Black Arrow Cyber Advisory 05 April 2023 – ALPHV Ransomware Affiliate Targeting Vulnerable Veritas Backup Exec Installations to Gain Initial Access

Executive Summary

An affiliate of the ALPHV Ransomware group, tracked as UNC4466, are targeting vulnerable and publicly exposed Veritas Backup Exec installations as part of a ransomware attack. Veritas Backup Exec is a data and backup recovery software, used by over 45,000 businesses worldwide. According to Mandiant, there are currently around 8,500 publicly exposed installations and a number are unpatched and vulnerable; patches were made available in 2021.

What is the risk to my business?

Exploitation of the vulnerabilities allow an attacker to gain unauthorised access, execute commands and compromise data. Using this attack method UNC4466 are able to encrypt data belonging to an organisation and demand a ransom for decryption. The affected versions of Backup Exec are 16.x, 20.x and 21.1.

Technical Summary

By exploiting the vulnerabilities above, the attacker is able to gain unauthorised access to the Backup Exec agent. Subsequently, the attacker can then execute commands or use specially crafted input parameters to access files on the system; both of which use system privileges, the highest privilege possible. The attacker is then in a position where they can encrypt an organisation’s data and make ransom demands.

Detection and indicators of compromise

The update from Mandiant notes that the exploitation leaves a noticeable imprint on the Backup Exec log files. Mandiant have also identified the following indicators of compromise:

Reference to the following tools:

Advanced Port Scanner, ALPHV, LAZAGNE, LIGOLO, MIMIKATZ, NANODUMP, REVSOCKS, Sysinternals, PSEXEC, WINSW

IP addresses:

45.61.138.109 on ports: 33971, 36931, 41703, 43937, 45815

185.141.62.123 on ports: 50810 and for the address hxxp://185.141.62.123:10228/update.exe

5.199.169.209 on port: 31600

185.99.135.115 on ports:39839, 49196 and 41774

What can I do?

If organisations are using a vulnerable version of Veritas Backup Exec, this should be updated immediately. The vulnerabilities were patched in Backup Exec 21.2, the current version is now 22. To detect an incident, organisations should look to check the Backup Exec log files on vulnerable versions and look for connections to unknown IP addresses.

Need help understanding your gaps, or just want some advice? Get in touch with us.

#threatadvisory #threatintelligence #cybersecurity

The security advisory from Veritas can be found here: https://www.veritas.com/support/en_US/security/VTS21-001

The Mandiant report can be found here:

https://www.mandiant.com/resources/blog/alphv-ransomware-backup

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 31 March 2023

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

• Phishing Emails Up a Whopping 569% in 2022

The volume of phishing emails sent in 2022 spiked by a jaw-dropping 569% according to a new report. Based on data from 35 million users, the report details the astronomical rise of email phishing as a tactic among threat actors in 2022. Key findings from the report include the number of credential phishing emails sent spiked by 478% and, for the eighth consecutive year, business email compromise (BEC) ranked as the top cyber crime.

https://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/phishing-emails-up-whopping-569-percent-2022

• The End User Password Mistakes Putting Your Organisation at Risk

Businesses rely on their end users, but those same users often don't follow the best security practices. Without the right password security policies, a single end user password mistake can be a costly breach of your organisation's defences. End users want to do their work quickly and efficiently, but sharing, reusing and weak passwords can put your organisation at risk so having the right policies in place is essential for security.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/the-end-user-password-mistakes-putting-your-organization-at-risk/

• Millions of Penetration Tests Show Companies’ Security Postures are Getting Worse

The risk score for the average company worsened in the past year as companies fail to adapt to data exfiltration techniques and adequately protect web applications. Companies' effective data-exfiltration risk increased to 44 out of 100 (with 100 indicating the riskiest posture) in 2022, from an average score of 30 in the previous year, indicating that the overall risk of data being compromised has increased. That's according to rankings by Cymulate, who crunched data on 1.7 million hours of offensive cyber security testing. The research noted that while many companies are improving the adoption of strict network and group policies, attackers are adapting to sidestep such protections. They also found that four of the top-10 CVEs (known vulnerabilities) identified in customer environments were more than two years old.

https://www.darkreading.com/cloud/millions-pen-tests-companies-security-posture-getting-worse

• 71% of Employees Keep Work Passwords on Personal Devices

71% of employees store sensitive work passwords on their personal phones, and 66% use their personal texting apps for work, according to a new mobile bring your own device (BYOD) security report this week, with the report also suggesting 95% of security leaders are increasingly concerned about phishing attacks via private messaging apps. With the widespread use of personal mobile devices in the workplace, it is increasingly difficult for employers to ensure the security of sensitive information. The use of personal devices and personal apps was the direct cause of many high-profile corporate breaches and this is a trend that will surely continue, as employees often use corporate and personal devices for work, effectively doubling the attack surface for cyber criminals as threat actors know there are fewer security controls on personal mobile devices than on corporate ones.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/70-employees-keep-work-passwords/

• Cyber Frontlines in Russia-Ukraine War Move to Eastern and Northern Europe

More than a year into the war in Ukraine, hackers have extended the cyber battleground to Eastern and Northern Europe with the number of incidents in those geographies spiking noticeably. A new report shows that cyber warfare inside the conflict has “clearly moved on” from the beginnings of the war. Over the last 12 months, the research reports that the majority of incidents only affecting Ukraine in the first quarter of 2022 (50.4%) sank to 28.6% in the third period. But European Union countries have seen a spike in incidents related to the war in the past six months from 9.8% to 46.5%. Indeed, the number of attacks on EU countries in the third quarter of 2022 totalled just slightly less than those in the Ukraine. And, in the first quarter of this year, more than 80% of incidents occurred inside the European Union. Cyber is now a crucial weapon in the arsenal of new instruments of war, alongside disinformation, manipulation of public opinion, economic warfare, sabotage and guerrilla tactics. With the lateralisation of the conflict from Ukraine to the rest of Europe, Western Europe should be wary of possible attacks on critical infrastructure in the short term if the conflict continues to accelerate.

https://www.msspalert.com/cybersecurity-research/cybercrime-front-lines-in-russia-ukraine-war-move-to-eastern-and-northern-europe/

• Security Flaws Cost Fifth of Executives New Business

Boards continue to under-appreciate the value of cyber security to the business, despite acknowledging its critical role in winning new business and talent, according to Trend Micro. The security giant polled 2,718 business decision makers globally to compile its Risky Rewards study and it found that half (51%) believe cyber security is a necessary cost but not a revenue contributor. 48% argue that its value is limited to threat prevention and two-fifths (38%) see security as a barrier rather than a business enabler. That’s despite a fifth (19%) acknowledging that poor security posture has already impacted their ability to win new business, and 57% thinking there is a strong connection between cyber and client acquisition.

 https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/fifth-execs-security-flaws-cost/

• Companies Struggle to Build and Run Effective Programs to Protect Data from Insider Threats

Insider risk is emerging as one of the most challenging threats for organisations to detect, mitigate and manage, Code42 Software said in its annual Data Exposure Report for 2023. To compile data for the study they surveyed some 700 cyber security leaders, managers and practitioners and whilst more than 72% of companies indicated they have an insider risk management (IRM) program in place, the same companies experienced a year-over-year increase in data loss incidents of 32%. 71% of respondees expect data loss from insider events to increase in the next 12 months. Insider incidents are costing organisations $16 million per incident on average, and chief information security officers (CISOs) say that insider risks are the most challenging type of threat to detect. Data loss from insiders is not a new problem but it has become more complex with workforce turnover and cloud adoption.

https://www.msspalert.com/cybersecurity-research/companies-struggle-to-build-and-run-effective-programs-to-protect-data-from-insider-threats/

• Only 10% of Workers Remember All Their Cyber Security Training

New research has found that only 10% of workers remember all their cyber security training. Furthermore, only half of employees are undergoing regular training, and a quarter aren’t receiving any training at all. Organisations should look to carry out effective and regular training that is tailored to their employees to increase the chance of training content being retained, with a programme of ongoing continual reinforcement.

https://www.itsecurityguru.org/2023/03/30/only-10-of-workers-remember-all-their-cyber-security-training/

• Silence Gets You Nowhere in a Data Breach

In cyber security, the phrase “what they don’t know won’t hurt them” is not only wrong, it’s dangerous. Despite this, it’s a motto that remains in many organisations’ PR playbooks, as demonstrated by the recent LastPass and Fortra data breaches. Smaller companies, too, are employing a silent-treatment approach to data breaches, and cyber attacks are now a fact of doing business with almost half of US organisations having suffered a cyber attack in 2022. Attackers are increasingly targeting smaller businesses due to the fact they are seen as easier targets than large companies.

 https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/29/silence-gets-you-nowhere-in-a-data-breach/

• Just 1% of Cloud Permissions are Actively Used

According to Microsoft, a surge in workload identities, super admins and “over-permissioning” is driving the increase in cyber risk for organisations. Just 1% of users are using the permissions granted to them for day-to-day work. Worryingly, this leaves a significant number of unnecessary permissions which could be used by an attacker to elevate their privileges.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/just-1-of-cloud-permissions-used/

• Dangerous Misconceptions About Emerging Cyber Threats

Organisations are leaving common attack paths exposed in their quest to combat emergent threats, according to a new report that delves into the efficacy of different security controls, the most concerning threats as tested by organisations worldwide, and top cyber security best practices for 2023. One of the key findings of the report is that many organisations are actively testing against threats seen in the news, likely from pressure to report on their exposure risk to emergent threats, and whilst this is good, it should not take away from assessing threats and exposures that are more likely actively targeting the business.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/03/30/misconceptions-emerging-cyber-threats/  

• ‘Grim’ Criminal Abuse of ChatGPT is Coming, Europol Warns

Europol has warned that criminals are set to take advantage of artificial intelligence to commit fraud and other crimes. Europol highlighted that ChatGPT could be used to speed up criminal research, impersonate speech styles for phishing and write code. Furthermore, despite ChatGPT having safeguards, Europol note that these can be circumvented.

https://www.securityweek.com/grim-criminal-abuse-of-chatgpt-is-coming-europol-warns/

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Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• Why CISOs Are Looking to Lateral Security to Mitigate Ransomware | CIO

• 2023 Ransomware Insights | Barracuda Networks

• Clop Keeps Racking Up Ransomware Victims With GoAnywhere Flaw (darkreading.com)

• New IcedID malware variants shift from banking trojans to ransomware | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Publicly disclosed US ransomware attacks in 2023 | TechTarget

• Virgin Group added to Cl0p gang’s victim leak site | Cybernews

• New York law firm coughs up $200k after hospital data stolen • The Register

• Telecom giant Lumen suffered a ransomware attack-Security Affairs

• Ransomware crooks are exploiting IBM file exchange bug with a 9.8 severity | Ars Technica

• DarkBit puts data from Israel’s Technion university on sale | CSO Online

• Crown Resorts investigating potential data breach after being contacted by hacking group - ABC News

• Children’s data feared stolen in Fortra ransomware attack | TechCrunch

• P&G confirms data breach - Global Cosmetics News

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• Phishing Emails Up a Whopping 569% in 2022 (darkreading.com)

• Exchange Online will soon start blocking emails from old, vulnerable on-prem servers - Help Net Security

• Volume of HTTPS Phishing Sites Surges 56% Annually - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Identifying AI-Enabled Phishing (knowbe4.com)

• IRS Phishing Emails Used to Distribute Emotet - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• These next-level phishing scams use PayPal or Google Docs to steal your data | TechRadar

• Winter Vivern hackers exploit Zimbra flaw to steal NATO emails (bleepingcomputer.com)

BEC – Business Email Compromise

• BEC scammers are after physical goods, the FBI warns - Help Net Security

• Australian police arrest four BEC actors who stole $1.7 million (bleepingcomputer.com)

• New BEC Tactics Enable Fake Asset Purchases - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• FBI: Business email compromise tactics used to defraud US vendors (bleepingcomputer.com)

Other Social Engineering; Smishing, Vishing, etc

• What is vishing (voice or VoIP phishing)? – TechTarget Definition

2FA/MFA

• What is Three-Factor Authentication? | Definition from TechTarget

Malware

• New IcedID malware variants shift from banking trojans to ransomware | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• MacStealer  macOS malware appears in cyber crime underground--Security Affairs

• Cyber Scammers Using Decentralized File Distribution System to Spread Malware - MSSP Alert

• Microsoft confirms Defender has gone rogue as it's flagging legit links as malware - Neowin

• North Korean malware-spreading, crypto-stealing gang named • The Register

• Malware disguised as Tor browser steals $400k in cryptocash • The Register

• NullMixer Polymorphic Malware Variant Infects 8K Targets in Just a Month (darkreading.com)

• Chinese Cyber spies Use 'Melofee' Linux Malware for Stealthy Attacks - SecurityWeek

• Chinese RedGolf Group Targeting Windows and Linux Systems with KEYPLUG Backdoor (thehackernews.com)

• Realtek and Cacti flaws now actively exploited by malware botnets (bleepingcomputer.com)

• AlienFox malware caught in the cloud hen house • The Register

• Microsoft OneNote will block 120 dangerous file extensions (bleepingcomputer.com)

• IRS Phishing Emails Used to Distribute Emotet - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Mobile

• Android-based banking Trojan Nexus now available as malware-as-a-service | CSO Online

• Inaudible ultrasound attack can stealthily control your phone, smart speaker (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Russia’s Rostec allegedly can de-anonymize Telegram users (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Android app from China executed 0-day exploit on millions of devices | Ars Technica

• Google again accused of destroying evidence in Android case • The Register

• Google finds more Android, iOS zero-days used to install spyware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Samsung keeps ignoring a huge security flaw in millions of Galaxy phones - SamMobile

• iOS Vs. Android – Which Is The More Secure Platform? (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

Botnets

• Realtek and Cacti flaws now actively exploited by malware botnets (bleepingcomputer.com)

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

• DDoS DNS attacks are old-school, unsophisticated, and back • The Register

Internet of Things – IoT

• Inaudible ultrasound attack can stealthily control your phone, smart speaker (bleepingcomputer.com)

• This devious cyber attack can target all your smart speakers without you realizing | TechRadar

• Gone in 120 seconds: Tesla Model 3 child's play for hackers • The Register

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Fortra told breached companies their data was safe | TechCrunch

• Procter & Gamble confirms data theft via GoAnywhere zero-day (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Latitude Financial cyber-attack worse than first thought with 14m customer records stolen | Business | The Guardian

• New York law firm coughs up $200k after hospital data stolen • The Register

• Toyota scrambles to patch customer data leak-Security Affairs

• ChatGPT Data Breach Confirmed as Security Firm Warns of Vulnerable Component Exploitation - SecurityWeek

• 500k Impacted by Data Breach at Debt Buyer NCB - SecurityWeek

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• North Korean hackers turn to 'cloud mining' for crypto to avoid law enforcement scrutiny | CyberScoop

• European Parliament Passes Historic Anti-Money Laundering Rules for Crypto Industry – More Regulation Incoming? (cryptonews.com)

• Malware disguised as Tor browser steals $400k in cryptocash • The Register

• NullMixer Polymorphic Malware Variant Infects 8K Targets in Just a Month (darkreading.com)

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• Companies Struggle to Build and Run Effective Programs to Protect Data From Insider Threats - MSSP Alert

• Over 70% of Employees Keep Work Passwords on Personal Devices - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Only 10% of workers remember all their cyber security training - IT Security Guru

• Data loss from insider events increase despite IRM programs, says study | CSO Online

• Stop Blaming the End User for Security Risk (darkreading.com)

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• Visa fraud expert outlines the many faces of payment ecosystem fraud - Help Net Security

• SMS pumping attacks and how to mitigate them | TechTarget

• Cyber Scammers Using Decentralized File Distribution System to Spread Malware - MSSP Alert

• NCA Celebrates Multimillion-Pound Fraud Takedowns - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• How I fell for an internet scam (thetimes.co.uk)

Deepfakes

• AI has figured out how to draw deepfake hands | The Independent

AML/CFT/Sanctions

• European Parliament Passes Historic Anti-Money Laundering Rules for Crypto Industry – More Regulation Incoming? (cryptonews.com)

Insurance

• Beazley working on standalone cyber war product in market first (insuranceinsider.com)

• Organisations Reassess Cyber Insurance as Self-Insurance Strategies Emerge (darkreading.com)

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• Hackers compromise 3CX desktop app in a supply chain attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Supply chain cyber attack with possible links to North Korea could have thousands of victims globally | CyberScoop

• Winter Vivern hackers exploit Zimbra flaw to steal NATO emails (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 'They outsmarted us.' 3CX CEO acknowledges mistakes handling potential supply chain cyberattack | CyberScoop

Cloud/SaaS

• Just 1% of Cloud Permissions Are Actively Used - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Where SSO Falls Short in Protecting SaaS (thehackernews.com)

• North Korean hackers turn to 'cloud mining' for crypto to avoid law enforcement scrutiny | CyberScoop

• CISA Releases Hunt Tool for Microsoft's Cloud Services (darkreading.com)

• Balancing security risks and innovation potential of shadow IT teams - Help Net Security

• Microsoft Cloud Vulnerability Led to Bing Search Hijacking, Exposure of Office 365 Data - SecurityWeek

• AlienFox malware caught in the cloud hen house • The Register

Hybrid/Remote Working

• Cyber security focus in second Digital Europe work programme – EURACTIV.com

• More companies are watching their remote workers WFH on camera | Fortune

Shadow IT

• Balancing security risks and innovation potential of shadow IT teams - Help Net Security

Identity and Access Management

• Legacy, password-based authentication systems are failing enterprise security, says study | CSO Online

Encryption

• OpenSSL 1.1.1 Nears End of Life: Security Updates Only Until September 2023 - SecurityWeek

API

• Attacks Targeting APIs Increased By 400% in Last Six Months - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• The End-User Password Mistakes Putting Your Organisation at Risk (bleepingcomputer.com)

• New Research Examines Traffers and the Business of Stolen Credentials - IT Security Guru

• Over 70% of Employees Keep Work Passwords on Personal Devices - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Legacy, password-based authentication systems are failing enterprise security, says study | CSO Online

Social Media

• France bans TikTok, all social media apps from government devices | CSO Online

Training, Education and Awareness

• The era of passive cyber security awareness training is over - Help Net Security

• Only 10% of workers remember all their cyber security training - IT Security Guru

• Back and Bigger Than Ever! The Inside Man Season 5 Takes a Stab at Power Hungry Adversaries - IT Security Guru

Parental Controls and Child Safety

• Children’s data feared stolen in Fortra ransomware attack | TechCrunch

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• UK Introduces Mass Surveillance With Online Safety Bill - SecurityWeek

• Call for Submissions to UK's New Computer Misuse Act - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Beazley working on standalone cyber war product in market first (insuranceinsider.com)

• 3 Shifts in the Cyber Threat Landscape (trendmicro.com)

• Cyber security vs. Everyone: From Conflict to Collaboration (darkreading.com)

• Using Observability to Power a Smarter Cyber security Strategy (darkreading.com)

• It's Time to Rethink Security Culture, Match Confidence to Capabilities, Immersive Labs Reports - MSSP Alert

• How cyber security decision-makers perceive cyber resilience - Help Net Security

• NCSC issues revised security Board Toolkit for business leaders | Computer Weekly

• The CISO Mantra: Get Ready to Do More With Less (darkreading.com)

Models, Frameworks and Standards

• The best defence against cyber threats for lean security teams - Help Net Security

Backup and Recovery

• World Backup Day is here again – 5 tips to keep your precious data safe – Naked Security (sophos.com)

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• FBI confirms access to Breached cyber crime forum database (bleepingcomputer.com)

• UK creates fake DDoS-for-hire sites to identify cyber criminals (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Australian police arrest four BEC actors who stole $1.7 million (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 20-Year-Old BreachForums Founder Faces Up to 5 Years in Prison (thehackernews.com)

• North Korean hackers turn to 'cloud mining' for crypto to avoid law enforcement scrutiny | Cyber scoop

• NCA Celebrates Multimillion-Pound Fraud Takedowns - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring

• The Importance of Data Security and Privacy for Individuals and Businesses in the Digital Age - IT Security Guru

• UK Introduces Mass Surveillance With Online Safety Bill - SecurityWeek

• FBI Spent Tens of Thousands of Dollars on Bulk Data Collection (gizmodo.com)

• Clearview AI used nearly 1m times by US police, it tells the BBC - BBC News

• More companies are watching their remote workers WFH on camera | Fortune

Artificial Intelligence

• 'Grim' Criminal Abuse of ChatGPT is Coming, Europol Warns     - SecurityWeek

• Europol warns of criminal use of ChatGPT-Security Affairs

• In Sudden Alarm, Tech Doyens Call for a Pause on ChatGPT | WIRED

• Musk, Scientists Call for Halt to AI Race Sparked by ChatGPT - SecurityWeek

• AI-fuelled search gives more power to the bad guys | CSO Online

• Identifying AI-Enabled Phishing (knowbe4.com)

• Hacker demonstrates security flaws in GPT-4 just one day after launch | VentureBeat

• AI image of Pope Francis in a puffer jacket fooled the internet and experts fear there’s worse to come (inews.co.uk)

• Godfather of AI Says There's a Minor Risk It'll Eliminate Humanity (futurism.com)

• Clearview AI used nearly 1m times by US police, it tells the BBC - BBC News

• ChatGPT Data Breach Confirmed as Security Firm Warns of Vulnerable Component Exploitation - SecurityWeek

• AI has figured out how to draw deepfake hands | The Independent

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Spyware, Cyber Espionage & Cyber Warfare, including Russian Invasion of Ukraine

• Putin and Xi’s plot to control the internet will leave the West in the dust (telegraph.co.uk)

• In A Surprise, China-Linked TikTok Grabs Power Norway Needs To Make Ammo (forbes.com)

• ‘Vulkan files’ leak reveals Putin’s global and domestic cyberwarfare tactics | Cyberwar | The Guardian

• Cyber crime Front Lines in Russia-Ukraine War Move to Eastern and Northern Europe - MSSP Alert

• Beazley working on standalone cyber war product in market first (insuranceinsider.com)

• 'Bitter' espionage hackers target Chinese nuclear energy orgs (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Earth Preta’s Cyber Espionage Campaign Hits Over 200 (trendmicro.com)

• China crisis is a TikToking time bomb • The Register

• Biden White House Issues Executive Order on Commercial Spyware (gizmodo.com)

• North Korean APT43 Group Uses Cybercrime to Fund Espionage Operations (thehackernews.com)

• Google finds more Android, iOS zero-days used to install spyware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Over 200 Organisations Targeted in Chinese Cyber Espionage Campaign - SecurityWeek

• Chinese tech firms banned over spy fears granted access to UK officials at security conference (inews.co.uk)

• Google: Commercial Spyware Used by Governments Laden With Zero-Day Exploits (darkreading.com)

• Chinese Cyber spies Use 'Melofee' Linux Malware for Stealthy Attacks - SecurityWeek

• Chinese RedGolf Group Targeting Windows and Linux Systems with KEYPLUG Backdoor (thehackernews.com)

• Pro-Russian hackers target elected US officials supporting Ukraine | Ars Technica

• Russian spies more effective than army, say experts - BBC News

• Cyber warfare leaks show Russian army is adopting mindset of secret police | Cyberwar | The Guardian

Nation State Actors

• Uncle Sam sent cyber-soldiers to Albania to combat Iran • The Register

• Russia’s Rostec allegedly can de-anonymize Telegram users (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Android app from China executed 0-day exploit on millions of devices | Ars Technica

• North Korean hackers turn to 'cloud mining' for crypto to avoid law enforcement scrutiny | CyberScoop

• China urges Apple to improve security and privacy • The Register

• Supply chain cyber attack with possible links to North Korea could have thousands of victims globally | CyberScoop

• North Korean malware-spreading, crypto-stealing gang named • The Register

• Chinese tech firms banned over spy fears granted access to UK officials at security conference (inews.co.uk)

• Smugglers busted sneaking tech into China • The Register

• Chinese RedGolf Group Targeting Windows and Linux Systems with KEYPLUG Backdoor (thehackernews.com)

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Vulnerability Management

• What you need before the next vulnerability hits - Help Net Security

• Vulnerability management vs. risk management, compared | TechTarget

• Most Weaponized Vulnerabilities of 2022 and 5 Key Risks: Report - SecurityWeek

• Microsoft shares tips on detecting Outlook zero-day exploitation (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Ignoring network automation is a ticking time bomb for security - Help Net Security

Vulnerabilities

• Microsoft: No-Interaction Outlook Zero Day Exploited Since Last April - SecurityWeek

• Microsoft shares tips on detecting Outlook zero-day exploitation (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Apple patches everything, including a zero-day fix for iOS 15 users – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• QNAP fixed Sudo privilege escalation bug in NAS devices-Security Affairs

• Patch Now: Cyber criminals Set Sights on Critical IBM File Transfer Bug (darkreading.com)

• ChatGPT Vulnerability May Have Exposed Users’ Payment Information - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Microsoft Cloud Vulnerability Led to Bing Search Hijacking, Exposure of Office 365 Data - SecurityWeek

• Super FabriXss flaw in Microsoft Azure SFX could lead to RCE-Security Affairs

• OpenAI quickly fixed account takeover bugs in ChatGPT-Security Affairs

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Tools and Controls

• Even with defence tools, CISOs say cyber attacks are ‘inevitable’ (techrepublic.com)

• The era of passive cyber security awareness training is over - Help Net Security

• Silence gets you nowhere in a data breach | TechCrunch

• Only 10% of workers remember all their cyber security training - IT Security Guru

• Prioritizing data security amid workforce disruptions - Help Net Security

• Using Observability to Power a Smarter Cyber security Strategy (darkreading.com)

• For database security it's down to people, not tech fixes • The Register

• Known unknowns: Refining your approach to uncategorized web traffic - Help Net Security

• Understanding adversaries through dark web intelligence - Help Net Security

• Where SSO Falls Short in Protecting SaaS (thehackernews.com)

• How Does Data Literacy Enhance Data Security? (darkreading.com)

• CISA Releases Hunt Tool for Microsoft's Cloud Services (darkreading.com)

• With Security Copilot, Microsoft brings the power of AI to cyber defence - Stories

• Compare breach and attack simulation vs. penetration testing | TechTarget

• Ignoring network automation is a ticking time bomb for security - Help Net Security

• Microsoft's ‘Security Copilot’ Sics ChatGPT on Security Breaches | WIRED

• Breaking the Mold: Pen Testing Solutions That Challenge the Status Quo (thehackernews.com)

• Diagnose your SME’s Cyber security and Scan for Recommendations — ENISA (europa.eu)

• Protect your entire business with the right authentication method - Help Net Security

• What Makes an Effective Anti-Bot Solution? - SecurityWeek

• Microsoft Defender is flagging legit URLs as malicious • The Register

• Managing security in the cloud through Microsoft Intune | CSO Online

• Top 5 SD-WAN Challenges and How to Prepare for Them | TechTarget

• Why Endpoint Resilience Matters - SecurityWeek

• The rise of biometrics and decentralized identity is a game-changer for identity verification - Help Net Security

• Organisations Reassess Cyber Insurance as Self-Insurance Strategies Emerge (darkreading.com)

• The best defence against cyber threats for lean security teams - Help Net Security

• World Backup Day is here again – 5 tips to keep your precious data safe – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• Overcoming obstacles to introduce zero-trust security in established systems - Help Net Security

• The foundation of a holistic identity security strategy - Help Net Security

• The CISO Mantra: Get Ready to Do More With Less (darkreading.com)

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Reports Published in the Last Week

• Cyber security focus in second Digital Europe work programme – EURACTIV.com

• 2023 Ransomware Insights | Barracuda Networks

• 2023 State of Cloud Permissions Risks report now published - Microsoft Community Hub

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Other News

• GoAnywhere Zero-Day Attack Hits Major Orgs - SecurityWeek

• Hackers changed tactics, went cross-platform in 2022, says Trend Micro | CSO Online

• WiFi protocol flaw allows attackers to hijack network traffic (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft OneNote will block 120 dangerous file extensions (bleepingcomputer.com)

• How CISOs Can Reduce the Danger of Using Data Brokers (darkreading.com)

• Tech Industry Bids to Tackle Cyber-Mercenary Epidemic - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• How Does Data Literacy Enhance Data Security? (darkreading.com)

• Microsoft uses carrot and stick with Exchange Online admins • The Register

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Sector Specific

Industry specific threat intelligence reports are available.

Contact us to receive tailored reports specific to the industry/sector and geographies you operate in.

·       Automotive

·       Construction

·       Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)

·       Defence & Space

·       Education & Academia

·       Energy & Utilities

·       Estate Agencies

·       Financial Services

·       FinTech

·       Food & Agriculture

·       Gaming & Gambling

·       Government & Public Sector (including Law Enforcement)

·       Health/Medical/Pharma

·       Hotels & Hospitality

·       Insurance

·       Legal

·       Manufacturing

·       Maritime

·       Oil, Gas & Mining

·       OT, ICS, IIoT, SCADA & Cyber-Physical Systems

·       Retail & eCommerce

·       Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs)

·       Startups

·       Telecoms

·       Third Sector & Charities

·       Transport & Aviation

·       Web3

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As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.

Look out for our ‘Cyber Tip Tuesday’ video blog and on our YouTube channel.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.

Black Arrow Cyber Alert 30 March 2023 – ACTION REQUIRED: Ongoing Campaign Actively Targeting 3CX Desktop App For Windows

Update 16:20 30/03/2023: Additional information relating to the vulnerable Mac version of the 3CX desktop app has been provided by security researchers. Updates to this alert have been added below.

Executive Summary

A digitally signed and malicious version of the 3CX Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) desktop client is reportedly being used as part of an ongoing hacking campaign confirmed against windows devices and believed to be targeting Mac devices. It is believed that this the campaign involves nation state actors.

Update: The campaign has now been confirmed to be exploiting Mac devices.

Technical Summary

Earlier this week, CrowdStrike observed unexpected malicious activity which originated from a legitimately signed 3CXDesktopApp. The attack starts as soon as the MSI installer is downloaded and launched from 3CX’s website or the application is updated.  The application itself is not malicious, however, when downloaded and installed, a malicious dll (ffmpeg.dll) is sideloaded which then extracts an encrypted payload from another dll (d3dcompiler_47.dd) and executes it. The malicious activity performed includes communication with attacker controller infrastructure, further payload deployment and hands-on-keyboard attacks, which is when threat actors stop using automated scripts and manually log in to an infected system to execute commands.

Update: For mac devices, the application bypassed Apple’s approval checks and was notarized, meaning it had been marked as safe by Apple and would not be blocked. The application uses libgffmpeg.dylib and attempts to connect to a command and control server. No more information on the specifics of the malcious content is known at current.

What’s the risk to me or my business?

According to 3CX, versions 18.12.407 & 18.12.416 are vulnerable to this attack and should be uninstalled. Organisations using the vulnerable versions of the 3CX desktop application are at a significant risk of data compromise.

Update: In an update to their advisory, for Mac users, the following versions are now confirmed as vulnerable: 18.11.1213, 18.12.402, 18.12.407 & 18.12.416.

Indicators of compromise (IoCs)

Crowdstrike has noted the following domains are in use by the attackers:

• akamaicontainer.com

• akamaitechcloudservices.com

• azuredeploystore.com

• azureonlinecloud.com

• azureonlinestorage.com

• dunamistrd.com

• glcloudservice.com

• journalide.org

• msedgepackageinfo.com

• msstorageazure.com

• msstorageboxes.com

• officeaddons.com

• officestoragebox.com

• pbxcloudeservices.com

• pbxphonenetwork.com

• pbxsources.com

• qwepoi123098.com

• sbmsa.wiki

• sourceslabs.com

• visualstudiofactory.com

• zacharryblogs.com

What can I do?

A new desktop application is being worked on at current by 3CX, however it is not yet available. As such, it is recommended that the web application is used, and the vulnerable versions are uninstalled. Organisations should check for any activity involving the above IoCs. Additionally, organisations may benefit from identifying and monitoring the presence of ffmpeg.dll and d3dcompiler.dll on Windows devices as only a select number of anti-virus vendors have marked these as malicious.

Update: In addition to the above, Organisations may also benefit from identifying and monitoring the presence of libgffmpeg.dylib for Mac devices running vulnerable versions, as only a select number of anti-virus vendors have marked these as malicious. Due to the ongoing investigation, Black Arrow will update this post as soon as new information is identified.

The advisory from 3CX can be found here: https://www.3cx.com/blog/news/desktopapp-security-alert/

VirusTotal results for the ffmpeg.dll and d3dcompiler_47.dll can be found here: https://www.virustotal.com/gui/file/7986bbaee8940da11ce089383521ab420c443ab7b15ed42aed91fd31ce833896

https://www.virustotal.com/gui/file/11be1803e2e307b647a8a7e02d128335c448ff741bf06bf52b332e0bbf423b03

Various cyber security vendors have provided a breakdown of attacks, including indicators of compromise and actions they have taken:

https://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/crowdstrike-detects-and-prevents-active-intrusion-campaign-targeting-3cxdesktopapp-customers/

https://www.sentinelone.com/blog/smoothoperator-ongoing-campaign-trojanizes-3cx-software-in-software-supply-chain-attack/

https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2023/03/29/3cx-dll-sideloading-attack/

 https://www.trendmicro.com/en_gb/research/23/c/information-on-attacks-involving-3cx-desktop-app.html

Need help understanding your gaps, or just want some advice? Get in touch with us.

#threatadvisory #threatintelligence #cybersecurity

Black Arrow Cyber Advisory 29 March 2023 – Microsoft Exchange Online to Start Blocking Emails from Vulnerable On-premises Servers

Executive Summary

Microsoft recently announced their intention to address the risks that stem from emails being sent to Exchange Online from unsupported or unpatched on-premises Microsoft Exchange servers and as a result are now taking a progressive enforcement approach. The approach will begin by throttling messages and escalate, eventually blocking servers until they are removed from service or updated. The enforcement approach will take 90 days from start to finish, once an in scope out of date server is detected. The Exchange team confirmed in the comments of the announcement that the report detailing affected servers will be available within private preview towards the end of April 2023. In May 2023 the first wave of affected customers will see the report, with throttling of inbound messages to Exchange Online starting in June, and blocking of inbound messages in July.  The approach is focusing on a small subset of outdated Exchange 2007 servers at current, however Microsoft have stated that this will apply to all on-premises servers in the future.

What’s the risk to me or my business?

An unpatched or unsupported on-premise exchange server is already at significant risk of compromise and after 90 days from initial detection, it will no longer be able to communicate with Exchange Online. Organisations using unpatched or unsupported on-premise servers would be unable to send emails to accounts hosted with Exchange Online, impacting how users can communicate with third parties.

What can I do?

Thankfully, the risks can easily be mitigated by only using supported versions of Exchange and servers operating systems and applying patches in a reasonable time frame; Microsoft have allocated 90 days from initial detection by Exchange Online to administrators each year, to pause throttling and or blocking so that servers can be remediated.

The announcement by Microsoft can be found here: Throttling and Blocking Email from Persistently Vulnerable Exchange Servers to Exchange Online - Microsoft Community Hub

Need help understanding your gaps, or just want some advice? Get in touch with us.

#threatadvisory #threatintelligence #cybersecurity

Black Arrow Cyber Advisory 29 March 2023 – Apple Patch Multiple Vulnerabilities Across Product Suite, Including One Actively Exploited Vulnerability

Executive Summary

Apple has issued security updates to address multiple vulnerabilities across all of their currently supported devices, plus security updates for some older iOS and Mac devices which no longer receive the latest feature updates. One vulnerability (CVE-2023-23529) has been added to the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency’s known exploited vulnerabilities (KEV) catalogue.  In addition, patches have been made available for the following products:

• Studio Display 16.4: applicable for macOS Ventura 13.3 and later

• Safari 16.4: applicable for macOS Big Sur and macOS Monterey

• iOS 15.7.4 and iPadOS 15.7.4: applicable for iPhone 6s (all models), iPhone 7 (all models), iPhone SE (1st generation), iPad Air 2, iPad mini (4th generation), and iPod touch (7th generation)

• iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4: applicable for iPhone 8 and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 5th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later

• WatchOS 9.4: applicable for Apple Watch Series 4 and later

• tvOS 16.4: applicable for Apple TV 4K (all models) and Apple TV HD

• macOS Big Sur 11.7.5: applicable for macOS Big Sur

• macOS Monterey 12.6.4: applicable for macOS Monterey

• macOS Ventura 13.3: applicable for macOS Ventura

Technical Summary

The aforementioned exploited vulnerability, CVE-2023-23529, is a type confusion issue, which can occur when a piece of code does not verify the type of object handed to it, and uses it without type-checking. As a result, malicious web content can execute code on vulnerable devices.

What’s the risk to me or my business?

Exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to a compromise of data held on the device. As noted in the table, the following devices are vulnerable: iPhone 6s (all models), iPhone 7 (all models), iPhone SE (1st generation), iPad Air 2, iPad mini (4th generation), and iPod touch (7th generation).

What can I do?

Apple users should update their iOS and or iPadOS to version 15.7.4 for devices impacted by the exploited vulnerability (CVE-2023-23529). For the other vulnerabilities, it is recommended that the latest software updates are applied.

More information regarding CVE-2023-23529 be found here: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT213673

Details of the other addressed vulnerabilities can be found here: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201222 

Need help understanding your gaps, or just want some advice? Get in touch with us.

#threatadvisory #threatintelligence #cybersecurity

Black Arrow Cyber Advisory 28 March 2023 – Clop Ransomware Victims of GoAnywhere Vulnerability Reach 130

Executive Summary

A vulnerability in Forta’s popular file transfer software GoAnywhere has allowed ransomware group “Clop” to breach around 130 organisations, with more still coming forward. The attacks by Clop have breached a variety of organisations including banks, law firms, energy companies, retailers and even the city of Toronto. Any organisation using a vulnerable version of GoAnywhere is at risk of a breach.

Technical Summary

The vulnerability being exploited is a pre-authentication injection vulnerability which allows an attacker to gain access by injecting malicious code, without having to authenticate themselves. A patch was released for the vulnerability February (GoAnywhere 7.1.2), which at the time was noted as a ‘high’ vulnerability.

What’s the risk to me or my business?

Organisations using a version of GoAnywhere prior to 7.1.2 are at risk of having sensitive data exfiltrated by Clop. Once data has been exfiltrated by Clop, an email is sent to the organisation threatening to sell their data. Additionally, organisations whose supply chain are using a vulnerable version of GoAnywhere may also be at risk.

What can I do?

Organisations using GoAnywhere should check to ensure the patched version 7.1.2 or later has been installed. Organisations should also consider whether any of their supply chain is using GoAnywhere software and if so, what version as this can put the organisation at risk. There is currently no publicly accessible advisory from the software provider; the official advisory requires an account with Forta to access more information.

Need help understanding your gaps, or just want some advice? Get in touch with us.

#threatadvisory #threatintelligence #cybersecurity

Black Arrow Cyber Advisory 28 March 2023 – DEV-1101 Automated AiTM Phishing Campaigns Bypassing MFA

Executive Summary

Microsoft Threat intelligence team has recently exposed the activities of a threat actor named DEV-1101. This threat actor advertises an open-source phishing kit that can be deployed to automate Adversary-in-the-middle (AiTM) campaigns. The phishing kit has the capability to circumvent multifactor authentication (MFA), evade detection through an antibot database, manage the phishing activity through telegram bots, and mimics services such as Microsoft Office or Outlook.

What’s the risk to me or my business?

If an AiTM phishing campaign is successful, the actor can set up a malicious site that will act as the intended valid website such as Microsoft Office or Microsoft Outlook. Here it can steal the credentials of the user and steal the authenticated session tokens of the MFA. In the most severe situations this can lead to a loss of confidentiality, integrity or availability of affected systems as the attacker has free access to perform any further criminal activity such as stealing, corrupting or and deleting data. Alongside the impact of the compromise, this can also lead to reputational damage and potentially financial penalties.

What can I do?

Black arrow recommends that you always deploy and maintain MFA where possible. While certain certain attacks may be able to circumvent MFA, it is important to remember that strong cyber security controls involve having layers of defences, in this case Conditional Access could be used to supplement the MFA control could reduce the risk of compromise. Organisations should also look to implement continuous monitoring for suspicious and anomalous activity to identify indicators of compromise. Other actions can be to ensure software and operating systems are up to date to avoid common vulnerabilities to be exploited.  It is also vital that this is supplemented with end-user training including phishing simulations as this is the ingress point for this type of attack. Users should be encouraged to report any instances of interactions with emails that do not seem right.

Further information on the attack method can be found here:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/blog/2023/03/13/dev-1101-enables-high-volume-aitm-campaigns-with-open-source-phishing-kit/

Need help understanding your gaps, or just want some advice? Get in touch with us.

#threatadvisory #threatintelligence #cybersecurity

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 24 March 2023

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

• Majority of SMBs Lack Dedicated Cyber Experts and Cyber Incident Response Plans

A recent report conducted by security provider Huntress found some worrying results regarding SMBs lack of dedicated cyber experts and lack of cyber incident response plans. Some of the reports key findings were 24% of SMBs suffering a cyber attack or unsure if they had suffered a cyber attack in the last 12 months, 61% of SMBs not having a dedicated cyber security expert and 47% having no incident response plan. The report found that SMBs struggled to implement basic training and only 9% of employees adhered to security best practices, potentially due to the previously mentioned training struggles. The report highlights a clear need for SMBs to increase their cyber resilience and conduct effective user education and awareness training.

https://www.msspalert.com/cybersecurity-research/majority-of-smbs-lack-dedicated-cyber-experts-incident-response-plan/

• Controlling Third-Party Data Risk Should be a Top Cyber Security Priority

Nearly 60% of all data breaches are initiated via third-party vendors and this is often hard to detect. The ever-increasing use of third party services has led to the average organisation sharing sensitive data with 583 third parties, a worrying number of attack vectors. Due to the impact a third party breach can have on an organisation it is imperative that organisations assess and risk manage their supply chains to increase the organisations cyber resilience.

https://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/controlling-third-party-data-risk-should-be-a-top-cybersecurity-priority-

• IT Security Spending to Reach Nearly $300 Billion by 2026

Worldwide spending on security is forecast to be $219 billion in 2023, an increase of 12.1% compared to 2022. This figure is expected to continually rise, reaching nearly $300 billion by 2026. In Europe, it is predicted that the biggest portion of spending will still be represented by services, which will be increasingly leveraged by organisations with limited cyber security experience. Additionally the finance sector, which will have to constantly ensure regulatory adherence, is predicted to be the largest spending sector. Organisations should perform due diligence and ensure that they are using reputable services.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/03/20/it-security-spending-2026/

• 2023 Cyber Security Maturity Report Reveals Organisational Unpreparedness for Cyber Attacks

In 2022 alone cyber attacks increased by 38%, highlighting the need for organisations to have a high level of cyber maturity; despite this, a recent cyber security maturity report ranked UK organisations as 12th  globally. Some of the findings from the report included that 32% of organisations were found to have weak passwords and 23% had weak authentication systems.

https://thehackernews.com/2023/03/2023-cybersecurity-maturity-report.html

• Board Cyber Shortage: Don’t Get Caught Swimming Naked

The Securities and Exchange Commission recently released their rules on cyber security risk management, strategy governance and incident disclosure by public companies. As part of the rules, the public disclosure of board directors’ cyber risk biographies is mandated. Worryingly, recent research has found that there is a drastic gap in cyber expertise at the board director level, with 90% of companies not having a single director with cyber security expertise. Board directors are able to address this issue by retaining outside expert advisors, upskilling board members or hiring new cyber security board directors. 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2023/03/20/board-cyber-shortage-dont-get-caught-swimming-naked/?sh=6ea732895af8

• Should your Organisation be Worried about Insider Threats?

Cyber crime is predicted to reach $10.5 trillion worth, making it a lucrative business venture for opportunist criminals. One of the threats companies face is insider threat; this is where the threat comes from within the organisation. Insider threat can include third-party vendors, business partners and others with access to an organisations systems and networks. The threat an insider poses is commonly thought of as malicious but it can also be negligent, where insiders haven’t received proper user education and awareness training. Worryingly, insider threat is rising and research has shown a significant amount of under-reporting; over 70% of insider attacks never reach the headlines. As such, it is difficult for organisations to gauge the risk of insider threats.

https://www.itsecurityguru.org/2023/03/17/should-your-organization-be-worried-about-insider-threats/

• UK Ransomware Incident Volumes Surge 17% in 2022

According to recent research, attacker-reported ransomware incidents increased by 17% annually in the UK last year and 2023 is showing signs of a continual rise. With this continual rise, it is important for organisations to assess and build upon their cyber resilience.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/uk-ransomware-incident-surge-17/

• Financial Industry Hit by Rising Ransomware Attacks and BEC

According to a recent report by the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC) ransomware remained the biggest concern for the financial industry with an increase in attacks due to ransomware-as-a-service. Furthermore, FS-ISAC found a 300% increase in the number of business email compromise attacks from 2021 to 2022. Artificial intelligence was identified as an upcoming area of concern due to its ability to obfuscate detection.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-21/banks-financial-industry-buffeted-by-rising-ransomware-attacks?

• 55 zero-day Flaws Exploited Last Year Show the Importance of Security Risk Management

According to a report from intelligence provider Mandiant 55 zero-days were exploited in 2022 and 13 of those were used in cyber espionage attacks. Of the espionage attacks, 7 related to Chinese threat actors and 2 related to Russian threat actors. The report found that effective security management and patching remained the best protections for organisations.

https://www.csoonline.com/article/3691609/55-zero-day-flaws-exploited-last-year-show-the-importance-of-security-risk-management.html#tk.rss_news

• Security Researchers Spot $36m BEC Attack

Security experts recently identified a single business email compromise attack which amounted to $36.4m. The attack in question contained an invoice, payment instructions, a forged letterhead and even cc’d a legitimate and well known company. The attacker also changed “.com” to “.cam” to imitate a domain. The total cost of BEC based on reported incidents is around $2.7 billion and this is excluding unreported incidents. Organisations should ensure that staff are adequately trained in identifying and reporting such attacks.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/security-researchers-spot-36m-bec/

• New Victims Come Forward After Mass Ransomware Attack

Russia-linked Ransomware gang “Clop” has claimed a mass hack of 130 organisations via the vendor GoAnywhere, with more victims coming forward. Clop adds names of victims to its dark web site, which is used to extort companies further by threatening to publish the stolen files unless a ransom is paid.

https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/22/fortra-goanywhere-ransomware-attack/

• Ransomware Gangs’ Harassment of Victims is Increasing

Analysis by Palo Alto Networks found that harassment was a factor in 20% of ransomware cases, a significant jump from less than 1% in mid 2021. The harassment campaign by threat attackers is intended to make sure that ransom payments are met. This adds to the stress that organisations already face with ransomware incidents.

https://www.techrepublic.com/article/ransomware-gangs-harassment-victims-increasing/

• Wartime Hacktivism is Spilling Over into the Financial Services Industry

The Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC) has identified that financial firms in countries that Russia considers hostile have been singled out for attacks and these attacks are going to continue if the Russia and Ukraine war persists.

https://www.scmagazine.com/analysis/risk-management/report-wartime-hacktivism-is-spilling-over-into-the-financial-services-industry

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Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• LockBit 3.0 Ransomware: Inside the Cyberthreat That's Costing Millions (thehackernews.com)

• UK Ransomware Incident Volumes Surge 17% in 2022 - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Banks, Financial Sector Hit By Rising Ransomware Attacks - Bloomberg

• BianLian ransomware crew swaps encryption for extortion • The Register

• New victims come forward after mass-ransomware attack | TechCrunch

• Ransomware Gangs' Harassment of Victims Is Increasing (techrepublic.com)

• LockBit ransomware gang now also claims City of Oakland breach (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Free decryptor released for Conti-based ransomware following data leak | Tripwire

• New 'Trigona' Ransomware Targets US, Europe, Australia - SecurityWeek

• Ransomware Strongly Influencing SOC Modernization Strategies, Cybereason Research Shows - MSSP Alert

• US govt agencies released an alert on the Lockbit 3.0 ransomware- Security Affairs

• Security News This Week: Ring Is in a Standoff With Hackers | WIRED UK

• CISA kicks off ransomware vulnerability pilot to help spot ransomware-exploitable flaws | CSO Online

• Clop ransomware claims Saks Fifth Avenue, retailer says mock data stolen (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Researchers Shed Light on CatB Ransomware's Evasion Techniques (thehackernews.com)

• Why CISOs Are Looking to Lateral Security to Mitigate Ransomware | CIO

• Dole discloses employee data breach after ransomware attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Ransomware Attacks Double in Europe's Transport Sector - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Prevent Ransomware with Cyber security Monitoring (trendmicro.com)

• Getting Ahead of the Ransomware Epidemic: CISA’s Pre-Ransomware Notifications Help Organisations Stop Attacks Before Damage Occurs | CISA

• Ferrari in a spin as crims steal customer data • The Register

• Play ransomware gang hit Dutch shipping firm Royal Dirkzwager- Security Affairs

• Hitachi Energy confirms data breach after Clop GoAnywhere attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• City of Toronto confirms data theft, Clop claims responsibility (bleepingcomputer.com)

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• 7 guidelines for identifying and mitigating AI-enabled phishing campaigns | CSO Online

• Just 1% of Dot-Org Domains Are Fully DMARC Protected - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

BEC – Business Email Compromise

• Security Researchers Spot $36m BEC Attack - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Other Social Engineering; Smishing, Vishing, etc

• Vishing Campaign Targets Social Security Administration - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Threat actors are experimenting with QR codes - Help Net Security

• Over 2400 Fake Pages Found Targeting Job Seekers in Middle East, Africa - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

2FA/MFA

• Massive Phishing Campaign Bypasses MFA and Mimics Microsoft Office (techrepublic.com)

• How Cyber-Criminals are Circumventing Multifactor Authentication - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Malware

• Emotet malware now distributed in Microsoft OneNote files to evade defences (bleepingcomputer.com)

• ChatGPT Polymorphic Malware Bypasses Endpoint Detection Filters (cybersecuritynews.com)

• RAT developer arrested for infecting 10,000 PCs with malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Google flags apps made by popular Chinese e-commerce giant as malware | TechCrunch

• Mispadu Banking Trojan Targets Latin America: 90,000+ Credentials Stolen (thehackernews.com)

• Custom 'Naplistener' Malware a Nightmare for Network-Based Detection (darkreading.com)

• New ShellBot DDoS Malware Variants Targeting Poorly Managed Linux Servers (thehackernews.com)

• ScarCruft's Evolving Arsenal: Researchers Reveal New Malware Distribution Techniques (thehackernews.com)

• Python info-stealing malware uses Unicode to evade detection (bleepingcomputer.com)

Mobile

• Nexus: A New Rising Android Banking Trojan Targeting 450 Financial Apps (thehackernews.com)

• The FBI Warns SIM Swapping Attacks Are Rising. What's That? - ReHack

• Android apps are spying on you — with no easy way to stop them | Digital Trends

• Your Samsung phone may have a big security flaw – here's how to stay safe | TechRadar

• UK emergency alert system launched to warn of life-threatening events - with test set for next month | UK News | Sky News

• Google Pixel phones had a serious data leakage bug – here’s what to do! – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• How to keep your phone safe from the scary Exynos modem vulnerability (androidpolice.com)

Botnets

• New GoLang-Based HinataBot Exploiting Router and Server Flaws for DDoS Attacks (thehackernews.com)

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

• New ‘HinataBot’ botnet could launch massive 3.3 Tbps DDoS attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• KillNet Group Uses DDoS Attacks Against Azure-Based Healthcare Apps - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Mirai Hackers Use Golang to Create a Bigger, Badder DDoS Botnet (darkreading.com)

• New ShellBot DDoS Malware Variants Targeting Poorly Managed Linux Servers (thehackernews.com)

Internet of Things – IoT

• Eufy security cam 'stored unique ID' of everyone filmed • The Register

• Google sounds alarm on Samsung modem bugs in Android devices • The Register

• EU Council extends product lifetime, clarifies scope in cyber security law – EURACTIV.com

• Tesco to ditch Chinese-made CCTV cameras over security and human rights fears (telegraph.co.uk)

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Complacency of staff to blame for data breaches (thesundaily.my)

• Hitachi Energy confirms data breach after Clop GoAnywhere attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Latitude customers are furious: some have had data hacked before through Medibank and Optus - ABC News

• Data breaches cost businesses nearly $6M on average: Mastercard | CTV News

• Healthcare provider ILS warns 4.2 million people of data breach (bleepingcomputer.com)

• NBA is warning fans of a data breach after a third-party newsletter service hack- Security Affairs

• Lowe’s Market chain leaves client data up for grabs- Security Affairs

• Ferrari discloses data breach after receiving ransom demand (bleepingcomputer.com)

• South Korea fines McDonalds for data leak from raw SMB share • The Register

• A million at risk from user data leak at Korean beauty platform PowderRoom- Security Affairs

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• New York Man Arrested for Running BreachForums Cyber crime Website - SecurityWeek

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• Fireblocks Discloses Critical Vulnerability in BitGo Ethereum Wallets - Decrypt

• General Bytes Bitcoin ATMs hacked using zero-day, $1.5M stolen (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Linus Tech Tips' YouTube Channel has been hacked by Crypto Scammers | OC3D News (overclock3d.net)

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• Should Your Organisation Be Worried About Insider Threats? - IT Security Guru

• Top 5 Insider Threats to Look Out For in 2023- Security Affairs

• Preventing Insider Threats in Your Active Directory (thehackernews.com)

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• Voice deepfakes are calling – here's what they are and how to avoid getting scammed (theconversation.com)

• Detecting face morphing: A simple guide to countering complex identity fraud - Help Net Security

• ‘My bank did not stop £6,500 payment to holiday scammers despite my pleas’ | Scams | The Guardian

• The FBI Warns SIM Swapping Attacks Are Rising. What's That? - ReHack

• Hackers inject credit card stealers into payment processing modules (bleepingcomputer.com)

Deepfakes

• Voice deepfakes are calling – here's what they are and how to avoid getting scammed (theconversation.com)

• Detecting face morphing: A simple guide to countering complex identity fraud - Help Net Security

Insurance

• SMBs don't see need for cyber insurance since they won't experience security incidents | ZDNET

• Cyber insurance carriers expanding role in incident response | TechTarget

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• Controlling Third-Party Data Risk Should Be a Top Cyber security Priority (darkreading.com)

• Companies vulnerable to cyber-attack via suppliers - research | RNZ News

• Why you should treat ChatGPT like any other vendor service - Help Net Security

• MITRE Rolls Out Supply Chain Security Prototype (darkreading.com)

Software Supply Chain

• Why Business Software Buyers Are Demanding Baked-in Security - MSSP Alert

Cloud/SaaS

• How access management helps protect identities in the cloud | VentureBeat

• Bitcoin ATM maker shuts cloud service after user hot wallets compromised (cointelegraph.com)

• The cloud backlash has begun: Why big data is pulling compute back on premises | TechCrunch

• Shouldering the Increasingly Heavy Cloud Shared-Responsibility Model (darkreading.com)

• 4 cloud API security best practices | TechTarget

• 8 cloud detection and response use cases | TechTarget

• How to Transfer Data Securely When Moving to the Cloud - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• The hidden danger to zero trust: Excessive cloud permissions • Graham Cluley

• New CISA tool detects hacking activity in Microsoft cloud services (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 4 Tips for Better AWS Cloud Workload Security (trendmicro.com)

Hybrid/Remote Working

• Bridging the cyber security readiness gap in a hybrid world - Help Net Security

Identity and Access Management

• How access management helps protect identities in the cloud | VentureBeat

• The impact of AI on the future of ID verification - Help Net Security

• Preventing Insider Threats in Your Active Directory (thehackernews.com)

• CISA, NSA push identity and access management framework as risks grow | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

API

• 4 cloud API security best practices | TechTarget

Open Source

• New ShellBot DDoS Malware Variants Targeting Poorly Managed Linux Servers (thehackernews.com)

• Open Source Vulnerabilities Still Pose a Big Challenge for Security Teams (darkreading.com)

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• Okta Post-Exploitation Method Exposes User Passwords (darkreading.com)

Social Media

• BBC presses staff to uninstall TikTok from corporate kit • The Register

• TikTok cannot be considered a private company: report • The Register

• TikTok CEO plans rigorous defences in Congress against claims the app is a US security threat | CyberScoop

• Five brutal hours for TikTok: CEO raked over coals amid privacy, security concerns | CyberScoop

• Linus Tech Tips' YouTube Channel has been hacked by Crypto Scammers | OC3D News (overclock3d.net)

Training, Education and Awareness

• Complacency of staff to blame for data breaches (thesundaily.my)

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• Board Cyber Shortage: Don’t Get Caught Swimming Naked (forbes.com)

• ICO Reprimands Metropolitan Police for Data Snafu - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• EU Council extends product lifetime, clarifies scope in cyber security law – EURACTIV.com

• India’s infosec reporting rules observed by just 15 orgs • The Register

• Why Organisations Need To Go Beyond Federal Cyber security Compliance Standards (forbes.com)

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• How CISOs Can Work With the CFO to Get the Best Security Budget (darkreading.com)

• CIOs Build New Bonds With CISOs - WSJ

• How to best allocate IT and cyber security budgets in 2023 - Help Net Security

• IT security spending to reach nearly $300 billion by 2026 - Help Net Security

• Board Cyber Shortage: Don’t Get Caught Swimming Naked (forbes.com)

• How Your Cyber security Strategy Enables Better Business (trendmicro.com)

• 55 zero-day flaws exploited last year show the importance of security risk management | CSO Online

• How Can CISOs Connect With the Board of Directors? (darkreading.com)

• Achieving The Five Levels Of Information Security Governance (forbes.com)

• Enhance security while lowering IT overhead in times of recession - Help Net Security

• Why organisations shouldn't fold to cyber criminal requests - Help Net Security

Models, Frameworks and Standards

• Meta Proposes Revamped Approach to Online Kill Chain Frameworks (darkreading.com)

• MITRE Rolls Out Supply Chain Security Prototype (darkreading.com)

Backup and Recovery

• Data backup, security alerts, and encryption viewed as top security features - Help Net Security

• Top 5 security risks for enterprise storage, backup devices - Help Net Security

Data Protection

• Use of Meta tracking tools found to breach EU rules on data transfers | TechCrunch

• ICO Reprimands Metropolitan Police for Data Snafu - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

• How training and recognition can reduce cyber security stress and burnout | CSO Online

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• RAT developer arrested for infecting 10,000 PCs with malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• New York Man Arrested for Running BreachForums Cyber crime Website - SecurityWeek

Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring

• Eufy security cam 'stored unique ID' of everyone filmed • The Register

• Use of Meta tracking tools found to breach EU rules on data transfers | TechCrunch

• How to protect online privacy in the age of pixel trackers - Help Net Security

• Windows 11 Snipping Tool privacy bug exposes cropped image content (bleepingcomputer.com)

• French govt clears AI facial scans for Paris Olympics • The Register

Artificial Intelligence

• EU's AI regulation vote looms. We’re still not sure how unrestrained AI should be | Euronews

• ChatGPT Leaves Governments Scrambling for AI Regulations - Bloomberg

• ‘We are a little bit scared’: OpenAI CEO warns of risks of artificial intelligence | Artificial intelligence (AI) | The Guardian

• ChatGPT Polymorphic Malware Bypasses Endpoint Detection Filters (cybersecuritynews.com)

• Detecting face morphing: A simple guide to countering complex identity fraud - Help Net Security

• We need to create guardrails for AI | Financial Times (ft.com)

• GPT-4 devises plan to ‘escape’ by gaining control of a user's computer | Mint (livemint.com)

• Mastercard strengthens customer security with new AI ‘Cyber Shield’ | Mastercard Newsroom

• The impact of AI on the future of ID verification - Help Net Security

• 7 guidelines for identifying and mitigating AI-enabled phishing campaigns | CSO Online

• AI news latest: Google lets people talk to ‘Bard’ bot as ChatGPT taken offline after it goes haywire | The Independent

• Why you should treat ChatGPT like any other vendor service - Help Net Security

• Mozilla launches a new startup focused on ‘trustworthy’ AI | TechCrunch

• French govt clears AI facial scans for Paris Olympics • The Register

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Spyware, Cyber Espionage & Cyber Warfare, including Russian Invasion of Ukraine

• Financial cyber threats heightened by ideologically motivated hacktivism amidst geopolitical tension | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Threat actors linked to nation-states exploited zero-days the most in 2022 | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• New Espionage Group 'YoroTrooper' Targeting Entities in European, CIS Countries - SecurityWeek

• Pro-Russian Winter Vivern APT Targets Governments and Telecom Firm - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Palantir: NHS trusts ordered to share patient data with US ‘spy-tech’ firm | openDemocracy

• Tesco to ditch Chinese-made CCTV cameras over security and human rights fears (telegraph.co.uk)

• Purported Chinese warships interfering with passenger planes • The Register

• Putin to staffers: throw out your iPhones over security • The Register

• Russia-backed Iridium Hackers Set to Launch Attacks on Ukrainian Government Sites - MSSP Alert

• Facebook Security Exec Seaford Hacked by Greek Predator Spyware (gizmodo.com)

• BBC presses staff to uninstall TikTok from corporate kit • The Register

• New 'Bad Magic' Cyber Threat Disrupt Ukraine's Key Sectors Amid War (thehackernews.com)

• Hacker tied to DC Health Link breach says attack 'born out of Russian patriotism' | CyberScoop

• Unknown actors target orgs in Russia-occupied Ukraine • The Register

• Xi, Putin, declare intent to rule the world of AI, infosec • The Register

• North Korean hackers using Chrome extensions to steal Gmail emails (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Fact or fiction, hacktivists' claims of industrial sabotage in Russia or Ukraine get attention online | CyberScoop

• Stealthy hacks show advancements in China's cyberespionage operations, researchers say | CyberScoop

• China-Aligned "Operation Tainted Love" Targets Middle East Telecom Providers - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Nation State Actors

• Financial cyber threats heightened by ideologically motivated hacktivism amidst geopolitical tension | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Threat actors linked to nation-states exploited zero-days the most in 2022 | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• New Espionage Group 'YoroTrooper' Targeting Entities in European, CIS Countries - SecurityWeek

• Pro-Russian Winter Vivern APT Targets Governments and Telecom Firm - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Huawei Has Replaced Thousands of US-Banned Parts With Chinese Versions: Founder - SecurityWeek

• Tesco to ditch Chinese-made CCTV cameras over security and human rights fears (telegraph.co.uk)

• Purported Chinese warships interfering with passenger planes • The Register

• TikTok cannot be considered a private company: report • The Register

• Five brutal hours for TikTok: CEO raked over coals amid privacy, security concerns | CyberScoop

• BBC presses staff to uninstall TikTok from corporate kit • The Register

• Google flags apps made by popular Chinese e-commerce giant as malware | TechCrunch

• Putin to staffers: throw out your iPhones over security • The Register

• Russia-backed Iridium Hackers Set to Launch Attacks on Ukrainian Government Sites - MSSP Alert

• New 'Bad Magic' Cyber Threat Disrupt Ukraine's Key Sectors Amid War (thehackernews.com)

• Hacker tied to D.C. Health Link breach says attack 'born out of Russian patriotism' | CyberScoop

• Unknown actors target orgs in Russia-occupied Ukraine • The Register

• Xi, Putin, declare intent to rule the world of AI, infosec • The Register

• Chinese-linked hackers deployed the most zero-day vulnerabilities in 2022, researchers say | CyberScoop

• Fact or fiction, hacktivists' claims of industrial sabotage in Russia or Ukraine get attention online | CyberScoop

• The pressing threat of Chinese-made drones flying above US critical infrastructure  | CyberScoop

• Stealthy hacks show advancements in China's cyberespionage operations, researchers say | CyberScoop

• China-Aligned "Operation Tainted Love" Targets Middle East Telecom Providers - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Russian hacktivists deploy new AresLoader malware via decoy installers | CSO Online

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Vulnerability Management

• 55 zero-day flaws exploited last year show the importance of security risk management | CSO Online

• Hackers mostly targeted Microsoft, Google, Apple zero-days in 2022 (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Move, Patch, Get Out the Way: 2022 Zero-Day Exploitation Continues at an Elevated Pace | Mandiant

• From Ransomware to Cyber Espionage: 55 Zero-Day Vulnerabilities Weaponized in 2022 (thehackernews.com)

• Threat actors linked to nation-states exploited zero-days the most in 2022 | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• 10 Vulnerabilities Types to Focus On This Year (darkreading.com)

• Vulnerability vs. Risk: How MSSPs Can Prioritize Remediating Cyber security Vulnerabilities - MSSP Alert

• What Is the Microsoft Print Spooler Vulnerability? - ReHack

• Chinese-linked hackers deployed the most zero-day vulnerabilities in 2022, researchers say | CyberScoop

• Windows 11, Tesla, Ubuntu, and macOS hacked at Pwn2Own 2023 (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Top 5 security risks for enterprise storage, backup devices - Help Net Security

• Open Source Vulnerabilities Still Pose a Big Challenge for Security Teams (darkreading.com)

Vulnerabilities

• Microsoft Outlook Vulnerability Could Be 2023's 'It' Bug (darkreading.com)

• CVE-2023-23397 Outlook exploit: "A proliferation event" (thestack.technology)

• Patch CVE-2023-23397 Immediately: What You Need To Know and Do (trendmicro.com)

• Cisco fixed severe vulnerabilities in its IOS and IOS XE software- Security Affairs

• Exploit released for Veeam bug allowing cleartext credential theft (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Experts published PoC exploit code for Veeam Backup & Replication bug- Security Affairs

• WordPress force patching WooCommerce plugin with 500K installs (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Windows 11 bug warns Local Security Authority protection is off (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Bitwarden addresses autofill issue that could be exploited to steal logins - gHacks Tech News

• Hackers mostly targeted Microsoft, Google, Apple zero-days in 2022 (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft’s blunders with new Windows 10 update are causing serious headaches | TechRadar

• Microsoft: Defender update behind Windows LSA protection warnings (bleepingcomputer.com)

• ZenGo uncovers 'red pill attack' vulnerability in popular Web3 apps (cointelegraph.com)

• Windows 11 Snipping Tool privacy bug exposes cropped image content (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Patch Tuesday -> Exploit Wednesday: Pwning Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock (afd.sys) in 24 Hours (securityintelligence.com)

• If your Netgear Orbi router isn’t patched, you’ll want to change that pronto | Ars Technica

• Attackers Are Probing for Zero-Day Vulns in Edge Infrastructure Products (darkreading.com)

• Chinese-linked hackers deployed the most zero-day vulnerabilities in 2022, researchers say | CyberScoop

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Tools and Controls

• Data backup, security alerts, and encryption viewed as top security features - Help Net Security

• Majority of SMBs Lack Dedicated Cyber Experts, Incident Response Plan - MSSP Alert

• 55 zero-day flaws exploited last year show the importance of security risk management | CSO Online

• Complacency of staff to blame for data breaches (thesundaily.my)

• How access management helps protect identities in the cloud | VentureBeat

• Why CISOs Should Prioritize Extended Detection & Response (XDR) - VMware Security Blog - VMware

• The Ethics of Network and Security Monitoring (darkreading.com)

• Fighting VPN criminalization should be Big Tech’s top priority, activists say | Ars Technica

• Just 1% of Dot-Org Domains Are Fully DMARC Protected - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• How network perimeters secure enterprise networks | TechTarget

• Top 5 security risks for enterprise storage, backup devices - Help Net Security

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Reports Published in the Last Week

• State of Cybersecurity for Mid-Sized Businesses in 2023 | Huntress

• Move, Patch, Get Out the Way: 2022 Zero-Day Exploitation Continues at an Elevated Pace | Mandiant

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Other News

• Web Fingerprinting gets frighteningly good: sees through VPNs and Incognito Mode - gHacks Tech News

• Journalist plugs in unknown USB drive mailed to him—it exploded in his face | Ars Technica

• What Is Shoulder Surfing? How Does It Affect Cyber security (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Inside the DEA Tool Hackers Allegedly Used to Extort Targets (vice.com)

• Top ways attackers are targeting your endpoints - Help Net Security

• What Is a Dirty IP Address and How Does It Affect Your Security? (makeuseof.com)

• 5 rules to make security user-friendly - Help Net Security

• Techno-nationalism explained: What you need to know (techtarget.com)

• How Emerging Trends in Virtual Reality Impact Cyber security - IT Security Guru

• Pipeline Cyber security Rules Show the Need for Public-Private Partnerships (darkreading.com)

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Sector Specific

Industry specific threat intelligence reports are available.

Contact us to receive tailored reports specific to the industry/sector and geographies you operate in.

·       Automotive

·       Construction

·       Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)

·       Defence & Space

·       Education & Academia

·       Energy & Utilities

·       Estate Agencies

·       Financial Services

·       FinTech

·       Food & Agriculture

·       Gaming & Gambling

·       Government & Public Sector (including Law Enforcement)

·       Health/Medical/Pharma

·       Hotels & Hospitality

·       Insurance

·       Legal

·       Manufacturing

·       Maritime

·       Oil, Gas & Mining

·       OT, ICS, IIoT, SCADA & Cyber-Physical Systems

·       Retail & eCommerce

·       Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs)

·       Startups

·       Telecoms

·       Third Sector & Charities

·       Transport & Aviation

·       Web3

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As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.

Look out for our ‘Cyber Tip Tuesday’ video blog and on our YouTube channel.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.

Black Arrow Cyber Insight 21 March 2023 – Attackers Mainly Focused on Zero-Days from Microsoft, Google and Apple in 2022

Executive Summary

Mandiant recently published their report on zero-day attacks in 2022. A zero-day attack is an attack that relates to a previously unknown vulnerability and for the third year running, Microsoft, Google and Apple were the most frequently targeted by zero-day attacks. The most exploited avenues of attack were operating systems and browsers.

What’s the risk to me or my business?

A significant number of users include Microsoft, Google and or Apple as part of their supply chain and must therefore be aware of vulnerabilities in these vendors. It is not unusual for an exploited zero-day vulnerability to have a delay between the time it is discovered and the time it is patched; although sometimes a workaround is released in the meantime. The delay between disclosure and patching can potentially contribute to many systems remaining unpatched for months and workarounds can create a false sense of security during this period. An unpatched system leaves an organisation’s data at risk from compromise.

What can I do?

It is increasingly important for organisations to efficiently and effectively prioritise their patching and understand their part in the process; this should include organisations being aware of which systems are awaiting a patch, and of these, which are critical. Organisations who use SaaS solutions typically benefit from the vendor deploying patches but organisations should not become complacent and should, where appropriate, seek assurance that systems are indeed patched up to date.

To be more cyber resilient, organisations should make use of threat intelligence as part of their attack surface management and understanding of actively exploited vulnerabilities.

The report conducted by Mandiant can be found here: https://www.mandiant.com/resources/blog/zero-days-exploited-2022

Need help understanding your gaps, or just want some advice? Get in touch with us.

#threatadvisory #threatintelligence #cybersecurity

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 17 March 2023

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

• Almost Half of IT Leaders Consider Security as an Afterthought

A recent industry report found that security is an afterthought for almost half of UK IT leaders, despite 92% of respondents agreeing that security risks had risen in the last five years. Additionally, 48% of respondents felt that the rapid development of new tools had caused challenges around security. The concept of security as an afterthought is worrying when considering that 39% of UK businesses identified a cyber attack within the past 12 months.

https://www.itsecurityguru.org/2023/03/14/almost-half-of-it-leaders-consider-security-as-an-afterthought-research-reveals

• Over $10bn Lost to Online Frauds, with Pig Butchering and Investment Scams Accounting for $3B, Overtaking BEC – FBI Report Says

According to the latest FBI crime report pig butchering now accounts for $3 billion of the $10 billion total lost to online fraud. Pig butchering is a rising investment scam that uses the promise of romance and the lure of making easy cryptocurrency profit against its unsuspecting targets. The concept of pig butchering is to “fatten up” the victim, with small returns on cryptocurrency and personal interactions, often with an element of romance; eventually, the victim is lured into making a larger investment with the scammer. In addition to pig butchering, other investment scams are growing in provenance and are set to overtake Business Email Compromise (BEC) as a major earner for cyber criminals.

https://www.darkreading.com/application-security/pig-butchering-investment-scams-3b-cybercrime-threat-overtaking-bec

• Over 721 Million Passwords were Leaked in 2022

A report published this week discovered 721.5 million exposed credentials online in 2022. Additionally, the report identified 72% of users reusing previously compromised passwords. The study also uncovered 8.6 billion personally identifiable information assets, including 67 million credit card numbers which were publicly available.

https://www.neowin.net/news/study-over-721-million-passwords-were-leaked-in-2022/

• How Much of a Cyber Security Risk are Suppliers?

When your business is digitally connected to a service provider, you need to understand how a cyber security attack on their business can affect yours. You can have all the right measures in place to manage your own cyber risks, but this doesn’t matter if there are undiscovered vulnerabilities in your supply chain. Organisations need to audit the cyber security of suppliers at several stages of their relationship; you may benefit from specialist cyber security support if you can’t do this in-house. Ask hard questions and consider advising your suppliers that if their cyber security is not enough then you may take your business elsewhere. Many businesses now require suppliers to be certified to schemes such as ISO 27001; demonstrating your security posture to your customers is an important ticket to trade.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/how-much-of-a-cybersecurity-risk-are-my-suppliers-mqbwcf7p2

• 90% of £5m+ Businesses Hit by Cyber Attacks

A study from Forbes found that 57% of small and medium-sized enterprises had suffered an online attack. Businesses with an annual turnover in excess of £5 million were even more likely to experience a cyber crime with the figure rising to nearly 90% of firms of this size suffering a cyber attack. To make matters worse, the study found that a significant proportion of British businesses are without any form of protection against online attacks.

https://www.itsecurityguru.org/2023/03/13/nine-in-10-5m-businesses-hit-by-cyber-attacks/

• Rushed Cloud Migrations Result in Escalating Technical Debt

A cloud service provider found 83% of CIO’s are feeling pressured to stretch their budgets even further than before. 72% of CIOs admitted that they are behind in their digital transformation because of technical debt and 38% believed the accumulation of this debt is largely because of rushed cloud migrations. Respondents believed these rushed migrations caused for miscalculations in the cloud budget, which resulted in significant overspend.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/03/16/managing-cloud-costs/

• Microsoft: 17 European Nations Targeted by Russia in 2023 as Espionage Ramping Up

According to an intelligence report from Microsoft, Russia has been ramping up its cyber espionage operations and this now includes 17 European nations. Of all 74 countries targeted, the UK ranked third, after the US and Poland.

https://www.securityweek.com/microsoft-17-european-nations-targeted-by-russia-in-2023-as-espionage-ramping-up/

• Microsoft Warns of Large-Scale Use of Phishing Kits

Microsoft have found that phishing kits are being purchased and used to perform millions of phishing emails every day. In their report, Microsoft found the availability of purchasing such phishing kits was part of the industrialisation of the cyber criminal economy and lowered the barrier of entry for cyber crime. Microsoft identified phishing kits which had the capability to bypass multi factor authentication selling for as little as $300. The emergence of AI is only going to compound this.

https://thehackernews.com/2023/03/microsoft-warns-of-large-scale-use-of.html

• BEC Volumes Double on Phishing Surge

The number of Business Email Compromise (BEC) incidents doubled last year according to security provider Secureworks. In their report, they found that the main initial access vectors for BEC were phishing and systems with known vulnerabilities, with each accounting for a third of initial accesses.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/bec-volumes-double-on-phishing/

• The Risk of Pasting Confidential Company Data in ChatGPT

Researchers analysed the use of artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT and found that 4.9% of employees have provided company data to the tool; ChatGPT builds its knowledge on this and in turn, this knowledge is shared publicly. The risk is serious, with employees putting their organisation at risk of leaking sensitive and confidential information. The research found that 0.9% of employees are responsible for 80% of leaks caused by pasting company data into ChatGPT and this number is expected to rise.

https://securityaffairs.com/143394/security/company-data-chatgpt-risks.html

• Ransomware Attacks have Entered a Heinous New Phase

With an increasing amount of victims refusing to pay, cyber criminal gangs are now resorting to new techniques; this includes the recent release of stolen naked photos of cancer patients and sensitive student records. Where encryption and a demand for payment were previously the de facto method for cyber criminals, this has now shifted to pure exfiltration. In a report, the FBI highlighted evolving and increasingly aggressive extortion behaviour, with actors increasingly threatening to release stolen data.

https://www.wired.com/story/ransomware-tactics-cancer-photos-student-records/

• MI5 Launches New Agency to Tackle State-Backed Attacks

British intelligence agency MI5 have announced the creation of the National Protective Security Authority (NPSA), created as part of a major review of government defences. The NPSA is to operate out of MI5 and absorb and extend the responsibilities for the protection of national infrastructure. The NPSA will work with existing agencies such as the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Counter Terrorism Security Office (CTSO) to provide defensive advice to UK organisations.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/mi5-new-agency-tackle-statebacked/

• Why Cyber Awareness Training is an Ongoing Process

A survey conducted by Hornetsecurity found that 80% of respondents believed remote working introduced extra cyber security risks and 75% were aware that personal devices are used to access sensitive data, fuelling the need for employees to be cyber aware. Where IT security training is only undertaken once, for example in block training, it is likely that participants will have forgotten a lot of the content after as little as a week; this means that for organisations to get the most out of training, they need to conduct frequent awareness training. By conducting frequent training there is more chance of trainees retaining the training content and allowing the organisation to shape a culture of cyber security.

https://www.hornetsecurity.com/en/security-information/why-cyber-awareness-training-is-an-ongoing-process/

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Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• BianLian Ransomware Pivots From Encryption to Pure Data-Theft Extortion (darkreading.com)

• The changing face of ransomware attacks (pandasecurity.com)

• Rise of Ransomware Attacks Main Focus for SOCs, research finds - IT Security Guru

• 'Vile' Gang Duo Breaches Police Database, Impersonates Officers in Extortion Gambit (darkreading.com)

• FBI: Ransomware hit 860 critical infrastructure orgs in 2022 (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft fixes Windows zero-day exploited in ransomware attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Clop ransomware gang begins extorting GoAnywhere zero-day victims (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Staples-owned Essendant facing multi-day "outage," orders frozen (bleepingcomputer.com)

• CISA now warns critical infrastructure of ransomware-vulnerable devices (bleepingcomputer.com)

• LockBit Ransomware gang claims to have stolen SpaceX confidential data from Maximum Industries- - Security Affairs

• Dissecting the malicious arsenal of the Makop ransomware gang- - Security Affairs

• The Prolificacy of LockBit Ransomware (thehackernews.com)

• Blackbaud agrees to pay $3m to settle SEC ransomware probe • The Register

• CatB Ransomware | File Locker Sharpens Its Claws to Steal Data with MSDTC Service DLL Hijacking - SentinelOne

• Ransomware Gang Claims It Hacked Amazon's Ring (gizmodo.com)

• 5 Reasons MSSP Clients Need Strong AppSec Strategies to Thwart Ransomware - MSSP Alert

• Dish customers kept in the dark as ransomware fallout continues | TechCrunch

• Cancer patient sues hospital over stolen naked photos • The Register

• ChipMixer platform seized for laundering ransomware payments, drug sales (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Lawyers suspect Arnold Clark hackers have now leaked 45GB of personal data on dark web – Car Dealer Magazine

• Kaspersky Updates Decryption Tool for Conti Ransomware - MSSP Alert

• Conti-based ransomware ‘MeowCorp’ gets free decryptor (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Universities and colleges cope silently with ransomware attacks | CSO Online

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• Top 50 most impersonated brands in phishing attacks and new tools you can use to protect your employees from them (cloudflare.com)

• Microsoft Warns of Large-Scale Use of Phishing Kits to Send Millions of Emails Daily (thehackernews.com)

• Software for sale is fueling a torrent of phishing attacks that bypass MFA | Ars Technica

• Cyber criminals Devising More Tactics For Phishing Attacks (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• 6 reasons why your anti-phishing strategy isn’t working | CSO Online

• Cyberthreat On New Email By Exotic Lily (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Botnet that knows your name and quotes your email is back with new tricks | Ars Technica

• Analysts Spot a Wave of SVB-Related Cyber Fraud Striking the Business Sector (darkreading.com)

• How two-step phishing attacks evade detection and what you can do about it - Help Net Security

• Humans Still More Effective Than ChatGPT at Phishing - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

BEC – Business Email Compromise

• Pig Butchering & Investment Scams: The $3B Cyber crime Threat Overtaking BEC (darkreading.com)

• Organizations need to re-examine their approach to BEC protection - Help Net Security

• BEC Volumes Double on Phishing Surge - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

2FA/MFA

• When Partial Protection is Zero Protection: The MFA Blind Spots No One Talks About (thehackernews.com)

• Outlook app to get built-in Microsoft 365 MFA on Android, iOS (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Software for sale is fuelling a torrent of phishing attacks that bypass MFA | Ars Technica

Malware

• SpyCloud Report: Malware Infections the Most Prolific & Persistent Threat to Businesses | Business Wire

• Microsoft OneNote to get enhanced security after recent malware abuse (bleepingcomputer.com)

• New Version of Prometei Botnet Infects Over 10,000 Systems Worldwide (thehackernews.com)

• Malware Targets People Looking to Pirate Oscar-Nominated Films (darkreading.com)

• Law enforcement seized the website selling the NetWire RAT- - Security Affairs

• BATLOADER Malware Uses Google Ads to Deliver Vidar Stealer and Ursnif Payloads (thehackernews.com)

• KamiKakaBot Malware Used in Latest Dark Pink APT Attacks on Southeast Asian Targets (thehackernews.com)

• Warning: AI-generated YouTube Video Tutorials Spreading Infostealer Malware (thehackernews.com)

• Emotet attempts to sell access after infiltrating high-value networks | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• What is Zeus Trojan Malware? - CrowdStrike

• Emotet, QSnatch Malware Dominate Malicious DNS Traffic (darkreading.com)

• Winter Vivern APT hackers use fake antivirus scans to install malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Chinese and Russian Hackers Using SILKLOADER Malware to Evade Detection (thehackernews.com)

• New malware sample of defunct TeamTNT threat group raises concerns | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Adobe Acrobat Sign abused to push Redline info-stealing malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Tracking the global spread of malware - Help Net Security

Mobile

• Xenomorph Android malware now steals data from 400 banks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• GoatRAT Android Banking Trojan Targets Mobile Automated Payment System (darkreading.com)

• WhatsApp Tells UK Government It’s Still Not Willing To Undermine Its Encryption | Techdirt

• Convincing Twitter 'quote tweet' phone scam targets bank customers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Google Warns Samsung and Pixel Phone Owners About 18 Dire Exploits - CNET

• FakeCalls Android malware returns with new ways to hide on phones (bleepingcomputer.com)

Botnets

• New Version of Prometei Botnet Infects Over 10,000 Systems Worldwide (thehackernews.com)

• Botnet that knows your name and quotes your email is back with new tricks | Ars Technica

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

• Record Breaking DDoS Attack - 158.2 Million Packets Per Second (gbhackers.com)

Internet of Things – IoT

• Researchers Uncover Over a Dozen Security Flaws in Akuvox E11 Smart Intercom (thehackernews.com)

• Tesla App Lets Man Accidentally Steal Model 3 That Wasn't His (gizmodo.com)

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Negative Impacts of Data Loss and How to Avoid Them - MSSP Alert

• Mental health provider Cerebral alerts 3.1M people of data breach (bleepingcomputer.com)

• BMW exposes data of clients in Italy, experts warn- - Security Affairs

• Acronis states that only one customer's account was compromised- - Security Affairs

• Security giant Rubrik says hackers used Fortra zero-day to steal internal data | TechCrunch

• Key aerospace player leaks sensitive data | Cybernews

• Hundreds of thousands of customer records stolen from lender Latitude in cyber-attack | Business | The Guardian

• 'Vile' Gang Duo Breaches Police Database, Impersonates Officers in Extortion Gambit (darkreading.com)

• LA Housing Authority Suffers Year-Long Breach - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Hacker selling data allegedly stolen in US Marshals Service hack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cryptojacking Group TeamTNT Suspected of Using Decoy Miner to Conceal Data Exfiltration (thehackernews.com)

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• Cyber crime Losses Exceeded $10 Billion in 2022: FBI - SecurityWeek

• Nine In 10 £5m+ Businesses Hit By Cyber Attacks - IT Security Guru

• CISA: Federal civilian agency hacked by nation-state and criminal hacking groups | CyberScoop

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• FBI Warns of Crypto-Stealing Play-to-Earn Games - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Massive vulnerabilities revealed at Dogecoin, Litecoin, Zcash | Fortune Crypto

• UK Crypto Firm Loses $200m in Cyber-Attack - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• One of the darkweb’s largest cryptocurrency laundromats washed out | Europol (europa.eu)

• UK Bank Limits Crypto Payments to Smother Fraud - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Phishing Campaigns Use SVB Collapse to Harvest Crypto - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Cryptojacking Group TeamTNT Suspected of Using Decoy Miner to Conceal Data Exfiltration (thehackernews.com)

• CrowdStrike discovered the first-ever Dero crypto mining campaign- - Security Affairs

• Claim: FTX leaders helped themselves to $3.2B in cash • The Register

• Feds charge exiled Chinese billionaire over crypto fraud • The Register

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• Future-Proofing Your Business Against Insider Threats (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• ‘Pig Butchering’ Scams Are Now a $3 Billion Threat | WIRED

• Cyber crime Losses Exceeded $10 Billion in 2022: FBI - SecurityWeek

• Investment Fraud is Now Biggest Cyber crime Earner - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Nine In 10 £5m+ Businesses Hit By Cyber Attacks - IT Security Guru

• ChatGPT fraud is on the rise: Here's what to watch out for | ZDNET

• Analysts Spot a Wave of SVB-Related Cyber Fraud Striking the Business Sector (darkreading.com)

• The SVB demise is a fraudster's paradise, so take precautions - Help Net Security

• Fighting financial fraud through fusion centers - Help Net Security

• UK Crypto Firm Loses $200m in Cyber-Attack - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• UK Bank Limits Crypto Payments to Smother Fraud - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Convincing Twitter 'quote tweet' phone scam targets bank customers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Claim: FTX leaders helped themselves to $3.2B in cash • The Register

• Feds charge exiled Chinese billionaire over crypto fraud • The Register

Impersonation Attacks

• 'Vile' Gang Duo Breaches Police Database, Impersonates Officers in Extortion Gambit (darkreading.com)

Deepfakes

• Deepfakes, Synthetic Media: How Digital Propaganda Undermines Trust (darkreading.com)

AML/CFT/Sanctions

• One of the darkweb’s largest cryptocurrency laundromats washed out | Europol (europa.eu)

• Russia’s Cyber security Companies Shrug Off Sanctions - CEPA

Dark Web

• One of the darkweb’s largest cryptocurrency laundromats washed out | Europol (europa.eu)

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• Top 10 operational risks: focus on third-party risk - Risk.net

• How much of a cyber security risk are my suppliers? (thetimes.co.uk)

Software Supply Chain

• We can't wait for SBOMs to be demanded by regulation - Help Net Security

• Best practices for securing the software application supply chain - Help Net Security

• Addressing Software Supply Chain Security - DevOps.com

Cloud/SaaS

• Rushed cloud migrations result in escalating technical debt - Help Net Security

• CrowdStrike report shows identities under siege, cloud data theft up | VentureBeat

• How to Apply NIST Principles to SaaS in 2023 (thehackernews.com)

Hybrid/Remote Working

• Orgs Have a Long Way to Go in Securing Remote Workforce (darkreading.com)

Attack Surface Management

• Access Control Gap in Microsoft Active Directory Widens Enterprise Attack Surface (darkreading.com)

Identity and Access Management

• Access Control Gap in Microsoft Active Directory Widens Enterprise Attack Surface (darkreading.com)

• Navigating the future of digital identity - Help Net Security

Encryption

• Google Proposes Reducing TLS Cert Life Span to 90 Days (darkreading.com)

• WhatsApp Tells UK Government It’s Still Not Willing To Undermine Its Encryption | Techdirt

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• Poor Passwords Still Weakest Link Hackers Seek, Report Reveals - MSSP Alert

• Study: Over 721 million passwords were leaked in 2022 - Neowin

• Understanding password behavior key to developing stronger cyber security protocols - Help Net Security

Social Media

• UK bans TikTok from government mobile phones | TikTok | The Guardian

• Spies, lies and influenced children: What TikTok must overcome to show us it can be trusted (telegraph.co.uk)

• Convincing Twitter 'quote tweet' phone scam targets bank customers (bleepingcomputer.com)

Malvertising

• BATLOADER Malware Uses Google Ads to Deliver Vidar Stealer and Ursnif Payloads (thehackernews.com)

Training, Education and Awareness

• Forgetting Curve according to Dr Ebbinghaus: Why cyber awareness training is an ongoing process - Hornetsecurity

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• UK's New Privacy Bill Could Mean More Work for Firms - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• SEC Charges Software Company Blackbaud Inc. for Misleading Disclosures About Ransomware Attack That Impacted Charitable Donors (databreaches.net)

• When and how to report a breach to the SEC | CSO Online

• WhatsApp Tells UK Government It’s Still Not Willing To Undermine Its Encryption | Techdirt

• The US cyber security strategy won’t address today’s threats with regulation alone | CyberScoop

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Make Sure Your Cyber security Budget Stays Flexible (darkreading.com)

• Getting cyber security right requires a change of mindset | The Strategist (aspistrategist.org.au)

• UK's New Privacy Bill Could Mean More Work for Firms - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• 6 principles for building engaged security governance | TechTarget

Models, Frameworks and Standards

• How to Apply NIST Principles to SaaS in 2023 (thehackernews.com)

• Meet Data Privacy Mandates With Cyber security Frameworks (darkreading.com)

Data Protection

• Consumers Believe Vendors Don't Adequately Protect Their Personal Data, Report Finds - MSSP Alert

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• International authorities bring NetWire's malware infrastructure to a standstill | TechSpot

• One of the darkweb’s largest cryptocurrency laundromats washed out | Europol (europa.eu)

Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring

• German states rethink reliance on Palantir technology | Financial Times (ft.com)

• Consumers Believe Vendors Don't Adequately Protect Their Personal Data, Report Finds - MSSP Alert

• Meet Data Privacy Mandates With Cyber security Frameworks (darkreading.com)

Artificial Intelligence

• Warning: AI-generated YouTube Video Tutorials Spreading Infostealer Malware (thehackernews.com)

• How to stop AI waging war on humans (thetimes.co.uk)

• ChatGPT and the Growing Threat of Bring Your Own AI to the SOC - SecurityWeek

• How Businesses Can Get Ready for AI-Powered Security Threats (darkreading.com)

• Humans Still More Effective Than ChatGPT at Phishing - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• UK spy agency warns of security threat from ChatGPT and rival chatbots | Metro News

• Why red team exercises for AI should be on a CISO's radar | CSO Online

• GPT-4 Can’t Stop Helping Hackers Make Cyber criminal Tools (forbes.com)

Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda

• Deepfakes, Synthetic Media: How Digital Propaganda Undermines Trust (darkreading.com)

• Russia disinformation looks to US far right to weaken Ukraine support | Russia | The Guardian

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Spyware, Cyber Espionage & Cyber Warfare, including Russian Invasion of Ukraine

• Microsoft: Russian hackers may be readying new wave of destructive attacks | CyberScoop

• UK bans TikTok from government mobile phones | TikTok | The Guardian

• Microsoft: 17 European Nations Targeted by Russia in 2023 as Espionage Ramping Up - SecurityWeek

• UK’s Royal Navy, Ukraine Jointly Repel Simulated, Russian Cyber attack on National Infrastructure - MSSP Alert

• Russians told to rush to nuclear bomb shelters after hackers take over state media (telegraph.co.uk)

• Remcos Trojan Linked to Cyber Espionage Operations Against Ukrainian Government - MSSP Alert

• YoroTrooper cyber spies target CIS energy orgs, EU embassies (bleepingcomputer.com)

• China sought control of telecoms to spy on Micronesia • The Register

• Russia disinformation looks to US far right to weaken Ukraine support | Russia | The Guardian

• This Is the New Leader of Russia's Infamous Sandworm Hacking Unit | WIRED

• Russia’s Cyber security Companies Shrug Off Sanctions - CEPA

• Polish intelligence dismantled a network of Russian spies- Security Affairs

• Microsoft sheds light on a year of Russian hybrid warfare in Ukraine- Security Affairs

• Wave of Stealthy China Cyber attacks Hits US., Private Networks, Google Says - WSJ

• Russian hackers plotting another cyber attack against Ukraine - Microsoft (ukrinform.net)

• Here's how Chinese spies exploited a critical Fortinet bug • The Register

Nation State Actors

• MI5 Launches New Agency to Tackle State-Backed Attacks - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• UK bans TikTok from government mobile phones | TikTok | The Guardian

• North Korean hackers used polished LinkedIn profiles to target security researchers | CyberScoop

• A new Chinese era: security and control | Financial Times (ft.com)

• Russians told to rush to nuclear bomb shelters after hackers take over state media (telegraph.co.uk)

• Attacks on SonicWall appliances linked to Chinese campaign: Mandiant | CSO Online

• Remcos Trojan Linked to Cyber Espionage Operations Against Ukrainian Government - MSSP Alert

• The slow Tick‑ing time bomb: Tick APT group compromise of a DLP software developer in East Asia | WeLiveSecurity

• Microsoft fixes Outlook zero-day used by Russian hackers since April 2022 (bleepingcomputer.com)

• China sought control of telecoms to spy on Micronesia • The Register

• CISA: Federal civilian agency hacked by nation-state and criminal hacking groups | CyberScoop

• APT29 abuses EU information exchange systems in recent attacks- Security Affairs

• Chinese and Russian Hackers Using SILKLOADER Malware to Evade Detection (thehackernews.com)

• Russia disinformation looks to US far right to weaken Ukraine support | Russia | The Guardian

• This Is the New Leader of Russia's Infamous Sandworm Hacking Unit | WIRED

• Russia’s Cyber security Companies Shrug Off Sanctions - CEPA

• Microsoft sheds light on a year of Russian hybrid warfare in Ukraine- Security Affairs

• Wave of Stealthy China Cyber attacks Hits US., Private Networks, Google Says - WSJ

• Russian hackers plotting another cyber attack against Ukraine - Microsoft (ukrinform.net)

• Here's how Chinese spies exploited a critical Fortinet bug • The Register

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Vulnerabilities

• Critical Microsoft Outlook/365 bug CVE-2023-23397 under attack (thestack.technology)

• Critical Microsoft Outlook bug PoC shows how easy it is to exploit (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft fixes Outlook zero-day used by Russian hackers since April 2022 (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft and Fortinet fix bugs under active exploit • The Register

• CISA warns of actively exploited Plex bug after LastPass breach (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cisco fixed CVE-2023-20049 DoS flaw affecting enterprise routers- Security Affairs

• Massive vulnerabilities revealed at Dogecoin, Litecoin, Zcash | Fortune Crypto

• SAP releases security updates fixing five critical vulnerabilities (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Adobe Warns of ‘Very Limited Attacks’ Exploiting ColdFusion Zero-Day - SecurityWeek

• Microsoft fixes Windows zero-day exploited in ransomware attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft March 2023 Patch Tuesday fixes 2 zero-days, 83 flaws (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Firefox 111 patches 11 holes, but not 1 zero-day among them… – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• Microsoft Pins Outlook Zero-Day Attacks on Russian Actor, Offers Detection Script - SecurityWeek

• Cyber attackers Continue Assault Against Fortinet Devices (darkreading.com)

• Security firm Rubrik is latest to be felled by GoAnywhere vulnerability | Ars Technica

• Google Warns Samsung and Pixel Phone Owners About 18 Dire Exploits - CNET

• Microsoft shares script to fix WinRE BitLocker bypass flaw (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Here's how Chinese spies exploited a critical Fortinet bug • The Register

• Bitwarden's password manager browser extension has a known exploit it hasn't addressed in five years | TechSpot

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Tools and Controls

• Make Sure Your Cyber security Budget Stays Flexible (darkreading.com)

• What Is a Stateful Inspection Firewall? Ultimate Guide (enterprisestorageforum.com)

• When Partial Protection is Zero Protection: The MFA Blind Spots No One Talks About (thehackernews.com)

• Set up PowerShell script block logging for added security | TechTarget

• Brazil seizing Flipper Zero shipments to prevent use in crime (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Outlook app to get built-in Microsoft 365 MFA on Android, iOS (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 5 Reasons MSSP Clients Need Strong AppSec Strategies to Thwart Ransomware - MSSP Alert

• 5 Steps to Effective Cloud Detection and Response  - The New Stack

• Virtual patching: Cut time to patch from 250 days to (helpnetsecurity.com)

• ChatGPT may be a bigger cyber security risk than an actual benefit (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Change Is Coming to the Network Detection and Response (NDR) Market (darkreading.com)

• Rise of Ransomware Attacks Main Focus for SOCs, research finds - IT Security Guru

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Other News

• CASPER attack steals data using air-gapped computer's internal speaker (bleepingcomputer.com)

• US govt web server attacked by 'multiple' criminal gangs • The Register

• Security firm Rubrik is latest to be felled by GoAnywhere vulnerability | Ars Technica

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Sector Specific

Industry specific threat intelligence reports are available.

Contact us to receive tailored reports specific to the industry/sector and geographies you operate in.

·       Automotive

·       Construction

·       Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)

·       Defence & Space

·       Education & Academia

·       Energy & Utilities

·       Estate Agencies

·       Financial Services

·       FinTech

·       Food & Agriculture

·       Gaming & Gambling

·       Government & Public Sector (including Law Enforcement)

·       Health/Medical/Pharma

·       Hotels & Hospitality

·       Insurance

·       Legal

·       Manufacturing

·       Maritime

·       Oil, Gas & Mining

·       OT, ICS, IIoT, SCADA & Cyber-Physical Systems

·       Retail & eCommerce

·       Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs)

·       Startups

·       Telecoms

·       Third Sector & Charities

·       Transport & Aviation

·       Web3

As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.

Look out for our ‘Cyber Tip Tuesday’ video blog and on our YouTube channel.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.

Black Arrow Cyber Advisory 15 March 2023 – Microsoft Patch Tuesday, Fortinet, Adobe, SAP, Android and Chrome Security Updates Summary

Executive Summary

Security updates have been released for Microsoft, Fortinet, Adobe, SAP, Google Chrome and Android to fix a range of security issues.

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Microsoft

Microsoft’s March Patch Tuesday provides updates to address 74 security issues across its product range, including two actively exploited vulnerabilities (CVE-2023-23397 and CVE-2023-24880). The two exploited vulnerabilities include an elevation of privilege vulnerability and a security bypass feature. Also among the updates provided by Microsoft were 9 critical vulnerabilities.

What’s the risk to me or my business?

The actively exploited vulnerabilities could allow an attacker to bypass security features to upload malicious files, remotely execute code and gain SYSTEM privileges; all of which could compromise the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data stored by an organisation.

What can I do?

Security updates are available for all supported versions of Windows impacted. The updates should be applied as soon as possible for the actively exploited vulnerabilities and all other vulnerabilities that have a critical severity rating.

Technical Summary

The following is a breakdown of the actively exploited vulnerabilities which affected Microsoft Operating Systems:

CVE-2023-23397: A vulnerability which allows specially crafted emails to force a victim device to connect to an external location of attacker control, providing the attacker with the victims’ authentication details. The email does not need to be read in the preview pane as the vulnerability is triggered when it is received and processed by the email server.

Please see our earlier advisory on this particular actively exploited vulnerability.

CVE-2023-24880: A vulnerability that allows an attacker to craft a malicious file which evades mark of the web (MOTW) security features and is actively being exploited in ransomware attacks.

Along with Microsoft’s patch Tuesday, the following vendors have also addressed vulnerabilities this month:

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Fortinet

As reported in our blog previously, Fortinet disclosed 15 vulnerabilities this month; this includes the actively exploited vulnerability CVE-2022-41328. This vulnerability is a path transversal vulnerability in FortiOS which can allow a privileged actor to read and write files via crafted command line interface commands. The vulnerability is actively being exploited against governments and large organisations.

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Adobe

This month, Adobe released fixes for 105 vulnerabilities across Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop, ColdFusion, Dimension, Experience Manager, Illustrator and Photoshop. At current, Adobe is not aware of any of these vulnerabilities being actively exploited. The vulnerabilities include remote code execution, memory leak, privilege escalation and security bypass.

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SAP

Sap have released fixes for 21 vulnerabilities, including code injection and improper access control vulnerabilities. A total of 9 vulnerabilities were given the “Hot News” priority, which is the highest priority according to SAP.

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Google

-Android

Android addressed 60 vulnerabilities this month. Amongst the vulnerabilities are two critical remote code execution vulnerabilities CVE-2023-20951 and CVE-2023-20954.

-Chrome

Google addressed 40 vulnerabilities in the Chrome Web Browser, with 8 vulnerabilities rated as high-severity.

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Further details of the updates within Microsoft’s March patch Tuesday can be found here: https://www.ghacks.net/2023/03/14/microsoft-windows-security-updates-march-2023-what-you-need-to-know-before-installation/

Further details of CVE-2023-23397 can be found here: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2023-23397

Further details of CVE-2023-24880 can be found here: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2023-24880

Further details of CVE-2022-41328 can be found here: https://www.fortinet.com/blog/psirt-blogs/fg-ir-22-369-psirt-analysis

Further details of the vulnerabilities addressed by Fortinet can be found here: https://www.fortiguard.com/psirt-monthly-advisory/march-2023-vulnerability-advisories

Further details of the vulnerabilities addressed by SAP can be found here: https://dam.sap.com/mac/app/e/pdf/preview/embed/ucQrx6G?ltr=a&rc=10

Further details of the vulnerabilities addressed by Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop can be found here: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/creative-cloud/apsb23-21.html

Further details of the vulnerabilities addressed in Adobe ColdFusion can be found here: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/coldfusion/apsb23-25.html

Further details of the vulnerabilities addressed in Adobe Dimension can be found here: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/dimension/apsb23-20.html

Further details of the vulnerabilities addressed in Adobe Experience Manager can be found here: Adobe Security Bulletin

Further details of the vulnerabilities addressed in Adobe Illustrator can be found here: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/illustrator/apsb23-19.html

Further details of the vulnerabilities addressed in Adobe Photoshop can be found here: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/photoshop/apsb23-23.html

Further details of the vulnerabilities addressed in Adobe Substance 3D Stager can be found here: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/substance3d_stager/apsb23-22.html

Further details of the Android vulnerabilities can be found here: https://source.android.com/docs/security/bulletin/2023-03-01#2023-03-05-security-patch-level-vulnerability-details

Further details of the vulnerabilities addressed by Google can be found here: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/03/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html

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 Need help understanding your gaps, or just want some advice? Get in touch with us.

#threatadvisory #threatintelligence #cybersecurity

Black Arrow Cyber Advisory 15 March 2023 – Microsoft Releases Patch for Critical Outlook/365 Vulnerability Under Active Exploitation

Executive Summary

This week Microsoft released a patch for a critical actively exploited privilege escalation vulnerability in Microsoft Outlook. The vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2023-23397.

What’s the risk to me or my business?

Successful exploitation of the vulnerabilities could allow an attacker to gain authentication details from a targeted machine. These details can then be relayed to other systems or brute-forced offline, leading to compromise of the account.

Technical Summary:

The vulnerability allows an attacker to craft malicious emails which force a target device to connect to a remote UNC of the attackers choice. A UNC is a path that can be used to access network resources. Upon connection, the Net-NTLMv2 hash, which is a hash of the victim’s password is leaked to the attacker. The attacker can then relay this hash to authenticate as the victim on other services or decode the hash offline. At no point does the email need to be previewed or opened, it is triggered as soon as it is received and processed by the email server.

What can I do?

It is recommended that organisations apply the latest patches as soon as possible as this vulnerability is recorded as actively exploited. In their analysis, Microsoft recorded that this vulnerability was exploited by Strontium, a state-sponsored Russian hacking group. Organisations using strictly off-premises solutions are not impacted.

Further information on CVE-2023-23397 can be found here: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2023-23397  

Need help understanding your gaps, or just want some advice? Get in touch with us.

#threatadvisory #threatintelligence #cybersecurity

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 10 March 2023

Welcome to this week’s Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing – a weekly digest, collated and curated by our cyber threat intelligence 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

Business Email Compromise Attacks Can Take Just Hours

Microsoft’s security intelligence team found that Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks are moving rapidly, with some taking mere minutes. Microsoft found the whole process, from signing in using compromised credentials to registering typo squatting domains and hijacking an email thread, took threat actors only a couple of hours. Such a rapid attack leaves minimal time for organisations to identify and take preventative action. This is worrying when considering the cost of BEC is predicted to more than tens of billions.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/microsoft-business-email-compromise-attacks-can-take-just-hours/

Research Reveals ‘Password’ is Still the Most Common Term used by Hackers to Breach Enterprise Networks

In a report of over 800 million breached passwords, vendor Specops identified some worrying results. Some of the key findings from the report include 88% of passwords used in successful attacks consisting of 12 characters or less and the most common base terms used in passwords involving ‘password’, ‘admin’, ‘welcome’ and ‘p@ssw0rd’. The report found that 83% of the compromised passwords satisfied both the length and complexity requirements of cyber security compliance standards such as NIST, GDPR, HIPAA and Cyber Essentials.

https://www.itsecurityguru.org/2023/03/08/research-reveals-password-still-the-most-common-term-used-by-hackers-to-breach-enterprise-networks/

Just 10% of Firms Can Resolve Cloud Threats in an Hour

Two-thirds (39%) of global organisations reported a surge in breaches over the past year, with IT complexity increasing and detection and response capabilities worsening, according to Palo Alto Networks. It found that as enterprises move more of their data and workloads to the cloud, they’re finding it increasingly difficult to discover and remediate incidents quickly. Over two-fifths (42%) reported an increase in mean time to remediate, while 90% said they are unable to detect, contain and resolve cyber-threats within an hour. Nearly a third (30%) reported a major increase in intrusion attempts and unplanned downtime. Part of the challenge appears to be the complexity of their cloud security environments – partly caused by tool bloat.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/10-firms-resolve-cloud-threats-hour/

MSPs in the Crosshairs of Ransomware Gangs

Many attacks have heightened attention around third-party risk and the security obligations of MSPs in meeting multiple customers’ IT needs. Attacks such as the ones on RackSpace and LastPass show that some ransomware actors are now intentionally targeting MSPs to access sensitive customer data. It is now believed that some advanced persistent threat (APT) groups could be stepping up their attacks on MSP’s in order to gain sensitive customer data.

https://www.msspalert.com/cybersecurity-research/msps-in-the-crosshairs-of-ransomware-gangs/

Stolen Credentials Increasingly Empower the Cyber Crime Underground

Threat Intelligence provider Flashpoint found that last year threat actors exposed or stole 22.62 billion credentials and personal records, which often make their way to underground forums and cyber criminal markets. This follows a significant increase in market activity; just last year Flashpoint recorded 190 new illicit markets emerge and the continual rise in attacks focused on stealing credentials only further empowers cyber crime underground.

https://www.csoonline.com/article/3690409/stolen-credentials-increasingly-empower-the-cybercrime-underground.html#tk.rss_news

It’s Time to Assess the Potential Dangers of an Increasingly Connected World

As global conflicts continue, cyber has become the fifth front of warfare. The world is approaching 50 billion connected devices, controlling everything from our traffic lights to our nuclear arsenal and we have already seen large-scale cyber attacks. Adding to this, a multitude of infrastructure runs on services ran by a handful of companies; Palo Alto Networks, Cisco and Fortinet control more than 50% of the market for security appliances. As such, an attack on one of these companies could cause a huge ripple effect on their customers.

https://www.darkreading.com/risk/it-s-time-to-assess-the-potential-dangers-of-an-increasingly-connected-world-

Mounting Cyber Threats Mean Financial Firms Urgently Need Better Safeguards

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) 64% of banks and supervisory authorities do not mandate testing and exercising cyber security and 54% lack dedicated a cyber incident reporting regime. This increases the risk of experiencing a cyber attack. Regularly testing and exercising security will aid any organisation in its cyber resilience.

https://www.imf.org/en/Blogs/Articles/2023/03/02/mounting-cyber-threats-mean-financial-firms-urgently-need-better-safeguards

Insider Threat: Developers Leaked 10m Credentials Including Passwords in 2022

Security provider GitGuardian found that the rate at which developers leaked critical software secrets jumped by 0.5 to reach 5.5 out of every 1,000 commits to GitHub repositories; overall, this amounted to at least 10 million instances of secrets leaking to a public repository. Generic passwords accounted for the majority of leaked secrets (56%) and more than a third (38%) of leaks involved API keys, random number generator seeds and other sensitive strings. These leaks can have worrying consequences for organisations.

https://www.darkreading.com/application-security/inside-threat-developers-leaked-10m-credentials-passwords-2022

Cyber Threat Detections Surges 55% In 2022

Security Provider Trend Micro has said that it stopped 146 billion cyber threats in 2022, a 55% increase on the previous year and evidence of the increase of attacks ramping up. Trend Micro also found a 242% increase in the number of blocked malicious files and an 86% increase in backdoor malware detections with the latter showing an increase in attackers gaining initial access. Furthermore, the number of critical vulnerabilities in 2022 doubled compared to the previous year. Trend Micro noted that this is all likely due to an ever expanding attack surface of organisations.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/cyberthreat-detections-surge-55/

European Central Bank Tells Banks to Run Cyber Stress Tests after Rise in Hacker Attacks

The European Central Bank (ECB) will ask all major lenders in the Eurozone to detail by next year, how they would respond to and recover from a successful cyber attack. The ECB is in the process of designing a scenario involving a theoretical breach of the financial system’s cyber defences, which will be sent to all of the 111 banks it assesses to see how they would react. The stress test stems from the increasing amount of cyber attacks. If cyber has shown us anything, it’s that anyone can be a target and performing a stress test would help any organisation prepare for the worst.

https://www.ft.com/content/f03d68a4-fdb9-4312-bda3-3157d369a4a6

Employees Are Feeding Sensitive Business Data to ChatGPT

1 in 20 employees have put sensitive corporate data into popular AI tool ChatGPT, raising concerns that this could result in massive leaks of proprietary information. In some cases, this has involved employees cutting and pasting strategic documents and asking ChatGPT to make a PowerPoint.

https://www.darkreading.com/risk/employees-feeding-sensitive-business-data-chatgpt-raising-security-fears

Is Ransomware Declining? Not So Fast Experts Say

Security provider CrowdStrike have explained that the perceived decline in ransomware reflects the abilities of threat actors to adapt, splinter and regroup against defensive measures. CrowdStrike expand on this, stating that whilst ransom payments dipped slightly in 2022, there was an uprise in data extortion and ransomware as a service (RaaS).

https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/news/365532201/Is-ransomware-declining-Not-so-fast-experts-say

Preventing Corporate Data Breaches Starts with Remembering that Leaks have Real Victims

The impact a data breach can have on an individual is devastating and ultimately there’s not much an individual can do themselves if the organisation that holds their data isn’t taking the right steps. To best protect themselves and their clients’ data, organisations should look to have appropriate defence in depth controls, including effective asset management, an open security culture, close monitoring of access, utilising strong authentication and maintaining an awareness of the ever changing threat landscape.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/03/07/preventing-corporate-data-breaches/

Faced With Likelihood of Ransomware Attacks, Businesses Still Choosing to Pay Up

In a recent report Proofpoint found that globally 76% of organisations experienced ransomware attempts, with 64% eventually infected. Amongst those that had a cyber insurance policy, 82% of insurers stepped up to pay the ransom either in full or partially. The report found that with the rise in number and sophistication of attacks it is more important than ever for proper security training and awareness in organisations.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/faced-with-likelihood-of-ransomware-attacks-businesses-still-choosing-to-pay-up/

Experts See Growing Need for Cyber Security Workers as One in Six Jobs go Unfilled

A report by the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) found that 1 in 6 cyber security jobs are unfulfilled and this is only expected to grow in the coming years. The ICTC stated that “This is not just about education or government funding, but about companies willing to provide hands-on training and experience to the next generation of cyber security experts”.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/careers/article-experts-see-growing-need-for-cybersecurity-workers-as-one-in-six-jobs/

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Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• Faced with likelihood of ransomware attacks, businesses still choosing to pay up | ZDNET

• MSPs in the Crosshairs of Ransomware Gangs - MSSP Alert

• Is ransomware declining? Not so fast, experts say | TechTarget

• FBI and CISA warn of increasing Royal ransomware attack risks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• City of Oakland Faces Major Data Leak - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Indigo Books Refuses LockBit Ransomware Demand (darkreading.com)

• Anatomy of a Ransomware Attack

• Core Members of DoppelPaymer Ransomware Gang Targeted in Germany and Ukraine (thehackernews.com)

• Ransom House ransomware attack hit Hospital Clinic de Barcelona- - Security Affairs

• Security Patch Management Strengthens Ransomware Defence (trendmicro.com)

• Ransomware's Favorite Target: Critical Infrastructure and Its Industrial Control Systems (darkreading.com)

• Ransomware review: March 2023 (malwarebytes.com)

• Ransomware gang posts video of data stolen from Minneapolis schools (bleepingcomputer.com)

• IceFire ransomware now encrypts both Linux and Windows systems (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Examining Ransomware Payments From a Data-Science Lens (trendmicro.com)

• DND: Black & McDonald reported ransomware attack | CTV News

• Cyble — BlackSnake Ransomware Emerges from Chaos Ransomware's Shadow

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• AI is taking phishing attacks to a whole new level of sophistication - Help Net Security

• Catches of the Month: Phishing Scams for March 2023 - IT Governance UK Blog

• Emotet starts post-break phishing campaign • The Register

BEC – Business Email Compromise

• Microsoft: Business email compromise attacks can take just hours (bleepingcomputer.com)

Other Social Engineering; Smishing, Vishing, etc

• Experts Warn of "SMS Pumping" Fraud Epidemic - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Vishing attacks increasing, but AI's role still unclear | TechTarget

• Defeating the Deepfake Danger - SecurityWeek

• Does Your Help Desk Know Who's Calling? (thehackernews.com)

2FA/MFA

• NCSC: Twitter Users Should Find MFA Alternatives - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Malware

• DrayTek VPN routers hacked with new malware to steal data, evade detection (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Malicious PyPI package signals direction of cyber crime • The Register

• How to prevent Microsoft OneNote files from infecting Windows with malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Snake Keylogger Malware Removal Guide (makeuseof.com)

• Stealthy UEFI malware bypassing Secure Boot enabled by unpatchable Windows flaw | Ars Technica

• New malware infects business routers for data theft, surveillance (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Old Windows ‘Mock Folders’ UAC bypass used to drop malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Emotet malware attacks return after three-month break (bleepingcomputer.com)

• AI-Powered 'BlackMamba' Keylogging Attack Evades Modern EDR Security (darkreading.com)

• New ScrubCrypt Crypter Used in Cryptojacking Attacks Targeting Oracle WebLogic (thehackernews.com)

• Hackers Exploiting Remote Desktop Software Flaws to Deploy PlugX Malware (thehackernews.com)

• Custom Chinese Malware Found on SonicWall Appliance - SecurityWeek

• Remcos Trojan Returns to Most Wanted Malware List After Ukraine Attacks - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• FBI and international cops catch a NetWire RAT • The Register

Mobile

• Transparent Tribe Hackers Distribute CapraRAT via Trojanized Messaging Apps (thehackernews.com)

• Officials Targeted with Romance Scams and Android Trojan - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Google One expands security features to all plans with dark web report, VPN access - Help Net Security

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

• Akamai mitigated a record-breaking DDoS that peaked 900Gbps- Security Affairs

Internet of Things – IoT

• TPM 2.0 Library Vulnerabilities May Affect Billions of IoT Devices - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Chinese Hikvision cameras ‘that pose security threat’ used on King’s Sandringham estate (thetimes.co.uk)

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Preventing corporate data breaches starts with remembering that leaks have real victims - Help Net Security

• The LastPass Hack Somehow Gets Worse | WIRED

• LastPass Hack: Engineer's Failure to Update Plex Software Led to Massive Data Breach (thehackernews.com)

• Credential Stuffing attack on Chick-fil-A impacted +71K users- Security Affairs

• Popular fintech apps expose valuable, exploitable secrets - Help Net Security

• PayPal Sued Over Data Breach that Impacted 35,000 users (hackread.com)

• Acer Data Breach? Hacker Claims to Sell 160GB Trove of Stolen Data (hackread.com)

• Brazilian Conglomerate Suffers 3TB Data Breach: Report - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Data breach exposed millions of Verizon customers' account info (androidpolice.com)

• Congress’ Social Security Numbers Leaked in DC Health Link Hack (gizmodo.com)

• Data protection vendor Acronis admits to data leak • The Register

• AT&T confirms 9m wireless accounts exposed by third part • The Register

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• At Least 30% of "Cyber-Criminals" Are Women: Report - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Cyber crime site shows off with a free leak of 2 million stolen card numbers - The Record from Recorded Future News

• BidenCash leaks 2.1M stolen credit/debit cards- Security Affairs

• Malicious PyPI package signals direction of cyber crime • The Register

• Where are the women in cyber security? • The Register

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• FTX Confirms $9 Billion in Customer Funds Vanished (gizmodo.com)

• Russia-Ukraine war: How both sides of the conflict have used crypto to win (cointelegraph.com)

• New ScrubCrypt Crypter Used in Cryptojacking Attacks Targeting Oracle WebLogic (thehackernews.com)

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• 6 Ways To Go Beyond Awareness And Foster A Real Culture Of Cyber security (forbes.com)

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• Scams Security Pros Almost Fell For (darkreading.com)

• FTX Confirms $9 Billion in Customer Funds Vanished (gizmodo.com)

• Experts Warn of "SMS Pumping" Fraud Epidemic - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Scammers using voice-cloning A.I. to mimic relatives | Fortune

• Alleged security breach leaves millions of dollars missing from Flutterwave accounts | TechCrunch

• UK Government Plans Skills Boost for Public Sector Fraud Fight - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Officials Targeted with Romance Scams and Android Trojan - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• New Rise In ChatGPT Scams Reported By Fraudsters (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

Deepfakes

• From Disinformation to Deep Fakes: How Threat Actors Manipulate Reality (thehackernews.com)

• Defeating the Deepfake Danger - SecurityWeek

Insurance

• Talking Cyber Insurance With Munich Re - SecurityWeek

Dark Web

• Cyber crime site shows off with a free leak of 2 million stolen card numbers - The Record from Recorded Future News

• Google One expands security features to all plans with dark web report, VPN access - Help Net Security

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• Snap CISO talks risky supply chain security business • The Register

• SolarWinds IR lead: supply-chain attacks 'getting bigger' • The Register

• AT&T confirms 9m wireless accounts exposed by third part • The Register

Software Supply Chain

• SBOMs become a security staple for the software supply chain • The Register

Cloud/SaaS

• Just 10% of Firms Can Resolve Cloud Threats in an Hour - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Experts Reveal Google Cloud Platform's Blind Spot for Data Exfiltration Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Hackers are quickly learning how to target cloud systems (axios.com)

• Understanding the Shared Responsibility Model, Critical Step to Ensure Cloud Security - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Attack Surface Management

• 5 Reasons You Should Care About Unmanaged Assets (darkreading.com)

Asset Management

• 5 Reasons You Should Care About Unmanaged Assets (darkreading.com)

Encryption

• New TPM 2.0 flaws could let hackers steal cryptographic keys (bleepingcomputer.com)

• New Steganography Breakthrough Enables “Perfectly Secure” Digital Communications (scitechdaily.com)

API

• API Security for UK companies - IT Security Guru

• Attackers exploit APIs faster than ever before - Help Net Security

Open Source

• IceFire ransomware now encrypts both Linux and Windows systems (bleepingcomputer.com)

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• Research Reveals 'Password' Still the Most Common Term Used by Hackers to Breach Enterprise Networks - IT Security Guru

• Stolen credentials increasingly empower the cyber crime underground | CSO Online

• The LastPass Hack Somehow Gets Worse | WIRED

• Credential Stuffing attack on Chick-fil-A impacted +71K users- Security Affairs

• The Role of Verifiable Credentials In Preventing Account Compromise (darkreading.com)

• Securing ways to share workplace passwords • The Register

• Young government workers show poor password management habits - Help Net Security

Social Media

• NCSC: Twitter Users Should Find MFA Alternatives - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• TikTok unveils new European data security regime | Reuters

Training, Education and Awareness

• 6 Ways To Go Beyond Awareness And Foster A Real Culture Of Cyber security (forbes.com)

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• Biden Administration's Cyber security Strategy Takes Aim at Hackers (gizmodo.com)

• Government Claims New UK GDPR Will Save Firms Billions - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Inadequate patches and advisories increase cyber risk - Help Net Security

• Why do Businesses Need to Focus More on Cyber security (hackread.com)

• Flashpoint: Threat vectors converging, increasing damage | TechTarget

• How to achieve and shore up cyber resilience in a recession - Help Net Security

• The cyber security landscape in the era of economic instability – Help Net Security

Models, Frameworks and Standards

• Open letter demands OWASP overhaul, warns of mass project exodus | CSO Online

• PCI Compliance Requirements Guide (trendmicro.com)

• NIST Retooling Cyber security Framework to Reflect Changing Cyber scape – MSSP Alert

Data Protection

• Government Claims New UK GDPR Will Save Firms Billions – Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

• Experts see growing need for cyber security workers as one in six jobs go unfilled – The Globe and Mail

• How to Jump-Start Your Cyber security Career (darkreading.com)

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• Core Members of DoppelPaymer Ransomware Gang Targeted in Germany and Ukraine (thehackernews.com)

• FBI and international cops catch a NetWire RAT • The Register

Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring

• Secret Service and ICE break the law with fake phone towers • The Register

• Thought you'd opted out of online tracking? Think again • The Register

Artificial Intelligence

• AI is taking phishing attacks to a whole new level of sophistication - Help Net Security

• Employees Are Feeding Sensitive Business Data to ChatGPT (darkreading.com)

• You can poison AI datasets for just $60, a new study shows (fastcompany.com)

• Microsoft and MITRE developed a tool to prepare security teams for attacks on ML systems - Help Net Security

• Thousands scammed by AI voices mimicking loved ones in emergencies | Ars Technica

• Vishing attacks increasing, but AI's role still unclear | TechTarget

• AI-Powered 'BlackMamba' Keylogging Attack Evades Modern EDR Security (darkreading.com)

• Criminals will use ChatGPT to unleash wave of fraud, warns Darktrace (telegraph.co.uk)

Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda

• From Disinformation to Deep Fakes: How Threat Actors Manipulate Reality (thehackernews.com)

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Spyware, Cyber Espionage & Cyber Warfare, including Russian Invasion of Ukraine

• What can security teams learn from a year of cyber warfare? | Computer Weekly

• New Backdoor MQsTTang Attributed to Mustang Panda Group - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Pegasus spyware used to spy on a Polish mayor- Security Affairs

• Russia-Ukraine war: How both sides of the conflict have used crypto to win (cointelegraph.com)

• Sharp Panda targets government entities in Southeast Asia- Security Affairs

• Russia’s Cyber Tactics in Ukraine Shift to Focus on Espionage - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Managed Service Provider Identifies Potential Chinese Spy Ring - MSSP Alert

• Chinese cyber spies target unpatched SonicWall gear • The Register

• What is Cyberwarfare? | Definition from TechTarget

Nation State Actors

• What can security teams learn from a year of cyber warfare? | Computer Weekly

• New Backdoor MQsTTang Attributed to Mustang Panda Group - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Russia Bans Messengers, Including WhatsApp, Telegram, And More (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Russia-Ukraine war: How both sides of the conflict have used crypto to win (cointelegraph.com)

• Chinese Hikvision cameras ‘that pose security threat’ used on King’s Sandringham estate (thetimes.co.uk)

• China-aligned APT is exploring new technology stacks for malicious tools - Help Net Security

• Sharp Panda targets government entities in Southeast Asia- Security Affairs

• Lazarus Group Exploits Zero-Day Vulnerability to Hack South Korean Financial Entity (thehackernews.com)

• Russia’s Cyber Tactics in Ukraine Shift to Focus on Espionage - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Managed Service Provider Identifies Potential Chinese Spy Ring - MSSP Alert

• Chinese firm got Covid contract despite trying to hack NHS data, minister says | Politics | The Guardian

• Chinese cyber spies target unpatched SonicWall gear • The Register

• TikTok unveils new European data security regime | Reuters

• Lazarus group infiltrated South Korean finance firm twice last year | CSO Online

• Remcos Trojan Returns to Most Wanted Malware List After Ukraine Attacks - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• New Chinese regulatory body expected to streamline data governance rules | CSO Online

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Vulnerability Management

• Inadequate patches and advisories increase cyber risk - Help Net Security

• Build Cyber Resiliency With These Security Threat-Mitigation Considerations

• Zero Day Threat Protection for Your Network (trendmicro.com)

• 557 CVEs Added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog in 2022 - SecurityWeek

• Machine Learning Improves Prediction of Exploited Vulnerabilities (darkreading.com)

• Security Patch Management Strengthens Ransomware Defense (trendmicro.com)

• VulnCheck: CISA's KEV missing 42 vulnerabilities from 2022 | TechTarget

Vulnerabilities

• TPM 2.0 Library Vulnerabilities May Affect Billions of IoT Devices - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Researchers discover 'kill switch' in Starlink terminals - Security - iTnews

• PoC exploit for recently patched Microsoft Word RCE is public (CVE-2023-21716) - Help Net Security

• CISA's KEV Catalog Updated with 3 New Flaws Threatening IT Management Systems (thehackernews.com)

• Exploitation of Critical Vulnerability in End-of-Life VMware Product Ongoing - SecurityWeek

• Fortinet warns of new critical unauthenticated RCE vulnerability (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Information Disclosure Vulnerability in Adobe Experience Manager affecting multiple companies… | by Fat Selimi | Feb, 2023 | InfoSec Write-ups (infosecwriteups.com)

• Chinese cyber spies target unpatched SonicWall gear • The Register

• Chrome 111 Patches 40 Vulnerabilities - SecurityWeek

• Bitwarden flaw can let hackers steal passwords using iframes (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Veeam warns to install patches to fix a bug in Backup & Replication- Security Affairs

• Hackers Exploiting Remote Desktop Software Flaws to Deploy PlugX Malware (thehackernews.com)

• Vulnerability Exposes Cisco Enterprise Routers to Disruptive Attacks - SecurityWeek

• Jenkins Server Vulnerabilities Chained for Remote Code Execution  - SecurityWeek

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Tools and Controls

• The LastPass Hack Somehow Gets Worse | WIRED

• 3 Ways Security Teams Can Use IP Data Context (darkreading.com)

• Two-Thirds of European Firms Have Started Zero Trust - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• What is zero trust? A model for more effective security | CSO Online

• Too Many SOAR Vendors are Failing MSSPs - MSSP Alert

• Why enterprise SecOps strategies must include XDR and MDR | TechTarget

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Other News

• Biden Administration's Cyber security Strategy Takes Aim at Hackers (gizmodo.com)

• Tracking device technology: A double-edged sword for CISOs | CSO Online

• From Disinformation to Deep Fakes: How Threat Actors Manipulate Reality (thehackernews.com)

• What CISOs need to understand about document signing - Help Net Security

• Thousands of websites hacked as part of redirection campaign- Security Affairs

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Sector Specific

Industry specific threat intelligence reports are available.

Contact us to receive tailored reports specific to the industry/sector and geographies you operate in.

·       Automotive

·       Construction

·       Critical National Infrastructure (CNI)

·       Defence & Space

·       Education & Academia

·       Energy & Utilities

·       Estate Agencies

·       Financial Services

·       FinTech

·       Food & Agriculture

·       Gaming & Gambling

·       Government & Public Sector (including Law Enforcement)

·       Health/Medical/Pharma

·       Hotels & Hospitality

·       Insurance

·       Legal

·       Manufacturing

·       Maritime

·       Oil, Gas & Mining

·       OT, ICS, IIoT, SCADA & Cyber-Physical Systems

·       Retail & eCommerce

·       Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs)

·       Startups

·       Telecoms

·       Third Sector & Charities

·       Transport & Aviation

·       Web3

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As usual, contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.

Look out for our ‘Cyber Tip Tuesday’ video blog and on our YouTube channel.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.

Black Arrow Cyber Advisory 10 March 2023 – Fortinet, Cisco and Veeam Vulnerabilities Roundup

Executive Summary

Fortinet have disclosed 15 security issues across a range of products including 5 “high” rated vulnerabilities and a “critical” vulnerability that allows an unauthenticated attacker to perform denial of service attacks or execute arbitrary code. Cisco has identified a “high vulnerability” with IOS XR software for the ASR 9000 Series routers. Veeam have disclosed a “high vulnerability” that allows an unauthenticated attacker to request encrypted credentials which may lead to gaining access to the backup infrastructure host.

What’s the risk to me or my business?

Successful exploitation of the Cisco vulnerability tracked as CVE-2023-20049 allows the attacker to cause line card exceptions or hard rests which can lead to traffic loss and denial of service conditions.

The following models are vulnerable if they have Bidirectional forwarding detection (BFD) hardware offload enabled.

• ASR 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers only if they have a Lightspeed or Lightspeed-Plus-based line card installed.

• ASR 9902 Compact High-Performance Routers

• ASR 9903 Compact High-Performance Routers

A successful exploitation of the Critical Fortinet vulnerability tracked as CVE-2023-25610 allows an unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code or perform denial of service (DoS) conditions in an administrative interface.

The following devices are vulnerable to both the RCE and DoS:

• FortiOS version 7.2.0 through 7.2.3

• FortiOS version 7.0.0 through 7.0.9

• FortiOS version 6.4.0 through 6.4.11

• FortiOS version 6.2.0 through 6.2.12

• FortiOS 6.0 all versions

• FortiProxy version 7.2.0 through 7.2.2

• FortiProxy version 7.0.0 through 7.0.8

• FortiProxy version 2.0.0 through 2.0.12

• FortiProxy 1.2 all versions

• FortiProxy 1.1 all versions

A full list of vulnerable hardware devices that are impacted by the Denial of Service can be found on the FortiGuard website.

A successful exploitation of the high Veeam vulnerability tracked as CVE-2023-27532 can allow an unauthenticated attacker to request encrypted credentials which may lead to the attacker gaining access to the backup infrastructure of the host.

This vulnerability affects all Veeam Backups and Replication versions but is resolved in the following:

• 12 (build 12.0.0.1420 P20230223)

• 11a (build 11.0.1.1261 P20230227)

What can I do?

Cisco has released software updates that address the vulnerability and should be installed. Alternatively, a workaround has been provided which is to disable all bfd hardware offload features, which can be done by removing all hw-module bfw-hw-offload enable commands and resetting the card.

Fortinet has provided solutions to each of the vulnerabilities it has disclosed, and it is recommended that the patches released for the vulnerabilities are installed.

Veeam has released a patch and should be installed, however they suggest that if you are using an earlier version to upgrade to the current supported version first. Alternatively, if you are using an all-in-one Veeam appliance with no backup infrastructure components, external connections to Port TCP 9401 should be filtered until the patch is installed.

Further information on the vulnerabilities be found here:

Cisco IOS XR software update - https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/resources/security_vulnerability_policy.html#ssu

Cisco IOS XR Software Security Advisory-https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-bfd-XmRescbT

Fortinet CVE-2023-25610 advisory and solution - https://www.fortiguard.com/psirt/FG-IR-23-001

Fortiguard vulnerability advisory- https://www.fortiguard.com/psirt-monthly-advisory/march-2023-vulnerability-advisories

Veeam advisory - https://www.veeam.com/kb4424

Veeam Solution - https://www.veeam.com/product-lifecycle.html?ad=in-text-link

Need help understanding your gaps, or just want some advice? Get in touch with us.

#threatadvisory #threatintelligence #cybersecurity

Black Arrow Cyber Advisory 09 March 2023 – Security Flaws in TPM 2.0 Pose Significant Risk

Executive Summary

Security Researchers at Quarkslab have identified two critical vulnerabilities (CVE-2023-1017 and CVE-2023-1018) in The Trusted Platform Module (TPM) firmware; TPMs are used by most modern PCs to make them resistant to tampering and the vulnerabilities could affect billions of devices.

What’s the risk to my business?

Successful exploitation of the vulnerabilities could lead to local information disclosure, including the ability for attackers to make the TPM unavailable leading to denial of service, read sensitive data or escalate privileges. In some cases, an attacker can overwrite protected data in the TPM and go undetected. To be able to exploit the vulnerabilities the attacker would require access to a TPM-command interface to send maliciously crafted-commands to a vulnerable TPM.

What can I do?

The Trusted Computing Group (TCG) have released an updated version of their TPM2.0 library specification: TPM 2.0 library Specifications v1.59 Errata Version 1.4. Once this update has been incorporated within Operating System and Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) firmware, it is recommended this updated version is installed. For the meantime, remote attestation may help identify it any changes have been made to the TPM.

Need help understanding your gaps, or just want some advice? Get in touch with us.

#threatadvisory #threatintelligence #cybersecurity

Documentation for the upgrade can be found here: https://trustedcomputinggroup.org/wp-content/uploads/TPM-2.0-Library-Spec-v1.59-Errata-v1.4_pub.pdf

An Advisory from the Trusted Computer Group can be found here: https://trustedcomputinggroup.org/wp-content/uploads/TCGVRT0007-Advisory-FINAL.pdf

CVE-2023-1017 can be found here: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-1017

CVE-2023-1018 can be found here: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-1018

Black Arrow Cyber Alert 07 March 2023 – ACTION REQUIRED: New Hiatus Hacking Campaign Targets DrayTek Routers to Spy on Businesses

Executive Summary

An ongoing hacking campaign known as “Hiatus” is targeting DrayTek Vigour router models 2960 and 3900 to monitor and steal data from businesses.

What’s the risk to my business?

If exploited successfully, the attacker is able to remotely execute commands on the router, and monitor and control traffic that passes through the router including file-transfer and email communications.

Technical Summary:

Research by Black Lotus Labs has found the campaign involves following:

• A Bash script to deploy two executables to the targetdevice, post-exploitation. These are:

  • HIATUS Remote Access Trojan

  • A variant of ‘tcpdump’ that enables packet capture

Once this script has been executed the ‘HiatusRAT’ and ‘tcpdump’ variant are downloaded to a directory created by the script located at ‘/database/.updata’ and are then executed. The malware will listen on TCP port 8816 and if this port is already in use, the process on that port is terminated  so that the malware can use it instead. Once the malware has been sucessfully enabled on this port, a second process collects information about the victim device and sends it to a Command and Control (C2) server operated by the attacker (104.250.58.192); an additional C2 server (46.8.113.227) is also used by the attacker to receive information captured by the packet-capture tool . The packet capture tool observes ports associated with mail server and FTP connections, this include TCP ports 21, 25, 110, 143.

What can I do?

It is not currently known how the DrayTek routers have been initially compromised and Draytek have not yet released a security update to resolve any associated known vulnerability. The following actions can be taken to help mitigate and identify if a device has been impacted:

• Prevent outbound network traffic on TCP port 8816, to disable the malware’s outbound communication.

• Block network traffic to or from the following IP addresses: 104.250.58.192 and 46.8.113.227

• Check the following location on vulnerable devices for any files in that location, as this would be an indicator of compromise (IoC): ‘database’ and ‘/database/.updata’

• Configure continuous security monitoring to detect anomalous activity that may be indicative of a compromise.

Further indicators of compromise can be found here: https://github.com/blacklotuslabs/IOCs/blob/main/Hiatus_IoCs.txt

Need help understanding your gaps, or just want some advice? Get in touch with us.

#threatadvisory #threatintelligence #cybersecurity

A link to the report from Black Lotus Labs can be found here: https://blog.lumen.com/new-hiatusrat-router-malware-covertly-spies-on-victims/?utm_source=press+release&utm_medium=referral

Black Arrow Cyber Alert 07 March 2023 – Black Lotus UEFI Bootkit Malware Bypasses Secure Boot

Executive Summary

A new UEFI bootkit called BlackLotus (not to be confused with Black Lotus Labs) has become the first publicly known malware with the capability of bypassing secure boot defences, rendering it a serious threat. A bootkit is a malicious program designed to load as early as possible during the boot process, before other security components are loaded and BlackLotus does this by targeting the UEFI which is low level firmware, responsible for booting up most modern computers.

What’s the risk to my business?

Successful exploitation allows an attacker to effectively control the computer and allow them to remotely execute code and gain the highest level of privilege. Successful exploitation requires the attacker to either have remote privileged access, or physical access to the target computer.

Technical Summary

The bootkit exploits CVE-2022-21894, which is a Secure Boot vulnerability. Although patched by Microsoft in January, the vulnerable signed binaries are not on the UEFI revocation list which flags boot files that should not be trusted and as such the malware can run on “patched” systems. Once the bootkit has run successfully, it is engineered to communicate with a command-and-control server, allowing the bootkit to retrieve additional user-mode or kernel-mode malware.

What can I do?

There is currently no known patch and the bootkit can run even on fully patched Windows 11 systems which have Secure Boot enabled. Security controls to mitigate this vulnerability from being exploited should focus on preventing an attacker from obtaining remote privileged access to the device through secure identity and access management, or to prevent unauthorised individuals from having physical access to the device. Black Arrow will continue to monitor the situation, and this alert will be updated when more information is made available.

Need help understanding your gaps, or just want some advice? Get in touch with us.

#threatadvisory #threatintelligence #cybersecurity

Research on BlackLotus malware can be found here: https://www.welivesecurity.com/2023/03/01/blacklotus-uefi-bootkit-myth-confirmed/

Details for CVE-2023-21716 can be found here: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2023-21716

Black Arrow Cyber Advisory 07 March 2023 – Microsoft Word Proof of Concept Exploit Released for Recently Patched RCE Vulnerability

Executive Summary

CVE-2023-21716 is a Microsoft Word critical remote code execution vulnerability discovered last year, which has been patched in Microsoft’s February patch Tuesday. Security Researcher Joshua Drake has released a Proof of Concept (PoC) for the vulnerability and it’s so small it can fit in a tweet. The PoC requires the victim to simply just preview or open a malicious file, which could arrive in a multitude of ways, such as an email.

What’s the risk to my business?

Successful exploitation allows an attacker to remotely execute code, impacting the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the data held by an organisation.

What can I do?

The vulnerability was patched as part of Microsoft’s February patch Tuesday, so only unpatched versions of Microsoft Office Word remain vulnerable. It is therefore recommended to apply the patches if not done so already. Additionally, the impact can be mitigated by enabling protected view in Microsoft Office Word, which is enabled by default. Protected view is a read-only mode where most editing functions are disabled.

Need help understanding your gaps, or just want some advice? Get in touch with us.

#threatadvisory #threatintelligence #cybersecurity

The proof of concept can be found here: https://qoop.org/publications/cve-2023-21716-rtf-fonttbl.md

Details for CVE-2023-21716 can be found here: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2023-21716

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 03 March 2023

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

• It’s Time to Evaluate Your Security Education Plan with the Rise in Social Engineering Attacks

Security provider Purplesec found 98% of attacks in 2022 involved an element of social engineering. Social engineering attacks can take many forms including phishing, smishing, vishing and quishing and it’s vital to educate your organisation on how to best prepare for these. Education plans should focusing on educating all levels of users, including those at the top. These plans should also be tested to allow organisations to assess where they are at and identify where they can improve.

https://www.darkreading.com/endpoint/as-social-engineering-attacks-skyrocket-evaluate-your-security-education-plan

• Mobile Users are More Susceptible to Phishing Attacks

A report conducted by mobile security provider Lookout focused on the impact of mobile phishing. Some of the key findings from the report included that more than 50% of personal devices were exposed to a mobile phishing attack every quarter, the percentage of users falling for multiple mobile phishing links increasing and an increased targeting of highly regulated industries such as insurance, banking and financial services. It is likely that this has resulted from the increase in relaxed bring your own device (BYOD) policies.

https://www.msspalert.com/cybersecurity-research/mobile-users-more-susceptible-to-phishing-attacks-than-two-years-ago/

• Phishing as a Service Stimulates Cyber Crime

Phishing attacks are at an all-time high and the usage of Phishing as a Service (PaaS) opens this attack technique to virtually anyone. The sale of “phishing kits” and usage of artificial intelligence has further increased the availability of this attack technique. In response, organisations should look to improve their email security, cloud security and education programs for employees.

https://www.trendmicro.com/en_us/ciso/23/c/phishing-as-a-service-phaas.html

• Attacker Breakout Time Drops to Just 84 Minutes

The average time it takes for a threat actor to move laterally from a compromised host within an organisation dropped 14% between 2012 and 2022 down to 84 minutes, according to a report by security provider Crowdstrike. With the reduction in time it takes a threat actor to move across systems, organisations have even less time to enact their incident response plans and contain breaches effectively, putting further pressure on the incident response team. By responding quickly, organisations can minimise the cost and damage of a breach. The report from Crowdstrike found that organisations were facing increasing difficulty in detecting suspicious activity as attackers are choosing to use valid organisation credentials rather than malware, to gain access to an organisation’s systems.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/attacker-breakout-time-drops-just/

• Attackers are Developing and Deploying Exploits Faster Than Ever

A report from security provider Rapid7 found that over 56% of vulnerabilities were exploited within seven days of public disclosure. Worryingly, the median time for exploitation in 2022 was just one day. The finding from the report highlights the need for organisations to not only conduct threat intelligence to be aware of vulnerabilities but to also look to employ patches where possible in a timely manner.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/03/03/attackers-developing-deploying-exploits/

• Old Vulnerabilities are Haunting Organisations and Aiding Attackers

Known vulnerabilities, vulnerabilities for which patches have already been made available, are one of the primary attack vectors for threat actors. Vulnerability management vendor Tenable found that the top exploited vulnerabilities were originally disclosed as far back as 2017 and organisations that had not applied these patches were at increased risks of attack.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/03/03/known-exploitable-vulnerabilities/

• Scams Drive Nearly $9bn Fraud Surge in 2022

Americans lost $8.8 billion to fraud last year, with imposter scams responsible for $2.8 billion of that amount, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Losses to business imposters were particularly damaging, climbing to $660 million from the previous year. Interestingly, the FTC found that younger people reported losing money to fraud the most often.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/investment-scams-drive-9bn-in/

• Economic Pressure are Increasing Cyber Security Risks and a Recession Would Only Further This

The World Economic Forum’s recent report found that 93% of cyber security leaders and 86% of business leaders think it is moderately or very likely that global geopolitical instability will lead to a catastrophic cyber event in the next two years. Reinforcing this, a report from (ISC)² found that 80% of business executives believe a weakening economy will increase cyber threats and a recession will only amplify this.

https://www.csoonline.com/article/3689008/economic-pressures-are-increasing-cybersecurity-risks-a-recession-would-amp-them-up-more.html

• Cyber Security in this Era of Polycrisis

A year since Russia invaded Ukraine, the geopolitical context is increasingly tense and volatile. The world faces several major crises in what has been coined a 'polycrisis,' a cluster of global shocks with compounding effects. This, along with increasing geopolitical tensions causes a rise in risk from cyber attacks. In fact, the European Union Agency for Cyber Security (ENISA) recently issued an alert regarding actors conducting malicious cyber activities against businesses and governments in the European Union and findings from Google show a 300% increase in state-sponsored cyber attacks targeting users in NATO countries.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/02/cybersecurity-in-an-era-of-polycrisis/

• Russian Ransomware Projects Rebranded to Avoid Western Sanctions

Research provider TRM labs found that some major Russian-linked ransomware crime gangs have rebranded their activities in 2022 to avoid sanctions. To strengthen their anonymity, two major ransomware crime gangs LockBit and Conti restructured their activities. Conti is reported to have restructured into three smaller groups named Black Besta, BlackByte, Karakurt. LockBit on the other hand launched LockBit 3.0, which is focused on monetary gain. Additionally, the report found that Russian-speaking darknet markets had amassed over $130 million in sales.

https://cryptopotato.com/russian-ransomware-projects-rebranded-to-avoid-western-sanctions-report/

• Ransomware Attacks Ravaged Big Names in February

Despite the apparent slight drop in ransomware activity last month, several high profile targets of various industries were hit; this ranges from the likes of the US Marshal Service, retailer WH Smith, satellite provider Dish and many more. These attacks reinforce the concept that any organisation can be a victim, regardless of industry.

https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/news/365532056/Ransomware-attacks-ravaged-big-names-in-February

• Firms Who Pay Ransoms Subsidise New Attacks

A report from security provider Trend Micro found that whilst only a relatively small number of ransomware victims pay their extorters, those that do pay are effectively funding 6-10 new attacks. The report also found that attackers are aware of which industries and countries pay ransoms more often, so organisations belonging to those industries and countries may find themselves an even more attractive target.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/firms-pay-ransom-subsidise-10/

• How the Ukraine War Opened a Fault Line in Cyber Crime

A report from threat intelligence provider Recorded Future has highlighted the impact that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has had on cyber. Recorded Future explain how a number of threat actor groups fled during the war and in addition to differing political views between groups, there has been a disruption to the cyber environment. In fact, Recorded Future found that Russian-language dark web marketplaces have taken a major hit and the prediction is that the epicentre of cyber crime may shift to English-speaking dark web forums, shops and marketplaces.

https://www.darkreading.com/analytics/ukraine-war-fault-line-cybercrime-forever

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Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• Firms Who Pay Ransom Subsidise 10 New Attacks: Report - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Well-funded security systems fail to prevent cyber attacks in US and Europe: Report | CSO Online

• Russian Ransomware Projects Rebranded to Avoid Western Sanctions: Report (cryptopotato.com)

• New cyber attack tactics rise up as ransomware payouts increase | CSO Online

• Ransomware Attacks: Don’t Let Your Guard Down - SecurityWeek

• Ransomware attacks ravaged big names in February | TechTarget

• Cyber Insurance Market Back From Brink After Onslaught of Ransomware Attacks (insurancejournal.com)

• Royal Mail schools LockBit in leaked negotiation (malwarebytes.com)

• 'Ethical hacker' among ransomware suspects arrested • The Register

• Wiper malware goes global, destructive attacks surge - Help Net Security

• A Deep Dive into the Evolution of Ransomware Part 3 (trendmicro.com)

• New Exfiltrator-22 post-exploitation kit linked to LockBit ransomware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• PureCrypter malware hits govt orgs with ransomware, info-stealers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Bitdefender Releases Free Decryptor for MortalKombat Ransomware Strain (thehackernews.com)

• Dish Network confirms ransomware attack behind multi-day outage (bleepingcomputer.com)

• US Marshals Ransomware Hit Is 'Major' Incident (darkreading.com)

• The DoJ Disruption of the Hive Ransomware Group Is a Short-Lived Win (darkreading.com)

• Vice Society publishes data stolen during Vesuvius ransomware attack • Graham Cluley

• US Cybersecurity Agency Raises Alarm Over Royal Ransomware's Deadly Capabilities (thehackernews.com)

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• New cyber attack tactics rise up as ransomware payouts increase | CSO Online

• Mobile Users More Susceptible to Phishing Attacks than Two Years Ago - MSSP Alert

• Phishing as a Service Stimulates Cyber crime (trendmicro.com)

• Phone Attacks and MFA Bypass Drive Phishing to New Heights - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Managed XDR Exposes Spear-Phishing Campaign Targeting Hospitality Industry Using RedLine Stealer (trendmicro.com)

BEC – Business Email Compromise

• New cyber attack tactics rise up as ransomware payouts increase | CSO Online

• Expert strategies for defending against multilingual email-based attacks - Help Net Security

• Hackers Target Young Gamers: How Your Child Can Cause Business Compromise (darkreading.com)

Other Social Engineering; Smishing, Vishing, etc

• As Social Engineering Attacks Skyrocket, Evaluate Your Security Education Plan (darkreading.com)

• The Top 5 New Social Engineering Attacks in 2023 - (ISC)² Blog (isc2.org)

• How to Prevent Callback Phishing Attacks on Your Organization (bleepingcomputer.com)

2FA/MFA

• Phone Attacks and MFA Bypass Drive Phishing to New Heights - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Malware

• RIG Exploit Kit still infects enterprise users via Internet Explorer (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Exfiltrator-22 Post-Exploitation Toolkit Nips At Cobalt Strike's Heels (darkreading.com)

• Malicious package flood on PyPI might be sign of new attacks to come | CSO Online

• Iron Tiger hackers create Linux version of their custom malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Parallax RAT Targeting Cryptocurrency Firms with Sophisticated Injection Techniques (thehackernews.com)

• It's official: BlackLotus malware can bypass secure boot • The Register

• Threat actors target law firms with GootLoader and SocGholish--Security Affairs

• Managed XDR Exposes Spear-Phishing Campaign Targeting Hospitality Industry Using RedLine Stealer (trendmicro.com)

Mobile

• Mobile Users More Susceptible to Phishing Attacks than Two Years Ago - MSSP Alert

• Mobile Banking Trojans Surge, Doubling in Volume (darkreading.com)

• Privacy Concerns Raised Over Android Apps' Data Safety Labels - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Signal would 'walk' from UK if Online Safety Bill undermined encryption - BBC News

• Phone Attacks and MFA Bypass Drive Phishing to New Heights - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Don't be fooled by a pretty icon, malicious apps hide in plain sight - Help Net Security

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

• Danish Hospitals Struck By Cyber attack From ‘Anonymous Sudan’ (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

Data Breaches/Leaks

• LastPass Says DevOps Engineer Home Computer Hacked - SecurityWeek

• LastPass Reveals Second Attack Resulting in Breach of Encrypted Password Vaults (thehackernews.com)

• Stanford University discloses data breach affecting PhD applicants (bleepingcomputer.com)

• More than 200 cyber attacks with theft of personal data reported to Irish authorities in a year (thejournal.ie)

• Threat actors leak Activision employee data on hacking forum--Security Affairs

• 10 US states that suffered the most devastating data breaches in 2022 - Help Net Security

• Australian orgs lodged 497 data breach notices in back half of 2022 - Security - iTnews

• WH Smith targeted by cyber attack with hackers accessing data on current and former employees | Business News | Sky News

• API Security Flaw Found in Booking.com Allowed Full Account Takeover - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Hatch Bank discloses data breach after GoAnywhere MFT hack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• GunAuction site was hacked and data of 565k accounts were exposed--Security Affairs

• Chick-fil-A confirms accounts hacked in months-long "automated" attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• What GoDaddy's Years-Long Breach Means for Millions of Clients (darkreading.com)

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• Russian Ransomware Projects Rebranded to Avoid Western Sanctions: Report (cryptopotato.com)

• Russian IT “Brain Drain” Decentralizes Cyber crime - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Economic pressures are increasing cybersecurity risks; a recession would amp them up more | CSO Online

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• Cryptocurrency Bitcoin mining rig found in school crawlspace • The Register

• Highly evasive cryptocurrency miner targets macOS--Security Affairs

• Parallax RAT Targeting Cryptocurrency Firms with Sophisticated Injection Techniques (thehackernews.com)

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• Economic pressures are increasing cybersecurity risks; a recession would amp them up more | CSO Online

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• Investment Scams Drive $9bn Fraud Surge in 2022 - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Economic pressures are increasing cybersecurity risks; a recession would amp them up more | CSO Online

• How I Broke Into a Bank Account With an AI-Generated Voice (vice.com)

• FTC reveals alarming increase in scam activity, costing consumers billions - Help Net Security

• Resecurity identified the investment scam network Digital Smoke - Help Net Security

• Pig butchering scam explained: Everything you need to know (techtarget.com)

AML/CFT/Sanctions

• Russian Ransomware Projects Rebranded to Avoid Western Sanctions: Report (cryptopotato.com)

Insurance

• Cyber Insurance Market Back From Brink After Onslaught of Ransomware Attacks (insurancejournal.com)

• The future of cyber insurance - IT Security Guru

Dark Web

• Sale of Stolen Credentials and Initial Access Dominate Dark Web Markets (darkreading.com)

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• Third-party risks overwhelm traditional ERM setups - Help Net Security

• Third-Party Risks: Challenges for MSSPs and How to Overcome Them - MSSP Alert

• Shocking Findings from the 2023 Third-Party App Access Report (thehackernews.com)

Software Supply Chain

• Shocking Findings from the 2023 Third-Party App Access Report (thehackernews.com)

• SBOM is a 'massive galaxy of mess' for supply chain security • The Register

• IBM Contributes Supply Chain Security Tools to OWASP (darkreading.com)

Cloud/SaaS

• How to Tackle the Top SaaS Challenges of 2023 (thehackernews.com)

• Cloud incident response: Frameworks and best practices | TechTarget

• Security teams have no control over risky SaaS-to-SaaS connections - Help Net Security

• It only takes one over-privileged identity to do major damage to a cloud - Help Net Security

• SCARLETEEL hackers use advanced cloud skills to steal source code, data (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Shocking Findings from the 2023 Third-Party App Access Report (thehackernews.com)

• Google Cloud Platform allows data exfiltration without a (forensic) trace - Help Net Security

• What Happened in That Cyber attack? With Some Cloud Services, You May Never Know (darkreading.com)

• Public SaaS Assets Are a Major Risk For Medium, Large Firms - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• New Report: Inside the High Risk of Third-Party SaaS Apps (darkreading.com)

Containers

• Hackers Exploit Containerized Environments to Steals Proprietary Data and Software (thehackernews.com)

Hybrid/Remote Working

• Work-From-Home Regulations Are Coming. Companies Aren’t Ready. (mit.edu)

• How to work from home securely, the NSA way (malwarebytes.com)

Encryption

• Signal would 'walk' from UK if Online Safety Bill undermined encryption - BBC News

API

• Application Security vs. API Security: What is the difference? (thehackernews.com)

• API Security Flaw Found in Booking.com Allowed Full Account Takeover - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Open Source

• Iron Tiger hackers create Linux version of their custom malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Should organisations swear off open-source software altogether? | VentureBeat

• Top 10 open source software risks for 2023 | CSO Online

• IBM Contributes Supply Chain Security Tools to OWASP (darkreading.com)

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• LastPass Says DevOps Engineer Home Computer Hacked - SecurityWeek

• Critical Vulnerabilities Allowed Booking.com Account Takeover - SecurityWeek

• Sale of Stolen Credentials and Initial Access Dominate Dark Web Markets (darkreading.com)

Social Media

• White House: No More TikTok on Gov't Devices Within 30 Days - SecurityWeek

• EU Parliament bans staff from using TikTok over ‘cybersecurity concerns’ – POLITICO

• TikTok answers three big cyber-security fears about the app - BBC News

• Meta says $725M deal ends all Cambridge Analytica claims; one state disagrees | Ars Technica

Training, Education and Awareness

• As Social Engineering Attacks Skyrocket, Evaluate Your Security Education Plan (darkreading.com)

Parental Controls and Child Safety

• Hackers Target Young Gamers: How Your Child Can Cause Business Compromise (darkreading.com)

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• UK seeks to ‘focus’ espionage bill to head off Lords rebellion | Financial Times (ft.com)

• Cyber resilience in focus: EU act to set strict standards - Help Net Security

• Work-From-Home Regulations Are Coming. Companies Aren’t Ready. (mit.edu)

• White House to Take Aggressive Stance Mandating Private Industry Make Systems Cyber Safe - MSSP Alert

• ML practitioners push for mandatory AI Bill of Rights - Help Net Security

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Third-party risks overwhelm traditional ERM setups - Help Net Security

• Economic pressures are increasing cybersecurity risks; a recession would amp them up more | CSO Online

• CISOs Share Their 3 Top Challenges for Cybersecurity Management (darkreading.com)

• The Importance of Recession-Proofing Security Operations (darkreading.com)

• Third-Party Risks: Challenges for MSSPs and How to Overcome Them - MSSP Alert

• Decrypting Cyber Risk Quantification (trendmicro.com)

• How to de-risk your digital ecosystem | CSO Online

• CISO Conversations: Code42, BreachQuest Leaders Discuss Combining CISO and CIO Roles - SecurityWeek

Models, Frameworks and Standards

• CISA releases free ‘Decider’ tool to help with MITRE ATT&CK mapping (bleepingcomputer.com)

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

• Gartner Prediction: Nearly Half of Cybersecurity Pros Will Change Jobs by 2025 - MSSP Alert

• Top 7 cybersecurity jobs in high demand (cointelegraph.com)

• Growing Demand For Skilled Cybersecurity Workforce In Digital Age (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Dutch cyber security professionals experience stress akin to soldiers in war zone, claims expert | Computer Weekly

• Partnering With a Cybersecurity Vendor Can Help You Recruit Top Talent - MSSP Alert

• CISOs Are Stressed Out and It's Putting Companies at Risk (thehackernews.com)

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• 'Ethical hacker' among ransomware suspects arrested • The Register

• The DoJ Disruption of the Hive Ransomware Group Is a Short-Lived Win (darkreading.com)

Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring

• UK seeks to ‘focus’ espionage bill to head off Lords rebellion | Financial Times (ft.com)

• Press greets Home Office redraft of national security bill with scepticism | Media | The Guardian

• Privacy Concerns Raised Over Android Apps' Data Safety Labels - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• The Air Force Is Now Using Facial Recognition Drones (gizmodo.com)

• How dog tracker apps are snooping on humans, according to cyber security experts (telegraph.co.uk)

Artificial Intelligence

• Generative AI Changes Everything We Know About Cyber attacks (darkreading.com)

• ChatGPT is bringing advancements and challenges for cybersecurity - Help Net Security

• How I Broke Into a Bank Account With an AI-Generated Voice (vice.com)

• ML practitioners push for mandatory AI Bill of Rights - Help Net Security

Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda

• China spends billions on pro-Russia disinformation, US special envoy says | China | The Guardian

Spyware, Cyber Espionage & Cyber Warfare, including Russian Invasion of Ukraine

• Cyber security must be tightened up in this era of polycrisis | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)

• Russian IT “Brain Drain” Decentralizes Cyber crime - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• How the Ukraine War Opened a Fault Line in Cyber crime, Possibly Forever (darkreading.com)

• Russia-Ukraine War: A Year of Cyber Shortfalls (foreignpolicy.com)

• 'A year of cyberwar' with Russia: An inside look from a top Ukrainian cybersecurity official | CyberScoop

• Evaluating the Cyberwar Set Off by Russian Invasion of Ukraine (darkreading.com)

• CISA Calls For Increased Vigilance One Year After Ukraine's Russian Invasion - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• CERT of Ukraine: Russia-linked APT backdoored multiple govt sites-Security Affairs

• White House: No More TikTok on Gov't Devices Within 30 Days - SecurityWeek

• Russian charged with smuggling US counterintel tech • The Register

• Cyber security in wartime: how Ukraine's infosec community is coping | CSO Online

• China's BlackFly Targets Materials Sector in 'Relentless' Quest for IP (darkreading.com)

• 'Hackers' Behind Air Raid Alerts Across Russia: Official - SecurityWeek

• Belgium’s cyber security agency links China to spear phishing attack on MP | Financial Times (ft.com)

• China spends billions on pro-Russia disinformation, US special envoy says | China | The Guardian

• China Is Relentlessly Hacking Its Neighbors | WIRED

Nation State Actors

• Cyber security must be tightened up in this era of polycrisis | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)

• Russian IT “Brain Drain” Decentralizes Cyber crime - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• How the Ukraine War Opened a Fault Line in Cyber crime, Possibly Forever (darkreading.com)

• Hacker group defaces Russian websites to display the Kremlin on fire | TechCrunch

• Russia-Ukraine War: A Year of Cyber Shortfalls (foreignpolicy.com)

• CISA Calls For Increased Vigilance One Year After Ukraine's Russian Invasion - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• CERT of Ukraine: Russia-linked APT backdoored multiple govt sites-Security Affairs

• Evaluating the Cyberwar Set Off by Russian Invasion of Ukraine (darkreading.com)

• White House: No More TikTok on Gov't Devices Within 30 Days - SecurityWeek

• Russian charged with smuggling US counterintel tech • The Register

• Cyber security in wartime: how Ukraine's infosec community is coping | CSO Online

• EU Parliament bans staff from using TikTok over ‘cybersecurity concerns’ – POLITICO

• China's BlackFly Targets Materials Sector in 'Relentless' Quest for IP (darkreading.com)

• 'Hackers' Behind Air Raid Alerts Across Russia: Official - SecurityWeek

• Belgium’s cyber security agency links China to spear phishing attack on MP | Financial Times (ft.com)

• 'A year of cyberwar' with Russia: An inside look from a top Ukrainian cybersecurity official | CyberScoop

• China spends billions on pro-Russia disinformation, US special envoy says | China | The Guardian

• China Is Relentlessly Hacking Its Neighbors | WIRED

• TikTok answers three big cyber-security fears about the app - BBC News

• Russia bans foreign messaging apps in government organisations (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Chinese hackers use new custom backdoor to evade detection (bleepingcomputer.com)

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Vulnerability Management

• Unpatched old vulnerabilities continue to be exploited: Report | CSO Online

• All CVEs Are Not Created Equal (darkreading.com)

Vulnerabilities

• A world of hurt for Fortinet and ManageEngine after users fail to install patches | Ars Technica

• Cisco ClamAV anti-malware scanner vulnerable to serious security flaw | The Daily Swig (portswigger.net)

• Popular IBM file transfer tool vulnerable to cyber attacks, CISA says - The Record from Recorded Future News

• Hackers are actively exploiting Zoho ManageEngine flaw-Security Affairs

• All In One SEO WordPress Plugin Vulnerability Affects Up To 3+ Million (searchenginejournal.com)

• CISA warns of hackers exploiting ZK Java Framework RCE flaw (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Security Defects in TPM 2.0 Spec Raise Alarm - SecurityWeek

• Cisco patches critical Web UI RCE flaw in multiple IP phones (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Aruba Networks fixes six critical vulnerabilities in ArubaOS (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft releases Windows security updates for Intel CPU flaws (bleepingcomputer.com)

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Tools and Controls

• LastPass Reveals Second Attack Resulting in Breach of Encrypted Password Vaults (thehackernews.com)

• Well-funded security systems fail to prevent cyber attacks in US and Europe: Report | CSO Online

• The Future of Network Security: Predictive Analytics and ML-Driven Solutions (thehackernews.com)

• Microsoft announces automatic BEC, ransomware attack disruption capabilities - Help Net Security

• How to use zero trust and IAM to defend against cyber attacks in an economic downturn | VentureBeat

• Zero trust: building a mixed estate - NCSC.GOV.UK

• Pentesting No Longer Driven by Regulatory Compliance, New Study Finds - MSSP Alert

• Application Security vs. API Security: What is the difference? (thehackernews.com)

• A new AI-based tool to detect DDoS attacks

• CISA Shares Advice to Improve Networks' Monitoring and Hardening - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Microsoft a Leader in the 2022 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Endpoint Protection Platforms - Microsoft Security Blog

• Accurately assessing the success of zero-trust initiatives | TechTarget

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Other News

• Attackers are developing and deploying exploits faster than ever - Help Net Security

• Attacker Breakout Time Drops to Just 84 Minutes - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Moving target defence must keep cyber attackers guessing - Help Net Security

• Covert cyber attacks on the rise as attackers shift tactics for maximum impact - Help Net Security

• Dormant accounts are a low-hanging fruit for attackers - Help Net Security

• Dish Network goes offline after likely cyber attack, employees cut off (bleepingcomputer.com)

• News Corp says state hackers were on its network for two years (bleepingcomputer.com)

• UK won the Military Cyberwarfare exercise Defence Cyber Marvel-Security Affairs

• To Safeguard Critical Infrastructure, Go Back to Basics (darkreading.com)

• Feds accuse Google of destroying evidence in antitrust case • The Register

• Microsoft recommending you scan more Exchange server files • The Register

• CISA director urges tech sector to stop shipping unsafe products | CyberScoop

• Developers can make a great extension of your security team - Help Net Security

• 2023 Browser Security Report Uncovers Major Browsing Risks and Blind Spots (thehackernews.com)

• Uncovering the most pressing cybersecurity concerns for SMBs - Help Net Security

• Wiz execs: Most overhyped security tool is technology itself • The Register

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Black Arrow Cyber Advisory 03 March 2023 – Cisco IP Phone 6800, 7800, 7900, and 8800 Series Web User Interface Vulnerabilities

Executive Summary

Multiple Vulnerabilities in the web-based management interface for the Cisco IP Phones: 6800, 7800, 7900, and 8800 have been identified. The vulnerabilities are tracked as CVE-2023-20078 and CVE-2023-20079.

What’s the risk to me or my business?

Successful exploitation of the vulnerabilities could allow an attacker to remotely execute code or cause a denial of service (DoS). The vulnerabilities are not dependent on each other and can therefore be executed without requiring the other one.

What can I do?

There are no workarounds, and it is recommended that the patches for the vulnerabilities released by CISCO are installed.

The following models and firmware versions are impacted:

·       IP Phone 6800 Series with Multiplatform Firmware version earlier than  11.3.7SR1

·       IP Phone 7800 Series with Multiplatform Firmware version earlier than  11.3.7SR1

·       IP Phone 8800 Series with Multiplatform Firmware version earlier than  11.3.7SR1

Due to the following products having reached the end of life process, there is no patch available:

·       Cisco Unified IP Phone 7900 Series

·       Cisco Unified IP Conference Phone 8831

·       Cisco Unified IP Conference Phone 8831 with Multiplatform Firmware

 Further information on the vulnerabilities be found here:

https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-ip-phone-cmd-inj-KMFynVcP

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