Large Enterprises Targeted in Major MegaCortex Ransomware Campaign
A new strain of MegaCortex ransomware is being used in targeted attacks on large enterprises. The campaign has seen a large number of attacks performed in the past week according to Sophos. MegaCortex ransomware first surfaced in January 2019 and since then the number of attacks has grown steadily, although the past few days have seen a massive spike in attacks. Sophos reports that over a 48-hour period, 47 large enterprises were...
DHS Orders Federal Agencies to Address Critical Vulnerabilities Within 15 Days
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has issued a binding operational directive (BOD) which requires all federal agencies to correct critical vulnerabilities in Internet-accessible systems within 15 days of detection, and high severity vulnerabilities within 30 days of detection. Federal agencies are increasingly deploying Internet-accessible systems which are interconnected with complex IT systems. Vulnerabilities in those...
Sodinokibi Ransomware Spread via Oracle WebLogic Server Exploit
A new ransomware variant named Sodinokibi is being used in attacks that exploit a recently disclosed vulnerability in Oracle WebLogic Server – CVE-2019-2725. Oracle released an out-of-band patch to address the flaw on April 26 following several reported cases of the vulnerability being exploited in the wild. Oracle WebLogic Server is part of Oracle Middleware, which is used by many large enterprises. Even though the...
Biggest Malware Threats in Healthcare Revealed
A recent report from Malwarebytes has revealed Trojans are the biggest malware threat. Trojans account for 79% of all malware detected on healthcare systems by Malwarebytes. The Emotet Trojan is the leading malware variant, accounting for 37% of all detected Trojans. While the Emotet Trojan was once just a banking Trojan concerned with obtaining credentials to online bank accounts, it has since evolved to include a wide range of...
Exploitable Flaws Discovered in New WPA3 Wi-Fi Security Standard
The next generation of Wi-Fi security – WPA3 – was launched in the summer of 2018, which promised to be the most secure form of Wi-Fi with the vulnerabilities of WPA2 eliminated. However, WPA3 was found to not be as secure as was initially thought. In total, five methods have been identified that allow the WPA3 standard to be hacked to obtain WiFi passwords. The hacking methods were uncovered by Mathy Vanhoef of New York University...
New Malvertising Campaign Detected Using Highly Sophisticated Aftershock-3PC Malware
A new form of malware named Aftershock-3PC is being used in a major malvertising campaign. The malware uses a range of advanced techniques to avoid detection. The malware is being used in malvertising attacks via more than 200 premium ad networks. The malware is polymorphic and constantly changes its code to evade detection and uses over 30 different domains to avoid being detected by signature-based anti-malware solutions used by...
297 Flaws Patched by Oracle in its April Security Update
Oracle’s April security update includes patches for 297 vulnerabilities across its product suite. Users of Oracle products have been advised to update the products as soon as possible to prevent the vulnerabilities from being exploited. This is especially important for this security update as it includes 53 critical bugs that have been assigned a CVSS v3 base score of 9.0 or above. 47 of those have a CVSS v3 score of 9.8. The patches...
DHS and FBI Issue Warning About New North Korean Hoplight Trojan
The U.S Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have both issued advisories about a new Trojan called Hoplight which is being used by the Lazarus APT group. Lazarus is a North Korea-backed hacking group, also known as Hidden Cobra, Zinc, and Nickel Academy. The hacking group primarily uses spear phishing to install malware on high value targets. The group is primarily concerned with...
Microsoft Confirms Support Agent’s Credentials were Compromised and Customers’ Email Data Potentially Accessed
Microsoft has experienced a data breach that has lasted at least three months. During that time, hackers were able to access affected users’ email addresses, email subject lines, folder names, and email contacts. The breach affected certain users of its web email services: Hotmail, MSN, and Outlook. A Microsoft support agent’s account details were compromised on January 1, 2019 which allowed the attackers to gain access to information...
Cryptocurrency Mining Malware Still Dominates the Malware Threat Landscape
The latest Global Threat Index report from Check Point shows cryptocurrency mining malware continues to be the biggest malware threat, even with the demise of Coinminer. Coinminer has topped the list of the most prevalent malware since December 2017. Coinminer is no longer active, but its code is still present on many websites and could be reactivated at any point. In its place, is another cryptocurrency mining malware variant –...
The Baldr Information Stealer: A Dangerous New Malware Threat
A new information stealer has been detected which could become a long-term threat. The Baldr information stealer is not especially sophisticated and lacks persistence, but it can exfiltrate data quickly once downloaded in a ‘smash and grab’ attack. The Baldr information stealer will not survive a reboot and is incapable of spreading to other devices, but for most threat actors that will not pose any problems. Once downloaded, Baldr...
Adobe Patches 24 Critical RCE Vulnerabilities
Adobe has patched 43 vulnerabilities on April 2019 Patch Tuesday. 24 of the vulnerabilities have been rated critical and are remote code execution vulnerabilities. They are present in Acrobat Reader, Adobe Shockwave Player, and Adobe Flash. The remainder of the vulnerabilities have been rated Important or moderate and affect Adobe Flash Player, Shockwave Player, Dreamweaver, Adobe XD CC, Adobe Experience Manager Forms, InDesign, and...
April 2019 Patch Tuesday: Microsoft Fixes 74 Vulnerabilities
Microsoft has released fixes for 74 vulnerabilities on April 2019 Patch Tuesday, two of which are being actively exploited in the wild. The two zero-day Windows vulnerabilities that are being actively exploited are CVE-2019-0803 and CVE-2019-0859. Both of these are elevation of privilege vulnerabilities and are due to how the Win32k component handles objects in the memory. If exploited, an attacker could execute malicious code in...
Verizon Pushing Firmware Upgrade that Addresses Serious Router Command Injection Flaw
Millions of Verizon routers are affected by a command injection flaw that could allow an attacker to gain full control of the device. The flaw affects Fios Quantum Gateway routers and is one of three vulnerabilities that have been addressed by Verizon in the latest version of its firmware. The most serious flaw, tracked as CVE-2019-3914, has been assigned a CVSS v3 base score of 8.5 and affects the API backend of the router. If...
Beware of Tax Season Phishing Scams
Cybercriminals have stepped up their efforts to scam U.S. taxpayers into divulging their sensitive information and installing malware. Many elaborate tax season phishing scams have been detected in 2019. Phishing scams are common during tax season. Tax-themed phishing emails are sent which contain a hyperlink that directs the recipient to a website where they are asked to enter information such as their name, address, DOB, and Social...
Cisco Releases 24 Patches to Address ISO XE Software Vulnerabilities
Cisco has released 25 patches that address 19 high-severity and 6-medium-severity flaws, most of which are present in its ISO XE operating system used by its networking products such as switches, controllers, and routers. 15 of the 19 high severity vulnerabilities are in the Internetworking Operating System IOS XE, several of which could allow unauthenticated attackers to gain root privileges on vulnerable devices and execute...
Apple Patches 51 Serious Security Flaws in iOS 12.2 Update
Apple has released a new update of its iOS operating system for iPhone 5s and later, iPad Air and later, and 6th gen iPods. An update is also available for tvOS for Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K. The latest version of the operating system includes patches for 51 serious flaws that could potentially be exploited for DoS attacks, privilege escalation, gaining root access to vulnerable devices, stealing data, and executing malicious code....
One Third of Organizations Have Experienced A Security Breach Involving Remote Workers
Robust defenses may have been implemented to protect networks from cyberattacks, but the same level of protection is not always applied for remote workers. Allowing employees to work remotely may improve staff morale and can even lead to an increase in productivity, but it also introduces risk. Those risks have been made clear by a recent survey conducted by the virtual private network solution provider OpenVPN. The study was...
7 Out of 10 Ransomware Attacks are on SMBs
71% of ransomware attack are on SMBs, according to a new report from Beazley Breach Response (BBR) Services When an attack involves widespread encryption across an organization’s network ransom demands can be very high. The highest ransom demand received by a client was $8.5 million. The ransom wasn’t paid, but some companies have no alternative other than to pay the ransom demand. One client paid $935,000 for the keys to unlock...
Microsoft Will End Support for Windows 7 in January 2020
Microsoft has announced that support for Windows 7 will come to an end on January 14, 2020. All Windows 7 users will be advised to upgrade to Windows 10 as soon as possible. Windows 7 users will receive notifications on screen to alert them that the OS is approaching end of life when they install the latest KB4493132 update, which will be made available through Windows Update. The update is not mandatory. Users will have the option of...
New Mirai Variant Targets Enterprise Wireless Presentation Systems
Enterprise wireless presentation systems and signage TVs are being attacked by the latest Mirai variant, according to new research from Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42 team. Previously, the threat actors behind Mirai have mostly focused on attacking vulnerable consumer IoT devices, but there are benefits to be gained from attacking enterprise IoT devices. A successful attack will give the attackers greater bandwidth to use in DDoS...
MFA Bypassed in IMAP-Based Attacks on Office 365 and G Suite Accounts
Multi-factor authentication can prevent accounts from being accessed if passwords are stolen or obtained using brute force tactics; however, Proofpoint has discovered that multi-factor authentication is being bypassed on Office 365 and G Suite accounts using the legacy IMAP protocol. The IMAP authentication protocol bypasses MFA and attackers are able to avoid being locked out of accounts. The methods used made failed login attempts...
March 2019 Patch Tuesday: 2 Actively Exploited Bugs Patched by Microsoft
March 2019 Patch Tuesday has seen Microsoft issue fixes for 64 vulnerabilities, two of which are being actively exploited in the wild. The two actively exploited flaws are being tracked as CVE-2019-0808 and CVE-2019-0797. The first is a zero-day vulnerability in the Win32k component of Windows that could be exploited by an authenticated user to elevate privileges and execute arbitrary code. The flaw was identified by Google’s...
Verifications.io MongoDB Misconfiguration Exposed 2 Billion Records
The enterprise email verification service, Verifications.io, has exposed around 2 billion records due the misconfiguration of MongoDB instances. The data leak was discovered by researcher Bob Diachenko, who identified an unsecured 150 GB MongoDB instance. Analysis of the database showed it contained around 809 million records. However, a subsequent analysis by DynaRisk revealed four MongoDB instances had been exposed, which in total...
Jackson County, Georgia Pays $400,000 Ransom to Recover Encrypted Files
After considering the potential costs and benefits, Jackson County, Georgia determined that paying the ransom demand to unlock files encrypted in ransomware attack was the best option, even though the ransom demand was around $400,000. The attack occurred over the weekend of March 2/3, 2019, and resulted in the widespread encryption of data. The email system of the country’s government was taken out of action, and even systems used by...
Google Chrome and Windows 7 Flaws Being Actively Exploited in the Wild
All Chrome users have been advised to update to the latest version of the browser – 72.0.3626.121 – as soon as possible to prevent a zero-day flaw from being exploited. Google released the new Chrome version on March 1, 2019, which addressed a use-after-free vulnerability in the FileReader component of Chrome that is being tracked as CVE-2019-5786. FileReader is an API used by web applications to read the contents of files...
Actively Exploited Zero-Day ColdFusion Vulnerability Patched by Adobe
Adobe has issued an out-of-band update to correct the actively exploited ColdFusion vulnerability CVE-2019-7816. The zero-day flaw in its web application development platform is a file upload restriction bypass issue. If exploited, the flaw could allow remote code execution. At least one threat actor is known to be exploiting the flaw in the wild. According to Adobe, in order to exploit the flaw, an attacker would need to have the...
WinRAR Vulnerability Actively Exploited in the Wild to Install Backdoor
The 19-year old WinRAR vulnerability that was recently identified by Check Point is being exploited in the wild to install a backdoor that allows remote access. An updated version of WinRAR was released in January to correct the flaw, but many users have yet to update to the latest version of the file compression tool. In January it was estimated that around 500 million individuals worldwide had a vulnerable version of WinRAR...
B0r0nt0K Ransomware Attack Could Cost You $75,000
A new cryptoransomware threat called B0r0nt0K ransomware is being used to encrypt files on Linux and Windows servers. If you haven’t backed up, you will have to pay a ransom of 20 Bitcoin – Around $75,000 – to recover your files. The new threat was reported to Bleeping Computer by a forum user whose client had been attacked with the new ransomware variant and had website files encrypted. B0r0nt0K Ransomware encrypted all files...
Zero-Day WinRAR Remote Code Execution Flaw Allows Full PC Takeover
A patch has been released to correct a 19-year old zero-day WinRAR remote code execution vulnerability. The flaw was identified by security researchers at Check Point who were able to successfully exploit the flaw to take full control of a vulnerable computer. All that is required is to send an email to someone with an out-of-date version of the software installed on their computer and convince them to open an attached compressed...
Businesses Targeted in Ongoing Credential-Stealing Separ Malware Phishing Attack
An ongoing phishing campaign is targeting businesses and distributing the information-stealing Separ malware. The campaign has mostly concentrated on businesses in South East Asia and the Middle East, although some businesses in North America have also been attacked. The Separ information stealer has been in use since September 2017, with earlier versions of the info-stealer dating back to 2013. The latest campaign, which uses an...
Drupal Updates Released to Correct Critical RCE Vulnerability
An update for the Drupal CMS has been released that corrects a critical vulnerability – CVE-2019-6340 – which, if exploited, could allow the execution of arbitrary PHP code. The vulnerability is the result of improper sanitization of data in certain field types. Exploitation of the vulnerability is possible if the core RESTful Web Services module is enabled and PATCH and POST requests are allowed. It is also possible for the...
GandCrab Ransomware Decryptor Developed for Versions 5.0.4 to 5.1
A free GandCrab ransomware decryptor has been released that works for the latest version of the ransomware. Files encrypted by versions 1, 4, early versions of 5, and versions 5.0.4 to 5.1 can now be decrypted without paying the ransom. GandCrab ransomware was first detected in January 2018 and went on to become the biggest ransomware threat of 2018. In addition to encrypting local files on an infected device, GandCrab ransomware can...
Trickbot Trojan Updated to Obtain VNC, PuTTY, and RDP Credentials
The Trickbot banking Trojan has been updated with a new module which is capable of obtaining VNC, PuTTY, and remote desktop credentials. The latest variant of Trickbot is being distributed in a tax season-themed phishing campaign involving emails that offer help with recent changes to the U.S. tax code to reduce tax bills. The emails appear to have been sent by the accounting organization Deloitte and have a tax incentive-related...
FINRA Issues Phishing Warning to Brokerage Firms
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has issued a warning to brokerage firms about a new phishing campaign. The scam involves spam emails which appear to have been sent from a credit union alerting the brokerage firm to potential money laundering by one of their clients. The email messages appear to have been sent by a BSA-AML compliance officer at a legitimate Indiana-based credit union and contain details of the...
MSPs Targeted in New GandCrab Ransomware Campaign
Managed service providers (MSPs) and IT support companies are being targeted in a new GandCrab ransomware campaign. MSPs are an attractive target. If access can be gained to MSP systems, the attackers can abuse trusted relationships to perform attacks on their clients. MSPs are often used by SMBs that do not have the internal resource to manage their own IT or have insufficient staff numbers to devote to cybersecurity. MSPs perform a...
Emotet Threat Actors Now Distributing Trojan via XML Files Masked as Word Documents
At least one cybercriminal group distributing the Emotet Trojan has started using a new tactic to infect end users with the malware. The malware is now being delivered using XML files disguised as Word documents, with the malware installed via embedded macros. The Emotet Trojan is one of the most rapidly evolving malware variants. The malware is regularly updated with new functions and the methods used to distribute the malware and...
Mac Users Targeted with New Shlayer Malware Variant
A new Shlayer malware variant has been detected that infects Mac computers and disables macOS Gatekeeper security software. The latest version of the malware was identified by researchers at Carbon Black and appears to only target MacOS versions from 10.10.5 to 10.14.3. Shlayer malware is distributed via fake Flash Player updates. Warnings are generated when visiting websites advising the user that their Flash Player is out of date...
VFEmail Suffers Catastrophic Cyberattack with Permanent Loss of Customers Email Data
The email provider VFEmail has suffered a cyberattack that has caused “catastrophic destruction.” A hacker with a Bulgarian IP address gained access to its U.S. servers and formatted them; destroying all data in its primary and backup systems. The attack started in the morning of February 11, 2019. VFEmail issued a statement saying that all disks on its U.S. servers were formatted and all of its virtual machines, mail servers, and...
February 2019 Patch Tuesday: Microsoft Fixes 74 Vulnerabilities; Adobe 75
February 2019 Patch Tuesday has seen almost 150 vulnerabilities fixed by Microsoft and Adobe, including 43 critical Adobe flaws and 20 critical Microsoft vulnerabilities, one of which is being actively exploited in the wild. The actively exploited vulnerability was discovered by the Google Project Zero team. The vulnerability is in Internet Explorer 11 – CVE-2019-0676 – and could be exploited if a user visits a specially...
Phishing Campaign Leverages Google Translate to Steal Google and Facebook Credentials
A phishing campaign has been detected that abuses Google Translate to make the phishing webpage appear to be an official login page for Google. The phishing emails in the campaign are similar to many other campaigns that have been run in the past. The messages have the subject “Security Alert” with a message body virtually identical to the messages sent by Google when a user’s Google account has been accessed from an unfamiliar device...
Office 365 Phishing Campaign Uses SharePoint Collaboration Request as Lure
A single Office 365 username/password combination can give a hacker access to a vast quantity of sensitive information. Information detailed in emails can be of great value to competitors, identity thieves, and other fraudsters. Office 365 credentials also give hackers access to cloud storage repositories that can contain highly sensitive business information and compromised accounts can be used to distribute malware and conduct...
New Speakup Linux Backdoor Trojan Used in Widespread Attacks
Security researchers at Check Point have identified a new Trojan named Speakup which is being used in targeted attacks on Linux servers. The Speakup Linux backdoor Trojan can also be used to attack Mac devices. The Trojan is deployed via exploits of vulnerabilities across six Linux distributions, including the recently identified ThinkPHP vulnerability, CVE-2018-20062. The current campaign is targeting Linux devices in China,...
Xvideos Sextortion Scam Threatens to Expose Porn Viewing Habits
An xvideos sextortion scam threatens to expose users’ porn viewing habits to friends, family, and work colleagues. The scammer claims to have recorded the user via the webcam while they viewed content on the xvideos adult website. The email is made more believable by the inclusion of the user’s password in the message body. The scammer claims to have gained access to the email recipient’s computer and installed a keylogger. The...
Apple IOS Vulnerability Allows Hackers to Snoop on FaceTime Calls
A serious Apple IOS vulnerability has been detected that allows people to gain access to both the microphone and the front facing camera on Apple devices by exploiting a flaw in FaceTime. Further, the flaw even allows microphone/camera access if the call is not answered. The flaw has prompted many security experts to suggest Apple device owners to stop using FaceTime until the flaw is corrected. To exploit the flaw, a user would need...
Fake Google Update Installer Used to Install AZORult Trojan
Researchers at Minerva Labs have identified a new AZORult Trojan campaign that installs the malware through a fake Google update installer. The AZORult Trojan is an information stealer that can obtain system information, cookies, passwords stored in browsers, browser histories, information from saved files, banking credentials, and cryptocurrency wallets. The malware is also used as a downloader of other malware variants and is...
0Patch Micropatches Released to Address 3 Zero-Day Windows Flaws
0Patch has released a micropatch to address three zero-day Windows flaws that have yet to be addressed by Microsoft, including a zero-day remote code execution vulnerability in the Windows Contacts app. The 0Patch platform allows micropatches to be quickly distributed, applied, and removed to/from running processes without having to reboot computers or even restart processes. The platform is still in beta, although testing and...
STOP Ransomware Delivered via Software Cracks
STOP ransomware, a crypto-ransomware variant that uses the .rumba file extension on encrypted files, is being delivered via software cracks. Software cracking programs that generate licenses for popular software programs are commonly used to deliver malware. The executable files often install spyware and adware code during the cracking process and while it is not unknown for other malware to be installed when the programs are run, it...
Cryptocurrency Mining Malware Tops Most Wanted Malware List
Check Point’s Most Wanted Malware report for December 2018 shows that cryptocurrency mining malware was the leading malware threat in December. The top four malware threats in December 2018 were all cryptocurrency miners. Top spot goes to the Monero miner Coinhive: An online miner that uses the processing power of visitors’ computers whenever they visit a website that has had the miner installed. Coinhive has topped the Most Wanted...
773 Million Email Addresses and 21 Million Unique Passwords Listed for Sale
A massive collection of login credentials that includes approximately 773 million email addresses has been uncovered by security researcher Troy Hunt. Hunt is an Australian Microsoft Regional Director and maintains the Have I Been Pwned (HIBP) website, where people can check to see whether their login credentials have been stolen in a data breach. Hunt discovered the 87GB database on a popular hacking forum. The data was spread across...
Highly Sophisticated Apple Vishing Scam Detected
A sophisticated Apple vishing scam has been uncovered. In contrast to most phishing attempts that use email, this scam used voice calls (vishing) with the calls appearing to have come from Apple. The scam starts with an automated voice call to an iPhone that spoofs Apple Inc. The caller display shows that the call is from Apple Inc., increasing the likelihood that the call will be answered. The user is advised that there has been a...
January 2019 Patch Tuesday Updates
January 2019 Patch Tuesday has seen 51 flaws corrected in Microsoft products. There are four updates to correct flaws in the Microsoft Edge Browser. Seven of the 51 updates have been marked as critical. January 2019 Patch Tuesday Critical Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Products The 51 updates are broken down as: Microsoft JET Database Engine (11), Microsoft Windows (6), Microsoft Office (4), Microsoft Office SharePoint (4), Windows...
Free Decryptor for Fileslocker Ransomware Developed After Master Key Leaked
A free decryptor for Fileslocker ransomware has been developed following the leaking of the master key for the ransomware on Pastebin. The master key is the key used by threat actors to decrypt files that have been encrypted by the ransomware. The post was created on December 29, 2018 and states that the master key, which decrypts the private key, is “applicable to V1, V2 version” and that the poster is “waiting for security personnel...
Tribune Publishing Cyberattack Cripples Several U.S. Newspapers
A recent malware attack on Tribune Publishing has caused disruption to several newspaper print runs including those of the Los Angeles Times, San Diego Tribune, and the west coast editions of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, amongst others. The Tribune Publishing cyberattack occurred on Thursday December 28, 2018, and spread throughout the Tribune Publishing network on Friday, affecting the Saturday editions of several...
FTC Issues Warning About New Netflix Phishing Scam
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has issued a warning about a new global Netflix phishing scam that attempts to fool Netflix subscribers into disclosing their account credentials and payment information. The scam uses a tried and tested tactic to obtain that information: The threat of account closure due to payment information being out of date. Users are sent a message asking them to update their payment details because Netflix has...
Orange Livebox Modems Leaking WiFi Information
Hackers are exploiting a flaw (CVE-2018-20377) in Orange Livebox ASDL modems that allows them to obtain the SSID and the Wi-Fi password of the devices in plaintext. Once access is gained to a vulnerable modem, attackers could update the firmware and change device settings. Exploiting the flaw is as simple as sending a GET request. The flaw was identified by Troy Mursch at Bad Packets, who noticed the firm’s honeypots were being...
Backdoor and Ransomware Detections Increased More than 43% in 2018
The recently published Kaspersky Security Bulletin 2018 shows there has been a 43% increase in ransomware detections and a 44% increase in backdoor detections in the first 10 months of 2018, highlighting the growing threat from malware. Kaspersky Lab is now handling 346,000 new malicious files every day and has so far detected more than 21.64 million malicious objects in 2018. Backdoor detections increased from 2.27 million to 3.26...
Actively Exploited Internet Explorer Flaw Patched by Microsoft
Microsoft has issued an out of band update for Internet Explorer to correct a vulnerability that is being actively exploited in the wild. The Internet Explorer flaw was found by Clement Lecigne at Google’s Threat Analysis Group, who reported the vulnerability to Microsoft. The remote code execution flaw, tracked as CVE-2018-8653, is in the Internet Explorer scripting engine, which handles memory objects. If the flaw is exploited, an...
New Office 365 Phishing Attack Detected
A new Office 365 phishing attack has been identified that uses alerts about message delivery failures to lure unsuspecting users to a website where they are asked to provide their Office 365 account details. The new scam was detected by security researcher Xavier Mertens during an analysis of email honeypot data. The emails closely resemble official messages sent by Microsoft to alert Office 365 users to message delivery failures. The...
Microsoft and Adobe December 2018 Patch Tuesday Updates
December 2018 Patch Tuesday has seen Microsoft issue patches for 39 vulnerabilities, 10 of which have been rated critical, and two are being actively exploited in the wild. There are 9 critical vulnerabilities in Microsoft products and one critical vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player. The patches cover the following products and services: Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Office...
2018 Security Awareness Training Statistics
A recent survey conducted by Mimecast has produced some interesting security awareness training statistics for 2018. The survey shows many businesses are taking considerable risks by not providing adequate training to their employees on cybersecurity. Ask the IT department what is the greatest risk cybersecurity risk and many will say end users. IT teams put a considerable amount of effort into implementing and maintaining...
Adobe Patches Actively Exploited 0-Day Vulnerability in Flash Player
On Wednesday, December 5, 2018, Adobe issued an update to correct a vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player that is being leveraged by a threat group in targeted attacks in Russia. The threat group has already attacked a healthcare facility in Russia that is used by senior civil servants. The vulnerability was identified by researchers at Gigamon who passed on details of the vulnerability to Adobe in late November. Qihoo 360 researchers...
Marriott Announces 500 Million-Record Breach of Starwood Hotel Guests’ Data
The Marriott hotel chain has announced it has suffered a massive data breach that has resulted in the theft of the personal information of up to 500 million guests of the Starwood Hotels and Resorts group. Marriott discovered the data breach on September 8, 2018 after an alert was generated by its internal security system following an attempt by an unauthorized individual to access the Starwood guest reservation database. Third-party...
49% of All Phishing Sites Have SSL Certificates and Display Green Padlock
Almost half of phishing sites now have SSL certificates, start with HTTPS, and display the green padlock to show the sites are secure, according to new research by PhishLabs. The number of phishing websites that have SSL certificates has been increasing steadily since Q3, 2016, when around 5% of phishing websites were displaying the green padlock to indicate a secure connection. The percentage increased to approximately 25% of all...
Major Malvertising Campaign Detected: 300 Million Browser Sessions Hijacked in 48 Hours
A major malvertising campaign is being conducted that is redirecting web users to phishing and scam websites. While malvertising campaigns are nothing new, this one stands out due to the scale of the campaign. In 48 hours, more than 300 million users have had their browsers redirected to malicious web pages. The campaign was uncovered by researchers at cybersecurity firm Confiant on November 12. The researchers note that the actor...
APT28 Group Uses New Cannon Trojan in Spear Phishing Campaign Targeting US and EU Government Agencies
A new spear phishing campaign is being conducted by the AP28 (Sofacy Group/Fancy Bear/Sednit) on government organizations in the United States, Europe, and a former USSR state using the previously unknown Cannon Trojan. The campaign was detected by Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42 team and was first identified in late October. The campaign is being conducted via spam email and uses weaponized Word document to deliver two malware variants....
Critical AMP for WP Plugin Vulnerability Allows Any User to Gain Admin Rights
A new critical WordPress plugin vulnerability has been identified that could allow site users to escalate privileges to admin level, giving them the ability to add custom code to a vulnerable website or upload malware. The vulnerability is in the AMP for WP plugin, a popular plugin that converts standard WordPress posts into the Google Accelerated Mobile Pages format to improve load speeds on mobile browsers. The plugin has more than...
TA505 APT Group Spreading tRat Malware in New Spam Campaigns
The prolific APT group TA505 is conducting spam email campaigns spreading a new, modular malware variant named tRAT. tRAT malware is a remote access Trojan capable of downloading additional modules. In addition to adding infected users to a botnet, the threat actors have the option of selling access to different elements of the malware to other threat groups for use in different attacks. Threat researchers at Proofpoint intercepted...
Phishing Accounts for 50% of All Fraud Attacks
An analysis of current cyber fraud threats by network security firm RSA shows that phishing attacks have increased by 70% since Q2 and now account for 50% of all fraud attacks suffered by organizations. Phishing attacks are popular because they are easy to conduct and have a high success rate. An attacker can set up a webpage that mimics a well-known brand such as Microsoft or Google that requests login details. Emails are then sent...
Microsoft Patches 12 Critical Vulnerabilities on November Patch Tuesday
Microsoft has issued patches for 12 critical vulnerabilities in November Patch Tuesday and has fixed a flaw that is being actively exploited by at least one threat group. In total, 64 vulnerabilities have been fixed across Windows, IE, Edge, and other Microsoft products. The 12 critical vulnerabilities could allow hackers to execute malicious code and take full control of a vulnerable device. The majority of the critical...
WordPress GDPR Compliance Plugin Vulnerability Being Actively Exploited
Websites with the WordPress GDPR Compliance plugin installed are being hijacked by hackers. A vulnerability in the plugin is being exploited, allowing attackers to modify site settings and register new user accounts with admin privileges. The vulnerability can be remotely exploited by unauthenticated users, many of whom have automated exploitation of the vulnerability to hijack as many sites as possible before the vulnerability is...
Zero-Day VirtualBox Vulnerability and Exploit Published
Details of a zero-day VirtualBox vulnerability have been published online along with a step by step exploit. The vulnerability in the Oracle open source hosted hypervisor was published on GitHub by Russian security researcher, Sergey Zelenyuk, rather than being disclosed to Oracle to allow the bug to be fixed. The decision was influenced by a previous vulnerability that he found in VirtualBox that was disclosed to Oracle but took the...
Elon Musk Bitcoin Scam Generates $180,000 in a Day
The promise of payment of a sizable sum in return for a small payment is a classic scam that has been conducted in various forms for many years. An administration fee is required before a Saudi prince’s inheritance will be paid, and payment I required to help a widow get her husbands fortune out of the country. This week an interesting variation of the scam has been conducted on Twitter that has been surprisingly effective. The Saudi...
BleedingBit Vulnerabilities Affect Millions of Wireless Access Points
Armis Labs has identified two vulnerabilities in Texas Instruments’ Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) chips that are used in wireless access points manufactured by Cisco, Meraki, and Aruba. The affected wireless access point are used by hundreds of thousands of businesses around the world. Cisco, Meraki, and Aruba supply at least 70% of business wireless access points, which places all of those businesses at risk. It is not yet known exactly...
Stealthy sLoad Downloader Performs Extensive Reconnaissance to Improve Quality of Infected Hosts
A new PowerShell downloader has been discovered – the sLoad downloader – which is being used in stealthy, highly targeted attacks in the United Kingdom and Italy. The sLoad downloader performs a wide range of checks to find out a great deal of information about the system on which it resides, before choosing the most appropriate malicious payload to deploy – if a payload is deployed at all. The sLoad downloader was first identified in...
Zero-Day Windows Data Sharing Service Vulnerability Discovered
A Windows zero-day vulnerability has been discovered that allows hackers to delete application dlls and cause a system to crash and potentially hijack systems. The vulnerability allows an attacker to elevate privileges and delete files that should only be accessible by admins and takes advantage of a Windows service that fails to check permissions. That service, the Windows Data Sharing Service – dssvc.dll, was introduced in...
Exploits Published for LibSSH Vulnerability: Immediate Patching Required
A recently discovered LibSSH vulnerability, that has been described as ‘comically bad’ by the security researcher who discovered it, has been patched. The flaw is ridiculously easy to exploit. Unsurprisingly, various scripts and tools have been published that allow vulnerable devices to be found and the flaw to be exploited. If the LibSSH vulnerability is exploited, which requires little skill even without one of the published...
Sophisticated Phishing Attack Inserts Malware into Existing Email Conversation Threads
A new sophisticated phishing tactic has been identified that involves a malicious actor gaining access to an email account, monitoring a conversation thread, and then inserting malware in a reply to an ongoing discussion. The scam is a variation of a Business Email Compromise (BEC) attack. BEC attacks typically involve using a compromised email account to send messages to accounts or payroll employees to get them to make fraudulent...
Microsoft Addresses 49 Flaws Including One Actively Exploited Vulnerability
Almost 50 vulnerabilities have been patched by Microsoft on October Patch Tuesday including one zero-day vulnerability that is being actively exploited in the wild by the FruityArmor APT group. The zero-day (CVE-2018-8453) is linked to the Win32k component of Windows and is an elevation-of-privilege vulnerability discovered by Kaspersky Lab. If exploited, a threat actor could run arbitrary code in kernel mode and could create new...
Phishers Using Azure Blog Storage to Host Phishing Forms with Valid Microsoft SSL Certificate
Cybercriminals are using Microsoft Azure Blog storage to host phishing forms. The site hosting the malicious files has a genuine Microsoft SSL certificate which adds authenticity to the campaign. Similar tactics have been used in the past for Dropbox phishing scams and attacks that impersonate other cloud storage platforms. A typical phishing scenario involves an email being sent with a button or hyperlink that the user is requested...
Cofense Research Reveals Extensive Abuse of Zoho Email by Keyloggers
New research from Cofense has revealed there has been a significant rise in keylogger activity in 2018 which backs up research conducted by Microsoft that showed the resurgence of a keylogger known as Hawkeye. Keyloggers are information-stealing malware that log keystrokes on a computer and other input from human interface devices (HUDs) such as webcams and microphones. Many modern keyloggers are also able to copy information from the...
Persistent New LoJax Rootkit Survives Hard Disk Replacement
Security researchers at ESET have identified a new rootkit that takes persistence to a whole new level. Once infected, the LoJax rootkit will remain active on a device even if the operating system is reinstalled or the hard drive is reformatted or replaced. Rootkits are malicious code that are used to provide an attacker with constant administrator access to an infected device. They are difficult to detect and consequently they can...
Increased Remote Desktop Protocol Attacks Prompts IC3 to Issue Warning
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has issued a warning to businesses about the abuse of remote administration tools such as Remote Desktop Protocol. The warning was prompted by a significant rise in attacks and darknet marketplaces selling RDP access. Remote Desktop Protocol was first introduced into Windows in 1996 and has proven to be a valuable tool. It allows employees to connect to their office computer remotely and...
Danabot Banking Trojan Used in U.S. Campaign
The DanaBot banking Trojan was first detected by security researchers at Proofpoint in May 2018. It was being used in a single campaign targeting customers of Australian Banks. Further campaigns were later detected targeting customers of European banks, and now the attacks have moved across the Atlantic and U.S. banks are being targeted. Banking Trojans are a major threat. Proofpoint notes that they now account for 60% of all malware...
Q2, 2018 Saw an 86% Rise in Cryptocurrency Mining Malware Detections
2018 has proven to be the year of cryptocurrency mining malware. Cybercriminals are increasingly abandoning other forms of malware and ransomware in favor of malware capable of hijacking processors and mining cryptocurrency. Mining cryptocurrency requires computers to solve the complex problems necessary to verify cryptocurrency transactions and add them to the blockchain ledger. That requires considerable processing power and takes...
Cofense Takes a Closer Look at Healthcare Phishing Attacks
Cofense, the leading provider of human-based phishing threat management solutions, has published new research that shows the healthcare industry lags behind other industry sectors for phishing defenses and is routinely attacked by cybercriminals who often succeed in gaining access to sensitive patient health data. The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights publishes a summary of data breaches reported by...
Pegasus Spyware Campaigns Gather Pace: Infections Detected in 45 Countries
Pegasus spyware is a legitimate surveillance tool that has been attributed to the Israeli cyber-intelligence firm NSO Group. The spyware works on both Android smartphones and iPhones to allow security services to intercept text messages, track phone calls, trace a phone’s location, and obtain passwords and data from apps installed on an infected device. Since at least 2016, NSO Group has been offering Pegasus spyware to nation state...
New Python Ramsomware Threat Detected
Security researchers at Trend Micro have identified a new Python ransomware threat that piggybacks on the success of Locky ransomware. The threat actors behind the ransomware have copied the ransom note used by the gang responsible for Locky. The ransomware note claims files have been encrypted by Locky Locker. Trend Micro have instead named this new ransomware threat PyLocky. Python is a popular script-writing language, although it...
New Brazilian Banking Trojan Hides in Plain Sight
An innovative new Brazilian banking Trojan has been detected by security researchers at IBM X-Force. The Trojan has been named CamuBot due to its use of camouflage to fool employees into running the installer for the malware. As with other banking Trojans, its purpose is to obtain bank account credentials, although its method of doing so is different from most of the banking Trojans currently used by threat actors in Brazil. Most...
Zero-Day Windows Task Scheduler Vulnerability Exploited by Threat Group
On August 27, a security researcher with the online moniker SandboxEscaper discovered a zero-day vulnerability in Windows Task Scheduler (Windows 7-10) and published a proof-of-concept exploit for the flaw on GitHub. Microsoft was not alerted to the flaw and was not given time to issue a fix to prevent the flaw from being exploited. Unsurprisingly, the exploit is now being used by at least one hacking group to attack businesses....
Massive URL Spoofing Campaign Discovered Targeting 76 Universities
A massive URL spoofing campaign targeting 76 universities in 14 countries has been detected by security researchers at SecureWorks. The threat group known as Cobalt Dickens is believed to be behind the attack. The group is believed to operate out of Iran and is well known for conducting these types of attacks. The latest campaign has seen the hacking group create more than 300 spoofed websites on sixteen domains. Hosted on those...
Micropatch Blocks Zero-Day Vulnerability in Windows Task Scheduler
On August 29, 2018, a proof-of-concept exploit for a zero-day vulnerability in Windows Task Scheduler was published on GitHub by a security researcher. The vulnerability had not previously been disclosed to Microsoft, and consequently, no patch has been released to address the flaw. If exploited, a malicious actor could elevate permissions of malicious code running on a compromised device from guest or user level to administrator...
Ransomware Attacks Slow as Cryptocurrency Mining Proves More Profitable
Over the past two years, ransomware has been favored by cybercriminals as it offered an easy way to make money. Campaigns could easily be conducted via spam email, and for many individuals, it was not even necessary to create the malware from scratch. Ransomware-as-a-service allowed campaigns to be conducted for a 60% cut of the profits generated with no programming experience required. While some threat actors are still using...
Exploit Published for Zero-Day Vulnerability Found in Windows Task Scheduler
A zero-day vulnerability has been discovered in Windows Task Scheduler and an exploit for the flaw has been published on GitHub. The local privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the Advanced Local Procedure Call (ALPC) interface and if exploited would enable a malicious actor to elevate the access of malicious code from a limited USER role to a SYSTEM account with full access. The Task Scheduler API function SchRpcSetSecurity...
AdvisorsBot Malware Used in Targeted Attacks on Hotels and Restaurants
Security researchers at Proofpoint have detected a new malware threat that is being used in targeted attacks on hotels, restaurants, and telecoms firms. AdvisorsBot malware, so named because its C&C servers contain the word advisors, was first detected in May 2018 in a variety of spam email campaigns. AdvisorsBot malware is under development although the current form of the malware has been used in multiple attacks around the...
New Critical Apache Struts Vulnerability Discovered
A new Apache Struts vulnerability has been discovered in the core functionality of Apache Struts. This is a critical flaw that allows remote code execution in certain configurations of the framework. The flaw could prove more serious than the one that was exploited in the Experian hack in 2017. Apache Struts is an open source framework used in many Java-based web applications. It has been estimated that at least 65% of Fortune 500...
Necurs Botnet Now Distributing Marap Malware
The Necurs botnet is being used to send huge quantities of spam emails containing Marap malware. Marap malware is currently being used for reconnaissance and learning about victims. The aim appears to be the creation of a network of infected users that can be targeted in future attacks. The malware creates a unique fingerprint for each infected device, contacts its C2 server, and sends information about the victim’s system to the...
SharePoint Files Used to Harvest Office 365 Credentials
A phishing campaign termed PhishPoint uses SharePoint files to steal users’ Office 365 credentials. Huge numbers of phishing emails are being sent to businesses that appear to be invitations to collaborate. Users are required to click the URL embedded in the email, which ultimately directs them to a malicious site where they are required to enter their Office 365 credentials. Those credentials are then captured by the attackers. The...
Multi-Factor Authentication Fail: Single MFA Token Used to Gain Access to All Accounts
Multi-factor authentication can help to secure accounts and protect against phishing attacks. If a correct username and password combo is obtained, without the second factor (E.g. SMS message, token, device, or email address) the account cannot be accessed. As the recently discovered data breach at Reddit demonstrated, multi-factor authentication is not a silver bullet. Reddit used SMS messages to a user’s mobile phone as the second...
New KeyPass Ransomware Campaign Infects Users in More than 20 Countries
A new ransomware variant – called KeyPass ransomware – is being used in a new campaign that has seen many victims created around the world. While Brazil and Vietnam have taken the brunt of the attacks, there have been victims in more than 20 countries with the list growing by the day. KeyPass ransomware is written in C++ and is a variant of STOP ransomware. At present it is not known how the KeyPass ransomware attacks are...