Group Policy windows, to achieve true system-wide dark mode consistency. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
India Today
6 hours ago
- India Today
Microsoft launches urgent probe into claims Azure is powering Israeli spy ops in Gaza: Full story in 5 points
Microsoft has launched an urgent investigation into claims that its Azure cloud platform is being used by Israel's Unit 8200 spy agency to conduct mass surveillance of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. The enquiry follows a joint media report that has raised serious questions about the company's role in the ongoing conflict. Here are the key details, explained in five of mass surveillance using Microsoft AzureAccording to an investigation by The Guardian, +972 Magazine and Hebrew-language outlet Local Call, Israel's Unit 8200, the country's equivalent of the US National Security Agency, has allegedly used Microsoft's Azure cloud service to store intercepted phone calls from report claims the spy unit set up a custom, segregated area within Azure to handle this data, with the ability to record 'millions of calls per hour' across the Palestinian territories. This vast archive of conversations, the outlets said, was built as part of Israel's surveillance programme in Gaza and the West Bank. -Microsoft responds with an urgent probeMicrosoft confirmed that it has opened an external investigation into the allegations, calling the review 'urgent'. The inquiry is being led by lawyers from US law firm Covington & Burling. In a statement, Microsoft said: 'Using Azure for the storage of data files of phone calls obtained through broad or mass surveillance of civilians in Gaza and the West Bank would be prohibited by its terms of service.' The company added that it will 'share with the public the factual findings that result from' the review once it is completed.-A second investigation following earlier concernsThis is not the first time Microsoft has examined its links to Israel's military. In May, the company said it had already investigated claims that the Israeli army was using its cloud technology during strikes in Gaza. At the time, the company said it had 'found no evidence to date' that the Israel Defense Forces had violated its terms of service or used Azure 'to target or harm people' in a report by The Guardian has raised new concerns, with Microsoft conceding that the allegations are 'additional and precise' and merit another urgent review.-Growing internal pressure and employee dissentMicrosoft's latest investigation comes amid rising internal pressure. A campaign group inside the company, called No Azure for Apartheid, has accused Microsoft of 'complicity in genocide and apartheid'. The group is pushing the company to sever all ties with Israel's Guardian also reported that Microsoft executives in the US were alarmed by the possibility that Israel-based staff might have withheld information about how Unit 8200 used the Azure platform. Sources inside the company described leadership as 'scrambling' to assess what data the spy agency has stored.-Wider context of the Gaza conflictadvertisementThe allegations come against the backdrop of Israel's offensive in Gaza, which has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry, which the United Nations considers credible. The scale of the violence has sparked international condemnation and domestic dissent within joint report also raised fears that Unit 8200's use of Azure could go beyond surveillance and potentially feed into military targeting. While these claims remain unverified, they underline why Microsoft's leadership has treated the issue with urgency. - EndsTune InMust Watch
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
Microsoft may ask employees to work from the office 3 days a week
Mumbai: US tech giant Microsoft is planning to tighten its office attendance policy, potentially implementing changes as early as January for some employees. The new policy will likely require employees to work in the office at least three days a week. The implementation dates for this policy differ across regions. Employees at the Redmond, Washington, headquarters will be required to work from the office more consistently starting in January, according to multiple media reports. Microsoft spokesperson Frank Shaw confirmed the company is considering updates to its flexible work policies, but no final decisions have been reached. The tech giant has planned to announce the new policy by September. Since late 2020, the tech major has implemented a flexible work policy, allowing employees to work remotely for nearly 50% of the time without permission, providing them with greater flexibility. Meta and Google have also implemented a three-day work-from-office policy. Certain Microsoft teams, including the Corporate, External, and Legal Affairs (CELA) group, are working in the office more than three days a week. Other major tech companies have also recently proposed stricter work-from-office policies. Earlier this year, Microsoft's competitor, Amazon, enforced a work-from-office policy requiring employees to work in person five days a week. AT&T introduced a similar policy last year. Microsoft's head of cloud and AI, Scott Guthrie, however, had told employees during an internal meeting last September that the company would only reconsider its flexible work policy if there was a clear decline in productivity. The tech giant had recently been in the news for allegedly cutting off access to its data and services abruptly to the Russia-backed oil exploration and marketing company Nayara Energy, but later restored its services. In July, it also announced laying off 4% of its workforce, or around 9,000 employees, in yet another round of job cuts this year.
