New Mirai IoT Botnet Detected
The Mirai IoT botnet has been used to conduct some of the largest distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks ever seen. Since the release of the source code in October 2016, there have been several variants of the botnet developed. Now a new variant has been detected, which has been named Wicked, due to some of the strings in the source code. The new variant was identified by security researchers at Fortinet, who report that the new...
Cisco Patches Critical Flaws in Digital Network Architecture Platform
Cisco has releases patches to address vulnerabilities that could potentially be exploited to gain full control of affected systems. Three of the vulnerabilities are rated critical and have been assigned a CVSS V3 rating of 10 – the highest rating under the scoring system. A further four vulnerabilities have been given a rating of high with CVSS V3 scores of 8.6, 8.1, 7.5 and 6.3. The three critical vulnerabilities affect Cisco’s...
GDPR Phishing Scam Targets Airbnb Customers
A GDPR phishing scam has been detected targeting Airbnb customers. The GDPR-themed scam requests customers of the home-sharing website must re-enter their contact information and credit card details in order to comply with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation that comes into force on May 25, 2018. The scammers are taking advantage of the high volume of emails currently being sent by companies as part of their GDPR compliance...
Vega Stealer Malware Harvesting Credentials from Web Browsers
A new variant of August Stealer – named Vega Stealer – is being distributed in small phishing campaigns targeting marketing, advertising, and PR firms and the retail and manufacturing industries. While the campaigns are highly targeted, the malware could potentially be used in much more widespread campaigns and become a major threat. Vega Stealer does not have the same range of capabilities as its predecessor, although it does include...
SamSam Ransomware Threat Actors Switch to Targeted Company-Wide Attacks
The threat actors behind the latest SamSam ransomware attacks have switched tactics and are now conducting highly targeted, company-wide attacks with the aim of infecting large numbers of devices. Companies are being researched and companies that are perceived to be most likely to pay the ransom are being attacked. Instead of using spam and phishing emails to gain access to devices, the threat actors are exploiting vulnerabilities to...
KnowBe4 Issues Alert About Fake Active Shooter Phishing Emails
The recent shootings at schools in the United States have shocked the nation, with educational institutions now on high alert for any recurrences. The news of an active shooter on campus requires an immediate response and is likely to result in panic. It is therefore no surprise that scammers have taken advantage and have been sending fake active shooter alerts via email to schools and colleges. KnowBe4 has recently identified one...
Cofense Report Reveals Latest Malware Delivery and Attack Trends
The 2018 Malware Review from security awareness and anti-phishing solution provider Cofense (Formerly PhishMe) looks at malware trends over the past 12 months and makes predictions about malware delivery and attack trends in 2018. The 2018 Cofense Malware Review, titled A Look Back and a Look Forward, was compiled after analyzing millions of phishing and spam emails gathered from multiple sources over the past year. The report has a...
Increase in W-2 Phishing Campaigns Leads to FBI Warning Issued
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has issued a new alert for businesses due to a major rise in phishing attacks attacking payroll worker. The target of the phishing attacks is to download copies of the W-2 forms of workers. Information on the forms is used to carry out identity theft and tax fraud. 2017 saw record numbers of phishing campaigns targeting businesses, educational institutions, and healthcare groups. In some...
UK Government Websites Mining Cryptocurrency
UK government websites mining cryptocurrency after third party website plugin compromised by hackers. The plugin Browsealoud, used on many government websites to help hearing-impaired and blind visitors listen to content, was hijacked and the source code had cryptocurrency mining code injected. UK Government Websites Mining Cryptocurrency for Hackers A recent supply chain attack has seen many government websites turn to mining...
FBI Issues Warning About Internet Crime Complaint Center Phishing Scams
The FBI has spent the past few months investigating reports of Internet Crime Complaint Center phishing scams. IC3 has been impersonated in several campaigns that attempt to convince people to reveal sensitive information that can be used to drain bank accounts and steal identities. The FBI has identified three email templates that are being used by scammers to obtain sensitive information from victims. In some cases, victims have...
New Necurs Botnet Phishing Campaign Spreads Dridex Banking Trojan
The operators of the Necurs botnet have launched several phishing campaigns in the past few days that are being used to spread the Dridex banking Trojan. Malware and cryptocurrency miners are also being sent in large scale campaigns. New tactics are being used to ensure infection and avoid detection. The latest Dridex malware campaign was launched in the past few days and targets customers of major US and European banks. When users...
Beware of W2 Phishing Scams This Tax Season
Employers are being warned to be wary of W2 phishing scams this tax season. The past two years have seen hundreds of employers scammed into disclosing the W2 forms of their employees. The credentials on the forms were subsequently used to file false tax returns. This year is likely to be no different. Last year, accounts department and payroll staff were targeted with W2 phishing scams, using an attack method termed business email...
Dark Caracal Spyware Installed Via Fake WhatsApp and Signal Apps
An advanced persistent threat (APT) group called Dark Caracal is using fake WhatsApp and Signal apps to install spyware. The APT group has already gained access to many thousands of devices and has stolen hundreds of gigabytes of data. Individuals in at least 21 countries have had their mobile devices infected. The APT group is highly advanced, and is believed to operate at the nation-state level, with strong evidence suggesting the...
Phishing Emails Pushing Fake Meltdown and Spectre Patches
The recently disclosed microprocessor vulnerabilities – Meltdown and Spectre – have had software and hardware firms working hard to develop patches. Cybercriminals have also been busy developing phishing campaigns that push fake Meltdown and Spectre patches. It should not come as a surprise that cybercriminals are capitalizing on the rush to secure computers and patch the vulnerabilities. The vulnerabilities can potentially be...
IRS Phishing Scam Targets Hotmail Users
A new IRS phishing scam has been detected that targets tax professionals and taxpayers who hold Hotmail email accounts. The scam has prompted the Internal Revenue Service to issue a warning to Hotmail users to be wary of emails that request personal and financial information. Each year, cybercriminals target tax payers and attempt to get them to reveal their personal information and Social Security numbers, which are used to file...
Soaring Value of Bitcoin Triggers Rise in Phishing Attacks on Bitcoin Wallets
Over the past few days, the value of Bitcoin has soared from $11,000 to more than $17,500, prompting hackers to increase the number of phishing attacks on Bitcoin wallets. While investors are cashing in on the surge in value, so too are attempts to steal Bitcoin. The purpose of the phishing attacks on Bitcoin wallets is simple. Get investors to reveal their account credentials and Bitcoin wallets can be plundered. There is also no...
Warning Issued by IRS About Christmas Phishing Scams
Each year there is a wave of Christmas phishing scams during the holiday season, as cybercriminals attempt to steal sensitive information to enable them to file fraudulent tax returns. This year is likely to be no different. Last year saw a major increase in Christmas phishing scams, and the prospect of another barrage of phishing emails has prompted the IRS to issue a warning to consumers to be alert to new, sophisticated email scams...
US-CERT Warns of Exploitable Windows ASLR Implementation Flaw
The U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) has issued a warning about an exploitable Windows ASLR implementation flaw affecting Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10. Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) is designed to make systems safer by preventing memory-based code execution attacks. Instead of a system executing programs in the memory in predictable locations, which can be anticipated by hackers, ASLR ensures...
Contacts Stolen and Spear Phishing Emails Sent by Ursnif Trojan
The financial sector banking Trojan Ursnif, one of the most commonly experienced banking Trojans, has before been used to attack banking institutions. However, it seems the individuals behind the malware have expanded their horizons, with cyberattacks now being carried out on a wide variety of groups across many different sectors, including healthcare. The new strain of the Ursnif Trojan was found by researchers at security firm...
New Gibon Ransomware Campaign Detected
A new ransomware campaign has been detected that is using spam email to deliver Gibon ransomware. The malware has been named Gibon due to the inclusion of the word in the user-agent string of its code. The ransomware variant was detected by Proofpoint security researcher Matthew Mesa, who notes that as with many other ransomware variants, it is being sold on darknet marketplaces for cybercriminals to use in their own ransom campaigns....
Google Search Poisoning Used to Spread Zeus Panda Trojan
Google search poisoning is being used by cybercriminals to get malicious links ranking highly in the organic search listings. Websites that rank highly in the organic search listings attract the lion’s share of traffic. Ranking highly for popular keyword terms can therefore deliver thousands of visitors. Google scans websites and if malware is found on a webpage, the page will be marked as malicious and will be removed from the...
Study Reveals Extent to Which Combosquatting is Used by Hackers
The use of combosquatting is on the rise, although until recently, the extent to which combosquatting was being used by cybercriminals was not known. However, a new study that examined more than 468 billion DNS records has revealed the practice is far more common than typosquatting. More than 100 times as common in fact. What is Combosquatting? Combosquatting is the use of a trademark in combination with another word in a domain. For...
New Matrix Ransomware Malvertising Campaign Detected
A new Matrix ransomware malvertising campaign has been detected. The campaign uses malicious adverts to direct users to a site hosting the Rig exploit kit. Flash and IE vulnerabilities are exploited to download the malicious file-encrypting payload. The new Matrix ransomware malvertising campaign was detected by security researcher Jérôme Segura. Matrix ransomware is not a new threat, having first been detected in late 2016. The...
New MyEtherWallet Phishing Campaign Detected
A new MyEtherWallet phishing campaign has been detected that uses a convincing domain and MyEtherWallet branding to fool MyEtherWallet users into revealing their credentials and providing criminals with access to their MyEtherWallet accounts. In the first few hours of the campaign, the criminals behind the scam had obtained more than $15,000 of MyEtherWallet funds, including $13,000 from one MyEtherWallet user. The individuals behind...
Widespread Bad Rabbit Ransomware Drive-By Attacks Reported
Over the past 24 hours, there have been hundreds of reports of cyberattacks involving Bad Rabbit ransomware – A new ransomware variant with similarities to both NotPetya and HDDCryptor. NotPetya was used in widespread attacks in June, and was a wiper rather than ransomware. HDDCryptor was the ransomware variant that encrypted the San Francisco Muni’s system in November 2016. Many of the NotPetya attacks occurred via a...
KRACK WiFi Security Vulnerability Allows Attackers to Decrypt WiFi Traffic
Security researchers at the University of Leuven in Belgium have discovered a WiFi security flaw in WPA2 called KRACK. The KRACK WiFi security vulnerability affects all modern WiFi networks and could be exploited with relative ease. While there have been no known attacks leveraging the vulnerability, it is one of the most serious WiFi flaws discovered to date, with potential to be used to attack millions of users. If the KRACK WiFi...
Adobe Patches Actively Exploited Flash Player Flaw Used to Deliver FinSpy Malware
Yesterday, Adobe released a new update for Flash Player to address an actively exploited flaw (CVE-2017-11292) that is being used by the hacking group Black Oasis to deliver FinSpy malware. Finspy is not malware as such, it is a legitimate software program developed by the German software company Gamma International. However, its capabilities include many malware-like functions. As the name suggests, FinSpy is surveillance software...
Department of Education Issues Advisory to Hacking and Extortion Threats
Recently, the hacking group TheDarkOverlord has been targeting K12 schools; gaining access to networks, stealing data and attempting to extort money. In response to the hacking and extortion threats, the U.S. Department of Education has issued an advisory to K12 schools and has provided advice to help educational institutions mitigate risk and protect their networks from attack. The attacks on schools by TheDarkOverlord in recent...
Why You Should Use a Web Filter to Prevent Employees Accessing Pornography
Many companies have realized that acceptable Internet usage policies are insufficient and do not prevent employees accessing pornography at work. While employees can be told that the viewing of pornography at work is unacceptable, and viewing pornography is likely to result in instant dismissal, it does not stop porn from being accessed at work by some individuals. The accessing of pornography in offices and other places of work is...
FormBook Malware Campaign Targets U.S. Organizations
Most Formbook malware attacks have targeted specific industry sectors in the United States and South Korea, but there is concern that the malware will be used in more widespread attacks around the globe. To date, the Aerospace industry, defense contractors, and the manufacturing sector have been extensively targeted; however, attacks have not been confined to these sectors. The financial services, energy and utility companies,...
Microsoft Patches Actively Exploited Zero Day Vulnerabilities
This Patch Tuesday has seen Microsoft issue several updates for critical vulnerabilities, some of which are being actively exploited in the wild. Microsoft is urging companies to apply the patches immediately to keep their systems secure. Some of the vulnerabilities are easy to exploit, requiring little skill. In total, 62 vulnerabilities have been patched, including 33 that can result in remote code execution. Out of the 62...
New Rowhammer Exploit Enables Hackers to Bypass Mitigations
The Rowhammer exploit was first discovered in 2014 and was shown to allow attackers to take control of devices by targeting DRAM memory cells. Rowhammer attacks take advantage of the close proximity of memory cells, causing them to leak their charge and alter the content of neighboring memory cells. The attack involves delivering constant read-write operations using carefully crafted memory access patterns to continuously activate the...
3 Billion Accounts Compromised in 2013 Yahoo Data Breach
While the 2013 Yahoo data breach was soon known to involve many of the company’s customers, it became apparent in December 2016 that 1 billion accounts had been compromised. Before that in September 2016, a separate breach was discovered that involved around half a billion email accounts. Now Verizon, which finalized the purchase of Yahoo this summer, has discovered the 2013 Yahoo date breach was far worse than initially thought....
Flusihoc Botnet Activity Increases, Delivering Crippling DDoS Attacks
The Flusihoc Botnet is being used for crippling DDoS attacks, some as high as 45 Gbps according to researchers at Arbor networks. The botnet has been operational for at least two years, although activity has increased over the past few months, with more than 900 attacks conducted using the Flusihoc botnet over the past four months. The botnet has more than 48 active command and control servers, although there have been more than 154...
Ransomware and Phishing Rated Top Threats by IT Professionals
A recent survey by Cyren, conducted by Osterman Research, has revealed the biggest concerns of IT professionals are ransomware and phishing. When asked about their biggest security concerns, 62% said ransomware, 61% said phishing, and 54% said data breaches. The survey also showed that investment in cyber defenses has increased, yet for many firms, even further investment in security solutions has failed to prevent data breaches. It...
Piriform Alerts Users That CCleaner Contained Malware
Piriform’s CCleaner, a free PC cleaning app with 130 million users around the world, has been discovered to contain malware. Researchers at Cisco Talos recently announced that CCleaner contains a backdoor that was inserted by hackers. The backdoor was present in two versions of the application – the 32-bit version of CCleaner 5.33.6162 and CCleaner Cloud 1.07.3191. The backdoor was inserted into those versions at least a month before...
Beware of Equifax Data Breach Phishing Scams
Consumers are being warned to be on high alert for Equifax data breach phishing scams, telephone and text message scams, and fraudulent use of their sensitive information. Almost Half of All Americans Impacted by Equifax Data Breach The massive Equifax data breach has resulted in the personal information of almost half of the population of the United States being stolen. More than 143 million Americans have been impacted by the...
LinkedIn Phishing Scam Uses InMail and Personal Messages to Obtain Sensitive Information
A new LinkedIn Phishing scam has been detected that uses compromised LinkedIn Premium accounts to send InMail messages and private messages to other LinkedIn users. The messages appear genuine as first glance, but are being used to obtain email login credentials. Those email accounts will undoubtedly be used in more extensive phishing scams. Phishers have been gaining access to genuine LinkedIn accounts and using them to send InMail...
Equifax Data Breach Affects 143 Million Consumers
A massive Equifax data breach has resulted in the exposure, and possible theft, of 143 million American’s records, including highly sensitive data such as Social Security numbers. To put that figure into perspective, that’s virtually half the population of the United States. Hackers gained access to a website database via an unpatched vulnerability in a web application. Security experts are suggesting the vulnerability was in Apache...
Worldwide Cybersecurity Spending in 2017 to Exceed $86.4 Billion
Gartner has released a new report predicting worldwide cybersecurity spending in 2017 will reach $86.4 billion. The information security market is now the fastest growing sector and will increase by 7% by the end of 2017. Gartner predicts growth in the sector will be similar in 2018, with spending rising to $93 billion next year. Within the infrastructure protection segment, Gartner says the biggest growth will be in security testing....
NIST Revises Guidance on Passwords
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued new guidance on passwords. It is standard practice to make passwords stronger by using a combination of capital letters, lower case letters, numbers and special characters. While that certainly makes it harder for cybercriminals to crack passwords using brute force methods, it also makes passwords particularly difficult to remember. In practice, forcing users to add...
Siemens CT and PET Scanners Vulnerable to Cyberattacks
The Department of Homeland Security’s Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT) has issued a warning about vulnerabilities in Siemens CT and PET scanner systems. Healthcare organizations have been put on alert and warned that there are publicly available exploits for all four of the vulnerabilities. If exploited, hackers would be able to alter the functioning of the devices, potentially placing patient safety...
Global Petya Ransomware Attacks involve Modified EternalBlue Exploit
Global Petya ransomware attacks are underway with the campaign bearing similar hallmarks to the WannaCry ransomware attacks in May. The attackers are using the a modified EternalBlue exploit that takes advantage of the same SMBv1 vulnerability used in WannaCry. The ransomware variant bears a number of similarities to Petya ransomware, although this appears to be a new variant. Petya ransomware was first discovered last year, with the...
Patch Issued for Actively Exploited Drupal Vulnerability
An actively exploited Drupal vulnerability – tracked as CVE-2017-6922 – has been patched this week. The flaw, which affects Drupal v 7.56 and 8.3.4, is being exploited. The flaw is an access bypass vulnerability that Drupal was aware of since last October, although a patch has only just been issued. The flaw can be exploited on misconfigured websites, allowing anonymous users to upload files which are stored in a public file system...
Q2 Saw a 400% Increase in Phishing Attacks on Businesses
The threat from phishing has been growing steadily over the past few years, but a new report from Mimecast shows the threat is greater than ever before with more phishing attacks on businesses than any other time in history. The report shows there has been a 400% increase in phishing attacks on businesses in Q2, 2017. For the study, Mimecast analyzed the inbound emails of 44,000 business users. That analysis showed cybercriminals are...
Pacemaker Cybersecurity Protections Found Lacking
A recent study has found pacemaker cybersecurity protections not only to be lacking, but woefully inadequate. Many of the devices tested were discovered to contain thousands of software vulnerabilities, many of which could potentially be exploited by cybercriminals to gain access to the devices and their associated systems. Medical device security issues have long been a concern, yet little is being done to address the problems. In...
Samba Vulnerability Could be Exploited in WannaCry Style Attacks
A Samba vulnerability has been discovered that could potentially be exploited and used in network worm attacks akin to those used to deliver WannaCry ransomware on May 12. Samba is used on Unix and Linux systems to add Windows file and print sharing services as well as on many NAS devices. Samba can also be used as an Active Directory server for access control on Windows networks. Samba uses a protocol based on Windows Server Message...
Windows 7 Computers Worse Hit by WannaCry Ransomware
The WannaCry ransomware attacks are understood to have resulted in data being encrypted on around 300,000 computers in 150 countries. The attackers took advantage of unpatched software, exploiting a vulnerability in Microsoft Server Message Block 1.0 (SMBv1) using the EternalBlue exploit stolen from the NSA and published online by the hacking group Shadow Brokers. While a patch had been released by Microsoft to fix the vulnerability...
Dept. of Health Sends Out Waring Regarding Ransomware
Following the recent WannaCry ransomware attacks, the Department of Health and Human Services has been issuing cybersecurity alerts and warnings to healthcare organizations on the threat of attack and steps that can be taken to reduce risk. The email alerts were sent soon after the news of the attacks on the UK’s NHS first started to emerge on Friday May 12, and continued over the course of the week. The alerts provided timely and...
Wanna Decryptor Ransomware Encrypts Data on Medical Devices
Friday’s Wanna Decryptor ransomware campaign badly affected NHS hospitals in the United Kingdom, with 40 hospitals spread across at least 24 Trusts confirming they were affected and had data encrypted. However, some media reports claim as many as 48 of the 248 Trusts in the UK were impacted by the attack to some degree. Wanna Decryptor (WannaCry/WannaCrypt) attacks rapidly spread across the globe, with an estimated 200,000 victims...
WannaCry Ransomware Campaign Thwarted
The WannaCry ransomware campaign that saw 61 NHS Trusts in the UK attacked has been stopped thanks to the actions of a UK security blogger and malware researcher. The individual, who wishes to remain anonymous, found a kill switch for the ransomware that prevented it from encrypting files. The WannaCry ransomware campaign was launched on Friday May 12, 2017, with infections occurring at lightning speed. In contrast to many ransomware...
Worldwide WannaCry Ransomware Attacks Reported
There has been a massive spike in worldwide WannaCry ransomware attacks, with a new campaign launched on Friday. In contrast to past WannaCry ransomware attacks, this campaign leverages a vulnerability in Server Message Block 1.0 (SMBv1). Zero day exploits are commonly used by cybercriminals, although this one was allegedly developed by the National Security Agency (NSA) and was stolen and given to the hacking group Shadow Brokers....
Philadelphia Ransomware Used in Targeted Attacks on US Hospitals
Cybercriminals are conducting targeted attacks on U.S. healthcare organizations using Philadelphia ransomware; a relatively new ransomware variant developed from Stampedo ransomware. Philadelphia ransomware was first seen in September 2016, although recently, a new campaign has been detected that has already seen two U.S hospitals have sensitive files encrypted. The actors behind the latest attacks are targeting physicians using spear...
OCR Issues Warning to Healthcare Providers on Use of HTTPS Inspection Tools
Many healthcare organization use HTTPS inspection tools to monitor HTTPS connections for malware. HTTPS inspection tools decrypt secure HTTPS network traffic and review content before re-encrypting traffic. HTTPS inspection tools are used to enhance security, although a recent warning from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights highlights recent research indicating HTTPS inspection tools could potentially...
74% of Organizations Vulnerable to Insider Threats
Spending on cybersecurity defenses has increased to reduce the risk of attacks by cybercriminals, yet organizations still feel vulnerable to insider threats. Furthermore, insider threats have increased in the past 12 months, according to a recent survey conducted on U.S. IT security professionals. 508 IT security professionals were surveyed by LinkedIn’s Information Security Community and Crowd Research Partners in a study conducted...
FBI Warns Healthcare Providers of Risk of Using Anonymous FTP Servers
Healthcare organizations could be placing the protected health information of patients at risk by using anonymous FTP servers, according to a recent alert issued by the FBI. Cybercriminals are taking advantage of the lack of protection on FTP servers to gain access to the PHI of patients. Anonymous FTP servers allow data stored on the server to be accessed by individuals without authentication. In anonymous mode, all that is required...
US-Certs Says SSL Inspection Tools May Actually Weaken Cybersecurity
SSL inspection tools are commonly used by healthcare providers to improve security; however, according to a recent warning issued by US-CERT, SSL inspection tools may actually weaken organizations’ defenses and make them more susceptible to man-in-the-middle attacks. It is not necessarily the SSL inspection tools that are the problem, more that organizations are relying on those solutions to advise them which connections can be...
PetrWrap Used for Targeted Ransomware Attacks on Businesses
Petya ransomware has been hijacked and is being used in ransomware attacks on businesses without the ransomware authors’ knowledge. The criminals behind the new PetrWrap campaign have added a new module to Petya ransomware that modifies the ransomware ‘on the fly’, controlling the encryption process so that even the ransomware authors would not be able to unlock the encryption. Petya ransomware first appeared in May last year. The...
Actively Exploited Apache Struts Vulnerability Discovered
The discovery of a new Apache Struts vulnerability that is being actively exploited in the wild has prompted both Cisco Talos and Apache to issue warnings to users. The zero-day vulnerability in the popular Java application framework was recently discovered by Cisco Talos researchers, and attacks have been occurring at a steady pace over the past few days. The Apache Struts vulnerability – CVE-2017-5638 – is in the Jakarta...
Powershell Remote Access Trojan Uses DNS for 2-Way Communications with C2 Server
A new Powershell remote access Trojan has been identified by researchers at Cisco Talos. The memory-resident malware does not write any files to the hard drive and it uses a novel method of communicating with its C2, making it almost impossible to detect. Infection occurs via a malicious Word document sent via email. Cisco Talos researchers said only 6 out of 54 AV engines recognized the malware. If the document is opened, the user...
Dharma Ransomware Decryptor Developed
Following the release of decryption keys this Wednesday, security researchers have developed a free Dharma ransomware decryptor. It is now possible for businesses and individuals who have had their files encrypted by Dharma ransomware to unlock their files without having to pay a ransom. Dharma ransomware has not been one of the most prevalent ransomware threats. There have been nowhere near as many infections as the likes of...
February Patch Tuesday Delayed as Microsoft Fixes Last Minute Issues
The Valentine’s Day update from Microsoft did not arrive yesterday as planned. February Patch Tuesday will be coming, just a little later than usual. The decision to bundle together updates means that if urgent flaws are not fixed in time, they would have to wait until the following month to be fixed. In this case, Microsoft has chosen to delay its monthly round of patches to make sure some serious issues are addressed and included in...
Windows Devices Used to Increase Size of Mirai Botnet
The Mirai Botnet was used to launch devastating distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks late last year, some of which took down large sections of the Internet including some of the most popular websites – Twitter and Netflix for example. One Mirai attack on the hosting company OVH registered 1.1 Tbps. It has been predicted that attacks on that scale are likely to become much more common in 2017. The Botnet is comprised of...
New Microsoft Security Tools for Businesses Soon to be Released
On Friday, an announcement was made about a host of new Microsoft security tools for businesses that will soon be released. The new tools have a wide range of cybersecurity capabilities and can be used by businesses to improve security on Windows 10 and Office 365. Businesses will soon be able to use on-premises Active Directory with Windows Hello which will allow the use of biometric logins to improve authentication without the need...
MacOS Malware Spread by Malicious Word Macros
Security researchers have discovered that MacOS malware is being spread by malicious Word macros. This is the first time that MacOS malware has been discovered to be spread using this attack vector. Windows users can expect to be attacked with malware, but Mac users have remained relatively safe. The vast majority of malware targets Windows users, with malware attacks on Mac users still relatively rare. However, MacOS malware does...
HITRUST Threat Catalogue Helps Healthcare Industry Prioritize Cybersecurity Threats
The HITRUST Alliance has announced that the organization will be releasing the HITRUST Threat Catalogue in March: A new resource to help healthcare organizations improve security by aligning the wide range of current cybersecurity threats and risk factors with its Common Security Framework. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires all covered entities to conduct a risk assessment to identify the...
Phishing Attacks on Cloud Storage Providers Causing Concern
Phishing is one of the most common ways that cybercriminals gain access to sensitive data. While logins for online banking services are still a major prize, cybercriminals are now increasingly conducting phishing attacks on cloud storage providers. Software-as-a-service (SaaS) attacks have also soared. A recent report from PhishLabs shows the extent to which cloud storage providers are being targeted. In 2013, cloud storage and...
Beware of LNK Attachments and Malicious SVG Files
JavaScript attachments are still used to infect computers with malware and ransomware, but a new trend has emerged that is seeing cybercriminals switch to malicious SVG files. Malicious LNK files are also growing in popularity. The reasoning behind the switch in file types is clear. They are much less likely to arouse suspicion; therefore, they are more likely to be opened. JavaScript has been extensively used over the past 12 months...
IRS Issues W2 Phishing Scam Warning
Cybercriminals have been sending huge numbers of W2 phishing scam emails over the past few weeks. Tax season usually sees an increase in scam emails being sent, although this year cybercriminals have started their scamming campaigns even earlier. The victim count is also growing rapidly. The W2 phishing scam in question is an email request for copies of employees’ W-2 forms. The scammers impersonate the CEO, CFO or another executive...
SMB File Sharing Protocol Flaw Published Before Patched
A SMB file sharing protocol flaw in Windows has been publicly disclosed 12 days before a patch to correct the issue will be released by Microsoft. According to the researcher who published details of the flaw – Laurent Gaffié – Microsoft has known about the issue for 3 months yet has so far failed to patch the vulnerability. If the SMB file sharing protocol flaw is exploited, an attacker would be able to crash Windows 10...
Security Flaws in Multi-Function Printers Could Lead to Password Theft
Researchers at Ruhr University have discovered security flaws in multi-function printers that could be exploited remotely by hackers to shut down the printers, or worse, manipulate documents or steal passwords. It is also possible for hackers to exploit the flaws to cause physical damage to printers. The researchers have so far identified security flaws in multi-function printers manufactured by computer hardware giants HP, Lexmark...
New Zero Day WordPress Vulnerability: Thousands of Websites at Risk
A new zero day WordPress vulnerability has been discovered in the WordPress REST API that allows content injection and user privileges to be escalated. If exploited, an unauthenticated user would be able to modify any content on the WordPress sites, including adding malicious links or exploit kits, turning harmless sites into malicious malware and ransomware-downloading websites. The new zero day WordPress vulnerability was recently...
WebEx Browser Extension Flaw Patched by Cisco Systems
A WebEx browser extension flaw discovered by Google’s Tavis Ormandy has now been patched by Cisco Systems. The critical vulnerability affects the Cisco WebEx Meetings Server and Cisco WebEx Centers (Meeting Center, Event Center, Training Center, and Support Center) browser extensions on Windows machines. Affected versions of the extension are the Cisco WebEx Extension for Google Chrome (earlier versions than 1.0.7), the ActiveTouch...
Beazley Report Details Biggest Security Threats in 2016
Beazley, a provider of cybersecurity insurance for businesses, has released a new report detailing the biggest security threats in 2016. For the report, Beazley analyzed almost 2,000 data breaches experienced by its clients in 2016. The report shows the extent to which ransomware was used to attack U.S. businesses last year. Ransomware attacks on businesses in the United States increased fourfold in 2016. In 2016, Beazley’s clients...
Gmail to Start Blocking JavaScript Attachments from February 2017
Blocking JavaScript attachments can help to reduce malware and ransomware infections, yet Google has resisted adding the file attachments to its banned list. However, that will now change from February 13, 2017. JavaScript files – those with extensions .JS and .JSE – are now commonly used by cybercriminals to infect computers with malware. Over the course of the past two years, malicious JavaScript files has been one of the preferred...
Over 220 Trend Micro Security Vulnerabilities Discovered in 6 Months
Two security researchers have discovered more than 220 Trend Micro security vulnerabilities in the past 6 months. 194 of those vulnerabilities were rated as critical and could potentially allow hackers to remotely execute code without any need for user interaction. The vulnerabilities are spread across 11 different products produced by the cybersecurity firm, and one of those vulnerabilities, which affects Trend Micro’s Data Loss...
Worst Passwords of 2016 Revealed
The worst passwords of 2016 have been revealed by SplashData. This year’s report shows the same mistakes are still being made by end users. Even though the use of weak passwords is a major security risk, end users are still opting for passwords that are easy to remember and simplicity is often favored over security. To compile the list of the worst passwords of 2016, SplashData researchers trawled through millions of stolen...
Biomedical Research Labs Targeted with Ancient Mac Malware
Security researchers have discovered a new Mac malware that is being used in targeted attacks on biomedical research organizations. However, while the malicious code is new to security researchers, it is not a new threat to research organizations. The Mac malware is believed to have been stealing secrets for many years. The malware, named Fruitfly by Apple, was discovered by an IT admin at Malwarebytes. Malwarebytes calls the Mac...
Disk-Wiping Malware Used to Wipe Virtual Desktops
Disk-wiping malware has been around for many years; however, a new variant of an old malware variant has been discovered that is being use to target companies that have implemented a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). Rather than each individual employee using their own computer, each is set up with a virtual desktop on a remote server. This arrangement is popular in data centers as it makes for easier management. One of other...
Attacks on Misconfigured MongoDB Databases Soar
Over the past two weeks, there has been a spate of attacks on misconfigured MongoDB databases with the attackers wiping data and issuing Bitcoin ransom demands to return the contents of stolen databases. The attacks started on or around December 27, 2016, with one malicious actor believed to have been targeting organizations running unprotected MongoDB databases. By January 6, 2017, that individual had attacked 13 companies. That...
13 Updates Issued by Adobe: 42 Critical Flash, Reader and Acrobat Flaws Addressed
The first Patch Tuesday of 2017 has seen Adobe issue 13 updates for Adobe Flash, Adobe Acrobat, and Adobe Reader. The updates address 42 critical vulnerabilities, although exploits are not thought to currently exist in the wild. That said, now the patches have been released, it is only a matter of time before exploits are developed. The updates are spread across two bulletins: APSB17-01 for Acrobat and Reader and APSB17-02 for Adobe...
January 2017 Patch Tuesday: Four Updates Issued by Microsoft
January 2017 Patch Tuesday sees one of the lightest updates for Microsoft. The updates are spread across just four security bulletins, two of which have been marked as critical. The updates deal with three exploits affecting Microsoft products directly: Microsoft Edge, MS Office and Windows. The fourth update is for Adobe Flash and updates the Edge and IE browsers. The two critical security bulletins are for Microsoft Office and the...
FDA Confirms Vulnerabilities in St. Jude Medical Devices
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has completed its investigation into claims that vulnerabilities in St. Jude Medical devices could be remotely exploited by hackers wishing to cause patients harm. Last summer, Muddy Waters published a damming report on ‘stunning’ security vulnerabilities in St. Jude Medical devices that posed a serious risk to patients. The short selling firm had been contacted by a cybersecurity...
Global Cybercrime Costs Will Top $6 Trillion in 5 Years
A recent report published by Cybersecurity Ventures suggests global cybercrime costs will double over the next five years. Global cybercrime costs in 2015 are estimated to have reached $3 trillion. The damage inflicted by cybercriminals has been predicted to top $6 trillion by 2021. The managed security services provider (MSSP) and advisory firm calculated the damages from theft of intellectual property and data, financial fraud,...
Twitter Credit Card Phishing Scam Offers Quick Account Verification
A new Twitter credit card phishing scam has been detected by cybersecurity firm Proofpoint. Twitter users are offered verified account status via native Twitter ads; however, signing up involves providing credit card details, which will be handed directly to the attackers. Achieving verified account status can be a long-winded process. Users of public interest accounts are required to complete multiple steps to verify the identity of...
Switcher Trojan Infects Wi-Fi Routers via Android Mobiles
An incredibly dangerous new Trojan has been detected by Kaspersky Lab which is being used to attack Wi-Fi routers via Android devices. The new malware – named the Switcher Trojan – is currently only being used to attack routers in China, although Kaspersky Lab researchers warn that this new malware signals a dangerous new trend – One that could well become a global problem. The typical way that hackers gain control of Wi-Fi...
New Leet Botnet Used in 650Gbps DDoS Attack
A new botnet has been discovered to almost rival Mirai. The Leet botnet is capable of performing DDoS attacks of at least 650 Gbps 2016 has seen an increase in DDoS attacks on organizations, not only in terms of frequency but also scale. The Mirai botnet was used to conduct massive DDoS attacks on a number of websites and online platforms towards the end of the year. KrebsOnSecurity was attacked, with the DDoS assault registering 620...
Ransomware Attackers Target the Industrial Sector with KillDisk Variant
Throughout 2016, ransomware gangs have targeted the healthcare sector with increased rigor. However, a new ransomware variant has been developed that is being used to attack industrial companies. The new threat does not permanently lock files as with other ransomware variants. Companies are threatened with full disk deletion if they do not pay the ransom, and the ransomware is capable of doing just that. The malware variant used for...
Final Cybersecurity Guidance on Medical Devices Issued by FDA
Final cybersecurity guidance on medical devices has been issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The 30-page document augments previous guidance published by the FDA in 2014 and is intended to help manufacturers of medical devices implement policies, procedures, and controls to secure postmarket devices. Previous guidance has covered security controls and policies that should be implemented to ensure medical devices are...
Microsoft Admits Its Windows 10 Update Policy Was Too Aggressive
The aggressive tactics used by Microsoft to get push its Windows 10 upgrade annoyed many users. Many Windows users felt they were being bombarded with communications telling them to upgrade for security recommendations. The frequency that dialog boxes popped up on screens and the inability to remove or prevent notifications from appearing angered many Windows 7 and Windows 8 users. During a weekly podcast, Chris Capossela, Microsoft’s...
Ticno Trojan Downloader Mimics Windows Dialog Box
A new Trojan downloader has been identified by Russian antivirus firm Dr. Web, which installs malicious payloads – currently adware – using a popup Windows ‘Save As’ dialog box. The malware, which has been named Trojan.Ticno.1537 covertly installs a range of adware and a malicious Google Chrome extension. The Ticno Trojan, which is downloaded by a separate malware, is packaged with legitimate software in a single installation file....
Samsa Ransomware Nets Criminals at Least $450,000 in a Year
The cybercriminals who have been infecting consumers and businesses with the ransomware variant SamSa have reportedly extorted $450,000 from businesses and consumers over the past 12 months, according to a recent report from Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 team. Researchers were able to calculate the cybercriminals’ minimum earnings by monitoring the Bitcoin Wallet addresses used by the attackers. Palo Alto Networks was able to see...
70% of Businesses Infected With Ransomware Pay Up
A recent study conducted on behalf of IBM Security has clearly demonstrated why ransomware has proved so popular with cybercriminals. Out of 600 businesses that were surveyed, almost half reported having experienced a ransomware attack. Out of those that had, 70% paid the attackers to supply keys to unlock the encryption. Ransom demands are typically around $700 per infected device, although the amounts charged can vary considerably....
December 2016 Adobe Patch Fixes Actively Exploited Vulnerability
An actively exploited vulnerability in Adobe Flash has now been patched. The December 2016 Adobe patch also fixes a further 16 Flash vulnerabilities rated as critical and 8 flaws in other Adobe products. In total, the latest update addresses 31 separate vulnerabilities across nine different Adobe products. The December 2016 patch has been released for Windows, Macintosh, Linux, and the ChromeOS. Users have been advised to apply the...
Netgear Router Vulnerability Prompts US-CERT Warning to Stop Using the Devices
A Netgear router vulnerability that has remained unpatched for three months has now been publicly disclosed, placing users at risk of their devices being hacked. So severe is the threat, that US-CERT has issued a stern warning to all users of the devices strongly advising them to replace the devices. US-CERT Coordination Center at Carnegie Mellon University assigned the Netgear router vulnerability a rating of 9.3 out of 10. An...
Windows XP Use Places 90% of UK Hospitals at Risk of Cyberattack
Hospitals throughout the United Kingdom are still using the outdated, unsupported, and unpatched Windows XP release, even though by doing so they are placing their networks at risk of attack. A recent study conducted by Citrix shows that 9 out of 10 National Health Service Trusts in the United Kingdom still have Windows XP machines in use. Microsoft has released Vista, Windows 8, and Windows 10 since Windows XP, and support for the XP...
Windows 8 and 10 Update Knocks Users Offline?
Internet Service Providers in the UK and Belgium have been flooded with calls from disgruntled customers who have been prevented from accessing the Internet over the weekend. The problem has been attributed to a flawed update that was automatically installed by Microsoft. The problems started last week with customers of ISPs BT, Plusnet, and TalkTalk experiencing intermittent Internet access, while Sky and Virgin Media customers also...
December 2016 Patch Tuesday Addresses 6 Critical Vulnerabilities
December 2016 Patch Tuesday saw Microsoft correct 34 separate flaws across 12 bulletins. Six bulletins are rated as critical, the remaining 6 are rated important. The latest round of patching rounds off a year that has been a record-breaker for Microsoft. More Windows patch bulletins have been released in 2016 than in past years. The number of patch bulletins released in 2016 is 15% higher than last year, which was also a record...
Popcorn Time Ransomware Offers Victims A Criminal Choice
Ransomware authors are constantly developing new ways to spread their malicious software and pull in more ransom payments; however, Popcorn Time ransomware – a new ransomware variant recently discovered by researchers at MalwareHunterTeam – uses tactics never before seen. Popcorn Time ransomware gives victims a choice: Pay the ransom and regain access to their encrypted files or obtain the decryption key for free. The catch? They need...
Three New Linux Kernel Vulnerabilities Uncovered
Three new Linux kernel vulnerabilities have been uncovered by security researchers which could potentially be exploited by hackers to cause Linux systems to crash or to enable hackers to remotely run arbitrary code. While older versions of Linux contain numerous flaws, one of the new Linux kernel vulnerabilities affects the most recent versions of Linux including Fedora, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 7, and Ubuntu. CVE-2016-8655,...