Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 11 February 2022

Welcome to this week’s Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing – a weekly digest, collated and curated by our cyber experts to provide senior and middle management with an easy to digest round up of the most notable threats, vulnerabilities, and cyber related news from the last week.

Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week

 UK, US, Australia Issue Joint Advisory: Ransomware on the Loose, Critical National Infrastructure Affected

Firms shelled out $5bn in Bitcoin in 6 months

Ransomware attacks are proliferating as criminals turn to gangs providing turnkey post-compromise services, Britain's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has warned.

In a joint UK-US-Australia advisory issued this week, the three countries said they had "observed an increase in sophisticated, high-impact ransomware incidents against critical infrastructure organisations globally."

The warning comes hot on the heels of several high-profile attacks against oil distribution companies and also businesses that operate ports in the West – though today's note insists there was a move by criminals away from "big game hunting" against US targets.

Among the main threats facing Western organisations were the use of "cybercriminal services-for-hire". These, as detailed in the advisory, include "independent services to negotiate payments, assist victims with making payments, and arbitrate payment disputes between themselves and other cyber criminals."

https://www.theregister.com/2022/02/09/uk_us_au_ransomware_warning/

Ransomware Groups and APT Actors Laser-Focused on Financial Services

Trellix released a report, examining cybercriminal behaviour and activity related to cyber threats in the third quarter (Q3) of 2021. Among its findings, the research reports that despite a community reckoning to ban ransomware activity from online forums, hacker groups used alternate personas to continue to proliferate the use of ransomware against an increasing spectrum of sectors – hitting the financial, utilities and retail sectors most often, accounting for nearly 60% of ransomware detections.

“While we ended 2021 focused on a resurgent pandemic and the revelations around the Log4j vulnerability, our third-quarter deep dive into cyber threat activity found notable new tools and tactics among ransomware groups and advanced global threat actors,” said Trellix.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/02/07/cyber-threats-q3-2021/

Why the C-Suite Should Focus on Understanding Cyber Security and Investing Appropriately

Trend Micro has published a research revealing that persistently low IT/C-suite engagement may imperil investments and expose organisations to increased cyber risk. Over 90% of the IT and business decision makers surveyed expressed particular concern about ransomware attacks.

Despite widespread concern over spiralling threats, the study found that only 57% of responding IT teams discuss cyber risks with the C-suite at least weekly.

Vulnerabilities used to go months or even years before being exploited after their discovery.

“Now it can be hours, or even sooner. More executives than ever understand that they have a responsibility to be informed, but they often feel overwhelmed by how rapidly the cyber security landscape evolves. IT leaders need to communicate with their board in such a way that they can understand where the organisation’s risk is and how they can best manage it.”

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/02/10/c-suite-engagement/

Almost $1.3bn Paid to Ransomware Actors Since 2020

Cryptocurrency experts have identified $602m of ransomware payments made in 2021, but warned the real figure will likely surpass the $692m paid to cybercrime groups in 2020.

The findings come from the Ransomware Crypto Crime Report produced by blockchain investigations and analytics company Chainalysis. It reveals some fascinating insight into current industry trends.

Average payment size has soared over recent years, from $25,000 in 2019 to $88,000 a year later and $118,000 in 2021. That’s due in part to a surge in targeted attacks on major organisations, known as “big-game hunting,” which can net threat actors tens of millions in a single compromise.

“This big-game hunting strategy is enabled in part by ransomware attackers’ usage of tools provided by third-party providers to make their attacks more effective,” the report explained. “Usage of these services by ransomware operators spiked to its highest ever levels in 2021.”

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/almost-13bn-paid-to-ransomware/

Cyber Crooks Frame Targets by Planting Fabricated Digital Evidence

The ‘ModifiedElephant’ threat actors are technically unimpressive, but they’ve evaded detection for a decade, hacking human rights advocates’ systems with dusty old keyloggers and off-the-shelf RATs.

Threat actors are hijacking the devices of India’s human rights lawyers, activists and defenders, planting incriminating evidence to set them up for arrest, researchers warn.

The actor, dubbed ModifiedElephant, has been at it for at least 10 years, and it’s still active. It’s been shafting targets since 2012, if not sooner, going after hundreds of groups and individuals – some repeatedly – according to SentinelLabs researchers.

The operators aren’t what you’d call technical prodigies, but that doesn’t matter. Threat researchers at SentinelOne, said that the advanced persistent threat (APT) group – which may be tied to the commercial surveillance industry – has been muddling along just fine using rudimentary hacking tools such as commercially available remote-access trojans (RATs)

https://threatpost.com/cybercrooks-frame-targets-plant-incriminating-evidence/178384/

Highly Evasive Adaptive Threats (HEAT) Bypassing Traditional Security Defences

Menlo Security announced it has identified a surge in cyberthreats, termed Highly Evasive Adaptive Threats (HEAT), that bypass traditional security defences.

HEAT attacks are a class of cyber threats targeting web browsers as the attack vector and employs techniques to evade detection by multiple layers in current security stacks including firewalls, Secure Web Gateways, sandbox analysis, URL Reputation, and phishing detection. HEAT attacks are used to deliver malware or to compromise credentials, that in many cases leads to ransomware attacks.

In an analysis of almost 500,000 malicious domains, the research team discovered that 69% of these websites used HEAT tactics to deliver malware. These attacks allow bad actors to deliver malicious content to the endpoint by adapting to the targeted environment. Since July 2021, there was a 224% increase in HEAT attacks.

“With the abrupt move to remote working in 2020, every organisation had to pivot to a work from an anywhere model and accelerate their migration to cloud-based applications. An industry report found that 75% of the working day is spent in a web browser, which has quickly become the primary attack surface for threat actors, ransomware and other attacks. The industry has seen an explosion in the number and sophistication of these highly evasive attacks and most businesses are unprepared and lack the resources to prevent them,” said Menlo Security.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/02/08/cyberthreats-bypass-security-defences/

LockBit, BlackCat, Swissport, Oh My! Ransomware Activity Stays Strong

However, groups are rebranding and recalibrating their profiles and tactics to respond to law enforcement and the security community’s focus on stopping ransomware attacks.

Law enforcement, C-suite executives and the cyber security community at-large have been laser-focused on stopping the expensive and disruptive barrage of ransomware attacks — and it appears to be working, at least to some extent. Nonetheless, recent moves from the LockBit 2.0 and BlackCat gangs, plus this weekend’s hit on the Swissport airport ground-logistics company, shows the scourge is far from over.

It’s more expensive and riskier than ever to launch ransomware attacks, and ransomware groups have responded by mounting fewer attacks with higher ransomware demands, Coveware has reported, finding that the average ransomware payment in the fourth quarter of last year climbed by 130 percent to reach $322,168. Likewise, Coveware found a 63 percent jump in the median ransom payment, up to $117,116.

“Average and median ransom payments increased dramatically during Q4, but we believe this change was driven by a subtle tactical shift by ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) operations that reflected the increasing costs and risks previously described,” Coveware analysts said. “The tactical shift involves a deliberate attempt to extort companies that are large enough to pay a ‘big game’ ransom amount but small enough to keep attack operating costs and resulting media and law enforcement attention low.”

https://threatpost.com/lockbit-blackcat-swissport-ransomware-activity/178261/

2021 Was The Most Prolific Year On Record For Data Breaches

Spirion released a guide which provides a detailed look at sensitive data breaches in 2021 derived from analysis conducted against the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) database of publicly reported data breaches in the United States.

The guide is based on the analysis of more than 1,500 data incidents that occurred in the United States during 2021 that specifically involved sensitive data, including personally identifiable information (PII). The report identifies the top sensitive data breaches by the number of individuals impacted, number of records compromised, threat actor, exposure vector, and types of sensitive data exposed by industry sector.

2021 was the most prolific year on record for data breaches, surpassing 2017’s all-time high. Last year a total of 1,862 data compromises were reported by US organisations—a 68 percent increase over 2020. ITRC data revealed that 83% of the year’s incidents exposed 889 million sensitive data records that impacted more than 150 million individuals.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/02/09/2021-sensitive-data-breaches/

$1.3 Billion Lost to Romance Scams in the Past Five Years

Romance scams are reaching record-highs, regulators warn.

Netflix's new documentary, The Tinder Swindler, is a wild ride.

The show examines how an alleged fraudster impacted the lives of multiple women, matching with them on Tinder and treating them to expensive dates to gain their trust -- and eventually asking for huge sums of money.

While you may watch the show and wonder how someone -- no matter their gender -- could allow themselves to be swindled out of their savings, romance scams are common, breaking hearts and wiping bank balances around the world every day. 

We've moved on from the days of "lonely hearts" columns to dating apps, and they're popular channels to conduct fraud.

Fake profiles, stolen photos and videos, and sob stories from fraudsters (their car has broken down, they can't afford to meet a match, or, in The Tinder Swindler's case, their "enemies" are after them) are all weapons designed to secure interest and sympathy.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/1-3-billion-lost-to-romance-scams-in-the-past-five-years-ftc/

Cyber Security Compliance Still Not A Priority For Many

IBM survey suggests that cyber security still isn't a priority for many companies

The most consistent data point in the IBM i Marketplace Survey Results over recent years has been the ever-present cyber security threat. This year is no exception. The study shows that 62% of organisations consider cyber security a number one concern as they plan their IT infrastructure. 22% cite regulations and compliance in their top five. While companies that prioritise security seem to be implementing multiple solutions, it’s still alarming that nearly half of them do not plan to implement them.

The complexity of cyber security often leaves industry leaders confused and overwhelmed, unable to produce the sound, proactive stance that is so essential.

Cyber security standards can be confusing, but they are necessary. Tighter security can be encouraged with an understanding of cyber security guidelines

For many organisations, cyber security standards are just too complex to wrap their hands around, but that doesn’t mean it’s not necessary. Understanding how cyber security guidelines affect companies’ legal standing can help encourage tighter security.

https://www.itsecurityguru.org/2022/02/07/cybersecurity-compliance-still-not-a-priority-for-many/

The World is Falling Victim to the Growing Trickbot Attacks in 2022

The malware goons are back again. The cybercrime operators behind the notorious TrickBot malware have once again upped the ante by fine-tuning its techniques by adding multiple layers of defence to slip past antimalware products.

TrickBot, which started out as a banking trojan, has evolved into a multi-purpose crimeware-as-a-service (CaaS) that’s employed by a variety of actors to deliver additional payloads such as ransomware. Over 100 variations of TrickBot have been identified to date, one of which is a “Trickboot” module that can modify the UEFI firmware of a compromised device. In the fall of 2020, Microsoft along with a handful of U.S. government agencies and private security companies teamed up to tackle the TrickBot botnet, taking down much of its infrastructure across the world in a bid to stymie its operations. But TrickBot has proven to be impervious to takedown attempts, what with the operators quickly adjusting their techniques to propagate multi-stage malware through phishing and malspam attacks, not to mention expanding their distribution channels by partnering with other affiliates like Shathak (aka TA551) to increase scale and drive profits.

Russian-based criminals behind the notorious malware known as Trickbot appear to be working overtime to upgrade the threat’s capabilities. Researchers announced last week the discovery of new malware components that enable monitoring and intelligence gathering on victims. The research findings include the detection of a VNC module that uses a custom communications protocol to obfuscate any data being transmitted between the command-and-control (C2) servers and the victims, making the attacks harder to find. The module is in active development and is being updated by criminals at a rapid pace.

https://www.analyticsinsight.net/the-world-is-falling-victim-to-the-growing-trickbot-attacks-in-2022/

“We Absolutely Do Not Care About You”: Sugar Ransomware Targets Individuals

Ransomware tends to target organisations. Corporations not only house a trove of valuable data they can’t function without, but they are also expected to cough up a considerable amount of ransom money in exchange for their encrypted files. And while corporations struggle to keep up with attacks, ransomware groups have left the average consumer relatively untouched—until now.

Sugar ransomware, a new strain recently discovered by the Walmart Security Team, is a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) that targets single computers and (likely) small businesses, too. Sugar, also known to many as Encoded01, has been in operation since November 2021.

https://blog.malwarebytes.com/ransomware/2022/02/we-absolutely-do-not-care-about-you-sugar-ransomware-targets-individuals/

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Threats

Ransomware

• NCSC Joins US and Australian Partners to Reveal Latest Ransomware Trends - NCSC.GOV.UK

• Russian Ransomware Attacks Increased During 2021, Joint Review Finds | Cybercrime | The Guardian

• You've Still Not Patched It? Hackers Are Using These Old Software Flaws To Deliver Ransomware | ZDNet

• FBI: Watch Out For LockBit 2.0 Ransomware, Here's How To Reduce The Risk To Your Network | ZDNet

• Law Enforcement Action Push Ransomware Gangs To Surgical Attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Europe's Biggest Car Dealer Hit With Ransomware Attack | ZDNet

• Swissport Ransomware Incident Delayed Flights - Infosecurity Magazine

• How a Texas Hack Changed the Ransomware Business Forever - The Record by Recorded Future

• Puma Hit By Data Breach After Kronos Ransomware Attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Vodafone Portugal Hit By A Massive Cyber Attack - Security Affairs

• Fortune 500 Service Provider Says Ransomware Attack Led To Leak Of More Than 500k SSNs | ZDNet

Phishing

• Hackers Using Fake Job Offers in Latest Catfishing Scheme - ClearanceJobs

• Threat Actors Revive 20-Year-Old Tactic in Microsoft 365 Phishing Attacks (darkreading.com)

• ICO Hit by 2650% Rise in Email Attacks - Infosecurity Magazine

Other Social Engineering

• Roaming Mantis SMSishing Campaign Now Targets Europe - Security Affairs

• FBI: SIM Swapping Attacks Have Surged Five-Fold - Infosecurity Magazine

Malware

• Qbot Needs Only 30 Minutes To Steal Your Credentials, Emails (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Linux Malware Attacks Are On The Rise, And Businesses Aren't Ready For It | ZDNet

• This Password-Stealing Malware Posed As A Windows 11 Download | ZDNet

• Several Malware Families Using Pay-Per-Install Service to Expand Their Targets (thehackernews.com)

• Qbot, Lokibot Malware Switch Back To Windows Regsvr32 Delivery (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Data Highlights Growing Threat From Intelligent Bots Operated at Scale by Cybercriminals | SecurityWeek.Com

Mobile

• Medusa Malware Joins Flubot's Android Distribution Network | Threatpost

• Critical Android 12 Bug Fixed In February Security Patches • The Register

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Croatian Phone Carrier Data Breach Impacts 200,000 Clients (bleepingcomputer.com)

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• Russian Government Continues Crackdown On Cyber Criminals - CyberScoop

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking

• More Than $400 Million Drained From Hacked Blockchain Bridges In Little More Than A Week • Graham Cluley

• Wife of Couple Accused of $4.5 billion Bitcoin Swindle Gave Cyber Security Advice (theblockcrypto.com)

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• Chinese Telecom Hytera Charged For Allegedly Recruiting Motorola Employees To Steal Trade Secrets | ZDNet

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• Midlifers Bled Dry By Scam That Takes Two Months To Spot (telegraph.co.uk)

Supply Chain

• The Most Common Cyber Gaps Threatening Supply Chain Security - Help Net Security

DoS/DDoS

• DDoS Attacks Hit All-time High - Infosecurity Magazine

Nation State Actors

• Russian APT Steps Up Malicious Cyber Activity in Ukraine (darkreading.com)

• Iran Malware in HPE Server Stuns Cyber Security Experts - Bloomberg

• Iranian Hackers Using New Marlin Backdoor in 'Out to Sea' Espionage Campaign (thehackernews.com)

Cloud

• Organisations And The Cloud: How They Use It And How They Secure It - Help Net Security

Privacy

• Meta Threatens to Shut Down Facebook and Instagram in Europe | The Independent

• Facebook Exposes 'God Mode' Token Miscreants Could Use • The Register

Spyware, Espionage & Cyber Warfare

• MoleRats APT Flaunts New Trojan in Latest Cyber Espionage Campaign | Threatpost

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Vulnerabilities

• Microsoft, Oracle, Apache and Apple vulnerabilities added to CISA catalog | ZDNet

• CISA Says 'HiveNightmare' Windows Vulnerability Exploited in Attacks | SecurityWeek.Com

• Microsoft Fixes Defender Flaw Letting Hackers Bypass Antivirus Scans (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft and Other Major Software Firms Release February 2022 Patch Updates (thehackernews.com)

• Apple Patches New Zero-Day Exploited To Hack iPhones, iPads, Macs (bleepingcomputer.com)

• CISA Urges Orgs To Patch Actively Exploited Windows SeriousSAM Bug (bleepingcomputer.com)

• CISA Warns Admins To Patch Maximum Severity SAP Vulnerability (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Adobe Patches 13 Vulnerabilities in Illustrator | SecurityWeek.Com

• PHP Everywhere RCE Flaws Threaten Thousands of WordPress Sites (bleepingcomputer.com)

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Sector Specific

Financial Services Sector

• Ransomware Groups and APT Actors Laser-Focused On Financial Services - Help Net Security

Defence

• Defence Contractors Need to Check Their Six (darkreading.com)

Health/Medical/Pharma Sector

• FritzFrog P2P Botnet Attacking Healthcare, Education and Government Sectors (thehackernews.com)

Retail/eCommerce

• Wave of MageCart Attacks Target Hundreds Of Outdated Magento Sites (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Threat Actors Compromised +500 Magento-Based E-Stores With E-Skimmers - Security Affairs

Transport and Aviation

• Swissport Ransomware Incident Delayed Flights - Infosecurity Magazine

Education and Academia

• FritzFrog P2P Botnet Attacking Healthcare, Education and Government Sectors (thehackernews.com)

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Other News

• A "light" February 2022 Patch Tuesday That Should Not Be Ignored - Help Net Security

• Organisations Still Struggling To Use APIs Effectively - Help Net Security

• Threat Hunting: Your Best Defence Against Unknown Threats - MSSP Alert

• UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office Suffered Serious Cyber Attack Earlier This Year | Reuters

• European Police Flag 500+ Pieces of “Terrorist” Content - Infosecurity Magazine

• A Quarter of New Online Accounts Are Fake – Report - Infosecurity Magazine

• Microsoft To Make Enabling 'Untrusted' Office Macros Tougher In The Name Of Security | ZDNet

• Cyber Terrorism Is a Growing Threat & Governments Must Take Action (darkreading.com)

• Hackers Have Begun Adapting To Wider Use Of Multi-Factor Authentication | TechRepublic

• The Race To Save The Internet From Quantum Hackers (nature.com)

• Disaster Recovery Is Critical For Business Continuity - Help Net Security

• CISOs Are Burned Out And Falling Behind | CSO Online

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