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Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 09 April 2021
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 09 April 2021: Ransomware Attacks Grew By 485% In 2020; Cyber Insurance Firm Suffers Cyber Attack; Ransom Gangs Emailing Victim Customers For Leverage; 'We Have Your Porn Collection' - The Rise Of Extortionware; Should Firms Be More Worried About Firmware Cyber Attacks; Armed Conflict Draws Closer As State-Backed Cyber Attacks Intensify; Coca-Cola Trade Secret Theft Underscores Importance Of Insider Threat Early Detection; Attackers Blowing Up Discord, Slack With Malware
Welcome to this week’s Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing – a weekly digest, collated and curated by our cyber experts to provide senior and middle management with an easy to digest round up of the most notable threats, vulnerabilities, and cyber related news from the last week.
Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week
Ransomware Attacks Grew By 485% In 2020
Ransomware attacks increased by an astonishing 485% in 2020 compared to 2019, according to Bitdefender’s 2020 Consumer Threat Landscape Report, which highlighted the ways cyber criminals targeted the COVID-19 pandemic. Interestingly, nearly two-thirds (64%) of the ransomware attacks took place in the first two quarters of 2020.
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/ransomware-attacks-grow-2020/
Cyber Insurance Firm Suffers Sophisticated Ransomware Cyber Attack; Data Obtained May Help Hackers Better Target Firm’s Customers
One of the largest insurance firms in the US CNA Financial was reportedly hit by a “sophisticated cyber security attack” on March 21, 2021. The cyber attack disrupted the company’s employee and customer services for three days as the company shut down “out of an abundance of caution” to prevent further compromise.
Ransom Gangs Emailing Victim Customers For Leverage
Some of the top ransomware gangs are deploying a new pressure tactic to push more victim organisations into paying an extortion demand: Emailing the victim’s customers and partners directly, warning that their data will be leaked to the dark web unless they can convince the victim firm to pay up.
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2021/04/ransom-gangs-emailing-victim-customers-for-leverage/
'We Have Your Porn Collection': The Rise Of Extortionware
Experts say the trend towards ransoming sensitive private information could affect companies not just operationally but through reputation damage. It comes as hackers bragged after discovering an IT Director's secret porn collection. The targeted US firm has not publicly acknowledged that it was hacked. In its darknet blog post about the hack last month, the cyber-criminal gang named the IT director whose work computer allegedly contained the files.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-56570862
Should Firms Be More Worried About Firmware Cyber Attacks?
Microsoft recently put out a report claiming that businesses globally are neglecting a key aspect of their cyber security - the need to protect computers, servers, and other devices from firmware attacks. Its survey of 1,000 cyber security decision makers at enterprises across multiple industries in the UK, US, Germany, Japan, and China has revealed that 80% of firms have experienced at least one firmware attack in the past two years. Yet only 29% of security budgets have been allocated to protect firmware.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56671419
Armed Conflict Draws Closer As State-Backed Cyber Attacks Intensify
The world is coming perilously close to nation states retaliating against cyber attacks with conventional weapons, according to a new HP report. Publicly available reports into state-sponsored attacks and interviews with scores of experts. It claimed there has been a 100% increase in “significant” state-backed attacks between 2017-20, and an average of over 10 publicly attributed attacks per month in 2020 alone.
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/armed-conflict-closer-state/
Coca-Cola Trade Secret Theft Underscores Importance Of Insider Threat Early Detection
The trial of Xiaorong You started in Greenville, TN, this week. She is accused of trade secret theft and economic espionage after allegedly stealing technologies owned by several companies, including her former employers Coca-Cola and Eastman Chemical Company. The value placed on the development of the stolen technologies is $119.6 million. Other affected companies include Azko-Nobel, Dow Chemical, PPG, TSI, Sherwin Williams and ToyoChem.
The details of the case suggest that the damages the accused is allegedly responsible for could have been minimized if better real-time insider threat detection methods had been in place. They also outline possible motives for the theft of the intellectual property: ego and money.
Attackers Blowing Up Discord, Slack With Malware
Workflow and collaboration tools like Slack and Discord have been infiltrated by threat actors, who are abusing their legitimate functions to evade security and deliver info-stealers, remote-access trojans (RATs) and other malware. The pandemic-induced shift to remote work drove business processes onto these collaboration platforms in 2020, and predictably, 2021 has ushered in a new level cyber criminal expertise in attacking them.
https://threatpost.com/attackers-discord-slack-malware/165295/
Scraped Data Of 500 Million LinkedIn Users Being Sold Online, 2 Million Records Leaked As Proof
An archive containing data purportedly scraped from 500 million LinkedIn profiles has been put for sale on a popular hacker forum, with another 2 million records leaked as a proof-of-concept sample by the post author. The four leaked files contain information about the LinkedIn users whose data has been allegedly scraped by the threat actor, including their full names, email addresses, phone numbers, workplace information, and more.
While users on the hacker forum can view the leaked samples for about $2 worth of forum credits, the threat actor appears to be auctioning the much-larger 500 million user database for at least a 4-digit sum, presumably in bitcoin.
Massive Facebook Data Breach Leaks Info On Millions Of Users
The personal information of hundreds of millions of Facebook users across the globe has been leaked online. Around 533 million Facebook users are thought to have been affected by the data breach, with phone numbers, Facebook ID, full name, location, past location, birthdate, email address, account creation date, relationship status, and personal bios all available. The data is thought to be the same set that was leaked in January 2021 and was available to purchase online, meaning Facebook has failed to secure its users once again.
https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/massive-facebook-data-breach-leaks-info-on-millions-of-users
Threats
Ransomware
Phishing
Malware
Mobile
IOT
Vulnerabilities
Critical Zoom vulnerability triggers remote code execution without user input
Bug allows attackers to hijack Windows time sync software used to track security incidents
AMD admits Zen 3 processors are vulnerable to Spectre-like side-channel attack
SAP Bugs Under Active Cyberattack, Causing Widespread Compromise
Data Breaches
Adult content from hundreds of OnlyFans creators leaked online
A huge trove of credit card records and Social Security numbers just got hacked
Booking.com fined €475,000 for late reporting of data breach
Nation State Actors
Privacy
Other News
Ubiquiti is accused of covering up a ‘catastrophic’ data breach — and it’s not denying it
VISA: Hackers increasingly using web shells to steal credit cards
Cloud-native watering hole attack: Simple and potentially devastating
As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.
Look out for our weekly ‘Cyber Tip Tuesday’ video blog and on our YouTube channel.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 08 January 2021
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 08 January 2021: Ryuk gang estimated to have made more than $150 million from ransomware; China's hackers move to ransomware; Amid hardened security, attackers seek softer targets; Hackney Council files leaked online after cyber attack; PayPal users targeted in new SMS phishing campaign; the rise of cyber-mercenaries; Declutter Your Devices to Reduce Security Risks
Welcome to this week’s Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing – a weekly digest, collated and curated by our cyber experts to provide senior and middle management with an easy to digest round up of the most notable threats, vulnerabilities and cyber related news from the last week.
Top Cyber Headlines of the Week
Ryuk gang estimated to have made more than $150 million from ransomware attacks
In a joint report published today, threat intel company Advanced Intelligence and cyber security firm HYAS said they tracked payments to 61 Bitcoin addresses previously attributed and linked to Ryuk ransomware attacks. "Ryuk receives a significant amount of their ransom payments from a well-known broker that makes payments on behalf of the ransomware victims," the two companies said. "These payments sometimes amount to millions of dollars and typically run in the hundreds of thousands range."
China's APT hackers move to ransomware attacks
Security researchers investigating a set of ransomware incidents at multiple companies discovered malware indicating that the attacks may be the work of a hacker group believed to operate on behalf of China. Although the attacks lack the sophistication normally seen with advanced threat actors, there is strong evidence linking them to APT27, a group normally involved in cyber espionage campaigns, also known as TG-3390, Emissary Panda, BRONZE UNION, Iron Tiger, and LuckyMouse.
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/chinas-apt-hackers-move-to-ransomware-attacks/
SolarWinds hack: Amid hardened security, attackers seek softer targets
Reported theories by SolarWinds hack investigators that federal agencies and private companies were too busy focusing on election security to recognize vulnerabilities tied to the software supply chain are unfair and misleading. And yet, those same experts acknowledge that such accusations offer an important cyber security lesson for businesses: organizations must ensure that their entire attack surface receives attention.
Hackney Council files including alleged passport documents leaked online after cyber attack
The council in East London was hit by what it described as a "serious cyber attack" in October. It reported itself to the data watchdog due to the risk criminals accessed staff and residents' data. The council said it was working with the UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Ministry of Housing to investigate and understand the impact of the incident.
PayPal users targeted in new SMS phishing campaign
Now, at first glance the message may not seem all that suspicious since PayPal may, in fact, impose limits on sending and withdrawing money. The payment provider usually does so when it suspects that an account has been accessed by a third party without authorization, when it has detected high-risk activities on an account, or when a user has violated its Acceptable Use Policy. However, in this case it really is a case of SMS-borne phishing, also known as Smishing. If you click on the link, you will be redirected to a login phishing page that will request your access credentials. Should you proceed to “log in”, your credentials will be sent to the scammers behind the ruse and the fraudulent webpage will attempt to gather further information, including the full name, date of birth address, and bank details.
https://www.welivesecurity.com/2021/01/04/paypal-users-targeted-new-sms-phishing-campaign/
SolarWinds, top executives hit with class action lawsuit over Orion software breach
SolarWinds and some of its top executives have been hit with a class action lawsuit by stockholders, who allege the company lied and materially misled them about security practices leading up to a massive breach of its Orion management software that has reverberated throughout the public and private sector.
The rise of cyber-mercenaries poses a growing threat for both governments and companies
These days, 21st century mercenaries are as likely to be seated behind a computer screen, wreaking havoc for their paymasters’ enemies as slugging it out on a real-world battlefield. But the rapid rise of cyber-mercenaries - or Private Sector Offensive Actors (PSOAs) - is vexing some of the biggest names in the global technology industry, and for good reason. Globally, the cyber security industry is already vast, raking in an estimated $156bn in revenues in 2019. It is set to nearly double in size by 2027.
Declutter Your Devices to Reduce Security Risks
Everyone should set aside time to review what they’ve installed on their various devices—typically apps, but that can also include games and addons. In fact, this should be an annual cleaning, at minimum.
You’re not just doing this because you want your device to look good. That’s one benefit you get from cleaning up your digital life, but it’s not the most important one. You’re also doing this to bolster your digital security. Yes, security.
https://lifehacker.com/declutter-your-devices-to-reduce-security-risks-1845991606
Threats
Ransomware
New Year, New Ransomware: Babuk Locker Targets Large Corporations
Phishing
This new phishing attack uses an odd lure to deliver Windows trojan malware
Facebook ads used to steal 615000+ credentials in a phishing campaign
Malware
North Korean hackers launch RokRat Trojan in campaigns against the South
Thousands infected by trojan that targets cryptocurrency users on Windows, Mac and Linux
A hacker’s predictions on enterprise malware risk
Vulnerabilities
Google Warns of Critical Android Remote Code Execution Bug
Hackers are actively exploiting this leading VPN, so patch now
Data Breaches
Hacker posts data of 10,000 American Express accounts for free
Vodafone's ho. Mobile admits data breach, 2.5m users impacted
T-Mobile data breach: ‘Malicious, unauthorized’ hack exposes customer call information
Exclusive Networks hit by cyberattack on New Year's Eve
Up to half a million victims of BA data breach could be eligible for compensation
Nation State Actors
Even Small Nations Have Jumped into the Cyber Espionage Game
Denial of Service
Ransom DDoS attacks target a Fortune Global 500 company
Privacy
Telegram feature exposes your precise address to hackers
Whatsapp Competitor Signal Stops Working Properly As Users Rush To Leave Over Privacy Update
Google Chrome browser privacy plan investigated in UK
Singapore police can access COVID-19 contact tracing data for criminal investigations
Other News
As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.
Look out for our weekly ‘Cyber Tip Tuesday’ video blog and on our YouTube channel.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 18 December 2020
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 18 December 2020: The great hack attack - SolarWinds breach exposes big gaps in cyber security; A wake-up for the world on cyber security; White House activates cyber emergency response; US nuclear weapons agency targeted; UK companies targeted; Increasing Risk of Cyber Attacks; millions of users install malicious browser extensions; C19 Vaccines sold on dark web
Welcome to this week’s Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing – a weekly digest, collated and curated by our cyber experts to provide senior and middle management with an easy to digest round up of the most notable threats, vulnerabilities and cyber related news from the last week.
Top Cyber Headlines of the Week
The great hack attack: SolarWinds breach exposes big gaps in cyber security
Until this week, SolarWinds was a little known IT software group from Texas. Its deserted lobby has a framed magazine article from a few years ago when it was on a list of America’s “Best Small Companies”.
Now the Austin-based company is at the heart of one of the biggest and most startling cyber hacks in recent history, with ramifications that extend into the fields of geopolitics, espionage and national security.
For nine months, sophisticated state-backed hackers have exploited a ubiquitous SolarWinds software product in order to spy on government and business networks around the world, including in the US, UK, Israel and Canada. Wielding innovative tools and tradecraft, the cyber spies lurked in email services, and posed as legitimate staffers to tap confidential information stored in the cloud.
The bombshell revelations have sent 18,000 exposed SolarWinds customers scrambling to assess whether outsiders did indeed enter their systems, what the damage was and how to fix it.
https://www.ft.com/content/c13dbb51-907b-4db7-8347-30921ef931c2
A wake-up for the world on cyber security
Imagine intruders break into your home and loiter undetected for months, spying on you and deciding which contents to steal. This in essence is the kind of access that hackers, assumed to be Russian, achieved in recent months at US government institutions including the Treasury and departments of commerce and homeland security, and potentially many US companies. If the fear in the Cold War was of occasional “moles” gaining access to secrets, this is akin to a small army of moles burrowing through computer systems. The impact is still being assessed, but it marks one of the biggest security breaches of the digital era.
https://www.ft.com/content/d3fc0b14-4a82-4671-b023-078516ea714e
US government, thousands of businesses now thought to have been affected by SolarWinds security attack
Thousands of businesses and several branches of the US government are now thought to have been affected by the attack on software firm SolarWinds.
The Austin-based company has fallen victim to a massive supply chain attack believed to be the work of state-sponsored hackers.
Along with the US treasury and commerce departments, the Department of Homeland Security is now thought to have been affected by the attack. In a statement to the SEC today, SolarWinds said it had notified 33,000 customers of its recent hack, but that only 18,000 of these used the affected version of its Orion platform.
https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/solarwinds-suffers-massive-supply-chain-attack
White House activates cyber emergency response under Obama-era directive
In the wake of the SolarWinds breach, the National Security Council has activated an emergency cyber security process that is intended to help the government plan its response and recovery efforts, according to White House officials and other sources.
The move is a sign of just how seriously the Trump administration is taking the foreign espionage operation, former NSC officials told CyberScoop.
The action is rooted in a presidential directive issued during the Obama administration known as PPD-41, which establishes a Cyber Unified Coordination Group (UCG) that is intended to help the U.S. government coordinate multiple agencies’ responses to the significant hacking incident.
The UCG is generally led by the Department of Justice — through the FBI and the National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force — as well as the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Homeland Security.
https://www.cyberscoop.com/solarwinds-white-house-national-security-council-emergency-meetings/
Hackers targeted US nuclear weapons agency in massive cyber security breach, reports say
The National Nuclear Security Administration and Energy Department, which safeguard the US stockpile of nuclear weapons, have had their networks hacked as part of the widespread cyber espionage attack on a number of federal agencies.
Politico reports that officials have begun coordinating notifications about the security breach to the relevant congressional oversight bodies.
Suspicious activity was identified in the networks of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories in New Mexico and Washington, the Office of Secure Transportation, and the Richland Field Office of the Department of Energy.
Officials with direct knowledge of the matter said hackers have been able to do more damage to the network at FERC, according to the report.
Microsoft warns UK companies were targeted by SolarWinds hackers
Microsoft has warned that some of its UK customers have been exposed to the malware used in the Russia-linked SolarWinds hack that targeted US states and government agencies.
More than 40 of the tech giant's customers are thought to have used breached SolarWinds software, including clients in Britain, the US, Canada, Mexico, Belgium, Spain, Israel, and the UAE.
The company would not name the victims, but said they include government agencies, think tanks, non-governmental organisations and IT firms. Microsoft said four in five were in the US, with nearly half of them tech companies.
“This is not ‘espionage as usual,’ even in the digital age,” said Brad Smith, Microsoft's president. “Instead, it represents an act of recklessness that created a serious technological vulnerability for the United States and the world.”
The attackers, believed to be working for the Russian government, got into computer networks by installing a vulnerability in Orion software from SolarWinds.
Society at Increasingly High Risk of Cyber Attacks
Cyber attacks are becoming easier to conduct while conversely security is getting increasingly difficult, according to Kevin Curran, senior IEEE member and professor of cyber security, Ulster University, during a virtual media roundtable.
“Any company you can think of has had a data breach,” he commented. “Whenever a data breach happens it weakens our credentials because our passwords are often reused on different websites.”
He observed that the art of hacking doesn’t necessarily require a significant amount of technical expertise anymore, and bad actors can receive substantial help from numerous and readily accessible tools online. “You don’t have to spend seven years in college to learn how to hack, you just have to know about these sites and what terms to use,” noted Curran.
A number of legitimate online mechanisms that can help damaging attacks to be launched by hackers were highlighted by Curran in his presentation. These include Google Dorks, which are “search strings which point to website vulnerabilities.” This means vulnerable accounts can be identified simply via Google searches.
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/society-increasingly-risk-cyber/
Three million users installed 28 malicious Chrome or Edge extensions
More than three million internet users are believed to have installed 15 Chrome, and 13 Edge extensions that contain malicious code, security firm Avast said today.
The 28 extensions contained code that could perform several malicious operations, including:
-redirect user traffic to ads
-redirect user traffic to phishing sites
-collect personal data, such as birth dates, email addresses, and active devices
-collect browsing history
-download further malware onto a user's device
But despite the presence of code to power all the above malicious features, Avast researchers said they believe the primary objective of this campaign was to hijack user traffic for monetary gains.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/three-million-users-installed-28-malicious-chrome-or-edge-extensions/
Vaccines for sale on dark web as criminals target pandemic profits
Black market vendors were offering coronavirus vaccines for sale on hidden parts of the internet days after the first Covid-19 shot was approved this month, as criminals seek to profit from global demand for inoculations.
One such offer on the so-called dark web, traced by cyber security company Check Point Software, was priced at $250 with the seller promising “stealth” delivery in double-wrapped packaging. Shipping from the US via post or a leading courier company would cost $20, with an extra $5 securing overnight delivery.
https://www.ft.com/content/8bfc674e-efe6-4ee0-b860-7fcb5716bed6
Threats
Ransomware
FBI says DoppelPaymer ransomware gang is harassing victims who refuse to pay
House purchases in Hackney fall through following cyber attack against council
Mount Locker Ransomware Offering Double Extortion Scheme to Other Hackers
Ransomware operators use SystemBC RAT as off-the-shelf Tor backdoor
Phishing
Subway Sandwich Loyalty-Card Users Suffer Ham-Handed Phishing Scam
Microsoft Office 365 Credentials Under Attack By Fax ‘Alert’ Emails
IoT
Malware
New iOS and Android spyware responsible for multi-layered sextortion campaign
Google Chrome, Firefox, Edge hijacked by massive malware attack: What you need to know
This nasty malware is infecting every web browser — what to do now
Tor malware is becoming a worryingly popular ransomware tool
Vulnerabilities
Israeli Phone-hacking Firm Claims It Can Now Break Into Encrypted Signal App
PgMiner botnet exploits disputed CVE to hack unsecured PostgreSQL DBs
Zero-day in WordPress SMTP plugin abused to reset admin account passwords
Sophos fixes SQL injection vulnerability in their Cyberoam OS
Wormable code-execution flaw in Cisco Jabber has a severity rating of 9.9 out of 10
Data Breaches
Twitter hit with €450,000 GDPR fine nearly two years after disclosing data breach
Data Leak Exposes Details of Two Million Chinese Communist Party Members
Organised Crime
Nation State Actors
Privacy
UK police unlawfully processing over a million people’s data on Microsoft 365
Sci-fi surveillance: Europe's secretive push into biometric technology
Other News
Reports Published in the Last Week
As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.
Look out for our weekly ‘Cyber Tip Tuesday’ video blog and on our YouTube channel.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 04 December 2020
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 4 December 2020: Covid vaccine supply chain targeted by hackers; Criminals Favour Ransomware and BEC; Bank Employee Sells Personal Data of 200,000 Clients; 2020 Pandemic changing short- and long-term approaches to risk; Cyber risks take the fun out of connected toys; Remote Workers Admit Lack of Security Training
Welcome to this week’s Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing – a weekly digest, collated and curated by our cyber experts to provide senior and middle management with an easy to digest round up of the most notable threats, vulnerabilities and cyber related news from the last week.
Top Cyber Headlines of the Week
Covid vaccine supply chain targeted by hackers, say security experts
Cyber attackers have targeted the cold supply chain needed to deliver Covid-19 vaccines, according to a report detailing a sophisticated operation likely backed by a nation state.
The hackers appeared to be trying to disrupt or steal information about the vital processes to keep vaccines cold as they travel from factories to hospitals and doctors’ offices.
https://www.ft.com/content/9c303207-8f4a-42b7-b0e4-cf421f036b2f
Criminals to Favour Ransomware and BEC Over Breaches in 2021
The era of the mega-breach may be coming to an end as cyber-criminals eschew consumers’ personal data and focus on phishing and ransomware.
Cyber-criminals are relying less on stolen personal information and more on “poor consumer behaviors” such as password reuse to monetize attacks.
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/criminals-favor-ransomware-bec/
Bank Employee Sells Personal Data of 200,000 Clients
South Africa–based financial services group Absa has stated that one of its employees sold the personal information of 200,000 clients to third parties.
The group confirmed on Wednesday that the illegal activity had occurred and that 2% of Absa's retail customer base had been impacted.
The employee allegedly responsible for it was a credit analyst who had access to the group's risk-modeling processes.
Data exposed as a result of the security incident included clients' ID numbers, addresses, contact details, and descriptions of vehicles that they had purchased on finance.
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/bank-employee-sells-personal-data/
LastPass review: Still the leading password manager, despite security history
"'Don't put all your eggs in one basket' is all wrong. I tell you 'put all your eggs in one basket, and then watch that basket,'" said industrialist Andrew Carnegie in 1885. When it comes to privacy tools, he's usually dead wrong. In the case of password managers, however, Carnegie is usually more dead than wrong. To wit, I have been using LastPass so long I don't know when I started using LastPass and, for now, I've got no reason to change that.
The most significant security innovations of 2020
Who gets access? That is the question that drives every security measure and innovation that’s landed on PopSci’s annual compendium since we launched the category in 2008. Every year, that question gets bigger and bigger. In 2020, the world quaked under a global pandemic that took 1.4 million lives, the US saw a rebirth in its civil rights movement, and a spate of record-breaking wildfires forced entire regions to evacuate. And those are just the new scares. A buildup of angst against ad trackers and app snooping led to major changes in hardware and software alike. It was a year full of lessons, nuances, and mini revolutions, and we strive to match that with our choices.
https://www.popsci.com/story/technology/most-important-security-innovations-2020/
2020 security priorities: Pandemic changing short- and long-term approaches to risk
Security planning and budgeting is always an adventure. You can assess current risk and project the most likely threats, but the only real constant in cybersecurity risk is its unpredictability. Layer a global pandemic on top of that and CISOs suddenly have the nearly impossible task of deciding where to request and allocate resources in 2021.
Show how the COVID pandemic has changed what security focuses on now and what will drive security priorities and spending in 2021. Based on a survey of 522 security professionals from the US, Asia/Pacific and Europe, the study reveals how the pandemic has changed the way organizations assess risk and respond to threats—permanently.
Cyber risks take the fun out of connected toys
As Christmas approaches, internet-enabled smart toys are likely to feature heavily under festive trees. While some dolls of decades past were only capable of speaking pre-recorded phrases, modern equivalents boast speech recognition and can search for answers online in real time.
Other connected gadgets include drones or cars such as Nintendo’s Mario Kart Live Home Circuit, where players race each other in a virtual world modelled after their home surroundings.
But for all the fun that such items can bring, there is a risk — poorly-secured Internet of Things toys can be turned into convenient tools for hackers.
https://www.ft.com/content/c653e977-435f-4553-8401-9fa9b0faf632
Remote Workers Admit Lack of Security Training
A third of remote working employees have not received security training in the last six months.
400 remote workers in the UK across multiple industries, while 83% have had access to security best practice training and 88% are familiar with IT security policies, 32% have received no security training in the last six months.
Also, 50% spend two or more hours a week on IT issues, and 42% felt they had to go around the security policies of their organization to do their job.
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/remote-workers-training/
Threats
Ransomware
Delaware County Pays $500,000 Ransom After Outages
A US county is in the process of paying half-a-million dollars to ransomware extorters who locked its local government network, according to reports.
Pennsylvania’s Delaware County revealed the attack last week, claiming in a notice that it had disrupted “portions of its computer network.
“We commenced an immediate investigation that included taking certain systems offline and working with computer forensic specialists to determine the nature and scope of the event. We are working diligently to restore the functionality of our systems,” it said.
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/delaware-county-pays-500k-ransom/
MasterChef Producer Hit by Double Extortion Ransomware
A multibillion-dollar TV production company has become the latest big corporate name caught out by ransomware, it emerged late last week.
The firm owns over 120 production firms around the world, delivering TV shows ranging from MasterChef and Big Brother to Black Mirror and The Island with Bear Grylls.
In a short update last Thursday, it claimed to be managing a “cyber-incident” affecting the networks of Endemol Shine Group and Endemol Shine International, Dutch firms it acquired in a $2.2bn deal in July.
Although ransomware isn’t named in the notice, previous reports suggest the firm is being extorted.
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/masterchef-producer-double/
Sopra Steria to take multi-million euro hit on ransomware attack
The company revealed in October that it had been hit by hackers using a new version of Ryuk ransomware.
It now says that the fallout, with various systems out of action, is likely to have a gross negative impact on operating margin of between €40 million and €50 million.
The group's insurance coverage for cyber risks is EUR30 million, meaning that negative organic revenue growth for the year is now expected to be between 4.5% and five per cent (previously between two per cent and four per cent). Free cash flow is now expected to be between €50 million and €100 million (previously between €80 million and €120 million).
BEC
FBI: BEC Scams Are Using Email Auto-Forwarding
The agency notes in an alert made public this week that since the COVID-19 pandemic began, leading to an increasingly remote workforce, BEC scammers have been taking advantage of the auto-forwarding feature within compromised email inboxes to trick employees to send them money under the guise of legitimate payments to third parties.
This tactic works because most organizations do not sync their web-based email client forwarding features with their desktop client counterparts. This limits the ability of system administrators to detect any suspicious activities and enables the fraudsters to send malicious emails from the compromised accounts without being detected, the alert, sent to organizations in November and made public this week, notes.
https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/fbi-bec-scams-are-using-email-auto-forwarding-a-15498
Phishing
Phishing lures employees with fake 'back to work' internal memos
Scammers are trying to steal email credentials from employees by impersonating their organization's human resources (HR) department in phishing emails camouflaged as internal 'back to work' company memos.
These phishing messages have managed to land in thousands of targeted individuals' mailboxes after bypassing G Suite email defences according to stats provided by researchers at email security company Abnormal Security who spotted this phishing campaign.
There is a high probability that some of the targets will fall for the scammers' tricks given that during this year's COVID-19 pandemic most companies have regularly emailed their employees with updates regarding remote working policy changes.
Warning: Massive Zoom phishing targets Thanksgiving meetings
Everyone should be on the lookout for a massive ongoing phishing attack today, pretending to be an invite for a Zoom meeting. Hosted on numerous landing pages, BleepingComputer has learned that thousands of users' credentials have already been stolen by the attack.
With many in the USA hosting virtual Thanksgiving dinners and people in other countries conducting Zoom business meetings, as usual, today is a prime opportunity to perform a phishing attack using Zoom invite lures.
Malware
All-new Windows 10 malware is excellent at evading detection
Security researchers at Kaspersky have discovered a new malware strain developed by the hacker-for-hire group DeathStalker that has been designed to avoid detection on Windows PCs.
While the threat actor has been active since at least 2012, DeathStalker first drew Kaspersky's attention back in 2018 because of its distinctive attack characteristics which didn't resemble those employed by cybercriminals or state-sponsored hackers.
https://www.techradar.com/news/all-new-windows-10-malware-is-excellent-at-evading-detection
New TrickBot version can tamper with UEFI/BIOS firmware
The operators of the TrickBot malware botnet have added a new capability that can allow them to interact with an infected computer's BIOS or UEFI firmware.
The new capability was spotted inside part of a new TrickBot module, first seen in the wild at the end of October, security firms Advanced Intelligence and Eclypsium said in a joint report published today.
The new module has security researchers worried as its features would allow the TrickBot malware to establish more persistent footholds on infected systems, footholds that could allow the malware to survive OS reinstalls.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/new-trickbot-version-can-tamper-with-uefibios-firmware/
Russia-linked APT Turla used a new malware toolset named Crutch
Russian-linked APT group Turla has used a previously undocumented malware toolset, named Crutch, in cyberespionage campaigns aimed at high-profile targets, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of a European Union country.
The Turla APT group (aka Snake, Uroburos, Waterbug, Venomous Bear and KRYPTON) has been active since at least 2007 targeting diplomatic and government organizations and private businesses in the Middle East, Asia, Europe, North and South America, and former Soviet bloc nations.
https://securityaffairs.co/wordpress/111813/apt/turla-crutch-malware-platform.html
MacBooks under attack by dangerous malware: What to do
a recent spate of malware attacks targeting macOS of late that installs backdoors to steal sensitive personal information. The security firm discovered that a new malware variant is being used online and backed by a rogue nation-state hacking group known as OceanLotus, which also operates under the name AKTP2 and is based in Vietnam.
The new malware was created by OceanLotus due to the “similarities in dynamic behavior and code” from previous malware connected to the Vietnamese-based hacking group.
https://www.laptopmag.com/news/macbooks-under-attack-by-dangerous-malware-what-to-do
Hackers Using Monero Mining Malware as Decoy, Warns Microsoft
The company’s intelligence team said a group called BISMUTH hit government targets in France and Vietnam with relatively conspicuous monero mining trojans this summer. Mining the crypto generated side cash for the group, but it also distracted victims from BISMUTH’s true campaign: credential theft.
Crypto-jacking “allowed BISMUTH to hide its more nefarious activities behind threats that may be perceived to be less alarming because they’re ‘commodity’ malware,” Microsoft concluded. It said the conspicuousness of monero mining fits BISMUTH’s “hide in plain sight” MO.
Microsoft recommended organizations stay vigilant against crypto-jacking as a possible decoy tactic.
https://www.coindesk.com/hackers-using-monero-mining-malware-as-decoy-warns-microsoft
Vulnerabilities
Zerologon is now detected by Microsoft Defender for Identity
There has been a huge focus on the recently patched CVE-2020-1472 Netlogon Elevation of Privilege vulnerability, widely known as ZeroLogon. While Microsoft strongly recommends that you deploy the latest security updates to your servers and devices, we also want to provide you with the best detection coverage possible for your domain controllers. Microsoft Defender for Identity along with other Microsoft 365 Defender solutions detect adversaries as they try to exploit this vulnerability against your domain controllers.
Privacy
'We've heard the feedback...' Microsoft 365 axes per-user productivity monitoring after privacy backlash
If you heard a strange noise coming from Redmond today, it was the sound of some rapid back-pedalling regarding the Productivity Score feature in its Microsoft 365 cloud platform.
Following outcry from subscribers and privacy campaigners, the Windows giant has now vowed to wind back the functionality so that it no longer produces scores for individual users, and instead just summarizes the output of a whole organization. It was feared the dashboard could have been used by bad bosses to measure the productivity of specific employees using daft metrics like the volume of emails or chat messages sent through Microsoft 365.
As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.
Look out for our weekly ‘Cyber Tip Tuesday’ video blog and on our YouTube channel.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 20 November 2020
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 20 November 2020
Welcome to this week’s Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing – a weekly digest, collated and curated by our cyber experts to provide senior and middle management with an easy to digest round up of the most notable threats, vulnerabilities and cyber related news from the last week.
Welcome to this week’s Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing – a weekly digest, collated and curated by our cyber experts to provide senior and middle management with an easy to digest round up of the most notable threats, vulnerabilities and cyber related news from the last week.
Top Cyber Headlines of the Week
Cyber crime is 'a constant threat' to SMEs
Criminals are diversifying and growing more dangerous, while SMEs remain complacent and mostly oblivious to the threats.
With a quarter of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) falling victim to a cyberattack in the last 12 months, the threat towards these organizations is constant. This is according to a new report from Direct Line – Business, which claims that businesses aren't doing all they can to stay safe.
The report states that, if a cyber attack were to occur, many organisations would find themselves in a seriously dangerous position given they hold less than $13,000 in cash reserves. Besides financial damage, many should also expect damaged client and customer relationships due to eroded trust.
With cybercriminals diversifying into different methods of attack, SMEs need to stay vigilant on multiple fronts. Phishing is still the most popular weapon for criminals, the report states, but malware and ransomware, as well as DDoS attacks, are also notable mentions.
https://www.itproportal.com/features/cybercrime-is-a-constant-threat-to-smes/
The most common passwords of 2020 are atrocious
Bottom line: Choosing secure passwords has never been humanity’s strong suit and let’s face it, it’s never going to be. People simply have too many accounts to protect these days, leading to poor practices such as simplifying passwords to make them easier to remember and reusing the same password across multiple accounts.
https://www.techspot.com/news/87657-most-common-passwords-2020-atrocious.html#Share
Why ransomware is still so successful: Over a quarter of victims pay the ransom
Over a quarter of organisations that fall victim to ransomware attacks opt to pay the ransom as they feel as if they have no other option than to give into the demands of cyber criminals – and the average ransom amount is now more than $1 million.
Cyber crime is maturing. Here are 6 ways organisations can keep up
In 2020, the world has experienced many challenges. Among them, hastened digitalisation has brought new opportunities but also new risks. According to the World Economic Forum Global Risks Report 2020, cyber attacks rank first among global human-caused risks and RiskIQ predicts that by 2021 cyber crime will cost the world $11.4 million each minute.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/11/how-to-protect-companies-from-cybercrime/
Ransomware-as-a-service: The pandemic within a pandemic
Ransomware is a massive problem. But you already knew that.
Technical novices, along with seasoned cyber security professionals, have witnessed over the past year a slew of ransomware events that have devastated enterprises around the world. Even those outside of cyber security are now familiar with the concept: criminals behind a keyboard have found a way into an organization’s system, prevented anyone from actually using it by locking it up, and won’t let anyone resume normal activity until the organization pays a hefty fee.
https://public.intel471.com/blog/ransomware-as-a-service-2020-ryuk-maze-revil-egregor-doppelpaymer/
CISOs say a distributed workforce has critically increased security concerns
73% of security and IT executives are concerned about new vulnerabilities and risks introduced by the distributed workforce, Skybox Security reveals.
The report also uncovered an alarming disconnect between confidence in security posture and increased cyberattacks during the global pandemic.
https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2020/11/18/distributed-workforce-security/
Threats
Ransomware
Capcom confirms Ragnar Locker ransomware attack, data exposure
Capcom has confirmed that a recent security incident was due to a Ragnar Locker ransomware infection, potentially leading to the exposure of customer records.
This week, the Japanese gaming giant confirmed that the company had fallen prey to "customized ransomware" which gave attackers unauthorised access to its network -- as well as the data stored on Capcom Group systems.
Ransomware attack forces web hosting provider Managed.com to take servers offline
One of the biggest providers of managed web hosting solutions, has taken down all its servers in order to deal with a ransomware attack.
The ransomware impacted the company's public facing web hosting systems, resulting in some customer sites having their data encrypted.
The incident only impacted a limited number of customer sites, which the company said it immediately took offline.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/web-hosting-provider-managed-shuts-down-after-ransomware-attack/
Phishing
Office 365 phishing campaign detects sandboxes to evade detection
Microsoft is tracking an ongoing Office 365 phishing campaign that makes use of several methods to evade automated analysis in attacks against enterprise targets.
"We’re tracking an active credential phishing attack targeting enterprises that uses multiple sophisticated methods for defence evasion and social engineering," Microsoft said.
"The campaign uses timely lures relevant to remote work, like password updates, conferencing info, helpdesk tickets, etc."
Malware
Adult site users targeted with ZLoader malware via fake Java update
A malware campaign ongoing since the beginning of the year has recently changed tactics, switching from exploit kits to social engineering to target adult content consumers.
The operators use an old trick to distribute a variant of ZLoader, a banking trojan that made a comeback earlier this year after an absence of almost two years, now used as an info stealer.
Lazarus malware strikes South Korean supply chains
Lazarus malware has been tracked in new campaigns against South Korean supply chains, made possible through stolen security certificates.
Cyber security researchers reported the abuse of the certificates, stolen from two separate, legitimate South Korean companies.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/lazarus-malware-strikes-south-korean-supply-chains/
Malware activity spikes 128%, Office document phishing skyrockets
The report demonstrates threat actors becoming even more ruthless. Throughout Q3, hackers shifted focus from home networks to overburdened public entities, including the education sector and the Election Assistance Commission (EAC). Malware campaigns, like Emotet, utilized these events as phishing lure themes to assist in delivery.
https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2020/11/13/malware-activity-q3-2020/
Cloud
Attackers can abuse a misconfigured IAM role across 16 Amazon services
Researchers at Palo Alto’s Unit 42 have confirmed that they have compromised a customer’s AWS cloud account with thousands of workloads using a misconfigured identity and access management (IAM) role.
Vulnerabilities
More than 245,000 Windows systems still remain vulnerable to BlueKeep RDP bug
A year and a half after Microsoft disclosed the BlueKeep vulnerability impacting the Windows RDP service, more than 245,000 Windows systems still remain unpatched and vulnerable to attacks.
The number represents around 25% of the 950,000 systems that were initially discovered to be vulnerable to BlueKeep attacks during a first scan in May 2019.
Windows Kerberos authentication breaks due to security updates
Microsoft is investigating a new known issue causing enterprise domain controllers to experience Kerberos authentication problems after installing security updates released to address CVE-2020-17049 during this month's Patch Tuesday, on November 10.
Cisco Patches Critical Flaw After PoC Exploit Code Release
A critical path-traversal flaw exists in Cisco Security Manager that lays bare sensitive information to remote, unauthenticated attackers.
A day after proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit code was published for a critical flaw in Cisco Security Manager, Cisco has hurried out a patch.
https://threatpost.com/critical-cisco-flaw-sensitive-data/161305/
Widespread Scans Underway for RCE Bugs in WordPress Websites
WordPress websites using buggy Epsilon Framework themes are being hunted by hackers.
Millions of malicious scans are rolling across the internet, looking for known vulnerabilities in the Epsilon Framework for building WordPress themes, according to researchers.
According to the Wordfence Threat Intelligence team, more than 7.5 million probes targeting these vulnerabilities have been observed, against more than 1.5 million WordPress sites, just since Tuesday.
https://threatpost.com/widespread-scans-rce-bugs-wordpress-websites/161374/
Webex fixed some seriously spooky security flaws
Cisco has patched several troubling security vulnerabilities in its Webex video conferencing service.
The flaws in the video conferencing software were flagged. Researchers took a deeper look at the collaboration tools being used for day-to-day work to better understand how they could impact sensitive meetings now being held virtually. During its investigation, the company's security researchers discovered three vulnerabilities in Webex.
https://www.techradar.com/news/cisco-webex-had-some-very-spooky-security-flaws
Data Breaches
Animal Jam was hacked, and data stolen; here’s what parents need to know
WildWorks, the gaming company that makes the popular kids game Animal Jam, has confirmed a data breach.
Animal Jam is one of the most popular games for kids, ranking in the top five games in the 9-11 age category in Apple’s App Store in the U.S., according to data provided by App Annie. But while no data breach is ever good news, WildWorks has been more forthcoming about the incident than most companies would be, making it easier for parents to protect both their information and their kids’ data.
https://techcrunch.com/2020/11/16/animal-jam-data-breach/
Crown Prosecution Service guilty of ‘serious’ data breaches
Prosecutors are routinely guilty of “serious” data breaches that can endanger the public by disclosing addresses of people who report crimes, a watchdog has revealed.
Independent assessors of the Crown Prosecution Service found that prosecutors in England and Wales were responsible for “a significant number of data security breaches”.
Privacy
MacOS Big Sur reveals Apple secretly hates your VPN and firewall
If you're using a Mac VPN and recently updated your device to Big Sur, your privacy may be at risk as it was discovered that Apple apps are able to bypass both firewalls and VPN services in the company's latest version of macOS.
Twitter user mxswd first spotted the issue back in October and provided more details in a tweet which reads: “Some Apple apps bypass some network extensions and VPN Apps. Maps for example can directly access the internet bypassing any NEFilterDataProvider or NEAppProxyProviders you have running”.
https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/macos-big-sur-reveals-apple-secretly-hates-your-vpn-and-firewall
Server failure unearths massive macOS tracking plans
More serious doubts have been raised about Apple's snooping tactics following fresh revelations about the company's macOS software. We’ve already reported how apps in the latest release of macOS can bypass firewalls and VPNs and how the release was bricking some older MacBook Pro machines.
https://www.techradar.com/news/server-failure-unearths-massive-macos-tracking-plans
Employee surveillance software demand increased as workers transitioned to home working
As people hunkered down to work from home during COVID-19, companies turned to employee surveillance software to track their staff.
What does the rise of intrusive tools such as employee surveillance software mean for workers at home?
A new study shows that the demand for employee surveillance software was up 55% in June 2020 compared to the pre-pandemic average. From webcam access to random screenshot monitoring, these surveillance software products can record almost everything an employee does on their computer.
Los Angeles police ban facial recognition software and launch review after officers accused of unauthorized use
The Los Angeles police department (LAPD) has banned commercial facial recognition software and launched a review after 25 officers were accused of using it unofficially to try to identify people.
https://www.theregister.com/2020/11/19/lapd_facial_recogntion/
Nation State Actors
More than 200 systems infected by new Chinese APT 'FunnyDream'
A new Chinese state-sponsored hacking group (also known as an APT) has infected more than 200 systems across Southeast Asia with malware over the past two years.
The malware infections are part of a widespread cyber-espionage campaign carried out by a group named FunnyDream, according to a new report published today by security firm Bitdefender.
The attacks have primarily targeted Southeast Asian governments. While Bitdefender has not named any victim countries, a report published earlier this spring by fellow security firm Kaspersky Lab has identified FunnyDream targets in Malaysia, Taiwan, and the Philippines, with the most victims being located in Vietnam.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/more-than-200-systems-infected-by-new-chinese-apt-funnydream/
Massive, China-state-funded hack hits companies around the world, report says
Attacks are linked to Cicada, a group believed to be funded by the Chinese state.
Researchers have uncovered a massive hacking campaign that’s using sophisticated tools and techniques to compromise the networks of companies around the world.
The hackers, most likely from a well-known group that’s funded by the Chinese government, are outfitted with both off-the-shelf and custom-made tools. One such tool exploits Zerologon, the name given to a Windows server vulnerability, patched in August, that can give attackers instant administrator privileges on vulnerable systems.
Other News
Hackers are leaning more heavily on cloud resources
Underground cloud services may seem like an oxymoron, but they are quite real, and criminals are using them to speed up attacks and leave very little room for compromised businesses to react.
This is according to a new report from cybersecurity firm Trend Micro, which found terabytes of internal business data and logins - including for Google, Amazon and PayPal - for sale on the dark web.
https://www.itproportal.com/news/hackers-are-leaning-more-heavily-on-cloud-resources/
CEOs Will Be Personally Liable for Cyber-Physical Security Incidents by 2024
Digital attack attempts in industrial environments are on the rise. In February 2020, IBM X-Force reported that it had observed a 2,000% increase in the attempts by threat actors to target Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and Operational Technology (OT) assets between 2018 and 2020. This surge eclipsed the total number of attacks against organizations’ industrial environments that had occurred over the previous three years combined.
Reports Published in the Last Week
Sophos 2021 Threat Report: Navigating cybersecurity in an uncertain world
https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2020/11/18/sophos-threat-report-2021/
Verizon Releases First Cyber-Espionage Report
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/verizon-releases-first-cyber/
As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.
Look out for our weekly ‘Cyber Tip Tuesday’ video blog and on our YouTube channel.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.
Cyber Weekly Flash Briefing 19 June 2020: Widespread Office 365 phishing attacks, new cyber storm as businesses reopen, cyber spies use LinkedIn, largest ever DDoS attack, Ripple20 IoT vulns
Cyber Weekly Flash Briefing 19 June 2020: Widespread Office 365 phishing attacks, new cyber storm as businesses reopen, cyber spies use LinkedIn, largest ever DDoS attack, Ripple20 IoT vulns
Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.
If you’re pressed for time watch the 60 second quick fire video summary of the top Cyber and InfoSec stories from the last week:
Office 365 Phishing Campaign Exploits Samsung, Adobe and Oxford Servers
Over the last few years, the adoption of Office 365 in the corporate sector has significantly increased. Its popularity has attracted the attention of cyber criminals who launch phishing campaigns specifically to attack the platform. As 90% of cyber-attacks start with a phishing campaign, Office 365 is an attractive target for threat actors who work to evade the continuously introduced security solutions.
Recently, a seemingly unsophisticated Office 365 phishing campaign caught our attention. The attackers abused an Adobe Campaign redirection mechanism, using a Samsung domain to redirect victims to an O365 themed phishing website. The hackers took advantage of the fact that access to a reputable domain, such as Samsung’s, would not be blocked by security software.
To expand their campaign, the attackers also compromised several websites to inject a script that imitates the same mechanism offered by the Adobe redirection service. Further investigation revealed that the actors behind the campaign implemented a few other interesting tricks to hide the phishing kit and avoid detection at each stage of the attack.
Read more here: https://research.checkpoint.com/2020/phishing-campaign-exploits-samsung-adobe-and-oxford-servers/
Guernsey Police warn businesses in Guernsey using Office 365 also targeted by scammers
Guernsey Police are warning local businesses about an online scam targeting users of Office 365.
Officers have been in contact with several businesses using the service who have fallen victim to phishing scams which have allowed hackers access to their email inbox.
The hackers then distribute malicious links to their contacts.
Police say using multi-factor authentication can help keep personal data safe.
Anyone who receives an unexpected email from someone they trust containing a link should contact them directly to make sure they sent it.
As Businesses Reopen, A New Storm Of Cybercrime Activity Looms
There is nothing ordinary about the amount of disruption that will impact our lives moving forward as countries and states reopen following the coronavirus pandemic. In the context of the cloud, disruptions caused by COVID-19 have opened the door to another type of virus: cybersecurity threats. Today we are witnessing a rapid rise of opportunistic cybercriminal activity taking advantage of the chaos created by COVID-19.
Focal concerns about economic recovery and a potential second wave of human infection are abounding. Still, the concern for many companies should also include heightened cybersecurity threats that can easily break companies before they have a chance to relaunch. For the many companies that are already fighting to remain afloat due to challenges faced during COVID-19, a cybersecurity breach could quickly mean the end. As businesses navigate this “new normal,” they must address weaknesses in their IT strategies exposed by COVID-19 and consider implementing a better preparedness plan to avoid long-term damage.
Microsoft: COVID-19 malware attacks were barely a blip in total malware volume
Microsoft says that despite all the media headlines over the past few months, malware attacks that abused the coronavirus (COVID-19) theme have barely been a blip in the total volume of threats the company sees each month.
These COVID-19 attacks included emails carrying malicious file attachments (also referred to as malspam) and emails containing malicious links that redirect users to phishing sites or malware downloads.
According to Microsoft's Threat Protection Intelligence Team, the first attacks abusing a COVID-19 lure started after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on January 30.
As the world yearned to learn more about this new disease, attacks intensified, and they peaked in March when most of the world's countries enforced stay-at-home measures.
"The week following [the WHO] declaration saw these attacks increase eleven-fold," Microsoft said. "By the end of March, every country in the world had seen at least one COVID-19 themed attack."
Cyber spies use LinkedIn to hack European defence firms
LONDON (Reuters) - Hackers posed as recruiters working for U.S. defence giants Collins Aerospace and General Dynamics (GD.N) on LinkedIn to break into the networks of military contractors in Europe, cyber security researchers said on Wednesday.
The cyber spies were able to compromise the systems of at least two defence and aerospace firms in Central Europe last year by approaching employees with pseudo job offers from the U.S. firms.
The attackers then used LinkedIn’s private messaging feature to send documents containing malicious code which the employees were tricked into opening.
The researcher declined to name the victims, citing client confidentiality, and said it was unclear if any information was stolen. General Dynamics and Collins Aerospace, which is owned by Raytheon Technologies RTX.N, declined immediate comment.
The researchers were unable to determine the identity of the hackers but said the attacks had some links to a North Korean group known as Lazarus, which has been accused by U.S. prosecutors of orchestrating a string of high-profile cyber heists on victims including Sony Pictures and the Central Bank of Bangladesh.
Read more here: https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-cyber-linkedin-hacks/cyber-spies-use-linkedin-to-hack-european-defence-firms-idUKKBN23O2L7
Australian PM says nation under serious state-run 'cyber attack' – Microsoft, Citrix, Telerik UI bugs 'exploited'
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called a snap press conference to reveal that the nation is under cyber-attack by a state-based actor, but the nation’s infosec advice agency says that while the attacker has gained access to some systems it has not conducted “any disruptive or destructive activities within victim environments.”
Morrison said the attack has targeted government, key infrastructure and the private sector, and was sufficiently serious that he took the courteous-in-a-crisis, but not-compulsory step, of informing the leader of the opposition about the incident. He also said that the primary purpose of the snap press conference was to inform and educate Australians about the incident.
But Morrison declined to state whether Australian defence agencies have identified the source of the attack and said evidence gathered to date does not meet the government’s threshold of certainty to name the attacker.
Read more here: https://www.theregister.com/2020/06/19/australia_state_cyberattack/
Google removes 106 Chrome extensions for collecting sensitive user data
Google has removed 106 malicious Chrome extensions that have been caught collecting sensitive user data.
The 106 extensions are part of a batch of 111 Chrome extensions that have been identified as malicious in a report published this week.
These extensions posed as tools to improve web searches, convert files between different formats, as security scanners, and more.
But in reality the extensions contained code to bypass Google's Chrome Web Store security scans, take screenshots, read the clipboard, harvest authentication cookies, or grab user keystrokes (such as passwords).
Read more here: https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-removes-106-chrome-extensions-for-collecting-sensitive-user-data/
AWS stops largest DDoS attack ever
Amazon has revealed that its AWS Shield service was able to mitigate the largest DDoS attack ever recorded at 2.3 Tbps back in February of this year.
The company's new AWS Shield Threat Landscape report provided details on this attack and others mitigated by its AWS Shield protection service.
While the report did not identify the AWS customer targeted in the DDoS attack, it did say that the attack itself was carried out using hijacked CLDAP (Connection-less Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) web servers and lasted for three days.
https://www.techradar.com/news/aws-stops-largest-ddos-attack-ever
Ripple20 Vulnerabilities Affect Hundreds of Millions of IoT Devices
Zero-day vulnerabilities have been discovered that could impact millions of IoT devices found in data centres, power grids, and elsewhere.
The flaws, dubbed Ripple20, includes multiple remote code execution vulnerabilities and affects "hundreds of millions of devices (or more)."
Researchers named the vulnerabilities Ripple20 to reflect the widespread impact they have had as a natural consequence of the supply chain "ripple-effect" that has seen the widespread dissemination of the software library and its internal flaws.
"A single vulnerable component, though it may be relatively small in and of itself, can ripple outward to impact a wide range of industries, applications, companies, and people," wrote researchers.
Ripple20 reached critical IoT devices involving a diverse group of vendors from a wide range of industries. Affected vendors range from one-person boutique shops to Fortune 500 multinational corporations, including HP, Schneider Electric, Intel, Rockwell Automation, Caterpillar, and Baxter.
Read more: https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/ripple20-vulnerabilities-discovered/
Unpatched vulnerability identified in 79 Netgear router models
A whopping 79 Netgear router models are vulnerable to a severe security flaw that can let hackers take over devices remotely.
The vulnerability has been discovered by two security researchers independently, namely Adam Nichols from cyber-security GRIMM and a security researcher going by the nickname of d4rkn3ss, working for Vietnamese internet service provider VNPT.
According to Nichols, the vulnerability impacts 758 different firmware versions that have been used on 79 Netgear routers across the years, with some firmware versions being first deployed on devices released as far back as 2007.
This lack of proper security protections opens the door for an attacker to craft malicious HTTP requests that can be used to take over the router.
More here: https://www.zdnet.com/article/unpatched-vulnerability-identified-in-79-netgear-router-models/
New Mac malware uses 'novel' tactic to bypass macOS Catalina security
Security researchers have discovered a new Mac malware in the wild that tricks users into bypassing modern macOS app security protections.
In macOS Catalina, Apple introduced new app notarization requirements. The features, baked in Gatekeeper, discourage users from opening unverified apps — requiring malware authors to get more creative with their tactics.
As an example, researchers have discovered a new Trojan horse malware actively spreading in the wild via poisoned Google search results that tricks users into bypassing those protections themselves.
The malware is delivered as a .dmg disk image masquerading as an Adobe Flash installer. But once it's mounted on a user's machine, it displays instructions guiding users through the malicious installation process.
Cyber Weekly Flash Briefing for 27 March 2020 – Half of UK firms suffer breach last year, COVID19 drives phishing up 667%, WHO targeted, Windows zero-day, ransom refuser’s data published online
Cyber Weekly Flash Briefing for 27 March 2020 – Half of UK firms suffer breach last year, COVID19 drives phishing up 667%, WHO targeted, Windows zero-day, ransom refuser’s data published online
Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.
Cyber Flash Briefing 60 second video version
The Importance of Maintaining Good Cyber Hygiene During the Coronavirus Crisis
Businesses are making significant changes in response to the virus, including asking employees to work from home for the first time. These new practices have often been implemented as quickly as possible, with a priority on keeping the business operations going.
At the same time, the cyber and information security consultants at Black Arrow are seeing reports from specialist intelligence and the wider media which show cyber criminals are feasting on the current chaos as they target employees and companies who let their guard down.
‘Cyber criminals usually target people, not technology, to get into their employer’s systems. Companies need to ensure they consider all the basic risks to prevent this, and implement layers of defence that start with the user.
Read more here: https://guernseypress.com/news/2020/03/24/maintaining-good-cyber-hygiene/
Half of all UK Firms and Three-Quarters of Large Firms Suffered Security Breach Last Year
Nearly half (46%) of UK firms reported suffering a security breach or cyber-attack over the past year, an increase on previous years, but they are getting better at recovering from and deflecting such blows, according to the government.
The annual Cyber Security Breaches Survey revealed an increase in the overall volume of businesses reporting incidents, up from 32%. The number of medium (68%) and large (75%) businesses reporting breaches or attacks also jumped, from 60% and 61% respectively.
This puts the 2020 report’s findings in line with the first government analysis in 2017, it claimed.
Of those businesses that reported incidents, more are experiencing these at least three times a week than in 2017 (32% versus 22%).
The government also claimed that organisations are experiencing more phishing attacks (from 72% to 86%) whilst fewer are seeing malware (from 33% to 16%) than three years ago.
More here: https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/threequarters-firms-security/
#COVID19 Drives Phishing Emails Up 667% in Under a Month
Phishing emails have spiked by over 600% since the end of February as cyber-criminals look to capitalize on the fear and uncertainty generated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A security vendor observed just 137 incidents in January, rising to 1188 in February and 9116 so far in March. Around 2% of the 468,000 global email attacks detected by the firm were classified as COVID-19-themed.
As is usually the case, the attacks used widespread awareness of the subject to trick users into handing over their log-ins and financial information, and/or unwittingly downloading malware to their computers
Of the COVID-19 phishing attacks, 54% were classified as scams, 34% as brand impersonation attacks, 11% blackmail and 1% as business email compromise (BEC).
As well as the usual lures to click through for more information on the pandemic, some scammers are claiming to sell cures and/or face-masks, while others try to elicit investment in companies producing vaccines, or donations to fight the virus and provide support to victims.
This is a new low for cyber-criminals, who are acting like piranha fish, cowardly attacking people on mass when they are at their most vulnerable. It’s vital that the public remain vigilant against scam emails during this challenging time.
More here: https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/covid19-drive-phishing-emails-667/
Attackers exploiting critical zero-day Windows flaw
Microsoft has discovered a severe vulnerability in all supported versions of Windows, which enables criminals to remotely run malware – including ransomware – on a target machine.
According to the report, the security vulnerability has not been previously disclosed and there is currently no fix.
The “critical” vulnerability revolves around how the operating system handles and renders fonts. All it takes is for the victim to open or preview a malicious document, and the attacker can remotely run different forms of malware.
Microsoft said the vulnerability is being exploited in the wild, and different hacking groups are initiating “limited, targeted attacks”.
Although there is as yet no patch, the company announced a temporary workaround for affected Windows users, which involves disabling the Preview and Details panes in Windows explorers.
Read more here: https://www.itproportal.com/news/attackers-exploiting-critical-zero-day-windows-flaw/
WHO Targeted in Espionage Attempt, COVID-19 Cyberattacks Spike
The DarkHotel group could have been looking for information on tests, vaccines or trial cures.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has attracted the notice of cybercriminals as the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic continues to play out, with a doubling of attacks recently, according to officials there. Problematically, evidence has also now apparently surfaced that the DarkHotel APT group has tried to infiltrate its networks to steal information.
A cyber security researcher told Reuters that he personally observed a malicious site being set up on March 13 that mimicked the WHO’s internal email system. Its purpose was to steal passwords from multiple agency staffers, and noted that he realised “quite quickly that this was a live attack on the World Health Organization in the midst of a pandemic.”
The attack appeared to be aimed at achieving a foothold at the agency rather than being an end unto itself. The targeting infrastructure seems to focus on certain types of healthcare and humanitarian organisations that are uncommon for cybercriminals and this could suggest the actor or actors behind the attacks are more interested in gathering intelligence, rather than being financially motivated.
Read the full article here: https://threatpost.com/who-attacked-possible-apt-covid-19-cyberattacks-double/154083/
Stolen data of company that refused REvil ransom payment now on sale
Operators of the Sodinokibi (aka Sodin or REvil) Ransomware as a Service (RaaS) recently published over 12GB of data that allegedly belongs to one of its victims – Brooks International – that refused to pay ransom.
RaaS is the malware for lazy crooks who just want to launch attacks at the press of a button: it enables novice cybercriminals to build automated campaigns using third-party kits sold on the dark web. They don’t have to break a sweat by learning about malware, teaching themselves how encryption works, writing ransomware code, running an anonymous webserver on Tor to collect the loot, distributing decryption keys, or otherwise getting their hands dirty with technical details.
Sodinokibi – a GandCrab derivative blamed for numerous attacks that took place last year – is a prime example of RaaS.
IT security report finds 97% of enterprise networks have suspicious network activity
A study using advanced network traffic analysis tools, found that 97% of the surveyed companies show evidence of suspicious activity in their network traffic and that 81% of the companies were being subject to malicious activity.
More here: https://www.techrepublic.com/article/it-security-report-finds-97-have-suspicious-network-activity/
Concern over Zoom video conferencing after MoD bans it over security fears
Concerns have been raised over the security of video conferencing service Zoom after the Ministry of Defence banned staff from using it.
Downing Street published pictures of Prime Minister Boris Johnson using the app to continue holding Cabinet meetings with senior MPs – where sensitive information like matters of national security are discussed – while observing rules on social distancing to curb the coronavirus outbreak.
But MoD staff were told this week that use of the software was being suspended with immediate effect while ‘security implications’ were investigated, with users reminded of the need to be ‘cautious about cyber resilience’ in ‘these exceptional times’.
One source commented that ‘it is astounding that thousands of MoD staff have been banned from using Zoom only to find a sensitive Government meeting like that of the Prime Minister’s Cabinet is being conducted over it’.
A message to MoD staff said: ‘We are pausing the use of Zoom, an internet-based video conferencing service, with immediate effect whilst we investigate security implications that come with it.’ The email added that a decision will then be made about whether to continue using the programme.
More here: https://metro.co.uk/2020/03/25/concern-zoom-video-conferencing-mod-bans-security-fears-12455327/
Adobe issues emergency fix for file-munching bug
Adobe has released another security patch outside of its usual routine this month to deal with a strange bug that can allow attackers to delete victims’ files.
The file-deleting bug stems from a time-of-check to time-of-use race condition vulnerability, which happens when two system operations try to access shared data at the same time. That allows an attacker to manipulate files on the victim’s system. The company warned that successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary file deletion.
To successfully exploit the flaw, an attacker would need to convince a victim to open a malicious file, Adobe has said.
More here: https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2020/03/26/adobe-issues-emergency-fix-for-file-munching-bug/
Emerging Chinese APT Group ‘TwoSail Junk’ Mounts Mass iPhone Surveillance Campaign
The malware, the work of a new APT called TwoSail Junk, allows deep surveillance and total control over iOS devices.
A recently discovered, mass-targeted watering-hole campaign has been aiming at Apple iPhone users in Hong Kong – infecting website visitors with a newly developed custom surveillance malware. The bad code – the work of a new APT called “TwoSail Junk” – is delivered via a multistage exploit chain that targets iOS vulnerabilities in versions 12.1 and 12.2 of Apple’s operating system, according to researchers.
Watering-hole campaigns make use of malicious websites that lure visitors in with targeted content – cyberattackers often post links to that content on discussion boards and on social media to cast a wide net. When visitors click through to a malicious website, background code will then infect them with malware.
Read the full article here: https://threatpost.com/emerging-apt-mounts-mass-iphone-surveillance-campaign/154192/
New attack on home routers sends users to spoofed sites that push malware
A recently discovered hack of home and small-office routers is redirecting users to malicious sites that pose as COVID-19 informational resources in an attempt to install malware that steals passwords and cryptocurrency credentials, researchers said on Wednesday.
The compromises are hitting Linksys routers and D-Link devices.
It remains unclear how attackers are compromising the routers. The researchers suspect that the hackers are guessing passwords used to secure routers’ remote management console when that feature is turned on. It was also hypothesized that compromises may be carried out by guessing credentials for users’ Linksys cloud accounts.
Russia’s FSB wanted its own IoT botnet
If you thought the Mirai botnet was bad, what about a version under the control of Russia’s military that it could point like an electronic cannon at people it didn’t like? That’s the prospect we could face after the reported emergence of secret Russian project documents online last week.
The documents, which come from hacking group Digital Revolution but haven’t been verified, suggest that Russia’s Federal Security Service (in Russian, the FSB), has been working on an internet of things (IoT) botnet of its own called Fronton.
Mirai was a botnet that infected IoT devices by the million, taking advantage of default login credentials to co-opt them for attackers. They then pointed it at DNS service provider Dyn, mounting a DDoS attack that took down large internet services for hours.
More here: https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2020/03/24/russias-fsb-wanted-its-own-iot-botnet/
Week in review 29 December 2019 Round up of the most significant open source stories of the last week
Black Arrow Cyber Security review of top open source news articles for week ending 29 December 2019: 10 biggest hacks of the decade, biggest malware threats, MI6 floorplans lost, Citrix vulnerabilities, popular chat app actually spying tool, jobs in infosec
Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.
Black Arrow Cyber Consulting would like to wish everyone a happy, prosperous, and cyber safe, 2020
A bit of a quiet week as one would expect with Christmas festivities. As it’s the end of the year, and indeed the end of a decade, there are lots of round ups of the last year and the last decade, and a lot of predictions for what 2020 will hold (we suspect more bad stuff, more ransomware and more devious and nasty strains of ransomware at that, and more breaches) and in that vein on to our first story:
The 10 biggest data hacks of the decade
This article comes from CNBC in the US and whilst the content is US centric a lot of people on this side of the Atlantic would have been caught up in a lot of these breaches too.
Since 2010, data breaches have exposed over 38 billion records, and there have been at least 40,650 data hacks in this time. And while many were smaller data breaches, there were a few mega hacks that will likely remain records for years to come.
Amongst the biggest breaches are:
UnderArmour (MyFitnessPal), from March 2018 with 143.6 million records hacked
Equifax from September 2017 with 147 million records hacked
Marriott (Starwood) from November 2018 with 383 million records hacked
Veeam from September 2018 with 445 million records hacked
Yahoo! from September and December 2016 with up to 3 billion records hacked
There have been many other breaches affecting other companies, such as WhatsApp and Fortnite, who have reported security flaws in the past year that could have exposed millions of customers’ data, but the extent of the accessed data has not yet been fully ascertained.
Read the full article here: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/23/the-10-biggest-data-hacks-of-the-decade.html
Live visualisations of the World’s Biggest Data Breaches and Hacks can be found anytime by clicking here or on the image below: https://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/worlds-biggest-data-breaches-hacks/
Biggest Malware Threats of 2019
2019 was another banner year for bots, trojans, RATS and ransomware. Let’s take a look back.
One out of five computer users were subject to at least one malware-class web attack in 2019. This past year cities such as New Orleans were under ransomware siege by the likes of malware Ryuk. Zero-day vulnerabilities were also in no short supply with targets such as Google Chrome and Operation WizardOpium.
Threatpost have taken a look back over their coverage from the last 12 months.
Remote desktop protocol vulnerabilities BlueKeep, and then DejaBlue, allowed unauthenticated, remote attackers to exploit and take complete control of targeted endpoints. The fear of BlueKeep and its wormable potential to mimic the WannaCry forced Microsoft’s hand to patch systems as old as Windows XP and Windows 2000.
This past year had its fair share of zero-day vulnerabilities. One of the most prominent of the zero days was Urgent/11, impacting 11 remote code execution vulnerabilities in the real-time OS VxWorks. Because of VxWorks use in so many critical infrastructure devices, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration took the unusual step and released a warning, urging admins to patch.
We were warned last year when mitigating against Meltdown and Spectre that we would face more side-channel related CPU flaws in the future. And this year we did, with variants ranging from ZombieLoad to Bounds Check Bypass Store, Netspectre and NetCAT. For 2020? Expect even more variants, say experts.
2019 was the year ransomware criminals turned their attention away from consumers and started focusing on big targets such as hospitals, municipalities and schools. There was the Ryuk attack against New Orleans, Maze ransomware behind Pensacola attack and rash of attacks against hospitals that resulted in some care facilities turning patients away.
Botnets continued to be a key tool in cyberattacks in 2019. This past year saw the return of the notorious Emotet botnet. Crooks behind Trickbot partnered with bank trojan cybercriminals from IcedID and Ursif. Lastly, Echobot, an IoT botnet, casts a wider net in 2019 with raft of exploit additions.
Perhaps the highest-profile cryptominer attack occurred in May when researchers found 50,000 servers were infected for over four months as part of a high-profile cryptojacking campaign featuring the malware Nansh0u. The past year also saw a new XMRig-based cryptominer called Norman emerge, which stood apart because of its clever ability to go undetected.
Even though the target is smaller, mobile devices offer criminals top-tier data. Not only are APTs shifting focus on mobile, but so are garden-variety crooks. Take, for example, the Anubis mobile banking trojan that only goes into action after it senses the targeted device is in motion. Then there was the Instagram-initiated campaign using the Gustuff Android mobile banking trojan that rolled out in October.
Google’s Project Zero, in August, found 14 iOS vulnerabilities in the wild since September 2016. According to Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG) the flaws could allow malware easily steal messages, photos and GPS coordinates. These flaws highlighted five exploit chains in a watering hole attack that has lasted years. Google said malware payload used in the attack is a custom job, built for monitoring.
In May, researchers uncovered a unique Linux-based malware dubbed HiddenWasp that targeted systems to remotely control them. The malware is believed to be used as part of a second-stage attack against already-compromised systems and is composed of a rootkit, trojan and deployment script.
Discussing malware without touching on business email compromise-based attacks would be like talking about the New England Patriots without mentioning Tom Brady. Fake Greta Thunberg emails used to lure victims to download Emotet malware. Of course the Swedish climate-change activist was just one of the lures that in 2018 contributed to 351,000 scams with losses exceeding $2.7 billion.
Read the original article here: https://threatpost.com/biggest-malware-threats-of-2019/151423/
7 types of virus – a short glossary of contemporary cyberbadness
Technically, this article is about malware in general, not about viruses in particular.
These days, however, the crooks don’t really need to program auto-spreading into their malware – thanks to always-on internet connectivity, the “spreading” part is easier than ever, so that’s one attention-grabbing step the crooks no longer need to use.
But the word virus has remained as a synonym for malware in general, and that’s how we’re using the word here.
So, for the record, here are seven categories of malware that give you a fair idea of the breadth and the depth of the risk that malware can pose to your organisation.
Read the full article here: https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2019/12/28/7-types-of-virus-a-short-glossary-of-contemporary-cyberbadness/
MI6 floor plans lost by building contractor
Floor plans of MI6's central London headquarters were lost by building contractors during a refurbishment.
The documents, most of which were recovered inside the building, held sensitive information on the layout, including entry and exit points.
Balfour Beatty, the company working on the refurbishment at the headquarters in Vauxhall, is reportedly no longer working on the project.
The Foreign Office said it did not comment on intelligence matters.
The documents, which went missing a few weeks ago, were produced and owned by Balfour Beatty and designed to be used for the refurbishment.
The contractor kept the plans on the site at Vauxhall Cross in a secure location.
BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera said the missing plans were not classified or intelligence documents, but the pages did hold sensitive details.
Most, but not all, of the documents were recovered inside the building after it was noticed they were missing, he said.
Balfour Beatty said it could not comment because of sensitivities.
The incident, first reported by the Sun newspaper, is reportedly a result of carelessness, rather than any hostile activity.
Read the original article here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-50927854
Citrix vulnerability allowed criminals to hack 80,000 companies
Researchers have found a vulnerability in popular enterprise software offerings from Citrix which puts tens of thousands of companies at risk of cyber attack.
A security researcher uncovered a critical vulnerability in Citrix Application Delivery Controller (NetScaler ADC) and Citrix Gateway (NetScaler Gateway), which allows direct access to a company network from the internet.
According to a report on the flaw, around 80,000 companies in 158 countries around the world could be at risk. Most companies are located in the US, with the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Australia sharing a significant portion.
Read the full article here: http://www.itproportal.com/news/citrix-vulnerability-allows-criminals-to-hack-80000-companies
Popular chat app ToTok is actually a spying tool of UAE government – report
A chat app that quickly became popular in the United Arab Emirates for communicating with friends and family is actually a spying tool used by the government to track its users, according to a New York Times report.
The government uses ToTok to track conversations, locations, images and other data of those who install the app on their phones, the Times reported, citing US officials familiar with a classified intelligence assessment and the newspaper’s own investigation.
The Emirates has long blocked Apple’s FaceTime, Facebook’s WhatsApp and other calling apps. Emirati media has been playing up ToTok as an alternative for expatriates living in the country to call home to their loved ones for free.
The Times says ToTok is a few months old and has been downloaded millions of times, with most of its users in the Emirates, a US-allied federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian peninsula. Government surveillance in the Emirates is prolific, and the Emirates long has been suspected of using so-called “zero day” exploits to target human rights activists and others. Zero days exploits can be expensive to obtain on the black market because they represent software vulnerabilities for which fixes have yet to be developed.
The Times described ToTok as a way to give the government free access to personal information, as millions of users are willingly downloading and installing the app on their phones and unknowingly giving permission to enable features.
As with many apps, ToTok requests location information, purportedly to provide accurate weather forecasts, according to the Times. It also requests access to a phone’s contacts, supposedly to help users connect with friends. The app also has access to microphones, cameras, calendar and other data.
Read the full article here: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/23/totok-popular-chat-app-spying-tool-uae-government
Jobs in Information Security (InfoSec)
For anyone considering a career in cyber or information security (infosec) there is a useful article detailing different roles and different potential areas of work in this field.
We also run a free mentoring program for anyone either looking to move into cyber security or currently in a cyber security role wanting to progress their careers. Contact us for more information.
Read the article here: https://medium.com/bugbountywriteup/jobs-in-information-security-infosec-93a5efc12ca2