Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 21 July 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

• Cyber Attacks Reach Two-Year High Amid Ransomware Resurgence as Financial Service Firms Lose $32 Billion in 5 Years

The average weekly volume of cyber attacks reached a two-year high in the second quarter of 2023 amid a spike in activity among ransomware groups according to Check Point Research, with healthcare in particular facing a significant year-on-year increase. The impact of ransomware hits every organisation, with separate research finding global financial services organisations having lost over $32bn in downtime since 2018 due to ransomware breaches.

A recent report found that the ransomware gangs LockBit and Cl0p alone accounted for nearly 40% of all recorded ransomware attacks across June 2023. The impact from Cl0p’s MOVEit attack alone has been felt by over 400 organisations since May 2023. One of the key takeaways from the MOVEit attack is that no matter the sector, any organisation can be a victim and as such it is essential to have effective controls in place, incorporating defence-in-depth. It’s worth considering how many organisations are still running vulnerable instances of MOVEit, or have someone in their supply chain who is.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/ransomware-costs-financial-32bn/

https://www.itpro.com/security/ransomware/weekly-cyber-attacks-reach-two-year-high-amid-ransomware-resurgence

• MOVEit Body Count Closes in on 400 Organisations, 20M+ Individuals

The number of victims and the costs tied to the MOVEit file transfer hack continues to climb as the fallout from the massive supply chain attack enters week seven. In late May 2023, Russian ransomware gang Cl0p exploited a security hole in Progress Software's MOVEit product suite to steal documents from vulnerable networks. As of last week, the number of affected organisations was closing in on 400 and individual victims exceed 20 million.

The attack highlights the need for organisations to have policies and procedures in place for third parties, and to be aware of the data which a third party supplier has on them. It will be the organisation who will need to let their customers know in the event of a breach.

https://www.theregister.com/2023/07/20/moveit_victim_count/

• IT Worker Jailed for Impersonating Ransomware Gang to Extort Employer

28-year-old Ashley Liles, a former IT employee, has been sentenced to over three years in prison for attempting to blackmail his employer during a ransomware attack. Liles, an IT security analyst at an Oxford-based company in the UK, exploited his position to intercept a ransomware payment following an attack suffered by his employer. To deceive the company, he impersonated the ransomware gang extorting them. He tried to redirect the ransomware payments by switching the cyber criminals' cryptocurrency wallet to one under his control. He also accessed a board member's private emails over 300 times.

Insider threat is a risk that organisations need to be aware of and, although it was malicious in this case, it can also come from employee negligence. Organisations looking to achieve a strong level of cyber resilience should incorporate insider risk into their training and controls.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/it-worker-jailed-for-impersonating-ransomware-gang-to-extort-employer/

• Stabilising the Cyber Security Landscape: The CISO Exodus and the Rise of vCISOs

In today's evolving digital landscape, the role of a chief information security officer (CISO) is critical. These professionals defend against the rising tide of daily cyber threats. Yet many CISOs are leaving or considering leaving their jobs; this trend seems to reflect the intense pressure CISOs endure. They face a constant stream of complex cyber threats, manage compliance issues and struggle with a talent deficit in cyber security. Paired with high expectations, many reconsider their roles which can lead to a leadership gap.

A virtual CISO (vCISO) is an outsourced security practitioner who offers their expertise to businesses on a part-time or contractual basis. These professionals provide many of the same services as a traditional CISO, such as developing and implementing security strategies, ensuring compliance with regulations, training staff and managing a company's cyber security posture. vCISOs, such as from Black Arrow, are often part of a larger team and can bring a wide range of experiences and skills. They are exposed to diverse security landscapes across industries, and can provide a fresh perspective and innovative solutions to your security challenges. The vCISO model may not replace the need for a full-time CISO in all cases, but it can certainly add a flexible and cost-effective tool to the arsenal of businesses looking to bolster their cyber security posture.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2023/07/14/stabilizing-the-cybersecurity-landscape-the-ciso-exodus-and-the-rise-of-vcisos/

• Risk is Driving Medium-Sized Business Decisions

Small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) have long lacked the tools, expertise, staff and budget to make major cyber security investments. However, as threats become more mainstream and more advanced, the focus is shifting, so SMBs need to take the threats seriously and evaluate their cyber security controls.

In a survey of 140 SMBs, it was found that 40% of respondents believe they are very likely or extremely likely to experience a cyber security attack target in the next 12 months. That fear is founded, as 34% of organisations stated they experienced a malware attack in the past year, and 29% experienced a phishing or spear phishing incident. SMBs are putting their time, energy, and budget toward risk management. When it came to budgeting, 67% list their primary budgeting method as “risk-based”, and only 32% as “ad hoc/following an attack or breach”. It was found that over two-thirds of businesses would rather spend money now than pay a ransom later.

https://www.msspalert.com/cybersecurity-guests/risk-is-driving-small-and-medium-sized-businesses-smb-decisions/

• Talent and Governance, Not Technology, are Key to Drive Change Around Cyber Security

For the last 20 years, large organisations have been spending significant amounts of money on cyber security products and solutions, on managed services, or with consultancies large and small. Yet maturity levels remain elusive: a report found that 70% of firms surveyed had yet to fully advance to a mature-based approach. Cyber security good practices have been well established for the best part of the last 20 years and continue to provide, in most industries, an acceptable level of protection against most threats and an acceptable level of compliance against most regulations.

However cyber security is often viewed as something external to the business. This perspective leads to talent alienation and execution failures because the employees who should be invested in maintaining and improving cyber security may feel disconnected from these efforts. To make genuine progress, cyber security needs to be intrinsically linked to business values as a visible priority, owned and directed from the highest levels of an organisation.

This approach underlines the importance of governance in setting effective cyber security policies and procedures. It also highlights the crucial role of nurturing talent within the organisation to ensure active involvement in maintaining and improving cyber security measures. While technology is undoubtedly an essential element of cyber security, prioritising talent and governance can lead to lasting progress.

https://technative.io/talent-and-governance-not-technology-are-key-to-drive-change-around-cyber-security/

• Hybrid Work, Digital Transformation can Exploit Security Gaps

A new study showed that larger organisations generally recognise malware threats but they lack protection against malicious actors and ways to properly remediate infections. The report revealed security leaders are concerned about attacks that leverage malware-exfiltrated authentication data. 53% say they are extremely concerned about attacks, with 1% of security leaders saying they weren’t concerned at all. 98% said that better visibility into at-risk applications would significantly improve their security posture.

The most overlooked entry points for malware include 57% of organisations allowing employees to sync browser data between personal and corporate devices. 54% of organisations struggle with shadow IT, due to employees’ unsanctioned adoption of applications and systems, creating gaps not only in visibility but also in basic security controls and corporate policies.

https://www.msspalert.com/cybersecurity-research/digital-transformation-hybrid-work-models-create-perfect-setting-for-cybercriminals-to-exploit-security-gaps-study-finds/

• Human Cyber Risk Can Be Demonstrably Mitigated by Behaviour Changing Training

The process of encouraging secure cyber habits in end users is evolving from traditional awareness training toward changing end user behaviour. It reflects a growing acceptance that traditional methods haven’t worked. While traditional security awareness teaches users how to recognise social engineering, new behaviour changing trains the brain – almost pre-programs it – on the correct recognition and response to phishing.

What is considered a standard phishing email today may not be tomorrow, and changes in user behaviour will help to combat this. It is simply not enough to be shown one phishing email and be told to follow procedures. Training should instead be focused on going beyond; this should look to change how the user approaches things such as phishing, and gamifying the recognition and reporting of it.

https://www.securityweek.com/human-cyber-risk-can-be-demonstrably-mitigated-by-behavior-changing-training-analysis/

• AI Tool WormGPT Enables Convincing Fake Emails For BEC Attacks

A generative AI tool, WormGPT, has emerged as a powerful weapon in the hands of cyber criminals, specifically for launching business email compromise (BEC) attacks, according to new findings. The tool is designed for malicious purposes and has no restrictions on what a user can request. Such a tool allows for impeccable grammar in emails to reduce suspicion and allows sophistication with no restrictions on prompts. The lowered entry threshold enables cyber criminals with limited skills to execute sophisticated attacks, democratising the use of this technology.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/wormgpt-fake-emails-bec-attacks/

https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/chatgpt-dark-web-wormgpt-hack-b2376627.html

• Pro-Russian Hacktivists Increase Focus on Western Targets

‘Anonymous Sudan’, apparent pro-Russian hacktivists, claimed a one-hour distributed denial of service attack on the social platform OnlyFans last week. This was the latest in a string of operations aimed at targets in the US and Europe. The group’s digital assaults coincide with attacks coming from a broader network of hackers aligned with Moscow that seek attention by taking down high-profile victims and strategic targets; many of the targets support Ukraine in its ongoing war against Russia.

The pro-Russian group appears to be affiliated with Killnet, a pro-Russian hacktivist group that emerged in late 2021 or early 2022 and has claimed distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, data theft and leaks on perceived adversaries of the Russian government, according to an analysis from Google’s Mandiant released earlier this week. The collective’s apparent significant growth in capabilities, demonstrated by Microsoft’s confirmation that Anonymous Sudan was responsible for the outages they experienced, potentially indicates a significant increase in outside investment in the collective, further suggesting a potential tie to the Russian state.

https://cyberscoop.com/anonymous-sudan-killnet-russia-onlyfans/

• Infosec Doesn't Know What AI Tools Organisations Are Using

With the marketplace awash in new artificial intelligence (AI) tools and new AI features being added to existing tools, organisations are finding themselves lacking visibility into what AI tools are in use, how they are used, who has access, and what data is being shared. As businesses try, adopt, and abandon new generative AI tools, it falls on enterprise IT, risk, and security leaders to govern and secure their use without hindering innovation. While developing security policies to govern AI use is important, it is not possible without knowing what tools are being used in the first place.

Enterprise security teams have to consider how to handle discovery, learning which generative AI tools have been introduced into the environment and by whom, as well as risk assessment.

https://www.darkreading.com/tech-trends/infosec-doesnt-know-what-ai-tools-orgs-are-using

• Google Restricting Internet Access to Some Employees to Reduce Cyber Attack Risk

In a bid to shrink the attack surface of its employees, and thus boost security, Google is taking an experimental, and some might say extreme, approach: cutting some of their workstations off from the internet. The company originally selected more than 2,500 employees to participate and will disable internet access on the selected desktops, except for internal web-based tools and Google owned websites like Google Drive and Gmail. Some workers who need the internet to do their job will get exceptions, the company stated in materials.

Google is running the programme to reduce the risk of cyber attacks, according to internal materials. If a Google employee’s device is compromised, the attackers may have access to user data and infrastructure code, which could result in a major incident and undermine user trust. The program comes as companies face increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. Just last week, Microsoft said Chinese intelligence hacked into company email accounts belonging to two dozen government agencies in the US and Western Europe, including the US State Department, in a “significant” breach.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/18/google-restricting-internet-access-to-some-employees-for-security.html

https://www.theregister.com/2023/07/19/google_cuts_internet/

• Unlocking Business Potential: How CISOs are Transforming Cyber Security into a Strategic Asset

Enterprises are responding to growing cyber security threats by working to make the best use of tools and services to ensure business resilience, according to a recent report. Chief information security officers (CISOs) and virtual CISOs (vCISOS) in particular, want more solutions and services that help them align security measures with enterprise objectives and C-level executives have become more aware of the need for cyber resilience. As a result, security investments have expanded beyond detection and response to include rapid recovery and business continuity.

The report found that amongst other things, enterprises are investing in risk assessments and outsourcing more services. In some cases, where a CISO cannot be hired, organisations may look to hire a vCISO. It is important that the vCISO is able to understand cyber in context to the business and help to align security objectives with the organisations objectives. Black Arrow supports clients as their vCISO with specialist experience in cyber security risk management in a business context.

https://www.blackarrowcyber.com/blog/threat-briefing-14-july-2023

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Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Risk is Driving Small and Medium-Sized Businesses (SMB) Decisions - MSSP Alert

• Stabilising The Cyber security Landscape: The Rise Of vCISOs (forbes.com)

• Talent and Governance, not Technology, are Key to Drive Change around Cyber Security - TechNative

• Hybrid Work, Digital Transformation Can Exploit Security Gaps, Study Finds - MSSP Alert

• Human Cyber Risk Can Be Demonstrably Mitigated by Behaviour Changing Training: Analysis - SecurityWeek

• Stress, data privacy, zero trust to shape cyber security trends | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• CISOs under pressure: Protecting sensitive information in the age of high employee turnover - Help Net Security

• Network, IAM, cloud are 2023's top cyber security spend priorities | VentureBeat

• CISOs are making cyber security a business problem - Help Net Security

• Top Information Security Threats for Businesses 2023 (cybersecuritynews.com)

• How to Build a Cyber Resilient Company | Entrepreneur

• Best practices for an effective cyber security strategy | CSO Online

• Exploring the macro shifts in enterprise security - Help Net Security

• Google Cloud CISO Phil Venables On Cyber security, Cloud Adoption And The Boardroom (forbes.com)

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Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• Ransomware Costs Financial Services $32bn in Five Years - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• MOVEit victim count closes in on 400 orgs, 20M+ individuals • The Register

• Weekly cyber attacks reach two-year high amid ransomware resurgence | ITPro

• Ransomware attacks are on the rise—and so are ransom payments (fastcompany.com)

• IT worker jailed for impersonating ransomware gang to extort employer (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Security Patch Management Strengthens Ransomware Defence (trendmicro.com)

• The rise in ransomware attacks this year may be related to Russia's war in Ukraine : NPR

• Who are the ransomware gangs wreaking havoc on the world’s biggest companies? | Renee Dudley | The Guardian

• Cyber security firm Sophos impersonated by new SophosEncrypt ransomware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Trends in ransomware-as-a-service and cryptocurrency to monitor - Help Net SecurityFIN8 deploys ALPHV ransomware using Sardonic malware variant (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Linux Ransomware Poses Significant Threat to Critical Infrastructure (darkreading.com)

• Financial cyber crime syndicate deploys reworked backdoor malware | CyberScoop

• Ransomware attackers getting more sophisticated: Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (yahoo.com)

• SophosEncrypt Ransomware Fools Security Researchers (darkreading.com)

• Mallox Ransomware Exploits Weak MS-SQL Servers to Breach Networks (thehackernews.com)

• New Ransomware With RAT Capabilities Impersonating Sophos - SecurityWeek

• Google’s Bard poses ransomware risk, say researchers | Cybernews

• Ransomware review: July 2023 (malwarebytes.com)

• FIN8 Group spotted delivering the BlackCat Ransomware - Security Affairs

• What is Cyber Extortion? | Definition from TechTarget

• Cyber insurers adapting to data-centric ransomware threats | TechTarget

• Shutterfly says Clop ransomware attack did not impact customer data (bleepingcomputer.com)

Ransomware Victims

• MOVEit victim count closes in on 400 orgs, 20M+ individuals • The Register

• Ofcom says it won’t pay ransom, as new MOVEit hack victims come forward | TechCrunch

• MOVEit Transfer vulnerability: New Cl0p 'victims' include Discovery (techmonitor.ai)

• BlackCat and Clop gangs both claim cyber attack on Estée Lauder | Computer Weekly

• Iron ore giant Fortescue Metals targeted by Russian ransomware group | Cybercrime | The Guardian

• Russian medical lab suspends some services after ransomware attack (therecord.media)

• Recycling Giant Tomra Takes Systems Offline Following Cyber attack - SecurityWeek

• Shutterfly says Clop ransomware attack did not impact customer data (bleepingcomputer.com)

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• Typo leaks millions of US military emails to Mali web operator | Financial Times (ft.com)

• AI Tool WormGPT Enables Convincing Fake Emails For BEC Attacks - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Microsoft Exchange servers compromised by Turla APT - Help Net Security

• Microsoft takes pains to obscure role in 0-days that caused email breach | Ars Technica

• Analysis of Storm-0558 techniques for unauthorised email access | Microsoft Security Blog

• Only a handful of hackers are responsible for all email extortion attacks | TechRadar

• Microsoft Tops List of the Most Impersonated Brand for Phishing Scams in Q2 2023 - MSSP Alert

• Enhanced Monitoring to Detect APT Activity Targeting Outlook Online | CISA

• Sorillus RAT and Phishing Attacks Exploit Google Firebase Hosting - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Gmail encouraging users to enable Enhanced Safe Browsing (9to5google.com)

BEC – Business Email Compromise

• AI Tool WormGPT Enables Convincing Fake Emails For BEC Attacks - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Only a handful of hackers are responsible for all email extortion attacks | TechRadar

• Nigerian Man Sentenced to 8 Years in US Prison for $8 Million BEC Scheme - SecurityWeek

Other Social Engineering; Smishing, Vishing, etc

• Meta's Threads app used as a lure - Help Net Security

Artificial Intelligence

• ChatGPT rival WormGPT with ‘no ethical boundaries’ sold to hackers on dark web | The Independent

• Infosec Doesn't Know What AI Tools Orgs Are Using (darkreading.com)

• One in 12 victims of rise in AI scams (telegraph.co.uk)

• AI models must be reconciled with data protection laws • The Register

• UK Financial Regulator Urges Banks to Tackle AI-Based Fraud - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• 1 in 4 Brits play with generative AI and some believe it too • The Register

• OpenAI credentials stolen by the thousands for sale on the dark web (bleepingcomputer.com)

• AI must have better security, says top cyber official - BBC News

• Google Categorises 6 Real-World AI Attacks to Prepare for Now (darkreading.com)

• How to Use Generative AI Tools While Still Protecting Your Privacy | WIRED

• Google’s Bard poses ransomware risk, say researchers | Cybernews

Malware

• Microsoft: Hackers turn Exchange servers into malware control centers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Malicious USB Drives Targeting Global Targets with SOGU and SNOWYDRIVE Malware (thehackernews.com)

• Financial cyber crime syndicate deploys reworked backdoor malware | CyberScoop

• New SOHO Router Botnet AVrecon Spreads to 70,000 Devices Across 20 Countries (thehackernews.com)

• LokiBot Malware Targets Windows Users in Office Document Attacks - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Hackers Target Gamers With Microsoft-Signed Rootkit (darkreading.com)

• Source code of the BlackLotus UEFI Bootkit was leaked on GitHub - Security Affairs

• Are Viruses Still a Threat to Cyber security? (makeuseof.com)

• Black Hat Hacker Exposes Real Identity After Infecting Own Computer With Malware - SecurityWeek

• Pernicious Rootkits Pose Growing Blight On Threat Landscape (darkreading.com)

• Sorillus RAT and Phishing Attacks Exploit Google Firebase Hosting - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Mobile

• Apple slams UK surveillance-bill proposals - BBC News

• Hackers Exploit WebAPK to Deceive Android Users into Installing Malicious Apps (thehackernews.com)

• Meta confirms WhatsApp is down worldwide (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Chinese APT41 Hackers Target Mobile Devices with New WyrmSpy and DragonEgg Spyware (thehackernews.com)

Botnets

• New SOHO Router Botnet AVrecon Spreads to 70,000 Devices Across 20 Countries (thehackernews.com)

• Ukraine's cyber police dismantled a massive bot farm - Security Affairs

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

• Cloudflare reports 'alarming surge' in DDoS sophistication, escalation in recent months | CyberScoop

• Attackers intensify DDoS attacks with new tactics - Help Net Security

• Zyxel Vulnerability Exploited by DDoS Botnets on Linux Systems - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Internet of Things – IoT

• How your internet-connected domestic devices can be a critical tool of cyber attack (mid-day.com)

• US preparing Cyber Trust Mark for more secure smart devices (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Seven new gadgets added to riskiest connected devices list | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

Data Breaches/Leaks

• MOVEit Hack: Number of Impacted Organisations Exceeds 340 - SecurityWeek

• Data compromises on track to set a new record - Help Net Security

• Virustotal data leak exposed data of some registered customers - Security Affairs

• What to do (and what not to do) after a data breach - Help Net Security

• HWL Ebsworth hack: Queensland says its files were taken after criminals release Victorian documents | Cybercrime | The Guardian

• CISOs under pressure: Protecting sensitive information in the age of high employee turnover - Help Net Security

• Thousands of images on Docker Hub leak auth secrets, private keys (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Met Police ‘passed victims’ data to Facebook via online tracking tool’ | Evening Standard

• LastPass: The lessons we learnt from our devastating breach | TechRadar

• JumpCloud, an IT firm serving 200,000 orgs, says it was hacked by nation-state | Ars Technica

• Rogue Azure AD Guests Can Steal Data via Power Apps (darkreading.com)

• FIA World Endurance Championship driver passports leaked - Security Affairs

• Typo leaks millions of US military emails to Mali web operator | Financial Times (ft.com)

• Old Roblox Data Leak Resurfaces, 4000 Users' Personal Information Exposed - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Colorado State University says data breach impacts students, staff (bleepingcomputer.com)

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• Only a handful of hackers are responsible for all email extortion attacks | TechRadar

• Nigerian Man Sentenced to 8 Years in US Prison for $8 Million BEC Scheme - SecurityWeek

• NCA: Nation States Using Cyber crime Groups as Proxies - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Owner of BreachForums Pleads Guilty to Cyber crime and Child Pornography Charges (thehackernews.com)

• Genesis Market infrastructure and inventory sold on hacker forum (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Black Hat Hacker Exposes Real Identity After Infecting Own Computer With Malware - SecurityWeek

• Police arrests Ukrainian scareware developer after 10-year hunt (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Taking the Fight to the Cyber Criminals (trendmicro.com)

• Russian Charged with Tech Smuggling and Money Laundering - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Extremist-friendly tech company closes after fine for securities fraud | Technology | The Guardian

• Hacker Conversations: Inside the Mind of Daniel Kelley, ex-Blackhat - SecurityWeek

• Go Beyond the Headlines for Deeper Dives into the Cyber criminal Underground (thehackernews.com)

• SA on the brink of being Africa's capital of cyber crime, say digital experts | City Press (news24.com)

• What’s the NCA doing about cyber crime? - Tech Monitor

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• Trends in ransomware-as-a-service and cryptocurrency to monitor - Help Net Security

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• IT worker jailed for impersonating ransomware gang to extort employer (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Former contractor accused of remotely accessing town's water treatment facility | Tripwire

• Insider Risk Management Starts With SaaS Security (darkreading.com)

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• One in 12 victims of rise in AI scams (telegraph.co.uk)

• A Twitter user found scam numbers for major airlines on Google Maps. Google is working to fix it | CNN Business

• UK Financial Regulator Urges Banks to Tackle AI-Based Fraud - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Growing scam activity linked to social media and automation - Help Net Security

• A fresh look at the current state of financial fraud - Help Net Security

• Tech support scammers now accepting cash via snail mail • The Register

• Half of UK company directors struck off linked to alleged Covid loan fraud | Coronavirus | The Guardian

• Extremist-friendly tech company closes after fine for securities fraud | Technology | The Guardian

• The cruel new holiday scams you need to know about | This is Money

• Airbnb-Related Scams Surge: Beware Of ‘Too Good To Be True’ Offers (forbes.com)

AML/CFT/Sanctions

• Russian Charged with Tech Smuggling and Money Laundering - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Insurance

• Cyber insurers adapting to data-centric ransomware threats | TechTarget

• Strengthening Password Security may Lower Cyber Insurance Premiums (bleepingcomputer.com)

Dark Web

• Genesis Market infrastructure and inventory sold on hacker forum (bleepingcomputer.com)

• OpenAI credentials stolen by the thousands for sale on the dark web (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Exploring the Dark Side: OSINT Tools and Techniques for Unmasking Dark Web Operations (thehackernews.com)

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• JumpCloud, an IT firm serving 200,000 orgs, says it was hacked by nation-state | Ars Technica

• Google Cloud Build bug lets hackers launch supply chain attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Supply chain executives unaware of growing customer trust issues - Help Net Security

• Possible Supply Chain Attack Targeting Pakistani Government Delivers Shadowpad (trendmicro.com)

Cloud/SaaS

• Microsoft makes cloud security logs available for free • The Register

• Microsoft Expands Cloud Logging to Counter Rising Nation-State Cyber Threats (thehackernews.com)

• Top 5 Cloud Security Threats in 2023 (analyticsinsight.net)

• Network, IAM, cloud are 2023's top cyber security spend priorities | VentureBeat

• Google Cloud Build bug lets hackers launch supply chain attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Reducing Security Debt in the Cloud (darkreading.com)

• Three key unanswered questions about the Chinese breach of Microsoft cloud services | CyberScoop

• TeamTNT's Cloud Credential Stealing Campaign Now Targets Azure and Google Cloud (thehackernews.com)

• How to manage cloud exploitation at the edge | CIO

• Sorillus RAT and Phishing Attacks Exploit Google Firebase Hosting - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Hybrid/Remote Working

• Hybrid Work, Digital Transformation Can Exploit Security Gaps, Study Finds - MSSP Alert

• Securing The Hybrid Workforce Begins With Browsing (forbes.com)

Attack Surface Management

• How to Manage Your Attack Surface? (thehackernews.com)

• What is attack surface management? | Intruder

Identity and Access Management

• Attacker exploits vulnerability in Active Directory Certificate Services to take control of domain (securityintelligence.com)

• Network, IAM, cloud are 2023's top cyber security spend priorities | VentureBeat

• The rise of hassle-free and secure authentication | CyberScoop

Encryption

• Real-world examples of quantum-based attacks - Help Net Security

• EU Urged to Prepare for Quantum Cyber Attacks - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Signal president rejects ‘mass surveillance’ UK law | Fortune

API

• Docker Leaks API Secrets & Private Keys, as Cyber criminals Pounce (darkreading.com)

• API keys: Weaknesses and security best practices | TechTarget

Open Source

• Linux Ransomware Poses Significant Threat to Critical Infrastructure (darkreading.com)

• Half of AI Open Source Projects Reference Buggy Packages - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Zyxel Vulnerability Exploited by DDoS Botnets on Linux Systems - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• LastPass: The lessons we learnt from our devastating breach | TechRadar

• Millions of Keyboard Walk Patterns Found in Compromised Passwords - IT Security Guru

• TeamTNT's Cloud Credential Stealing Campaign Now Targets Azure and Google Cloud (thehackernews.com)

• Strengthening Password Security may Lower Cyber Insurance Premiums (bleepingcomputer.com)

Social Media

• Growing scam activity linked to social media and automation - Help Net Security

• Met Police ‘passed victims’ data to Facebook via online tracking tool’ | Evening Standard

• Meta's Threads app used as a lure - Help Net Security

• TechScape: ‘Lives are ruined in an afternoon’ – social media and the Huw Edwards story | Technology | The Guardian

Training, Education and Awareness

• Human Cyber Risk Can Be Demonstrably Mitigated by Behavior Changing Training: Analysis - SecurityWeek

• Security Awareness Training Isn’t Working - How Can We Improve It? - SecurityWeek

• Companywide Cyber security Training: 20 Tips To Make It ‘Stick’ (forbes.com)

Digital Transformation

• Hybrid Work, Digital Transformation Can Exploit Security Gaps, Study Finds - MSSP Alert

Travel

• The cruel new holiday scams you need to know about | This is Money

• Airbnb-Related Scams Surge: Beware Of ‘Too Good To Be True’ Offers (forbes.com)

• A Twitter user found scam numbers for major airlines on Google Maps. Google is working to fix it | CNN Business

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• AI models must be reconciled with data protection laws • The Register

• UK Financial Regulator Urges Banks to Tackle AI-Based Fraud - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Apple slams UK surveillance-bill proposals - BBC News

• Online Safety Bill Last chance for Lords to stop surveillance | Evening Standard

Models, Frameworks and Standards

• OWASP ZAP 2.13.0 Released – What’s New! (gbhackers.com)

Data Protection

• AI models must be reconciled with data protection laws • The Register

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

• Career Benefits of Learning Ethical Hacking (analyticsinsight.net)

• Should You Be Using a Cyber security Careers Framework? (darkreading.com)

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• Nigerian Man Sentenced to 8 Years in US Prison for $8 Million BEC Scheme - SecurityWeek

• Owner of BreachForums Pleads Guilty to Cyber crime and Child Pornography Charges (thehackernews.com)

• What’s the NCA doing about cyber crime? - Tech Monitor

• Police arrests Ukrainian scareware developer after 10-year hunt (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Russian Charged with Tech Smuggling and Money Laundering - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Ukraine's cyber police dismantled a massive bot farm - Security Affairs

Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring

• Apple slams UK surveillance-bill proposals - BBC News

• Online Safety Bill Last chance for Lords to stop surveillance | Evening Standard

• Stress, data privacy, zero trust to shape cyber security trends | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• How to Use Generative AI Tools While Still Protecting Your Privacy | WIRED

Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda

• Ukraine's cyber police dismantled a massive bot farm - Security Affairs

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Nation State Actors, Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), Cyber Warfare and Cyber Espionage

Russia

• The rise in ransomware attacks this year may be related to Russia's war in Ukraine : NPR

• Gamaredon hackers start stealing data 30 minutes after a breach (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Analysis of Storm-0558 techniques for unauthorised email access | Microsoft Security Blog

• Microsoft Exchange servers compromised by Turla APT - Help Net Security

• Pro-Russian hacktivists increase focus on Western targets. The latest is OnlyFans. | CyberScoop

• Elon Musk’s Starlink is putting our soldiers at risk, Ukraine warns (telegraph.co.uk)

• New Threat Actor Launches Cyber attacks on Ukraine and Poland - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• 1st Case Of Online Killing? Russian Submarine Commander Falls Prey To Fitness Tracking App (eurasiantimes.com)

• Thousands of Russian officials to give up iPhones over US spying fears | Financial Times (ft.com)

• Ukraine innovates on cyber defence | Financial Times (ft.com)

China

• Three key unanswered questions about the Chinese breach of Microsoft cloud services | CyberScoop

• Chinese APT Favourite Backdoor Found in Pakistani Government App - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• China Espionage Operatives Left Empty Handed in Email Heist, White House Official Says - MSSP Alert

• Xi wants to make the Great Firewall of China even greater • The Register

• Chinese APT41 Hackers Target Mobile Devices with New WyrmSpy and DragonEgg Spyware (thehackernews.com)

North Korea

• JumpCloud breach traced back to North Korean state hackers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• North Korean hackers breached a US tech company to steal crypto | Reuters

Misc/Other/Unknown

• JumpCloud, an IT firm serving 200,000 orgs, says it was hacked by nation-state | Ars Technica

• NCA: Nation States Using Cyber crime Groups as Proxies - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• APT Protection: The Key to Safeguarding Your Business (ts2.space)

• How to Secure Your OT Network Against Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) (ts2.space)

• Microsoft Expands Cloud Logging to Counter Rising Nation-State Cyber Threats (thehackernews.com)

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Vulnerability Management

• CVSS 4.0 released, to help assess real-time threat and impact of vulnerabilities - Help Net Security

• Security Patch Management Strengthens Ransomware Defence (trendmicro.com)

• What is Vulnerability Assessment In Cyber security? (gbhackers.com)

• Half of AI Open Source Projects Reference Buggy Packages - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Vulnerabilities

• Windows Users Urged To Update As Microsoft Confirms New Zero-Day Exploits (forbes.com)

• Microsoft Bug Allowed Hackers to Breach Over Two Dozen Organisations via Forged Azure AD Tokens (thehackernews.com)

• Microsoft still unsure how hackers stole Azure AD signing key (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft takes pains to obscure role in 0-days that caused email breach | Ars Technica

• CVE-2023-38408: Remote Code Execution in OpenSSH’s forwarded ssh-agent | Qualys Security Blog

• New critical Citrix ADC and Gateway flaw exploited as zero-day (bleepingcomputer.com)

• OpenSSH Addresses Remote Code Execution Vulnerability: CVE-2023-38408 - VULNERA

• New AMI BMC Flaws Allowing Takeover and Physical Damage Could Impact Millions of Devices - SecurityWeek

• Adobe Rolls Out New Patches for Actively Exploited ColdFusion Vulnerability (thehackernews.com)

• Cisco fixed a critical flaw in SD-WAN vManage - Security Affairs

• Hacking campaign targets sites using WordPress WooCommerce Payments Plugin - Security Affairs

• Microsoft hit by Storm season – a tale of two semi-zero days – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• Chrome 115 Patches 20 Vulnerabilities - SecurityWeek

• 'METIOR' Defence Blueprint Against Side-Channel Vulnerabilities Debuts | Tom's Hardware (tomshardware.com)

• 5 Major Takeaways From Microsoft's July Patch Tuesday (darkreading.com)

• Two Jira Plugin Vulnerabilities in Attacker Crosshairs - SecurityWeek

• Zyxel Vulnerability Exploited by DDoS Botnets on Linux Systems - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Google says Apple employee found a zero-day but did not report it | TechCrunch

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Tools and Controls

• Human Cyber Risk Can Be Demonstrably Mitigated by Behaviour Changing Training: Analysis - SecurityWeek

• CISOs under pressure: Protecting sensitive information in the age of high employee turnover - Help Net Security

• Network, IAM, cloud are 2023's top cyber security spend priorities | VentureBeat

• Stress, data privacy, zero trust to shape cyber security trends | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Reducing Security Debt in the Cloud (darkreading.com)

• Leverage Threat Intelligence, AI, and Data at Scale to Boost Cyber Defences (darkreading.com)

• A Few More Reasons Why RDP is Insecure (Surprise!) (thehackernews.com)

• Enterprise communication security a growing risk, priority | TechTarget

• SBOMs Still More Mandate Than Security (darkreading.com)

• MIT’s Cyber security Metior: A Secret Weapon Against Side-Channel Attacks (scitechdaily.com)

• NCSC Shares Alternatives to Using a SOC - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Building resilience through DevSecOps - Help Net Security

• Microsoft's security roadmap: Protect Azure DevOps secrets • The Register

• CISA shares free tools to help secure data in the cloud (bleepingcomputer.com)

• What is the new Enhanced Safe Browsing for Gmail (and should you enable it)? | ZDNET

• Insider Risk Management Starts With SaaS Security (darkreading.com)

• What is Real-Time Monitoring? | Definition from TechTarget

• How to Manage Your Attack Surface? (thehackernews.com)

• What is attack surface management? | Intruder

• 67% of daily security alerts overwhelm SOC analysts - Help Net Security

• Technical Aspects Of Modern SIEM Systems (forbes.com)

• Gmail encouraging users to enable Enhanced Safe Browsing (9to5google.com)

• Microsoft Expands Cloud Logging to Counter Rising Nation-State Cyber Threats (thehackernews.com)

• 3 Ways AI Could Improve Authentication (darkreading.com)

• Microsoft makes cloud security logs available for free • The Register

• Security Awareness Training Isn’t Working - How Can We Improve It? - SecurityWeek

• The XDR Payoff: Better Security Posture (trendmicro.com)

• API keys: Weaknesses and security best practices | TechTarget

• 10 Steps to Help Secure Your APIs - SecurityWeek

• Threat Actors are Targeting Your Web Applications – Here’s How To Protect Them (bleepingcomputer.com)

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Other News

• Google restricting internet access to some employees for security (cnbc.com)

• Enterprise communication security a growing risk, priority | TechTarget

• Healthcare organisations in the crosshairs of cyber attackers - Help Net Security

• Broadband consumers demand security and sustainability - Help Net Security

• Microsoft Exchange Online hit by new outage blocking emails (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Famed Hacker Kevin Mitnick Dead at 59 - SecurityWeek

• Most CNI Firms Think Climate Tech is Increasing Cyber Risk - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Cyber security measures SMBs should implement - Help Net Security

• Satellites Are Rife With Basic Security Flaws | WIRED

• How Hackers Can Hijack a Satellite (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 Threat Briefing 07 April 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

• 15 Million Public-Facing Services Vulnerable to Known Exploited Vulnerabilities

Over 15 million publicly facing services are susceptible to at least one of the 896 vulnerabilities listed in CISA's KEV (known exploitable vulnerabilities) catalogue. The findings are particularly worrying because the examined vulnerabilities are known and highlighted in CISA's KEV catalogue as actively exploited by hackers, so any delays in their patching maintain a large attack surface, giving threat actors numerous potential targets.

Over half of those 7 million instances were vulnerable to one of the 137 CVEs concerning Microsoft Windows, making this component a top priority for defenders and an excellent target for attackers. Almost half of those are over five years old, so roughly 800,000 machines have not applied security updates for a significant period of time.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/15-million-public-facing-services-vulnerable-to-cisa-kev-flaws/

• New Research Highlights Increased Security Risks Posed by Remote Working and BYOD

New research has highlighted the increased threats associated with remote work and bring your own device (BYOD) policies faced by organisations. The results of the survey show that with remote and hybrid working, personal and work tasks blur together and the boundaries between the two have become more porous. The data shows that 32% of remote and hybrid workers use apps or software not approved by IT and 92% of remote employees perform work tasks on their personal tablet or smartphone devices. These devices, apps and software, along with the corporate data being accessed, are not visible to IT, thereby dramatically increasing an organisation’s risk posture.

https://www.itsecurityguru.org/2023/04/03/new-research-highlights-increased-security-risks-posed-by-remote-working-and-bring-your-own-device-policies/

• Lack of Security Employees Makes SMBs Sitting Ducks for Cyber Attacks

Cyber security is a growing concern among all businesses but lack of security expertise in SMBs is leaving smaller firms open to attack. Cyber threats are more real and prevalent than ever before and the risk to businesses includes not only exposure of customer data and a decrease in trust, but also losses in revenue.

54% of small businesses say they are more concerned about cyber security now than one year ago yet 38% of SMBs said they had zero employees dedicated to security as part of their role, and 42% had just one employee working on security. Even without a traditional security role, there should be someone responsible for making security decisions in every organisation.

A lack of time to focus on security and keeping up with changing threats are amongst the biggest challenges for businesses.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/04/04/smbs-security-posture/

• IT and Security Pros Pressured to Keep Quiet About Data Breaches

It is not possible to stop every bad thing from happening. Alarmingly, when something does go wrong IT/security professionals are being told to keep a breach confidential, even when they knew it should be reported. More than 42% of IT/security professionals reporting this happening to them, and a worrying 30% said they have kept a breach confidential.

At 71%, IT/security professionals in the US were the most likely to say they have been told to keep quiet followed by the UK at 44%.

52% of global organisations have experienced a data breach or data leak in the last 12 months. The US led at 75% (or 23% higher than average) followed by the UK at 51.4%.

Infosec professionals are increasingly worried about their company facing legal action due to a breach being handled incorrectly.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/04/06/pressure-keeping-breaches-confidential/

• Phishing Emails are Seeing a Huge Rise, So Stay on Your Guard

Phishing attacks are up 5x year-on-year, researchers say. A report from Cofense analysed data received from 35 million people across the world, finding there has been a 569% increase in phishing attacks to 2022 and 478% increase to credential phishing. With the increased frequency, intensity and sophistication of these threats small and medium-sized businesses should be particularly wary of phishing and other forms of email-borne cyber attacks as their numbers have grown explosively over the last year, experts have warned. Organisations should keep eyes open for Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks as this type continues to be one of the top crimes for the eighth year in a row.

https://www.techradar.com/news/phishing-emails-are-seeing-a-huge-rise-so-stay-on-your-guard

• Ransomware Attacks Skyrocket as Threat Actors Double Down on Global Attacks

New studies have found that ransomware exploits are increasing, and a large percentage of victims are being hit multiple times. The NCC Group noted that there were 240 ransomware attacks in February 2023, a 45% increase from the record-high number of attacks in January. North America accounted for 47% of the global ransomware attacks, with Europe following (23%). Another report found that of all organisations hit by ransomware in the last 12 months, 28% were reported to be hit twice or more. Of the organisations breached, 69% reported phishing as the initial access vector.

https://www.techrepublic.com/article/nccgroup-ransomware-attacks-up-february/

• MSPs a Favoured Target of Supply Chain and Infrastructure Attacks

With the backdrop of increasing cyber attacks on supply chains, Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are increasingly being favoured by attackers due to their pivotal role in the supply chain and access to the organisations they are serving.

When measured by sector, MSPs are the hardest hit by hackers in supply chain attacks.

ConnectWise’s cyber research unit analysed some 440,000 incidents that impacted MSPs and their clients and found that Lockbit led among the most prolific ransomware hijackers targeting MSPs, (42% of all ransomware attacks) followed by Cl0p at 11%. Whilst numerous other ransomware gangs also directly targeted MSPs in 2022.

Third party risk assessments should be carried out for all organisations in your supply chain and this is especially true of MSPs and external IT providers given the level of access they have into your systems and data.

https://www.msspalert.com/cybersecurity-research/msps-a-favored-target-of-supply-chain-and-infrastructure-attacks-connectwise-reports/

• Fake Ransomware Gang Targets Organisations with Empty Data Leak Threats

Fake extortionists are piggybacking on data breaches and ransomware incidents, threatening companies with publishing or selling allegedly stolen data unless they get paid. Sometimes the actors add the menace of a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack if the message recipient does not comply with the instructions in the messages. It is possible that victims are selected from publicly available sources, such as the initial attacker’s data leak site, social media, news reports, or company disclosures; in some cases a fake extortionist could learn about ransomware victims that have yet to disclose the cyber attack, making it more likely for victims to believe them.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/fake-ransomware-gang-targets-us-orgs-with-empty-data-leak-threats/

• GCHQ Updates Security Guidance for Boards

The UK’s leading cyber security agency GCHQ, has urged the country’s business leaders to “get to grips” with cyber risk after releasing an updated toolkit to help them do so. GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said its updated Cyber Security Board Toolkit is designed to boost the confidence of senior execs when discussing security with key stakeholders from the organisation.

Given the potentially serious impact breaches can have on business operations and growth, the agency wants boards to treat cyber risk with the same urgency as other business risks in areas such as financial and legal.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/gchq-updates-security-guidance/

• More than 60% of Organisations have been Hit with Unplanned Downtime on a Monthly Basis

A recent report found that 52% of organisations had suffered a data breach in the past two years, an increase from 49% in 2022. In addition, 62% of organisations reported that business critical applications suffered from unplanned downtime due to a cyber security incident on at least a monthly basis, an increase from 54% in 2022. Other key findings include downtime costing roughly 2.7% of annual revenue, 39% of organisations believing cyber security incidents directly harmed their competitive position and 31% noting that it had reduced shareholder revenue. As a result of the impact, 95% of organisations reported that they had planned to increase their security budget over the next 2 years.

https://www.msspalert.com/cybersecurity-research/splunk-details-increase-in-data-breaches-downtime-due-to-cybersecurity-issues/

• For Cyber Crime Gangs, Professionalisation Comes With “Corporate” Headaches

Today’s largest cyber crime gangs are operating like large enterprises, with $50 million dollars in annual revenue and around 80% of operating expenses going towards wages. Researchers have found that small, medium and especially large cyber crime gangs are operating just like their legitimate counterparts, from their managerial structure to employee benefits. The research highlights a worrying level of sophistication within cyber crime gangs; we are no longer dealing with the lone attacker in a dark room, but in some cases an enterprise with clear objectives.

https://www.darkreading.com/vulnerabilities-threats/cybercrime-professionalization-gangs-corporate-headaches

• UK’s Offensive Hacking Unit Takes on Military Opponents and Terrorist Groups

Britain’s newly created offensive hacking unit, the National Cyber Force (NCF), has said it is engaged daily in operations to disrupt terrorist groups and military opponents of the UK. Operational details remain unclear, however the NCF says it is engaged in techniques to “undermine the tradecraft” of Russian, Chinese and other state-sponsored hackers and in “technical disruption” against terrorist groups, for example to prevent the dissemination of online propaganda. This news comes after the recent leak of files for Moscow, which had tasked an IT company to develop cyber warfare tools aimed at taking down infrastructure networks and scouring the internet for vulnerabilities.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/apr/03/uks-offensive-hacking-unit-takes-on-military-opponents-and-terrorist-groups

• Man Kills Himself After an AI Chatbot 'Encouraged' Him to Sacrifice Himself to Stop Climate Change

A man reportedly took his own life following a six-week-long conversation about the climate crisis with an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot. Reports found that the chatbot had fed the mans worries about climate change, which had worsened his anxiety and later led to suicidal thoughts. The AI chatbot failed to dissuade the man from committing suicide and had in fact encouraged him to act on the thoughts and join the AI chatbot so “they could live together, as one person, in paradise”. This is despite the efforts made to limit these kind of events.

https://www.euronews.com/next/2023/03/31/man-ends-his-life-after-an-ai-chatbot-encouraged-him-to-sacrifice-himself-to-stop-climate-

• Hackers Exploit WordPress Plugin Flaw That Gives Full Control of Millions of Sites

Hackers are actively exploiting a critical vulnerability in a widely used WordPress plugin that gives them the ability to take complete control of millions of sites, researchers said. The vulnerability is in Elementor Pro, a premium plugin running on more than 12 million sites powered by WordPress.  Despite the vulnerability being fixed, many have not installed the patch. Worryingly, this is a common theme in cyber; many organisations remain vulnerable due to them not having an efficient patching process and as a result, a number of the most exploited vulnerabilities have available patches.

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/03/hackers-exploit-wordpress-plugin-flaw-that-gives-full-control-of-millions-of-sites/

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Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• Ransomware attacks up sharply in February (techrepublic.com)

• Fake ransomware gang targets U.S. orgs with empty data leak threats (bleepingcomputer.com)

• New Money Message ransomware demands million dollar ransoms (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Rorschach – A New Sophisticated and Fast Ransomware - Check Point Research

• ALPHV ransomware exploits Veritas Backup Exec bugs for initial access (bleepingcomputer.com)

• LockBit leaks data stolen from South Korean National Tax Service-Security Affairs

• UK outsourcing services provider Capita suffered a cyber incident-Security Affairs

• March ransomware disclosures spike behind Clop attacks | TechTarget

• Protect Your Company: Ransomware Prevention Made Easy (thehackernews.com)

• Dish Faces Investor Lawsuit Over Ransomware Attack, Downgrades From Equity Analysts | Next TV

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• Scammers Are Using ChatGPT to Write Emails That Aren't Riddled With Typos (futurism.com)

• Phishing emails are seeing a huge rise, so stay on your guard | TechRadar

• Cyber Police of Ukraine arrested members of a gang that defrauded EU citizens of $4.33M-Security Affairs

• YouTube warns of email scam from seemingly authentic account | Science & Tech News | Sky News

BEC – Business Email Compromise

• Cyber Police of Ukraine arrested members of a gang that defrauded EU citizens of $4.33M-Security Affairs

2FA/MFA

• Hackers steal crypto assets by defeating 2FA with rogue browser extension | CSO Online

Malware

• WinRAR SFX archives can run PowerShell without being detected (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Malware and machine learning: A match made in hell - Help Net Security

• Arid Viper Hacking Group Using Upgraded Malware in Middle East Cyber Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Flood of malicious packages results in NPM registry DoS - Help Net Security

• Hackers Using Self-Extracting Archives Exploit for Stealthy Backdoor Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Researcher Tricks ChatGPT into Building Undetectable Steganography Malware (darkreading.com)

• Typhon info-stealing malware devs upgrade evasion capabilities (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Tax preparation and e-file service eFile.com compromised to serve malware-Security Affairs

• The hidden picture of malware attack trends - Help Net Security

Mobile

• Google publishes April Android Security Bulletin, but Pixel updates are once again missing (androidpolice.com)

• Android's April 2023 Updates Patch Critical Remote Code Execution Vulnerabilities - SecurityWeek

BYOD

• New Research Highlights Increased Security Risks Posed by Remote Working and BYOD - IT Security Guru

Internet of Things – IoT

• Hackers can open Nexx garage doors remotely, and there's no fix (bleepingcomputer.com)

• HP to patch critical bug in LaserJet printers within 90 days (bleepingcomputer.com)

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Splunk Details Increase in Data Breaches, Downtime Due to Cyber security Issues - MSSP Alert

• Nearly 5 million hit in massive loan data breach — see if you’re affected | Tom's Guide (tomsguide.com)

• Data Breach Strikes Western Digital (darkreading.com)

• Uber driver info stolen in yet another third-party breach • The Register

• High-cost lender TMX Finance data breach affects nearly 5 million customers | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• ChatGPT linked to alleged leak of confidential information at Samsung (interestingengineering.com)

• Law Firm for Uber Loses Drivers' Data to Hackers in Yet Another Breach (darkreading.com)

• Marketplace 600K Records Leaked By Database Snafu (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Hacker claims breach of US immigration services | Cybernews

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• For Cyber Crime Gangs, Professionalization & ‘Corporate’ Headaches (darkreading.com)

• Fight Mercenaries with these Cyber security Principles (trendmicro.com)

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• DoJ Recovers $112M in Crypto Stolen With Romance Scams (darkreading.com)

• Hackers steal crypto assets by defeating 2FA with rogue browser extension | CSO Online

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• Re-evaluating immature and ineffective insider risk management programs - Help Net Security

• Employees are as likely as cyber-criminals to cause cyber-incidents | The Independent

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• The staggering cost of identity fraud for financial services - Help Net Security

• New dark web market STYX focuses on financial fraud services (bleepingcomputer.com)

• What CISOs Can Do to Build Trust & Fight Fraud in the Metaverse (darkreading.com)

• Feds seize $112m in currency tied to 'pig-butchering scams • The Register

• Stop online counterfeiters dead in their tracks - Help Net Security

Deepfakes

• Misinformation, mistakes and the Pope in a puffer: what rapidly evolving AI can – and can’t – do | Artificial intelligence (AI) | The Guardian

• Welcome to the era of viral AI generated 'news' images | CNN Business

Insurance

• Experts Urge Empathy, Thoughtfulness for Insurers in Challenging Cyber Landscape (insurancejournal.com)

Dark Web

• New dark web market STYX focuses on financial fraud services (bleepingcomputer.com)

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• MSPs a Favoured Target of Supply Chain and Infrastructure Attacks, ConnectWise Reports - MSSP Alert

• APT group Winter Vivern exploits Zimbra webmail flaw to target government entities | CSO Online

• Risk & Repeat: Inside the 3CX supply chain attack | TechTarget

• 10-year-old Windows bug with 'opt-in' fix exploited in 3CX attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Automation, Cyber security, Integration Top the List of Priorities for MSPs in 2023 - MSSP Alert

• Capita: Cyber attack caused pre-weekend outage • The Register

• Western Digital Hit By Network Security Breach - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Cloud/SaaS

• Log4j bug abused in new 'proxyjacking' attacks to resell bandwidth, abuse enterprise cloud | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Google Drive does a surprise rollout of file limits, locking out some users | Ars Technica

• Modular "AlienFox" Toolkit Used to Steal Cloud Service Credentials - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Capita: Cyber attack caused pre-weekend outage • The Register

• Shadow data slipping past security teams - Help Net Security

• Think Before You Share the Link: SaaS in the Real World (thehackernews.com)

• Western Digital Hit By Network Security Breach - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Hybrid/Remote Working

• New Research Highlights Increased Security Risks Posed by Remote Working and BYOD - IT Security Guru

• Unapproved Apps Used By 32% of Remote Workers - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Shadow IT

• Shadow data slipping past security teams - Help Net Security

Identity and Access Management

• "It's The Service Accounts, Stupid": Why Do PAM Deployments Take (almost) Forever To Complete? (thehackernews.com)

• The high cost of insecure authentication methods - Help Net Security

• 3 Fronts in the Battle for Digital Identity (darkreading.com)

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• Takedown of notorious hacker marketplace selling your identity to criminals | Europol (europa.eu)

• Stolen credential warehouse Genesis Market seized by FBI • The Register

Social Media

• TikTok to Comply With US Law, Protect User Data From China - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• TikTok fined £12.7m for illegally processing children’s data | TikTok | The Guardian

• Twitter's recommendation algorithm opens platform to manipulation, bot attacks, researcher finds | CyberScoop

• TikTok bans explained: Everything you need to know (techtarget.com)

• YouTube warns of email scam from seemingly authentic account | Science & Tech News | Sky News

Parental Controls and Child Safety

• TikTok fined £12.7m for illegally processing children’s data | TikTok | The Guardian

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• TikTok fined £12.7m for illegally processing children’s data | TikTok | The Guardian

• UK data regulator issues warning over generative AI data protection concerns | CSO Online

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• 42% of IT leaders told to maintain breach confidentiality | TechTarget

• GCHQ Updates Security Guidance for Boards - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Splunk Details Increase in Data Breaches, Downtime Due to  Issues - MSSP Alert

• 5 strategies to manage  risks in mergers and acquisitions | CSO Online

Models, Frameworks and Standards

• What is PCI DSS 12 requirements? | Definition from TechTarget

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

• Ex-GCHQ chief criticises Treasury for advertising head of cyber security job with £50k salary (telegraph.co.uk)

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• Cyber Police of Ukraine arrested members of a gang that defrauded EU citizens of $4.33M-Security Affairs

• Stolen credential warehouse Genesis Market seized by FBI • The Register

• Spain's most dangerous and elusive hacker now in police custody (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Genesis Market: Popular cyber crime website shut down by police - BBC News

• FBI obtained detailed database exposing 60,000 users of the cyber crime bazaar Genesis Market | CyberScoop

Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring

• NYPD ignored 93 percent of surveillance law rules • The Register

Artificial Intelligence

• Welcome to the era of viral AI generated 'news' images | CNN Business

• Misinformation, mistakes and the Pope in a puffer: what rapidly evolving AI can – and can’t – do | Artificial intelligence (AI) | The Guardian

• Scammers Are Using ChatGPT to Write Emails That Aren't Riddled With Typos (futurism.com)

• ChatGPT, the AI Revolution, and the Security, Privacy and Ethical Implications - SecurityWeek

• ChatGPT banned in Italy | The Independent

• Man ends his life after an AI chatbot 'encouraged' him to sacrifice himself to stop climate change | Euronews

• Malware and machine learning: A match made in hell - Help Net Security

• ChatGPT linked to alleged leak of confidential information at Samsung (interestingengineering.com)

• UK data regulator issues warning over generative AI data protection concerns | CSO Online

• Researcher Tricks ChatGPT into Building Undetectable Steganography Malware (darkreading.com)

Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda

• Misinformation, mistakes and the Pope in a puffer: what rapidly evolving AI can – and can’t – do | Artificial intelligence (AI) | The Guardian

• ChatGPT could increase 'threat vector' for cyber attacks and misinformation, experts warn: 'Deepfake generator' | Fox Business

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

• UK’s offensive hacking unit takes on military opponents and terrorist groups | Cyberwar | The Guardian

• Russian pro-war military blogger killed in blast at St Petersburg cafe | Russia | The Guardian

• China opens national security probe into Micron products • The Register

• CISA adds bugs exploited by commercial surveillance spyware to Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog-Security Affairs

• Vulkan Playbook Leak Exposes Russia's Plans for Worldwide Cyberwar (darkreading.com)

• Chinese 'spy balloon' that flew over US gathered intelligence from sensitive military sites, officials say | US News | Sky News

• UK Discloses Offensive Cyber Capabilities Principles - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Britain’s cyberwarfare chief reveals his identity | The Economist

Nation State Actors

• APT group Winter Vivern exploits Zimbra webmail flaw to target government entities | CSO Online

• UK’s offensive hacking unit takes on military opponents and terrorist groups | Cyberwar | The Guardian

• Vodafone warned of ‘profound national security questions’ over merger with Chinese-owned Three (telegraph.co.uk)

• Russian pro-war military blogger killed in blast at St Petersburg cafe | Russia | The Guardian

• China opens national security probe into Micron products • The Register

• Report: Chinese State-Sponsored Hacking Group Highly Active - SecurityWeek

• Vulkan Playbook Leak Exposes Russia's Plans for Worldwide Cyberwar (darkreading.com)

• Chinese 'spy balloon' that flew over US gathered intelligence from sensitive military sites, officials say | US News | Sky News

• The other Chinese apps taking the US and UK by storm - BBC News

• TikTok to Comply With US Law, Protect User Data From China - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• China probes Micron for cyber security risks, urges Japan to stay out of US chip export curbs  | TechCrunch

• Google TAG Alerts Of ARCHIPELAGO Cyber attacks Linked To North Korea (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

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Vulnerability Management

• 15 million public-facing services vulnerable to CISA KEV flaws (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 10-year-old Windows bug with 'opt-in' fix exploited in 3CX attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Millions still exposed despite available fixes - Help Net Security

• Microsoft to admins: Auto-review your Autopatch alerts • The Register

Vulnerabilities

• Log4j bug abused in new 'proxyjacking' attacks to resell bandwidth, abuse enterprise cloud | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Hackers exploit WordPress plugin flaw that gives full control of millions of sites | Ars Technica

• CISA adds bugs exploited by commercial surveillance spyware to Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog-Security Affairs

• HP to patch critical bug in LaserJet printers within 90 days (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Prevent and detect Adobe ColdFusion exploitation (CVE-2023-26360, CVE-2023-26359) - Help Net Security

• Chrome 112 Patches 16 Security Flaws - SecurityWeek

• QNAP Zero-Days Leave 80K Devices Vulnerable to Cyber attack (darkreading.com)

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Tools and Controls

• How can organisations bridge the gap between DR and cyber security? - Help Net Security

• Let’s pump the brakes on the rush to incorporate AI into cyber security | CSO Online

• The high cost of insecure authentication methods - Help Net Security

• How AI is transforming cyber security for better and worse - Help Net Security

• 3 Fronts in the Battle for Digital Identity (darkreading.com)

• What RASP Should Have Been (darkreading.com)

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Reports Published in the Last Week

• Bitdefender 2023 Cybersecurity Assessment | Bitdefender

• Annual Report: Leading Anti-Phishing Solutions | Cofense

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Other News Misc/Other Misc attacks

• Maintaining Data Integrity With Growing Cyber security Concerns (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Keeper Security April Fools - IT Security Guru

• Travel visa delays after UK’s crime records office hit by cyber ‘incident’ | Evening Standard

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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.

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