Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 17 May 2024

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

Social Engineering is the Biggest Cyber Threat, as Study Finds Most Workers Have Clicked on a Suspicious Email Link

According to a recent report, half of office workers have clicked on a link or attachment within a suspicious email sent to their work address within the last 12 months, and of those that interacted with the email, half of them claimed to be confident in their ability to identify phishing emails.

With 68% of breaches involving the human element, your organisation must be cognisant of its employees. Hackers know that no matter what your tech stack is, you will always have employees and where there is an employee, there is a way into your organisation. It is far cheaper to exploit an employee who already has the access you require, than to develop a new exploit. It only takes one human to make a mistake by granting access to an attacker.  

When it came to training, only 41% of respondents said their employer had provided formal cyber security awareness training and 79% said their previous training is not sufficient to keep pace with modern cyber threats.

Source: [HackerNoon] [BusinessPlus]

Business Leaders are Stressing Out Over Pace of Technological Change, as Cyber Security Incidents Seen as Main Business Disruptor

A recent report commissioned by BT reveals that 86% of UK business leaders suffer from 'tech-related stress,' particularly concerning AI and cyber security, a phenomenon they have termed as 'Bytmares.' The report found that 59% of business leaders worry about the rapid and relentless pace of tech advancement, and whether appropriate controls are in place to protect it.

According to a different survey, 74% of business leaders view cyber security incidents as the main disruptive threat to their organisations either currently or over the next twelve months. This was followed by cloud computing, internet of things and artificial intelligence.

These findings highlight the critical importance of robust cyber security measures in today’s interconnected world. As organisations increasingly rely on digital infrastructure, safeguarding sensitive data and systems becomes paramount. Cyber threats can disrupt operations, compromise customer trust, and result in financial losses. Remember, cyber security is not just an IT concern; it is a strategic imperative for every organisation.

Sources: [Beta News] [Telecoms] [Verdict]

ICO Warns That Many UK Businesses Neglect Basic Cyber Security: More Ransomware and Cyber Attacks Last Year Than Ever Before

A recent update from the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has revealed that ransomware attacks in the UK have surpassed all previous years, up 52% from the previous year. The report found that finance, retail and education sectors are suffering the most incidents.

The leading causes of breaches include phishing, brute force attacks, errors and supply chain attacks. The ICO noted that many organisations still neglect basic cyber security measures and has called for enhanced efforts to combat the escalating threat, emphasising the importance of foundational controls.

Sources: [Tech Monitor] [Government Business] [The Record Media] [Tech Monitor]

Data Breaches are Getting Worse, Many are Employee Errors or Social Engineering Attacks

The latest Verizon Business Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) highlights that employee error is the leading cause of cyber security incidents in the EMEA region, accounting for 49% of cases. The top reasons for these incidents are “miscellaneous errors, system intrusion, and social engineering,” making up 87% of all breaches. Hackers primarily target personal information (64%), internal data (33%), and login credentials (20%). Despite zero-day vulnerabilities being a significant threat, with exploitation rising to 14% of breaches, the report emphasises the critical need for ongoing employee training and awareness to mitigate these risks.

Source: [TechRadar]

Why Cyber Insurance isn’t a Substitute for Cyber Risk Management

While cyber insurance can be beneficial in mitigating financial loss from cyber attacks, it is not a substitute for comprehensive cyber risk management. Many firms with cyber insurance have still fallen victim to attacks, highlighting that cyber insurance primarily transfers residual risk. Effective cyber risk management includes conducting proper risk assessments and implementing robust cyber security controls. Cyber insurance cannot resolve issues like business disruption, breach of client confidentiality, and compliance with legal obligations; this stresses the need for proactive measures and independent assurance to protect against cyber threats.

Source: [ Law Society of Scotland]

China Presents Defining Challenge to Global Cyber Security, Says GCHQ

A recent speech by the new director of the UK’s GCHQ highlighted China's growing cyber threat, describing it as an "epoch-defining challenge." She warned that China's destabilising actions undermine global internet security. The current head of the UKs’ NCSC echoed these concerns, pointing to the Chinese state-sponsored hacking group Volt Typhoon which has infiltrated critical sectors like energy and transportation. The National Cyber Director at the White House added that China’s cyber capabilities pose a significant threat to global infrastructure, particularly in crisis scenarios, as Chinese hackers increasingly use sophisticated techniques to pre-position within networks.

Source: [Infosecurity Magazine]

Botnet Sent Millions of Emails in LockBit Black Ransomware Campaign

Since April, millions of phishing emails have been sent through a botnet known as “Phorpiex” to conduct a large-scale LockBit Black ransomware campaign. In a warning from New Jersey’s Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell, it was explained that the attackers use ZIP attachments containing an executable that deploys the LockBit Black payload, which encrypts the recipients' systems if launched. The emails are sent from 1,500 unique IP addresses worldwide.

Sources: [Bleeping Computer]

Global Financial Stability at Risk Due to Cyber Threats, IMF warns

A new International Monetary Fund (IMF) report highlights the severe threat cyber attacks pose to global financial stability, revealing that nearly 20% of reported cyber incidents in the past two decades targeted the financial sector, causing $12 billion in direct losses. Since 2020, these attacks have led to an estimated $2.5 billion in direct losses. The report underscores that cyber incidents threaten financial institutions' operational resilience, potentially leading to funding challenges and reputational damage. The IMF calls for bolstered cyber security measures, including stress testing, information-sharing arrangements, and enhanced national cyber security strategies to mitigate these growing risks.

Source: [World Economic Forum]

Ongoing Campaign Bombards Enterprises with Spam Emails and Phone Calls

An ongoing social engineering campaign that is bombarding enterprises with spam calls and emails has been uncovered. The campaign involves a threat actor overwhelming a user’s email with junk, followed by a call offering to assist in removing the junk. From here, the threat actor aims to convince the victim to download remote monitoring and management software such as AnyDesk or Microsoft’s built in Quick Assist feature to allow the attacker remote access to the victim’s machine.

Source: [The Hacker News]

Santander Data Breach via Third-Party Provider Impacted Customers and Employees

A recent disclosure by the Spanish bank Santander revealed a data breach at a third-party provider affecting customers in Chile, Spain, and Uruguay. Unauthorised access to a database hosted by the provider compromised information on all current and some former employees, but did not include transactional data, online banking details, or passwords. Santander said they swiftly implemented measures to contain the incident, blocking access to the compromised database and enhancing fraud prevention controls. The bank assured that its operations and systems remain unaffected, allowing customers to continue transacting securely. The number of impacted individuals remains unspecified.

There is a continued trend in third party providers being used as the soft underbelly to attack larger and better defended organisations, requiring all organisations to consider the security controls of their third parties.

Source: [securityaffairs.com]

40% of Cyber Teams Have Held Back from Reporting Cyber Attacks Over Fear of Losing Jobs

Recent research has revealed that 40% of cyber teams have not reported a cyber attack due to the fear of losing their job. Unfortunately, this leaves businesses at risk of being non-compliant, without even knowing so. When it came to challenges faced by organisations, it was found that nearly 20% of companies say a lack of qualified talent is a key challenge to overcoming cyber attacks and 32% did not have the resources to hire new staff. This is not to say however, they are unable to outsource some of their cyber function to cyber specialists. This lack of allocated resources prevents the organisation from being confident that any incidents have been appropriately remediated.

Source: [Business Wire]

Digital Resilience – a Step Up from Cyber Security

In an increasingly digital world, many organisations are unaware of how truly reliant they are on digital technology, and the accompanying risks. As we move toward an even more digitally dependent future, the need for digital resilience is more critical than ever. Digital resilience refers to the ability to maintain, change, or recover technology-dependent operations. Organisations should begin with an internal audit to assess their digital resilience, involving all departments and ensuring senior management oversight, as board involvement is essential for effective cyber security programmes.

Digital resilience goes beyond cyber security to encompass change management, business resilience, and operational risk. Implementing digital resilience strategies requires continuous adaptation, cross-functional collaboration, and embedding resilience thinking throughout the organisation. Businesses must integrate digital resilience into their strategic planning to ensure ongoing competitiveness and adaptability in an ever-evolving digital landscape.

Sources: [CSO Online] [CSO Online]

UK Lags Europe on Exploited Vulnerability Remediation

A new report by Bitsight reveals that UK organisations lag behind their European counterparts in remediating software flaws listed in the US ‘Known Exploited Vulnerability’ (KEV) catalogue. UK organisations take an average of 225 days to address KEVs, compared to 220 days for European entities and just 21 days for German organisations. Non-KEV vulnerabilities are patched at an even slower rate, with UK entities taking over two years (736 days) to patch. Globally, the average time to resolve KEVs is around six months (180 days). Despite fewer KEVs detected in UK environments (30% versus 43% in Europe), the slow remediation poses significant risks, emphasising the need for faster and more proactive cyber security measures, specifically robust vulnerability scanning and patching.

Source: [Infosecurity Magazine]

Cyber Threats Demand More Focus Says Zurich, as UK Insurance And NCSC Join Forces to Fight Ransomware Payments

A recent discussion at the British Insurance Brokers' Association (BIBA) conference highlighted the increasing importance of cyber security for businesses, driven by the surge in cyber attacks and the use of AI by criminal gangs. Zurich Resilience Solutions UK noted that businesses face greater scrutiny from underwriters over their cyber exposures.

BIBA, together with the Association of British Insurers (ABI), and the International Underwriting Association (IUA), have united with the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) in a joint effort to tackle ransom payments. As a result of their collaboration, they have published new best practice guidance, which aims to reduce the number of payments being made by UK victims as well as the disruption businesses face.

Source: [Emerging Risks] [NCSC] [Infosecurity Magazine]

---

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• ICO calls on all organisations to boost their cyber security amid growing threat of cyber attacks | Practical Law (thomsonreuters.com)

• Firms neglecting cyber security basics - ICO - CIR Magazine

• Why cyber insurance isn’t a substitute for cyber risk management. | Law Society of Scotland (lawscot.org.uk)

• Business leaders consider cyber security main disruptor – Q1 2024 survey - Verdict

• 40% of Cyber Teams Have Not Reported Cyber Attacks Over Fear of Losing Jobs, According to New VikingCloud Research | Business Wire

• The Growing Cyber Security Disconnect Leaves Enterprises Exposed (forbes.com)

• Cyber Security Is a Top Investor Concern | HackerNoon

• Cyber threats demand more focus – Zurich (emergingrisks.co.uk)

• Digital resilience – a step up from cyber security | CSO Online

• Keep it secret, keep it safe: the essential role of cyber security in document management | CSO Online

• Cyber anxiety on the rise in the UK (betanews.com)

• UK business leaders are stressing out over pace of technological change (telecoms.com)

• Dancing on the Head of a Pin: Corporate Boards, Committees and Cyber Security Risk Management | The Volkov Law Group - JDSupra

• 44% of Cyber Security Professionals Struggle with Regulatory Compliance - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Cyber attacks threaten global financial stability, IMF warns | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)

• BISO: Enhancing cyber security in modern enterprises - SiliconANGLE

• Dell Data Breach Underscores Cost of Cyber Security Complacency (pymnts.com)

• What Is Cyber Risk Quantification? | HackerNoon

• Cyber and Financial Crime, Through the FBI Lens (govinfosecurity.com)

• A Third of CISOs Have Been Dismissed “Out of Hand” By the Board - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Maximizing cyber security ROI: A strategic approach | TechRadar

• Many CISOs don't feel they get the right respect from their board | TechRadar

• Cyber high on agenda at BIBA amid concerns over threats (emergingrisks.co.uk)

• Lloyd’s updates cyber war wordings - Reinsurance News

• Are you meeting your cyber insurance requirements? - Help Net Security

---

Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• Botnet sent millions of emails in LockBit Black ransomware campaign (bleepingcomputer.com)

• UK hit by more ransomware and cyber attacks last year than ever before (therecord.media)

• The ups and downs (and ups again) of the ransomware risk - Digital Journal

• Hackers Target Children of Corporate Executives in Ransomware Attacks (businessinsider.com)

• CISA: Black Basta ransomware breached over 500 orgs worldwide (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cyber attacks leave significant financial impact on hacked organisations (kwch.com)

• As the FBI Closes In, Scattered Spider Attacks Finance, Insurance Orgs (darkreading.com)

• UK Insurance and NCSC Join Forces to Fight Ransomware Payments - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• UK insurance industry begins to acknowledge role in tackling ransomware (therecord.media)

• The UK may not have a choice on a ransomware payment ban | Computer Weekly

• 64% Jump in Ransomware Claims on Remote Access Tools, Report Shows (claimsjournal.com)

• Cyber Criminals Exploiting Microsoft's Quick Assist Feature in Ransomware Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Organisations struggle to defend against ransomware - Help Net Security

• Ransomware statistics that reveal alarming rate of cyber extortion - Help Net Security

• Most ransomware-hit enterprises report to authorities, but level of support varies | ZDNET

• Ransomware negotiator weighs in on the payment debate • The Register

• OODA Loop - The Social Engineering Tactics of Ransomware-as-a-Service Operator Black Basta

• INC ransomware source code selling on hacking forums for $300,000 (bleepingcomputer.com)

• What is ransomware recovery? | Definition from TechTarget

• Ransomware Defence Strategies: Never Trust a Criminal (inforisktoday.com)

Ransomware Victims

• More than 470 legal actions against HSE over cyber attack (rte.ie)

• It's been a bad week for public cyber security | TechRadar

• Christie's Just Postponed the Rare Watches Auction Due to Cyber Attack (robbreport.com)

• Singing River Health System: Data of 895,000 stolen in ransomware attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Repeat Offenders: Black Basta’s Latest Healthcare Cyber Attack (informationweek.com)

• E-prescription provider MediSecure impacted by a ransomware attack (securityaffairs.com)

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• Social Engineering is the Biggest Cyber Threat | HackerNoon

• Most Workers Have Clicked on a Suspicious Email Link (businessplus.ie)

• Botnet sent millions of emails in LockBit Black ransomware campaign (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Stay In The Loop On Emerging And Evolving Email Threat Trends (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Collaboration tools are now at the frontline in the battle against phishing (securitybrief.co.nz)

• 5 Common Phishing Vectors and Examples - 2024 (cybersecuritynews.com)

BEC

• Visualizing Global Losses from Financial Scams (visualcapitalist.com)

Other Social Engineering

• Social Engineering is the Biggest Cyber Threat | HackerNoon

• Low-tech tactics still top the IT security risk chart | CSO Online

• Ongoing Campaign Bombards Enterprises with Spam Emails and Phone Calls (thehackernews.com)

• What is vishing and quishing, and how do you protect yourself? | PCWorld

• Beware of fake calls, ward off cyber criminals: Govt - The Statesman

• OODA Loop - The Social Engineering Tactics of Ransomware-as-a-Service Operator Black Basta

Artificial Intelligence

• UK Government Unveils New AI Cyber Security Measures as ICO Details Importance of Data Protection | The Fintech Times

• UK agency releases tools to test AI model safety | TechCrunch

• Security industry struggles to consolidate against AI threats - SiliconANGLE

• Cyber Security Races to Unmask New Wave of AI Deepfakes (darkreading.com)

• Only one-third of firms deploy safeguards against generative AI threats, report finds | CIO Dive

• CISOs Reconsider Their Roles in Response to GenAI Integration - Security Boulevard

• AI's rapid growth puts pressure on CISOs to adapt to new security risks - Help Net Security

• Insider Risk in the Generative AI Era - InfoRiskToday

• AI-driven attacks seen as chief cloud security threat | TechTarget

• Concern over AI cyber threats among UK infrastructure organisations | Security News (sourcesecurity.com)

• The Cyber Security Survival Guide For Generative AI (forbes.com)

2FA/MFA

• How to Prevent Attacks that Bypass MFA - InfoRiskToday

Malware

• Malware was almost 50% of threat detections in Q1 2024 | Security Magazine

• North Korean Hackers Deploy New Golang Malware 'Durian' Against Crypto Firms (thehackernews.com)

• FIN7 Hacker Group Leverages Malicious Google Ads to Deliver NetSupport RAT (thehackernews.com)

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

• Ebury botnet malware infected 400,000 Linux servers since 2009 (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Kimsuky hackers deploy new Linux backdoor via trojanized installers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Man destroys his laptop after downloading 1,000 viruses to see which anti-virus software works the best (unilad.com)

Mobile

• Malicious Android Apps Pose as Google, Instagram, WhatsApp to Steal Credentials (thehackernews.com)

• Google Issues Critical Update For Millions Of Pixel Users (forbes.com)

• Apple Patch Day: Code Execution Flaws in iPhones, iPads, macOS - Security Week

• Threat actors may have exploited a zero-day in older iPhones, Apple warns (securityaffairs.com)

• Apple warns of increased iPhone security risks – Computerworld

• Apple and Google agree on standard to alert people when unknown Bluetooth devices may be tracking them | TechCrunch

• Protect against iPhone trojan GoldPickaxe: How-to - 9to5Mac

• Unwanted Tracking Alerts Rolling Out to iOS, Android - Security Week

• Apple blocked $7 billion in fraudulent App Store purchases in 4 years (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Android boosting security with Theft Detection Lock, factory reset protection  (9to5google.com)

• Data Privacy: All the Ways Your Cellphone Carrier Tracks You and How to Stop It

• Your Android phone could have stalkerware — here’s how to remove it | TechCrunch

Internet of Things – IoT

• Attack makes autonomous vehicle tech ignore road signs • The Register

• Millions of IoT Devices at Risk From Integrated Modem (darkreading.com)

• Prison for cyber security expert selling private videos from inside 400,000 homes (bitdefender.com)

• IoT Vulnerabilities and BotNet Infections: A Risk for Executives - Security Boulevard

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Over 5.3 billion data records exposed in April 2024 | Computer Weekly

• MoD contractor hacked by China failed to report breach for months | Hacking | The Guardian

• Data breaches are getting worse - and many are coming from a familiar source | TechRadar

• Notorious threat actor IntelBroker claims the hack of the Europol (securityaffairs.com)

• Hacker claims another breach into Dell systems | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Dell Data Breach Underscores Cost of Cyber Security Complacency (pymnts.com)

• Hacker claims to have stolen Dell customer data, twice. Here's how to protect yourself | ZDNET

• Santander Data Breach Impacts Customers, Employees - Security Week

• Employee data breaches up 41% - Personnel Today

• The legal sector's data breach conundrum: insights from ICO's latest report - Solicitors Journal

• JPMorgan Chase Suffers Data Breach Affecting Personal Information of 451,809 Customers - The Daily Hodl

• JPMorgan Fixes Security Flaw, Affects 450K Retirement Plans | Entrepreneur

• Europol confirms incident after data break-in claims • The Register

• Largest non-bank lender in Australia warns of a data breach (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Guernsey data breaches: More than 1,000 people affected - BBC News

• Up to 120,000 affected by data breach at City of Helsinki (helsinkitimes.fi)

• Billion-Dollar Bank Sued After Revealing Massive Data Breach Affecting Thousands of Customers, Exposing Account Details, Social Security Numbers and Medical Information: Report - The Daily Hodl

• Okta’s security chief on the company’s own cyber attack and how the ‘battleground’ has shifted (therecord.media)

• Camden Council cyber attack warning after NRS Healthcare cyber attack | Ham & High (hamhigh.co.uk)

• Lessons learned from high-profile data breaches | TechTarget

• Zscaler Confirms Only Isolated Test Server Was Hacked - Security Week

• Nissan North America data breach impacts over 53,000 employees (bleepingcomputer.com)

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• FBI, DoJ Shut Down BreachForums, Launch Investigation (darkreading.com)

• Cyber and Financial Crime, Through the FBI Lens (govinfosecurity.com)

• FBI working towards nabbing Scattered Spider hackers, official says | Reuters

• Low-tech tactics still top the IT security risk chart | CSO Online

• The Growing Cyber Threat Landscape: Insights into State-Sponsored and Criminal Cyber Activities | HackerNoon

• Top 5 Most Dangerous Cyber Threats in 2024 (darkreading.com)

• Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• North Korean Hackers Deploy New Golang Malware 'Durian' Against Crypto Firms (thehackernews.com)

• Tornado Cash cryptomixer dev gets 64 months for laundering $2 billion (bleepingcomputer.com)

• US brothers arrested for stealing $25m in crypto in just 12 seconds - BBC News

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• Low-tech tactics still top the IT security risk chart | CSO Online

• Data breaches are getting worse - and many are coming from a familiar source | TechRadar

• Insider Risk in the Generative AI Era - InfoRiskToday

• The Human Element in Cyber Security: Safeguarding your organisation (thebusinessmagazine.co.uk)

• CISOs call to ditch the 'stigma of blame' in cyber security (computing.co.uk)

Insurance

• Why cyber insurance isn’t a substitute for cyber risk management. | Law Society of Scotland (lawscot.org.uk)

• NCSC guide to help businesses facing ransomware demands (biba.org.uk)

• UK insurance industry begins to acknowledge role in tackling ransomware (therecord.media)

• UK Insurance and NCSC Join Forces to Fight Ransomware Payments - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Lloyd’s provides tighter guidance on cyber war wordings | Insurance Insider

• Cyber high on agenda at BIBA amid concerns over threats (emergingrisks.co.uk)

• Are you meeting your cyber insurance requirements? - Help Net Security

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• Most Companies Affected by Software Supply Chain Attacks in the Last Year, Struggling to Detect and React Effectively - IT Security Guru

• Santander: a data breach at a third-party provider impacted customers and employees (securityaffairs.com)

• MoD contractor hacked by China failed to report breach for months | Hacking | The Guardian

• Okta’s security chief on the company’s own cyber attack and how the ‘battleground’ has shifted (therecord.media)

Cloud/SaaS

• How to create a cloud security policy, step by step | TechTarget

• AI-driven attacks seen as chief cloud security threat | TechTarget

• Singapore Cyber Security Update Puts Cloud Providers on Notice (darkreading.com)

• Secrecy Concerns Mount Over Spy Powers Targeting US Data Centres | WIRED

Encryption

• You want us to think of the children? Couldn't agree more • The Register

Linux and Open Source

• Ebury botnet malware infected 400,000 Linux servers since 2009 (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Kimsuky hackers deploy new Linux backdoor via trojanized installers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Establishing a security baseline for open source projects - Help Net Security

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• The 10 most common 4-digit PIN numbers — are you at risk of a cyber attack? (nypost.com)

Social Media

• It’s time to ban TikTok for the sake of our democracy and security (politicshome.com)

Training, Education and Awareness

• The Future of Security Awareness - GovInfoSecurity

• The Human Element in Cyber Security: Safeguarding your organisation (thebusinessmagazine.co.uk)

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• Singapore Cyber Security Update Puts Cloud Providers on Notice (darkreading.com)

• Clock is ticking for companies to prepare for EU NIS2 Directive | CSO Online

• Nigeria Halts Cyber Security Tax After Public Outrage (darkreading.com)

Models, Frameworks and Standards

• Clock is ticking for companies to prepare for EU NIS2 Directive | CSO Online

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

• The cyber security skills shortage: A CISO perspective | CSO Online

• Why cyber security staff burn out, and what to do about it (computing.co.uk)

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• As the FBI Closes In, Scattered Spider Attacks Finance, Insurance Orgs (darkreading.com)

• FBI, DoJ Shut Down BreachForums, Launch Investigation (darkreading.com)

• Most ransomware-hit enterprises report to authorities, but level of support varies | ZDNET

• Prison for cyber security expert selling private videos from inside 400,000 homes (bitdefender.com)

• Tornado Cash cryptomixer dev gets 64 months for laundering $2 billion (bleepingcomputer.com)

• US brothers arrested for stealing $25m in crypto in just 12 seconds - BBC News

---

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

Cyber Warfare and Cyber Espionage

• Lloyd’s updates cyber war wordings - Reinsurance News

• Civil society under increasing threats from ‘malicious’ state cyber actors, US (therecord.media)

Nation State Actors

China

• Cyber threat landscape permanently altered by Chinese operations, US officials say (therecord.media)

• GCHQ boss says China's 'genuine' cyber threat 'weakens security of internet for all' | Science & Tech News | Sky News

• Tracking the Progression of Earth Hundun's Cyber espionage Campaign in 2024 | Trend Micro (US)

• When Chinese Nationalist Hackers Go Rogue (globelynews.com)

• Can't blame all Chinese cyber attacks on the government - Asia Times

• How the West has struggled to keep up with China’s spy threat - BBC News

• Stifling Beijing in cyber space big focus for UK operatives • The Register

• China focuses on non-military ways to take Taiwan, reports warn - Washington Times

• It’s time to ban TikTok for the sake of our democracy and security (politicshome.com)

• Asian Threat Actors Use New Techniques to Attack Familiar Targets (darkreading.com)

• Chinese Crime Ring Uses Franchise Model to Grow Fake Online Shops (businessinsider.com)

• Three men charged with aiding Hong Kong intelligence service, says Met | UK news | The Guardian

Russia

• Russia is ramping up sabotage across Europe (economist.com)

• File Not Found: Russia Is Hacking Evidence of Its War Crimes - War on the Rocks

• NATO Draws a Cyber Red Line in Tensions With Russia - Security Week

• Pro-Russia hackers targeted Kosovo government websites (securityaffairs.com)

• Russian Actors Weaponize Legitimate Services in Multi-Malware Attack - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• UK 'increasingly concerned' about Russian intelligence links to hacktivists (therecord.media)

• To the Moon and back(doors): Lunar landing in diplomatic missions (welivesecurity.com)

• New backdoors on a European government's network appear to be Russian (therecord.media)

• 'Russian' hackers deface potentially hundreds of local British news sites (therecord.media)

• Investigation: How Russia's Warplanes Get Their 'Brain Power' From The West, Despite Sanctions

• The Three Seas Initiative: A Vanguard in Digitization and Cyber Security | Warsaw Institute

Iran

• Iran most likely to launch destructive cyber attack on US • The Register

North Korea

• Asian Threat Actors Use New Techniques to Attack Familiar Targets (darkreading.com)

• North Korean Hackers Deploy New Golang Malware 'Durian' Against Crypto Firms (thehackernews.com)

---

Vulnerability Management

• Not Just MOVEit: 2023 Was a Banner Year for Zero-Days (inforisktoday.com)

• (Cyber) Risk = Probability of Occurrence x Damage (thehackernews.com)

• Critical vulnerabilities take 4.5 months on average to remediate - Help Net Security

• The Fall of the National Vulnerability Database (darkreading.com)

• Backlogs at National Vulnerability Database prompt action from NIST and CISA | CSO Online

• UK Lags Europe on Exploited Vulnerability Remediation - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Log4J shows no sign of fading, spotted in 30% of CVE exploits - Help Net Security

• NIST Confusion Continues as Cyber Pros Complain CVE Uploads Stopped - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Heartbleed: When Is It Good to Name a Vulnerability? (darkreading.com)

Vulnerabilities

• Google Chrome emergency update fixes 6th zero-day exploited in 2024 (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Google patches third exploited Chrome zero-day in a week (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Threat actors may have exploited a zero-day in older iPhones, Apple warns (securityaffairs.com) 

• Microsoft Patches 61 Flaws, Including Two Actively Exploited Zero-Days (thehackernews.com)

• Cyber Criminals Exploiting Microsoft's Quick Assist Feature in Ransomware Attacks (thehackernews.com)

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

• Log4J shows no sign of fading, spotted in 30% of CVE exploits - Help Net Security

• D-Link Routers Vulnerable to Takeover Via Exploit for Zero-Day (darkreading.com)

• New Wi-Fi Vulnerability Enables Network Eavesdropping via Downgrade Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Intel Publishes 41 Security Advisories for Over 90 Vulnerabilities  - Security Week

• Google Issues Critical Update For Millions Of Pixel Users (forbes.com)

• Apple Patch Day: Code Execution Flaws in iPhones, iPads, macOS - Security Week

• CISA and FBI Issue Alert on Path Traversal Vulnerabilities - Security Boulevard

• VMware Patches Severe Security Flaws in Workstation and Fusion Products (thehackernews.com)

• Firefox 126: Telemetry, privacy feature, and security fixes - gHacks Tech News

• SAP Patches Critical Vulnerabilities in CX Commerce, NetWeaver - Security Week

• Adobe Patches Critical Flaws in Reader, Acrobat - Security Week

• Cisco Releases Security Updates for Multiple Products | CISA

• Microsoft shares temp fix for Outlook encrypted email reply issues (bleepingcomputer.com)

---

Tools and Controls

• Why cyber insurance isn’t a substitute for cyber risk management. | Law Society of Scotland (lawscot.org.uk)

• Digital resilience – a step up from cyber security | CSO Online

• Dancing on the Head of a Pin: Corporate Boards, Committees and Cyber Security Risk Management | The Volkov Law Group - JDSupra

• How To Implement Threat Modeling To Protect Your Business - Minutehack

• How to create a cloud security policy, step by step | TechTarget

• Hackers use DNS tunneling for network scanning, tracking victims (bleepingcomputer.com)

• AWS CISO: In AI gold rush, folks forget application security • The Register

• What Is Cyber Risk Quantification? | HackerNoon

• Best Practices for Preparing for a Cyber Breach | ITPro Today: IT News, How-Tos, Trends, Case Studies, Career Tips, More

• Ridding your network of NTLM | CSO Online

• Maximizing cyber security ROI: A strategic approach | TechRadar

• What is ransomware recovery? | Definition from TechTarget

• The Human Element in Cyber Security: Safeguarding your organisation (thebusinessmagazine.co.uk)

• Addressing the Cyber Security Vendor Ecosystem Disconnect (darkreading.com)

• The Future of Security Awareness - GovInfoSecurity

• Microsoft Deploys Generative AI for US Spies | WIRED

• How to Think About Foundation Models for Cyber Security | Andreessen Horowitz (a16z.com)

---

Reports Published in the Last Week

• Learning from the mistakes of others – A retrospective review | ICO

• 2024 Browser Security Report (layerxsecurity.com)

• At-Bay's 2024 InsurSec Report [Download Now]

• Kaspersky’s Incident Response Analyst report 2023 (kasperskycontenthub.com)

---

Other News

• Microsoft president summoned to House over security blunders • The Register

• National Cyber Security Centre: Tech market not working - The Business Magazine

• Critical infrastructure security needs everyone's help • The Register

• Your Hospital Is Under Cyber Attack. Now What? (newsweek.com)

• BT, TalkTalk, Virgin Media and Vodafone on UK Router Security and Upgrades - ISPreview UK

• Hackers use DNS tunnelling for network scanning, tracking victims (bleepingcomputer.com)

• NCSC CTO: Broken market must be fixed to usher in new tech • The Register

• Public Sector IT is Broken: Turning the System Back On - IT Security Guru

• The Cyber Security Implications Of Gen Z’s Tech-Savvy Lifestyle (forbes.com)

• Fortify Your Digital Defences: Top Home Cyber Security Strategies for Personal Protection | HackerNoon

• Classes cancelled as 'sinister' school cyber attacks rise - BBC News

• Irony abounds as UK NCSC’s simple door codes revealed • The Register

• Candidates to get cyber security support amid general election interference fears (nation.cymru)

• NCSC launches Share and Defend capability | UKAuthority

• Too many ICS assets are exposed to the public internet - Help Net Security

---

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 Threat Briefing 05 April 2024

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

Corporations with Effective Cyber Governance Create 4 Times More Value, Boosting Shareholder Returns

According to a recent report, companies who demonstrated an advanced level of cyber security performance generated a shareholder return 372% higher than their peers over a 5 year period. The report highlighted that having board committees focused on specialised risk and audit compliance produced the best outcomes; however, it was found that only a small number of those surveyed had done this. Financial institutions and healthcare had the highest cyber security ratings, highlighting the correlation between regulatory environments and cyber security performance.

Sources: [Help Net Security ] [Dark Reading]

Ransomware Incidents Reported to UK Financial Regulator Doubled

The number of security and ransomware incidents reported to the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) surged in 2023, according to a freedom of information request. 31% of these incidents were categorised as ransomware, which had double the number of reports as the previous year. To note, these statistics address the number of ransomware incidents involving financial services that were disclosed: the number of actual incidents could be far higher.

Sources: [Digital Journal] [Digital Journal]

Half of British SMEs Have Lost Data in Past Five Years: Threat Indicators Show 2024 Already Promising to be Worse Than 2023

According to a new report, since 2019 nearly half (48%) of the UK’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have lost access to data, potentially costing billions. The report found that nationwide, the number of businesses that lost data temporarily or permanently could amount to more than 800,000. Unfortunately, the report found that half of respondents assessed were relying on flawed backup processes, with a quarter not backing up data at all.

A number of organisations assume that they are backing data up automatically and that these backups are safe, but it is an assumption that can have cost. Added to this, some organisations are not aware that their backups can be changed, or deleted, by a malicious actor; a situation better mitigated by implementing immutable backups.

To better their situation, organisations need to understand the cause of a breach, map their data and understand where it is stored, follow the 3,2,1 rule (three copies of data, two separate locations, one in the cloud), consider immutable backups and monitor their backups. An effective backup policy will help.

Sources: [Infosecurity Magazine] [Security Week] [IT Security Guru]

Researchers Report Sevenfold Increase in Data Theft Cases, as 17 billion Personal Records Exposed in Breaches in 2023

According to a global threat intelligence report, data breach incidents rose by 34.5% in 2023, with 17 billion personal records compromised throughout the year. The research also observed a 429% spike in stolen or leaked personal data in the first two months of 2024. In a separate report, Kaspersky found that roughly 10 million devices encountered data-stealing malware in 2023, a sevenfold increase since 2020.

The reports highlight the importance of ensuring that precautions and mitigations are undertaken to thwart attackers. This should include enabling multi-factor authentication, strong and unique passwords, and using a password manager.

Sources: [Infosecurity Magazine] [Infosecurity Magazine]

AI Abuse and Misinformation Campaigns Threaten Financial Institutions

According to the Financial Services Information Sharing Analysis Center (FS-ISAC), cyber threats relating to generative AI in financial services are a consistent concern, with threat actors using generative AI to write malware and other types of attacks. In some cases, attackers are injecting contaminated data into the large language models used by AI, in order to supply it with misinformation which will in turn feed back to financial institutions.

Not all risks are malicious, however. In some cases where generative AI uses enormous datasets, this can contain privileged information or biased data, which can in turn cost financial firms the trust of regulators, consumers and investors. The FS-ISAC stated “As we look ahead to a critical year marked by emerging technology and heightened geopolitical tensions, the best way to maintain the integrity, security, and trust of the sector is through global information sharing.”

Source: [Help Net Security]

Security Teams are ‘Overconfident’ About Handling Next-Gen Threats

In a new study of more than 8,000 cyber security decision makers, Cisco found that nearly three-quarters of organisations anticipated a cyber incident to disrupt their business in the next two years and 80% said they felt at least “moderately confident” in their ability to defend against emerging threats. In contrast, Cisco’s own analysis rated the maturity of these organisations, finding 71% were deemed to be rated as ‘formative’ or ‘beginner’, the two lowest categories.

Source: [CSO Online]

AI Makes Phishing Attacks Accessible to Basic Users

One of the big selling points of AI is its ability to allow even an unsophisticated user to advance their capability and operate at a far more damaging level. Crucially AI can enable a completely non-technical user to understand and produce technical output. Unfortunately, many cyber criminals have realised this and are using AI to sharpen the efficacy of their phishing emails. With AI, phishing emails can now be created without telltale grammatical errors, and can be convincingly formatted to use a certain style to resonate with given target audience, such as a board level executive. AI is also enabling these phishing campaigns to be replicated across languages and geographies, giving malicious actors wider nets than ever before. Whilst low sophistication ‘Nigerian Prince’ type phishing emails are still doing the rounds they are largely being replaced by much more convincing and devious legitimate looking emails.

Source: [The Economic Times]

Cyber Attacks Wreaking Physical Disruption on the Rise

According to a report, more than 500 industrial operational technology (OT) sites worldwide suffered physical consequences as the result of a cyber attack last year, a near 20% rise from the previous year. The report found that some of the attacks cost the organisation up to $100 million in damages.

Attacks on utilities, water, energy, and other critical national infrastructure (CNI) have seen a sharp rise over the last year, against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions and actions by nation state aggressors such as Russia, China, North Korea and Iran, as well as hacktivist groups and other malicious actors.

Threats to IT may be better known than threats to OT, but the latter can result in very serious real world consequences, ultimately leading to potential mass loss of life events.

Source: [Dark Reading]

73% Brace for Cyber Security Impact on Business in Next Two Years

A survey has found that 73% of organisations are expecting a business disruption relating to a cyber incident in the next 12 to 24 months. Part of this was based on previous experiences, with 54% experiencing a cyber incident in the last 12 months, and 52% of those impacted reporting costs of at least $300,000. 87% reported issues with talent, and 46% reported having more than 10 unfilled roles related to cyber security.

Source: [Help Net Security]

To Stay Ahead of Ransomware Businesses Need to Adopt An Offensive Security Mindset

2023 was the most lucrative year yet for ransomware attacks and it was also the year that saw the biggest shift in ransomware tactics, with the majority of ransomware actors now implementing data exfiltration and extortion, in addition to encryption. As it is getting harder for organisations to defend against these attacks and to stay ahead of ransomware, organisations need to develop an offensive security mindset, working out how an attacker might gain access to their systems. This includes keeping up with the latest tactics, communicating this throughout the organisation and running threat-led attack simulations.

Source: [IBTimes]

Cyber Security Imperative for Protecting Executives

The stakes are high in cyber security, and particularly for executives whose positions amplify the potential fall out and damage from cyber incidents. The variety of sensitive information that they have access to, and their authority in the organisation, makes them a desirable target for business email compromise.

Organisations need to implement a robust security culture, led by executives, to foster an environment where cyber threats are understood and mitigated. As part of this, training needs to be given to the whole organisation, including executives.

Executives may have historically excluded themselves from security controls, yet ironically it is this exclusion and their position in the organisation that makes them such a lucrative target.

Source: [Forbes]

The Increasing Role of Cyber Security Experts in Complex Legal Disputes

Expert witnesses have been known to play significant roles in matters where their valuable insight is required. In today’s world, with the number of high-stake crimes now involving technology, cyber security professionals have become some of the most sought-after experts.

Disputes involving highly complex cyber crimes typically require more technical experience than is on hand, and the contributions of a cyber expert are significant in uncovering critical evidence and shaping the legal strategy, as well as explaining cyber security in the courtroom.

Source: [JDSupra]

---

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Ransomware incidents reported to UK financial regulator have doubled - Digital Journal

• AI abuse and misinformation campaigns threaten financial institutions - Help Net Security

• Half of British SMEs Have Lost Data in Past Five Years - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• The Big Question: Are SMEs now at the forefront of cyber risks? - Emerging Risks Media Ltd

• Threat Indicators Show 2024 Is Already Promising to be Worse Than 2023 - Security Week

• Is the Human Factor Overlooked in Cyber Security? - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Security teams are ‘overconfident’ about handling next-gen threats | CSO Online

• Banks told to expand risk management to cover AI (finextra.com)

• Corporations With Cyber Governance Create 4X More Value (darkreading.com)

• Cyber Leaders Struggle With Heightened Job Expectations, Communicating With Board - WSJ

• 73% brace for cyber security impact on business in the next year or two - Help Net Security

• Businesses overestimating their skills amid cyber security crisis, survey reveals (holyrood.com)

• Why your data isn’t as safe as you think and what it could cost you - IT Security Guru

• Unspoken Battle: Cyber Security Imperative For Protecting Executives (forbes.com)

• The Increasing Role Of Cyber Security Experts In Complex Legal Disputes | IMS Legal Strategies - JDSupra

• Businesses must prioritise prevention to lock out online threats (yahoo.com)

• CISOs Are Facing Challenges In Proactive Threat Defence And Compliance Management (forbes.com)

• As Cyber Regulators Rush Toward New Rules, Shifting Foundations May Complicate Compliance | Wiley Rein LLP - JDSupra

• Lessons from the World's Costliest Corporate Cyber Attacks - Management Today

• Three trends set to drive cyber attacks in 2024 (networkingplus.co.uk)

• Why Cyber Security Is a Whole-of-Society Issue (darkreading.com)

• Instilling the Hacker Mindset Organisationwide (darkreading.com)

• How CISOs Can Make Cyber Security a Long-Term Priority for Boards (darkreading.com)

---

Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• Cyber security incidences surge in the UK financial services sector - Digital Journal

• Ransomware attacks rise by 46% in February 2024, finds NCC Group (securitybrief.co.nz)

• To Stay Ahead Of Ransomware Attacks, Businesses Need To Adopt An Offensive Security Mindset | IBTimes

• RDP Abuse Present in 90% of Ransomware Breaches - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• How will the Merck settlement affect the insurance industry? (securityintelligence.com)

• Lessons From the LockBit Takedown (darkreading.com)

• Ransomware attackers are increasingly targeting backups — so make sure yours are protected | TechRadar

• Unveiling the Fallout: Operation Cronos' Impact on LockBit Following Landmark Disruption | Trend Micro (US)

• Trend Micro: LockBit ransomware gang's comeback is failing | TechTarget

• Hosting firm's VMware ESXi servers hit by new SEXi ransomware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Collaboration Needed to Fight Ransomware (darkreading.com)

Ransomware Victims

• Ransomware attacks ravaged municipal governments in March | TechTarget

• NHS Scotland confirms ransomware attackers leaked patients' data - Help Net Security

• Yacht retailer MarineMax discloses data breach after cyber attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• How will the Merck settlement affect the insurance industry? (securityintelligence.com)

• Ransomware gang leaks UK city council’s confidential files • The Register

• Omni Hotels confirms cyber attack behind ongoing IT outage (bleepingcomputer.com)

• World’s second-largest lens-maker blinded by cyber incident • The Register

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• This new phishing attack targets iPhone and Android alike via RCS | TechRadar

• Cloud Email Filtering Bypass Attack Works 80% of the Time (darkreading.com)

• $1.28 Million Lost From Crypto Phishing Attacks (coinpedia.org)

• Naked photos sent in WhatsApp ‘phishing’ attacks on UK MPs and staff – POLITICO

• Cyber security: Enabled by AI, phishing becomes quite simple - The Economic Times (indiatimes.com)

• Massive Phishing Campaign Strikes Latin America: Venom RAT Targeting Multiple Sectors (thehackernews.com)

• Phishing Attacks Targeting Political Parties, Germany Warns (govinfosecurity.com)

• A phish by any other name should still not be clicked – Computerworld

• Google now blocks spoofed emails for better phishing protection (bleepingcomputer.com)

• New Phishing Campaign Targets Oil & Gas with Evolved Data-Stealing Malware (thehackernews.com)

• Microsoft Teams phishing attacks and how to prevent them | TechTarget

Artificial Intelligence

• Banks told to expand risk management to cover AI (finextra.com)

• AI abuse and misinformation campaigns threaten financial institutions - Help Net Security

• 22% of employees admit to breaching company rules with GenAI - Help Net Security

• The Danger Of Unmanaged AI In The Enterprise (forbes.com)

• 6 Prompts You Don't Want Employees Putting in Microsoft Copilot (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft Copilot Blocked on US Congress Devices Over Security Concerns | Cryptopolitan

• Cyber security: Enabled by AI, phishing becomes quite simple - The Economic Times (indiatimes.com)

• Microsoft Announces New Safety System to Filter Malicious AI Output | Extremetech

• Microsoft GM on AI and elections: 'There will be fakes' • The Register

• Why AI forensics matters now - Help Net Security

• Microsoft and OpenAI collaborated to counter North Korean cyber threats, China in the game as well - MSPoweruser

• More Than Half of Organisations Plan to Adopt AI Solutions in Coming Year, Reports Cloud Security Alliance and Google Cloud (darkreading.com)

• The ‘complicated relationship’ between AI and cyber security (siliconrepublic.com)

• ‘Many-shot jailbreak’: lab reveals how AI safety features can be easily bypassed | Artificial intelligence (AI) | The Guardian

• Chinese hackers turn to AI to meddle in elections | CyberScoop

• Security and AI occupy SME thoughts | Microscope (computerweekly.com)

Malware

• Escalating malware tactics drive global cyber crime epidemic - Help Net Security

• Linux Version of DinodasRAT Spotted in Cyber Attacks Across Several Countries (thehackernews.com)

• TheMoon Malware Rises Again with Malicious Botnet for Hire (darkreading.com)

• Hackers Target macOS Users with Malicious Ads Spreading Stealer Malware (thehackernews.com)

• Vultur Android Banking Trojan Returns with Upgraded Remote Control Capabilities (thehackernews.com)

• Botnets: The uninvited guests that just won’t leave | CSO Online

• Detecting Windows-based Malware Through Better Visibility (thehackernews.com)

• Apple macOS users targeted with more cyber attacks via dodgy ads and websites | TechRadar

• Massive Phishing Campaign Strikes Latin America: Venom RAT Targeting Multiple Sectors (thehackernews.com)

• Europe subjected to Mispadu trojan attacks | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• YouTube Video Game ‘Hacks’ Contain Malware Links - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• The Biggest Takeaways from Recent Malware Attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Thousands of Australian Businesses Targeted With RAT (darkreading.com)

• Cyber criminals are spreading malware through Facebook pages impersonating AI brands (therecord.media)

Mobile

• This new phishing attack targets iPhone and Android alike via RCS | TechRadar

• 2 wireless protocols expose mobile users to spying — the FCC wants to fix that - Nextgov/FCW

• This notorious Android banking trojan now lets hackers remotely control your phone — how to stay safe | Tom's Guide (tomsguide.com)

• Location tracking and the battle for digital privacy - Help Net Security

• How and why to enable Stolen Device Protection on your iPhone (idownloadblog.com)

• Google fixed two actively exploited Pixel vulnerabilities (securityaffairs.com)

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

• New HTTP/2 Vulnerability Exposes Web Servers to DoS Attacks (thehackernews.com)

Internet of Things – IoT

• Porsche Kills Two More Models Due to Cyber Security Regulations - autoevolution

• UK Encouraged to Prioritise Cyber Security with Electric Vehicle Charging Points - Electrical Times

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Researchers Report Sevenfold Increase in Data Theft Cases - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Highly sensitive files mysteriously disappeared from EUROPOL headquarters (securityaffairs.com)

• Threat Actor Claims Classified Five Eyes Data Theft - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• 17 Billion Personal Records Exposed in Data Breaches in 2023 - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Almost 2.9M impacted by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care breach | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Hot Topic confirms multiple new cyber attacks — customer details and payment info exposed online | TechRadar

• Ivanti-linked breach of CISA potentially affected more than 100,000 individuals | CyberScoop

• Prudential Insurance says data of 36,000 exposed during February cyber attack (therecord.media)

• OWASP discloses a data breach (securityaffairs.com)

• Hotel Self Check-In Kiosks Exposed Room Access Codes - Security Week

• Nearly 1M medical records feared stolen from City of Hope • The Register

• SurveyLama data breach exposes info of 4.4 million users (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cyber criminals steal data of around 700,000 Apotheka pharmacy customers | News | ERR

• PandaBuy data breach allegedly impacted +1.3M customers (securityaffairs.com)

• OWASP discloses breach due to a Wiki web server misconfig • The Register

• US cancer center data breach exposes info of 827,000 patients (bleepingcomputer.com)

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• Escalating malware tactics drive global cyber crime epidemic - Help Net Security

• Threat Indicators Show 2024 Is Already Promising to be Worse Than 2023 - Security Week

• Calls to Incident Response Helpline Double in a Year - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Rise of non-tech hackers: new era of cyber threats - VnExpress International

• India rescuing citizens forced into cyber fraud schemes in Cambodia | Reuters

• Cyber criminal adoption of browser fingerprinting - Help Net Security

• With just $700 and a Raspberry Pi — you too can become a cyber criminal | TechRadar

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years for crypto fraud (cnbc.com)

• $1.28 Million Lost From Crypto Phishing Attacks (coinpedia.org)

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• Is the Human Factor Overlooked in Cyber Security? - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Human risk is the top cyber threat for IT teams - Help Net Security

• Instilling the Hacker Mindset Organisation wide (darkreading.com)

Insurance

• Can cyber insurance help secure business? | Mint (livemint.com)

• How will the Merck settlement affect the insurance industry? (securityintelligence.com)

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• Thwarted supply-chain hack sets off alarm bells across DC - POLITICO

Cloud/SaaS

• How much does cloud-based identity expand your attack surface? - Help Net Security

• Who owns your data? SaaS contract security, privacy red flags | CSO Online

• Cloud Email Filtering Bypass Attack Works 80% of the Time (darkreading.com)

Identity and Access Management

• How much does cloud-based identity expand your attack surface? - Help Net Security

Linux and Open Source

• "We got lucky": What the XZ Utils backdoor says about the strength and insecurities of open source | ITPro

• New Linux Bug Could Lead to User Password Leaks and Clipboard Hijacking (thehackernews.com)

• Red Hat warns of backdoor in XZ tools used by most Linux distros (bleepingcomputer.com)

• A new XZ backdoor scanner will be able to safeguard any Linux binary from threats (msn.com)

• What we know about the xz Utils backdoor that almost infected the world | Ars Technica

• Malicious xz backdoor reveals fragility of open source • The Register

• Linux Version of DinodasRAT Spotted in Cyber Attacks Across Several Countries (thehackernews.com)

• German state switches to LibreOffice, promises Windows move • The Register

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• Cisco warns of password-spraying attacks targeting VPN services (bleepingcomputer.com)

• American fast-fashion firm Hot Topic hit by credential stuffing attacks (securityaffairs.com)

Social Media

• Cyber criminals are spreading malware through Facebook pages impersonating AI brands (therecord.media)

• WhatsApp was down in Meta’s second big outage this year | TechCrunch

• YouTube Video Game ‘Hacks’ Contain Malware Links - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Malvertising

• Apple macOS users targeted with more cyber attacks via dodgy ads and websites | TechRadar

• New Chrome feature aims to stop hackers from using stolen cookies (bleepingcomputer.com)

Training, Education and Awareness

• Human risk is the top cyber threat for IT teams - Help Net Security

• Instilling the Hacker Mindset Organisation wide (darkreading.com)

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• Ransomware incidents reported to UK financial regulator have doubled - Digital Journal

• Financial cyber defence: gearing up for DORA (finextra.com)

• EU's reimagined NIS 2 cyber security vision to go live (electronicspecifier.com)

• Navigating Cyber Security and Data Privacy Regulations in the Insurance Industry | McGuireWoods LLP - JDSupra

• 6 business benefits of data protection and GDPR compliance | TechTarget

• Treasury accuses banks of 'insufficient data sharing' on fraud | American Banker

• A CISO's Guide to Materiality and Risk Determination (darkreading.com)

• NIS2 Requires Major Changes in EU SaaS Cyber Security - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Models, Frameworks and Standards

• Using the NIST CSF for Strong Cyber Security Compliance | NAVEX - JDSupra

• NIST And CISA: 13 Must-Review Resources For SMBs (forbes.com)

• Are businesses prepared for the CSF 2.0 challenge? - Digital Journal

Backup and Recovery

• World Backup Day triggers call for holistic cyber security overhaul (securitybrief.co.nz)

• Ransomware attackers are increasingly targeting backups — so make sure yours are protected | TechRadar

• Data protection vs. data backup: How are they different? | TechTarget

Data Protection

• 3 Strategies to Future-Proof Data Privacy (darkreading.com)

• Navigating Cyber Security and Data Privacy Regulations in the Insurance Industry | McGuireWoods LLP - JDSupra

• 6 business benefits of data protection and GDPR compliance | TechTarget

• How to conduct a data privacy audit, step by step | TechTarget

• Data protection vs. data backup: How are they different? | TechTarget

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

• The Complexity and Need to Manage Mental Well-Being in the Security Team - Security Week

• Cyber Leaders Struggle With Heightened Job Expectations, Communicating With Board - WSJ

• Hardest Cyber Security Jobs to Fill in 2024 Techopedia

• Unlocking Cyber Security Success: The Importance of Certifications - ClearanceJobs

• CISOs Are Facing Challenges In Proactive Threat Defence And Compliance Management (forbes.com)

• Are you okay? Understanding the world of a CISO | CSO Online

Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda

• AI abuse and misinformation campaigns threaten financial institutions - Help Net Security

• Microsoft GM on AI and elections: 'There will be fakes' • The Register

• How to Counter Disinformation Campaigns in Global Elections (darkreading.com)

---

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

Cyber Warfare and Cyber Espionage

• Wars prompt questions for facial recognition providers, and obscure the answers | Biometric Update

• UN Peace Operations Under Fire from State-Sponsored Hackers (darkreading.com)

Nation State Actors

China

• Chinese Spy Ops Attack 7 MSPs, Feds Allege | MSSP Alert

• UK minister confirmed as 12th target in Westminster ‘spear-phishing’ scandal – POLITICO

• Pulling the Curtain Back on China’s Cyberespionage (informationweek.com)

• MPs challenge government claims China cyber attack was unsuccessful (ft.com)

• Chinese hackers turn to AI to meddle in elections | CyberScoop

• Microsoft and OpenAI collaborated to counter North Korean cyber threats, China in the game as well - MSPoweruser

• OODA Loop - Government Agencies are in the Fight Against Chinese Human Targeting and Cyber Espionage. Will it be Enough?

• UK, Czech ministers among China’s hacking targets – POLITICO

• Security fears over supercomputer deal with Chinese firm Lenovo (thetimes.co.uk)

• Ministry of State Security releases bilingual report, urging Western forces to stop slandering and attacking China - China Military

Russia

• Ukraine gives award to foreign vigilantes for hacks on Russia - BBC News

• STA: Russian hackers take responsibility for cyber attack on Slovenia

• Exclusive: Hackers stole Russian prisoner database to avenge death of Navalny | CNN Politics

• Russian network that 'paid European politicians' busted, authorities claim - BBC News

• Russia charges suspects behind theft of 160,000 credit cards (bleepingcomputer.com)

Iran

• Iran's Evolving Cyber Enabled Influence Operations to Support Hamas (darkreading.com)

• Satellite Cyber Security, Iran, and the Israel-Hamas War | Geopolitical Monitor

North Korea

• Microsoft and OpenAI collaborated to counter North Korean cyber threats, China in the game as well - MSPoweruser

• A Vigilante Hacker Took Down North Korea’s Internet. Now He’s Taking Off His Mask | WIRED

---

Vulnerability Management

• Vulnerability database backlog due to increased volume, changes in 'support,' NIST says (therecord.media)

• CVE and NVD - A Weak and Fractured Source of Vulnerability Truth - Security Week

• Attack Surface Management vs. Vulnerability Management (thehackernews.com)

Vulnerabilities

• Are You Affected by the Backdoor in XZ Utils? (darkreading.com)

• Red Hat issues urgent alert for Fedora Linux users due to malicious code (betanews.com)

• Hosting firm's VMware ESXi servers hit by new SEXi ransomware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cisco warns of password-spraying attacks targeting VPN services (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cisco addressed high-severity flaws in IOS and IOS XE software (securityaffairs.com)

• Ivanti commits to secure-by-design overhaul • The Register

• Ivanti Rushes Patches for 4 New Flaws in Connect Secure and Policy Secure (thehackernews.com)

• Apple GoFetch was caused by an obsession with speed • The Register

• Heartbleed is 10 Years Old – Farewell Heartbleed, Hello QuantumBleed! - Security Week

• Critical Security Flaw Found in Popular LayerSlider WordPress Plugin (thehackernews.com)

• WiFi WPS vulnerability: disable it, or else | Cybernews

• Critical Vulnerability in Progress Flowmon Allows Remote Access to Systems - Security Week

• Google fixed two actively exploited Pixel vulnerabilities (securityaffairs.com)

• Splunk Patches Vulnerabilities in Enterprise Product - Security Week

• JetBrains fixes 26 'security problems,' offering no details • The Register

---

Tools and Controls

• RDP Abuse Present in 90% of Ransomware Breaches - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• New XZ backdoor scanner detects implant in any Linux binary (bleepingcomputer.com)

• The ‘complicated relationship’ between AI and cyber security (siliconrepublic.com)

• How much does cloud-based identity expand your attack surface? - Help Net Security

• How Pentesting-as-a-Service can Reduce Overall Security Costs (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Building a cyber security risk assessment template - Security Boulevard

• Microsoft unveils safety and security tools for generative AI | InfoWorld

• The Biggest Mistake Security Teams Make When Buying Tools (darkreading.com)

• World Backup Day triggers call for holistic cyber security overhaul (securitybrief.co.nz)

• Cloud Email Filtering Bypass Attack Works 80% of the Time (darkreading.com)

• Can cyber insurance help secure business? | Mint (livemint.com)

• 71% Website Vulnerable: API Security Becomes Prime Target for Hackers - Security Boulevard

• Old Technology, New Tricks: Why DNS Is Still A Major Security Target (forbes.com)

• Cyber Risk Management: A Beginner's Guide - Security Boulevard

• Microsoft Entra Recommendations adds several more for better user security - Neowin

• A CISO's Guide to Materiality and Risk Determination (darkreading.com)

• Ransomware attackers are increasingly targeting backups — so make sure yours are protected | TechRadar

• Attack Surface Management vs. Vulnerability Management (thehackernews.com)

• Why a Cloud Security Platform Approach is Critical | Trend Micro (US)

• The Importance Of Physical Cyber Security Testing (forbes.com)

• CISOs Are Facing Challenges In Proactive Threat Defence And Compliance Management (forbes.com)

• Human risk is the top cyber threat for IT teams - Help Net Security

• Data protection vs. data backup: How are they different? | TechTarget

• What is Threat Management? - Security Boulevard

• SIEM Implementation: Strategies and Best Practices | MSSP Alert

• Is Windows Defender All the Antivirus Protection You Need? (makeuseof.com)

Other News

• Cyber Attacks Wreaking Physical Disruption on the Rise (darkreading.com)

• Cyber attacks on critical infrastructure show advanced tactics and new capabilities - Help Net Security

• Is your pension protected from cyber attacks? - CityAM

• Cyber Safety Review Board: Microsoft security culture 'inadequate' (geekwire.com)

• Microsoft slammed for lax infosec that led to Exchange crack • The Register

• Infosec professionals praise CSRB report on Microsoft breach | TechTarget

• 76% of consumers don't see themselves as cyber crime targets - Help Net Security

• Shielding the lifelines: Protecting energy and infrastructure from cyber threats (betanews.com)

• Cyber Security Statistics In 2024: Is Your Law Firm Protected? - Above the Law

• Sellafield nuclear waste dump faces prosecution over cyber security failures (bitdefender.com)

• Australia Doubles Down On Cyber Security After Attacks (darkreading.com)

• Furry Hackers Use Church's Money To Buy Inflatable Sea Lions (dailydot.com)

• Windows 10 Support Deadline: Your Guide to Extended Security Updates (ESU) (mspoweruser.com)

• Healthcare's cyber resilience under siege as attacks multiply - Help Net Security

• Rise of non-tech hackers: new era of cyber threats - VnExpress International

• Why Cultural Institutions Are Rich Targets for Cyber Attackers  (informationweek.com)

• 5 top OT threats and security challenges | TechTarget

---

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 Threat Briefing 23 February 2024

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

Despite Recent NCA and FBI Disruptions, a Rise in Ransomware Means 2024 Will be a Volatile Year for Cyber Security

There has been a lot of high profile coverage this week of the infamous and prolific LockBit gang’s infrastructure having been seized by law enforcement following an international Police operation led by the UK’s National Crime Agency. Whilst the international operation shows the seriousness of the matter, and the success of the operation should be celebrated, those celebrations should be muted and organisations should not become lax. Like the Hydra of Greek mythology, when one head disappears, a few more appear in its place. Ransomware really is a case of if, not when, and your organisation needs to be prepared.

Further, a recent threat report has found that the median ransom demand rose by 20% year on year, hitting an average of $600,000 and it is expected that 2024 will be even more volatile. Ransomware groups are expanding their target lists and exploring new pressure tactics in response to increasingly effective law enforcement efforts, and this is coupled with the increasing regulatory impact on organisations.

Sources: [Sky News] [GOV Infosecurity] [Bleeping Computer] [Infosecurity Magazine] [Cyber Reason]

The Old, Not the New: Basic Security Issues Still the Biggest Threat to Enterprises

In the latest IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index, it was revealed that basic security issues remain the most significant threat to enterprises. Cyber criminals are increasingly turning to credential stuffing, using and exploiting valid accounts harvested from the darkweb and previous breaches, with a 266% uptick in info-stealing malware. This tactic is harder to detect and elicits a costly response from enterprises. On the other hand, it is also important to adopt an attacker mindset for effective security. Understanding the attacker’s tools, motives, and efforts can help in limiting access, compartmentalising the impact of any successful attack, and minimising the time to attack detection. In essence, while organisations continue to grapple with complex cyber threats, the biggest security problem boils down to the basic and the already known. Therefore, it is crucial to focus on strengthening basic security measures and thinking like an attacker to proactively mitigate the risk for a more secure attack surface.

Source: [Help Net Security] [Forbes]

Reevaluating Your Cyber Security Priorities

Both technology and cyber criminals are evolving, yet many companies and organisations are not. For many corporate leaders, they may not know where to begin. Organisations looking to evolve their cyber security posture should look to elevate cyber to the C-suite and board, conduct audits of their sensitive information, create or update and test their incident response plan and finally, revisit their cyber hygiene training to ensure it is doing more than just ticking boxes. Organisations doing the above will find themselves improving their cyber security posture, and mitigating their risk to threats.

Source: [Dark Reading]

Cyber Threat Environment at its Most Dangerous for SMBs, as Geopolitical Tenison, Extortion and Attacks Present Biggest Risks

A new study has found that extortion campaigns, geopolitical threats, and attacks on small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are amongst the greatest threats to cyber security defences currently. The report, conducted by Mimecast, highlights how individual ransom groups have claimed over 1,000 victims and over $300 million in payments. Regarding SMBs, the report found that these businesses encountered twice the normal number of threats, at over 30 threats per user, as compared to larger companies who saw approximately 15. Not only are SMBs at more risk, but they also do not have the same resources a large company would have to mitigate such threats. SMBs must be efficient in the way they prioritise and address their cyber risk as part of their larger risk management strategy.

Sources: [Emerging Risks] [The HR Director]

Legal Sector Grows as a Target, with Cyber Attacks on Law Firms Surging by Over a Third

A new report has found that the number of reported cyber breaches on UK law firms has increased 30% from the previous year, as attackers increasingly target the profession. As a note, this does not include firms who may be unaware that they have been breached. Law firms are an attractive target to attackers due to the sensitive information such as M&A activity, divorce information and big ticket litigation; many attackers believe that law firms will pay handsomely to have this data back.

Sources: [Emerging Risks] [Legal Cheek]

It’s Not Only Ransomware Seeing Huge Rises: Business Email Compromise (BEC) Attacks are Also Seeing a Huge Rise. Is Your Business Prepared?

A recent report found that business email compromise (BEC) saw a staggering increase of 10 time the amount compared to the previous year. BEC involves a genuine business email account being compromised by a threat actor; this could be your supplier, a client, or anyone you have legitimate contact with. With such an increase, organisations must consider if they would be able to spot and mitigate BEC in their corporate environment through robust operational controls such as callback procedures for example. Due to the rise in deep fake fraud with voice cloning and video, the efficacy of traditional safeguards such as callbacks are not providing the assurance they once did. Firms and employees need to be on their guard to these changing tactics to safeguard the business.

Source: [TechRadar]

Deepfake Phishing Grew by 3,000% in 2023, and it’s Just the Beginning

Phishing remains one of the most prevalent cyber security threats, and with the emergence of artificial intelligence it is only going to carry on getting worse. According to a recent report, the number of deepfake fraud attempts rose by 3,000%. In one instance, the CEO of an energy enterprise sent €220,000 to a supplier after getting a call from the parent company’s leader requesting the exchange; the call was a deepfake.

Source: [HackerNoon]

Cyber Attacks are Getting Faster, More Common and More Successful, Although Detection is More Advanced Than Ever. New Report Signals the Threats to Businesses, Supply Chains, and Democracy

A recent report from CrowdStrike sheds light on the increasing speed and sophistication of cyber attacks. Breakout times have plummeted to an average of 62 minutes, with a record time of just two minutes and seven seconds observed. Hackers are now targeting the cloud, exploiting its vulnerabilities and leveraging AI assistance to escalate attacks. The human factor remains a primary entry point for threat actors, with social engineering and phishing campaigns on the rise. As organisations transition to the cloud, threat actors follow suit, with cloud intrusions soaring by 75%. CrowdStrike warns of state-sponsored adversaries targeting critical elections, emphasising the need for a platform-based approach bolstered by threat intelligence to safeguard against evolving threats.

Source: [TechRadar]

Report Finds Malicious Emails Bypassing Secure Email Gateways Rose by 105%

A report by Cofense has found a 105% increase in malicious emails that successfully bypassed Secure Email Gateways (SEGs), with approximately one malicious email navigating their way past SEGs every 57 seconds. The report suggests that phishing efforts are outpacing that of SEGs, and such phishing efforts are responsible for 90% of data breaches. Whilst SEGs may be filtering out a number of malicious emails, they, like everything in cyber security, are not a silver bullet. Organisations should not fall foul of believing that they are impenetrable because they have a SEG.

Sources: [SiliconANGLE] [Security Magazine] [Help Net Security]

Rising Cyber Threats Identified as Major Business Risk for 2024

In the latest Allianz risk barometer, cyber incidents have been identified as the most significant concern for companies globally in 2024. This is particularly true for remote desktop connections, which have become a prime target for cyber attacks since the shift to a work-from-home environment. The report also highlights that the risk landscape is being shaped by digitalisation, climate change, and geopolitical uncertainties. Meanwhile, a report from Coalition reveals that the cyber attack surface has expanded due to new ways of working. The report found that smaller businesses often lack the resources to prepare for a wide range of risk scenarios, which can lead to longer recovery times after an unexpected incident. These findings underscore the importance of robust cyber security measures and the need for continuous monitoring and improvement of an organisation’s digital defences.

Sources: [Reinsurance News] [Allianz]

Huge Cyber Security Leak Lifts the Lid on China’s Hackers for Hire

A huge leak of data from a Chinese cyber security firm, iSoon, has revealed state security agents paying tens of thousands of pounds to harvest data on targets, including the likes of foreign governments, and the leak shows this has been going on for years. Since the release, CrowdStrike has drawn overlaps between the firm and multiple known Chinese threat actors who are well resourced and conduct attacks over an extended period (referred to as advanced persistent threats, APTs). Among some of the 500 leaked documents are product manuals, lists of clients and employees, and WeChat instant messages. The leaks show over 14 governments have been attacked, as well as gambling and telecommunications companies.

Sources: [Dark Reading] [The Guardian]

Fifth of British Kids Have Broken the Law Online

In a recent study by the UK National Crime Agency (NCA), one in five children aged 10 to 16 have engaged in online offences with the figure rising to 25% among online gamers. These "low-level" cyber crimes, such as attempting to access protected servers or launching distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, may not be perceived by young individuals as violating the Computer Misuse Act. The consequences, however, are severe, including potential arrest, criminal records, and restrictions on future opportunities. The NCA stresses the importance of educating both children and adults about the legal and ethical implications of such actions, highlighting the transition from minor offences to more serious cyber crimes. With a significant shortage of cyber security professionals globally, fostering positive digital skills among young individuals is crucial for meeting industry demands and deterring cyber crime. Parents, teachers, and children are encouraged to explore resources provided by the NCA's Cyber Choices website to prevent inadvertent involvement in illegal online activities.

Source: [Infosecurity Magazine]

Over 40% of Firms Struggle with Cyber Security Talent Shortage

A recent report from Kaspersky has unveiled a critical global challenge: over 40% of companies are struggling to fill essential cyber security roles, with information security research and malware analysis roles particularly affected. This scarcity is felt most acutely in Europe and Latin America. Roles within security operations centres (SOCs) and network security are also understaffed, with figures around 35% and 33% respectively. The government sector faces the most significant demand for cyber security experts, followed closely by the telecoms and media sectors. While efforts like offering competitive salaries and enhanced training are underway, the gap persists due to the rapid pace of technological advancement outstripping educational initiatives. The report emphasises the need for innovative solutions to bridge this shortfall, highlighting recruitment, training, and technological advancements as key components of a comprehensive strategy to bolster cyber security resilience in the face of evolving threats.

Source: [Infosecurity Magazine]

---

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Cyber attacks are getting faster, more common and more successful, even though detection is more advanced than ever | TechRadar

• 7 Ways Companies’ Cyber Related Governance Disclosures Will Evolve Post-SEC Rule Change (harvard.edu)

• Cyber security professionals admit “knowledge gaps” have led to serious security blunders | ITPro

• The old, not the new: Basic security issues still biggest threat to enterprises - Help Net Security

• Cyber threat environment more dangerous then ever - Mimecast (emergingrisks.co.uk)

• Over two-thirds of IT security decision-makers report an increase in cyber security budgets for 2024 | IT Reseller Magazine (itrportal.com)

• Geopolitical tension, extortion and attacks present biggest cyber security risks | theHRD (thehrdirector.com)

• 2024 CrowdStrike Global Threat Report: From Breakout to Breach in Under Three Minutes; Cloud Infrastructure Under Attack | Business Wire

• Gartner: Three top trends in cyber security for 2024 | Computer Weekly

• Barracuda report highlights rise of high-risk business security threats in 2023 (securitybrief.co.nz)

• Coalition report reveals rising cyber threats amidst business vulnerabilities - Reinsurance News

• Over 40% of Firms Struggle With Cyber Security Talent Shortage - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Thinking Like An Attacker—Another Look At Enterprise Security (forbes.com)

• Hackers using stolen credentials to launch attacks as info-stealing peaks | CSO Online

• The evolution of the CISO - Compare the Cloud

• How CISOs Balance Business Growth, Security in Cyber Threat Landscape (darkreading.com)

• Allianz Risk Barometer: Identifying the major business risks for 2024

• How to mitigate C-Suite cyber risks | Professional Security

• Why cyber security can boost organisational innovation | TechRadar

• 4 Key Steps to Reevaluate Your Cyber Security Priorities (darkreading.com)

• Cyber security success -- elevate your defence against cyber threats (betanews.com)

---

Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• Ransom demands surge by 20% in 2023, hitting key industries hardest - SiliconANGLE

• Police arrests LockBit ransomware members, release decryptor in global crackdown (bleepingcomputer.com)

• LockBit takedown is a “huge win for law enforcement”, but let’s not celebrate too soon, security experts warn | ITPro

• LockBit Attempts to Stay Afloat with a New Version (trendmicro.com)

• LockBit registered nearly 200 "affiliates" over the past two years | TechRadar

• 2024 will be a volatile year for cyber security as ransomware groups evolve - Help Net Security

• Ransomware Experts See Problems With Banning Ransom Payments (govinfosecurity.com)

• Initial Ransomware Demands Jump 20% to $600,000 in 2023 - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Ransomware: True Cost to Business 2024 (cybereason.com)

• Ransomware and BEC are seeing a huge rise — is your business ready? | TechRadar

• ConnectWise exploit could spur ‘ransomware free-for-all,’ expert warns | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• 3 trends set to drive cyber attacks and ransomware in 2024 | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)

• Year-over-year, the median initial ransom has risen by 20% | Security Magazine

• Alpha ransomware linked to NetWalker operation dismantled in 2021 (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Why are ransomware gangs making so much money? | TechCrunch

• Akira Ransomware Exploiting Cisco Anyconnect Vulnerability (gbhackers.com)

• Knight ransomware source code for sale after leak site shuts down (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Exclusive: eSentire Confirms Rhysida Ransomware Victims - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Stuck in cyber attack nightmare? Call the negotiators (techxplore.com)

• Why some cyber attacks hit harder than others - BBC News

• Report: Manufacturing bears the brunt of industrial ransomware | CyberScoop

Ransomware Victims

• eSentire Confirms Rhysida Ransomware Victims - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Why some cyber attacks hit harder than others - BBC News

• ALPHV ransomware claims loanDepot, Prudential Financial breaches (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cactus ransomware gang claims the theft of 1.5TB of data from Energy management and industrial automation firm Schneider Electric (securityaffairs.com)

• Dead Man's Fingers maker cuts over 500 jobs and enters the red after cyber attack hits sales (cityam.com)

• 147 ransomware attacks on large Dutch companies, institutions last year; 18% paid ransom | NL Times

• Pharmacy Delays Across US Blamed on Nation-State Hackers (darkreading.com)

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• New report warns of ongoing rise of malicious emails bypassing secure email gateways - SiliconANGLE

• Secure email gateways struggle to keep pace with sophisticated phishing campaigns - Help Net Security

• The phishing bait you're most likely to take (betanews.com)

• Deepfake Phishing Grew by 3,000% in 2023 — And It's Just Beginning | HackerNoon

• SMBs at Risk From SendGrid-Focused Phishing Tactics - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Other Social Engineering

• What ‘psychological warfare’ tactics do scammers use, and how can you protect yourself? (theconversation.com)

• North Koreans using ChatGPT to scam LinkedIn users; "attacks are getting very sophisticated" - MSPoweruser

• What Is Social Engineering? Types Of Attacks To Beware Of (forbes.com)

Artificial Intelligence

• AI models can be weaponized to hack websites on their own • The Register

• North Koreans using ChatGPT to scam LinkedIn users; "attacks are getting very sophisticated" - MSPoweruser

• Deepfake Phishing Grew by 3,000% in 2023 — And It's Just Beginning | HackerNoon

• Generative AI and elections are key focus for hackers in 2024, report warns | Evening Standard

• As adversaries harness AI, tech firms peer through chat logs to catch them - Defense One

• Here Comes the Flood of AI-Generated Clickbait | WIRED

• Air Canada Has to Honor a Refund Policy Its Chatbot Made Up | WIRED

• 36% of code generated by GitHub CoPilot contains security flaws - Help Net Security

• Employees input sensitive data into generative AI tools despite the risks | ZDNET

• Ransomware Declines as InfoStealers and AI Threats Gain Ground: IBM X-Force - SecurityWeek

• Gartner: Three top trends in cyber security for 2024 | Computer Weekly

• Global AI Regulatory Update - Lexology

Malware

• PDF Malware on the Rise, Used to Spread WikiLoader, Ursnif and DarkGat - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• FBI's Most-Wanted Zeus and IcedID Malware Mastermind Pleads Guilty (thehackernews.com)

• Iranian Hackers Target Middle East Policy Experts with New BASICSTAR Backdoor (thehackernews.com)

• VIPRE report predicts 276% rise in malware in 2024 (securitybrief.co.nz)

• Anatsa Android malware downloaded 150,000 times via Google Play (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 'Lucifer' Botnet Turns Up the Heat on Apache Hadoop Servers (darkreading.com)

• What are Botnets and Why are MSSPs So Concerned? | MSSP Alert

• New SSH-Snake malware steals SSH keys to spread across the network (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Ransomware Declines as InfoStealers and AI Threats Gain Ground: IBM X-Force - SecurityWeek

• Your Mac Is Not Virus Proof. It Never Has Been. (gizmodo.com)

• Click: Your innocent mouse could be a cyber criminal's silent weapon - Digital Journal

• Vibrator virus steals your personal information | Malwarebytes

Mobile

• Meta Warns of 8 Spyware Firms Targeting iOS, Android, and Windows Devices (thehackernews.com)

• New Wave of 'Anatsa' Banking Trojans Targets Android Users in Europe (darkreading.com)

• Your fingerprints can be recreated from the sounds made when you swipe on a touchscreen — Chinese and US researchers show new side channel can reproduce fingerprints to enable attacks | Tom's Hardware (tomshardware.com)

• VoltSchemer attacks use wireless chargers to inject voice commands, fry phones (bleepingcomputer.com)

• New Wi-Fi Vulnerabilities Expose Android and Linux Devices to Hackers (thehackernews.com)

• Zero-Click Apple Shortcuts Vulnerability Allows Silent Data Theft (darkreading.com)

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

• Cyber attacks in Malta, Hungary, Ukraine, Bosnia are a 'wake-up call', IPI warns (timesofmalta.com)

• Average DDoS attack cost businesses £325,000 in 2023, according to new Zayo data | IT Reseller Magazine (itrportal.com)

• Top UK Universities Recovering Following Targeted DDoS Attack - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Internet of Things – IoT

• 'Anywhere there's a camera, now there's a risk': Billions of users at risk of Peeping Toms — scientists devise incredibly simple eavesdropping system costing only a few hundred dollars | TechRadar

• Wyze camera glitch gave 13,000 users a peek into other homes (bleepingcomputer.com)

• As Cyber attacks Ramp Up, Electric Vehicles Are Vulnerable (autoweek.com)

• Wi-Fi jamming to knock out cameras suspected in nine Minnesota burglaries -- smart security systems vulnerable as tech becomes cheaper and easier to acquire | Tom's Hardware (tomshardware.com)

• Is new technology making cars less secure? - Verdict

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Bank of America Suffers Massive Data Breach, Exposing Social Security Numbers, Addresses and Additional Sensitive Data To Hackers - The Daily Hodl

• Infosys subsidiary named as source of Bank of America leak • The Register

• Why Data Breaches Spiked in 2023 (hbr.org)

• Massive Cloud Database Leak Exposes 380 Million Records (hackread.com)

• UK council's sneaky insider steals 79k email addresses • The Register

• Eye Care Services Firm Faces Lawsuit Over Data Breach Impacting 2.3 Million - SecurityWeek

Cyber Crime General & Criminal Actors

• Fifth of British Kids Have Broken the Law Online - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Despite Knowing Risks, Brits Continue to Expose Themselves to Cyber Criminals Finds IDnow | The Fintech Times

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• Cyber Criminals Are Employing New Tactics To Launder Money, Warns Report - Benzinga

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• UK council's sneaky insider steals 79k email addresses • The Register

Insurance

• Personal cyber insurance nascent but growing in demand as digital crimes increase - Victoria Times Colonist

• Insurers Use Claims Data to Recommend Cyber Security Technologies (darkreading.com)

• Cyber Insurance Needs to Evolve to Ensure Greater Benefit (darkreading.com)

• What is Cyber Insurance and Does Your Small Business Need It? (smallbiztrends.com)

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• Infosys subsidiary named as source of Bank of America leak • The Register

• North Korean hackers linked to defence sector supply-chain attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

Cloud/SaaS

• 2024 CrowdStrike Global Threat Report: From Breakout to Breach in Under Three Minutes; Cloud Infrastructure Under Attack | Business Wire

• Cyber security report reveals 75% spike in cloud attacks (securitybrief.co.nz)

• Cyber security fears drive a return to on-premise infrastructure from cloud computing - Help Net Security

• Massive Cloud Database Leak Exposes 380 Million Records (hackread.com)

• How Nation-State Actors Target Your Business: New Research Exposes Major SaaS Vulnerabilities (thehackernews.com)

• Cyber attacks follow businesses to the cloud (betanews.com)

• Six steps for stronger cloud security | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

Identity and Access Management

• Why identity fraud costs organisations millions - Help Net Security

• Orgs are having a major identity crisis • The Register

• Active Directory outages can cost organisations $100,000 per day - Help Net Security

Encryption

• European Court of Human Rights rules against government backdoors in end-to-end encryption - Neowin

Linux and Open Source

• New Wi-Fi Vulnerabilities Expose Android and Linux Devices to Hackers (thehackernews.com)

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• Hackers using stolen credentials to launch attacks as info-stealing peaks | CSO Online

• How to proactively prevent password-spray attacks on legacy email accounts | CSO Online

Social Media

• EU Watchdog Urged to Reject Meta 'Pay for Privacy' Scheme - SecurityWeek

• Social Media Platforms Are in an ‘Information Trafficking Business’: Cyber Security Adviser | NTD

• ChatGPT Used by North Korean Hackers to Scam LinkedIn Users (tech.co)

• 76% of Super Bowl Traffic From Elon Musk's X to Advertisers Could Be Fake (thewrap.com)

• Elon Musk’s X allows China-based propaganda banned on other platforms | Ars Technica

• European Union deepens its investigation of TikTok • The Register

Training, Education and Awareness

• People cannot be patched (betanews.com)

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• European Court of Human Rights rules against government backdoors in end-to-end encryption - Neowin

• Hedge Funds Warn SEC Cyber Lapses Risk Exposing Trading Secrets (bloomberglaw.com)

• One Year After the Colonial Pipeline Attack, Regulation Is Still a Problem (securityintelligence.com)

• 7 Ways Companies’ Cyber Related Governance Disclosures Will Evolve Post-SEC Rule Change (harvard.edu)

• European Union deepens its investigation of TikTok • The Register

• Decoding DORA: Navigating the digital regulatory landscape | World Finance

• 81 Percent of Security Leaders Say SEC Cyber Security Rules Will Substantially Impact Their Business | Business Wire

• FTC Fines Avast $16.5 Million For Selling Browsing Data Harvested by Antivirus (404media.co)

• Avast settles claims of customer data peddling for $17M • The Register

• Global AI Regulatory Update - Lexology

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

• Over 40% of Firms Struggle With Cyber Security Talent Shortage - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• The Psychology of Cyber Security Burnout (informationweek.com)

• How can we adapt work practices to protect CISO mental health? | Computer Weekly

Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda

• Feds deliver stark warnings to state election officials ahead of November - Iowa Capital Dispatch

• UK election cyber attack warning after Putin's hackers target US (inews.co.uk)

• Social Media Platforms Are in an ‘Information Trafficking Business’: Cyber Security Adviser | NTD

• Elon Musk’s X allows China-based propaganda banned on other platforms | Ars Technica

• Election security threats in 2024 range from AI to … anthrax • The Register

• 76 percent of Super Bowl LVIII traffic from Twitter dubbed 'fake' (awfulannouncing.com)

• Iran and Hezbollah Hackers Launch Attacks to Influence Israel-Hamas Narrative (thehackernews.com)

• Russian Hackers Target Ukraine with Disinformation and Credential-Harvesting Attacks (thehackernews.com)

---

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

Cyber Warfare and Cyber Espionage

• Countries fear state-sponsored cyber war | The World from PRX

• Cyberwar: What Is It Good For? - GovInfoSecurity

Nation State Actors

• Cyber attacks are getting faster, more common and more successful, even though detection is more advanced than ever — new report signals the threats to businesses, supply chains, and democracy | TechRadar

• Countries fear state-sponsored cyber war | The World from PRX

• How Nation-State Actors Target Your Business: New Research Exposes Major SaaS Vulnerabilities (thehackernews.com)

• Generative AI and elections are key focus for hackers in 2024, report warns | Evening Standard

• Pharmacy Delays Across US Blamed on Nation-State Hackers (darkreading.com)

China

• In the evolving cyberwar, China aims to take down our critical infrastructure | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• 'Major Chinese hack' on Foreign Office urgently investigated by UK spies (inews.co.uk)

• Leaked Chinese Hacking Files Reveal How Compromised the US Could Be (businessinsider.com)

• iSoon's Secret APT Status Exposes China's Foreign Hacking Machination (darkreading.com)

• Generative AI and elections are key focus for hackers in 2024, report warns | Evening Standard

• China’s Cyber Security and Statecraft – The Diplomat

• Elon Musk’s X allows China-based propaganda banned on other platforms | Ars Technica

• China’s Spy Agency Sees Threats Everywhere in Data Security Push - Bloomberg

Russia

• FBI disrupts hacking network 'linked to Russian intelligence services' | US News | Sky News

• Russian APT 'Winter Vivern' Targets European Governments, Military (darkreading.com)

• Russian Cyber attackers Launch Multiphase PsyOps Campaign (darkreading.com)

• Russian-Linked Hackers Target 80+ Organisations via Roundcube Flaws (thehackernews.com)

• Russian military botnet discovered on 1000+ compromised routers — FBI deactivated Moobot by taking control of impacted routers | Tom's Hardware (tomshardware.com)

• NHS hospitals ‘easy targets’ for Russian hackers (thetimes.co.uk)

• Russia-Aligned TAG-70 Targets European Government and Military Mail Servers in New Espionage Campaign (recordedfuture.com)

• Generative AI and elections are key focus for hackers in 2024, report warns | Evening Standard

• Russian Turla Cyber Spies Target Polish NGOs With New Backdoor - SecurityWeek

• Russian-Aligned Network Doppelgänger Targets German Elections - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Russian Hackers Target Ukraine with Disinformation and Credential-Harvesting Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• NATO's chief information officer on what Ukraine did right in its cyberwar with Russia (therecord.media)

• Russian Government Software Backdoored to Deploy Konni RAT Malware (thehackernews.com)

• Three terms sure to grab attention: Russia, nuclear, anti-satellite weapon | Ars Technica

Iran

• Iranian Hackers Target Middle East Policy Experts with New BASICSTAR Backdoor (thehackernews.com)

• Iranian APTs Dress Up As Hacktivists for Disruption, Influence Ops (darkreading.com)

• Iran and Hezbollah Hackers Launch Attacks to Influence Israel-Hamas Narrative (thehackernews.com)

• Iran-Backed Charming Kitten Stages Fake Webinar Platform to Ensnare Targets (darkreading.com)

• Israeli Aircraft Survive “Cyber Hijacking” Attempts - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

North Korea

• ChatGPT Used by North Korean Hackers to Scam LinkedIn Users (tech.co)

• North Korean hackers linked to defence sector supply-chain attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• North Koreans using ChatGPT to scam LinkedIn users; "attacks are getting very sophisticated" - MSPoweruser

• Russian Government Software Backdoored to Deploy North Korean Konni RAT Malware (thehackernews.com)

---

Vulnerability Management

• CVEs expected to increase 25% in 2024 | Security Magazine

• Coalition: Vulnerability scoring systems falling short | TechTarget

Vulnerabilities

• Ransomware Warning as CVSS 10.0 ConnectWise ScreenConnect Bug is Exploited - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• ConnectWise exploit could spur ‘ransomware free-for-all,’ expert warns | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Exploiting critical ConnectWise bug is 'embarrassingly easy' • The Register

• Akira Ransomware Exploiting Cisco AnyConnect Vulnerability (gbhackers.com)

• New Ivanti Vulnerability Observed as Widespread Security Concerns Grow - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Microsoft Exchange flaw CVE-2024-21410 could impact up to 97,000 servers (securityaffairs.com)

• VMware Alert: Uninstall EAP Now - Critical Flaw Puts Active Directory at Risk (thehackernews.com)

• VMware issues no-patch advisory for critical flaw in old SSO plugin | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Russian-Linked Hackers Target 80+ Organisations via Roundcube Flaws (thehackernews.com)

• ESET fixed high-severity local privilege escalation bug in Windows products (securityaffairs.com)

• SolarWinds addressed critical RCEs in Access Rights Manager (securityaffairs.com)

• Chrome 122, Firefox 123 Patch High-Severity Vulnerabilities - SecurityWeek

• Critical Vulnerability in VMware vSphere Plug-in Allows Session Hijacking (darkreading.com)

• Joomla XSS Bugs Open Millions of Websites to RCE (darkreading.com)

• Zero-Click Apple Shortcuts Vulnerability Allows Silent Data Theft (darkreading.com)

• Urgent patches available for QNAP vulnerabilities, one 0-day • The Register

• Hackers exploit critical RCE flaw in Bricks WordPress site builder (bleepingcomputer.com)

---

Tools and Controls

• Secure email gateways struggle to keep pace with sophisticated phishing campaigns - Help Net Security

• NCSC Sounds Alarm Over Private Branch Exchange Attacks - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Stuck in cyber attack nightmare? Call the negotiators (techxplore.com)

• New Google Chrome feature blocks attacks against home networks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• How Businesses Can Safeguard Their Communication Channels Against Hackers (thehackernews.com)

• Limiting remote access exposure in hybrid work environments | CSO Online

• Cyber Insurance Needs to Evolve to Ensure Greater Benefit (darkreading.com)

• The double-edged sword of zero trust - Help Net Security

• Orgs are having a major identity crisis • The Register

• Active Directory outages can cost organisations $100,000 per day - Help Net Security

• SOC Landscapes: Insights from SANS' 2023 SOC Report (trendmicro.com)

• 36% of code generated by GitHub CoPilot contains security flaws - Help Net Security

• Microsoft expands free logging capabilities after May breach (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Why ransomware gangs love using RMM tools—and how to stop them | Malwarebytes

• People cannot be patched (betanews.com)

• “Ruthlessly prioritize what’s critical”: Check Point expert on CISOs and the evolving attack surface | ITPro

---

Reports Published in the Last Week

• VIPRE report predicts 276% rise in malware in 2024 (securitybrief.co.nz)

• CrowdStrike 2024 Global Threat Report | CrowdStrike

• IBM XForce Threat Intelligence Index 2024.pdf

• Cyber Threat Index 2024: Scans, Honeypots, and CVEs  (coalitioninc.com)

---

Other News

• Israeli Aircraft Survive “Cyber-Hijacking” Attempts - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• The Power Sector’s High-Stakes Battle for Cyber-Resiliency (powermag.com)

• Ways to elevate public sector cyber security | Professional Security

• Increasing Europe's cyber resilience - government.lu (gouvernement.lu)

• Industries most targeted by active adversaries | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Library Cyber Defences Are Falling Down (darkreading.com)

• How conveyancers can protect themselves against a cyber attack | Today's Conveyancer (todaysconveyancer.co.uk)

• US govt shares cyber attack defence tips for water utilities (bleepingcomputer.com)

---

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 Threat Briefing 01 December 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 Strategic Cyber Stories of the Last Week

Law Firms Face Surge in Targeted Attacks as Hundreds Impacted by Single Attack

An estimated 80 to 200 law firms across the UK were impacted by a cyber attack on a third party firm in their supply chain. The attack was on managed service supplier CTS, who provide services to hundreds of law firms across the UK, especially those with conveyancing departments, and many property sales were impacted nationwide as a result of the attack.

This is against a sharp increase in the number of law firms being singled out by cyber threat actors; only recently, magic circle firm Allen & Overy confirmed themselves as a victim of ransomware.

Sources: [SC Media] [Lawyer Monthly] [Scottish Legal News] [Law Gazette] [Dark Reading]

Approach Cyber Security Awareness Training by Engaging People at All Levels

In the cyber security landscape, human-related factors like social engineering, compromised credentials, and errors are the top causes of breaches. Increased investment in threat detection doesn't guarantee foolproof security. Organisations need a proactive strategy focusing on human risks, a security mindset in employees, and a security culture. According to IBM’s latest data security report, high levels of security training can significantly reduce the impact, cost, and frequency of data breaches.

However, most employee training programmes fail due to staff resistance and lack of management support. The key is convincing leadership of its value. To achieve a successful and impactful security awareness programme, it is important that security teams understand their audiences (leaders, managers, and employees), address their requirements, and effectively communicate the benefits of security training.

Source: [CPO Magazine]

Board Support Remains Critical as Majority of CISOs Experience Repeat Cyber Attacks

A recent report found that despite 95% of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) receiving budgetary and other support from their organisation after a cyber attack, this largely fails to prevent future incidents, with over half admitting they have experienced multiple “major cyber security incidents” in the last five years.

The report revealed that after an attack 46% of CISOs were given a bigger tech budget, 42% revised their security strategy, 41% adopted new frameworks, and 38% created new roles. However, incidents come with hidden consequences such as revenue loss, rising insurance premiums and declining reputation. CISOs need to have support from the board and executives from the start so that investments can be made in the right technology, processes, and tools. In doing so, a culture of security and vigilance can be instilled from the top down to help protect organisations against evolving threats.

Sources: [Business Wire] [Silicon UK]

Ransomware Attacks Surge 81% in October as New Threat Actors Emerge

The NCC Group revealed that ransomware attacks have surged by 81% in October 2023, compared to the same period in the previous year. Ransomware gangs have already victimised over 50% more individuals and enterprises in 2023 than during the entirety of 2022. As artificial intelligence, phishing kits and ransomware-as-a-service has improved, so too has the number of threat actors; those who were previously stunted by their technical know-how are now able to gain access to sophisticated attacks.

Source: [Security Brief]

Hacked Microsoft Word Documents Being Used to Trick Windows Users

Active campaigns carried out by cyber criminals are again using macros within Word documents to deploy malware, in spite of Microsoft’s efforts to stop these types of attacks. Most of the time the actor delivers the Word document via phishing emails, with the aim of convincing the user to click and run the macro. Once run, the malware has then achieved its goal of establishing itself on the victims’ machine and executing its malicious payload.

Source: [TechRadar]

Mitigating Deepfake Threats in The Corporate World

Deepfakes are synthetic media that are created or manipulated with the desired outcome of convincing the recipient of their legitimacy; and it’s entering the corporate world. Deepfake technology has already been used to impersonate Presidents and financial experts, however there has been an uprise in the number of these attacks. This has left the corporate world questioning existing operational procedures such as callbacks and how they will need to adjust to encompass the changing landscape.

Some of the ways a corporation can mitigate this, is to promote awareness within the workplace, adjust operational procedures to reflect the current landscape, and utilise advanced detection tools.

Source: [MSSP Alert]

Black Basta Ransomware Made Over $100 Million From Extortion Alone

The cyber crime operator “Black Basta” has raked in at least $100 million in ransom payments from more than 90 victims since it first surfaced in April 2022. In total, 329 victims worldwide were targeted and research has estimated that at least 35% paid a ransom, with multiple payments over $1 million. Black Basta uses double extortion techniques, where data is both ransomed and exfiltrated. This way, victims are forced to pay to get their data back and not have it published online; the latter itself can lead to regulatory fines.

Source: [Bleeping Computer]

Long Recovery Times After Cyber Attacks Could Annihilate Your Organisation

In the evolving cyber security landscape, organisations are increasingly investing in detection and prevention measures. However, there's a growing trend of neglecting post-attack recovery. While advanced security tools and technologies are crucial, recent ransomware incidents have shown that recovery is equally vital. Organisations have faced substantial downtime and financial losses due to attacks. Cyber resilience, the ability to bounce back quickly after an attack, is crucial, especially with the rise of remote work.

Budgets often prioritise prevention, leaving organisations ill-prepared for recovery. In 2023, a significant number of companies paid ransoms to regain data. To achieve true cyber resilience, a rebalance in approach is essential, focusing on preparation, response, and recovery alongside detection and prevention, ensuring rapid recovery and safeguarding of valuable assets.

Source: [TechRadar]

Booking.com Customers Scammed in Novel Social Engineering Campaign

According to new research by SecureWorks, Booking.com customers are being targeted by a novel social engineering campaign that is “paying serious dividends” for cyber criminals. Researchers believe the campaign has gone on for at least a year and it begins by deploying the Vidar infostealer to gain access partner hotels’ Booking.com credentials. This information is then used to send phishing emails to Booking.com customers and trick them into handing over their payment details, in many cases leading to money being stolen. The scam is proving so fruitful that sales of Booking.com portal credentials are commanding sale prices of up to $2,000 in two cyber crime forums.

Source: [Infosecurity Magazine]

Stop Panic Buying Your Security Products and Start Prioritising

In the cyber security landscape, impulse buying can lead to costly mistakes. Breaches are now more expensive than ever, underscoring the need to assess cyber security investments. Fear-driven tactics and the quest for a "silver bullet" solution can push organisations, especially smaller ones, into impulsive investments. These decisions may introduce even more risk by failing to integrate with existing systems, or buying systems but failing to configure them properly or utilising them to the fullest extent, leading to a false sense of security. The consequences can be severe, with breaches now costing organisations millions. To navigate this landscape, organisations must assess the real value of cyber security investments. Calculating risk by evaluating likelihood and impact can guide us in making informed decisions. Instead of impulse buying, assign a monetary value to cyber risks for strategic budget decisions in these economic times, ensuring investments align with security and business goals.

Source: [Help Net Security]

A Fifth of UK SMBs Unable to Spot Scams

New data from UK Finance reveals that 17% of UK small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) struggle to identify online fraud and scam indicators. This is particularly alarming given the rise in authorised push payment (APP) scams in the UK, where fraudsters impersonate trusted entities to deceive victims into transferring money to controlled accounts. In the first half of 2023 alone, criminals stole a reported £42.6 million through such scams, with total losses including consumer impacts reaching £239 million. SMBs are increasingly targeted due to typically fewer anti-fraud and other countermeasures and controls, compared to larger and better protected larger firms. It is important for SMBs to be vigilant and verify payment details directly with suppliers to help avoid these types of scams.

Source: [Infosecurity Magazine]

---

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Approach Cyber Security Awareness Training by Engaging People at All Levels - CPO Magazine

• 40% of Cyber Security Departments Want More Budget to Upskill Employees - IT Security Guru

• Cyber Security Spend Among UK Top 10 Legal Firms Jumps 21% as Threats Become Priority | Law.com International

• Board Support Remains Critical as Majority of CISOs Experience Repeat Cyber Attacks | Business Wire

• When does it make sense to pay the ransom? | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Former Uber CISO Speaks Out, After 6 Years, on Data Breach, SolarWinds (darkreading.com)

• Enterprises prepare for the inevitable cyber attack - Help Net Security

• Board Support Critical For Cyber Security Defence | Silicon UK

• 3 Simple Ways to Teach Your Teammates to Have a Security-First Mindset Today | Inc.com

• Long recovery times after cyber attacks could annihilate your organisation | TechRadar

• The Role of the CISO in Digital Transformation (darkreading.com)

• Stop panic buying your security products and start prioritizing - Help Net Security

• Cyber Security—Do We See Risks Increasing? | ETF Trends

• Bridging the risk exposure gap with strategies for internal auditors - Help Net Security

---

Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• The rise of Ransomware attacks within the Legal Industry (lawyer-monthly.com)

• Ransomware attacks surge 81% in October, new threat actors emerge (securitybrief.co.nz)

• Allianz cyber head warns ransomware is "back with a vengeance" | Insurance Business America (insurancebusinessmag.com)

• Black Basta ransomware made over $100 million from extortion (bleepingcomputer.com)

• International collaboration leads to dismantlement of ransomware group in Ukraine amidst ongoing war | Europol (europa.eu)

• Why the MOVEit breach still lives rent free in the minds of IT leaders | ITPro

• North Korean Hackers Amass $3bn in Cryptocurrency Heists - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• The crazy world of ransomware • Graham Cluley

• More councils at risk from hackers, warns boss as 'it's a case of when not if' cyber attacks land - Gloucestershire Live

• International collaboration leads to dismantlement of ransomware group in Ukraine amidst ongoing war (databreaches.net)

• DJVU Ransomware's Latest Variant 'Xaro' Disguised as Cracked Software (thehackernews.com)

• How a Teenage Saudi Hacker Went From Lockpicking to Ransomware (darkreading.com)

• When does it make sense to pay the ransom? | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• CACTUS Ransomware Exploits Qlik Sense Vulnerabilities in Targeted Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Only 4% of UK housing associations feel sector is fully prepared for ransomware attack | Scottish Housing News

• Ransomware Attacks Strike South Africa, Decline in UAE (darkreading.com)

Ransomware Victims

• Law firm A&O silent on whether it paid ransom to cyber criminals | Law Gazette

• Allen & Overy Removed From Ransomware Website With One Day Remaining | Law.com International

• Potentially hundreds of UK law firms affected by cyber attack on IT provider CTS (therecord.media)

• Cyber Attack Disrupts UK Property Deals - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• London & Zurich ransomware attack sparks financial crisis for businesses (computing.co.uk)

• British Library contacts users after Rhysida leaks data • The Register

• Ransomware attacks hit Stanford University and Nassau Bay in Texas - NotebookCheck.net News

• Notorious ransomware gang takes credit for cyber attack on Fidelity National Financial (therecord.media)

• University of Manchester CISO Speaks Out on Summer Cyber Attack - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Slovenia's largest power provider HSE hit by ransomware attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• GCHQ investigates cyber attack on hospital to the royals after data stolen (telegraph.co.uk)

• English council spent £1.1 million recovering from ransomware attack (therecord.media)

• More councils at risk from hackers, warns boss as 'it's a case of when not if' cyber attacks land - Gloucestershire Live

• Healthcare giant Henry Schein hit twice by BlackCat ransomware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Qilin ransomware claims attack on automotive giant Yanfeng (bleepingcomputer.com)

• New cyber criminal group outed after British Library attack - Emerging Risks Media Ltd

• Cyber attack closes hospital emergency rooms in three US states | US healthcare | The Guardian

• Medical test company’s ‘serious and systemic failures’ led to cyber attack, watchdog says | Business | The Guardian

• Two Hackensack Meridian hospital ERs diverting patients after a ransomware attack (msn.com)

• Ardent Health Services Grapples With Ransomware Disruption - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• DP World confirms data stolen in cyber attack, no ransomware used (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Top instant money provider service hacked, over a million users possibly affected | TechRadar

• Staples confirms cyber attack behind service outages, delivery issues (bleepingcomputer.com)

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• Black Friday: Phishing Emails Soar 237% - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Phishing makes up 43% of email attacks | Security Magazine

• AI like ChatGPT is creating huge increase in malicious phishing email (cnbc.com)

• Organisations can't ignore the surge in malicious web links - Help Net Security

• How Hackers Phish for Your Users' Credentials and Sell Them (thehackernews.com)

• Booking.com Customers Scammed in Novel Social Engineering Campaign - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Cyber Criminals Using Telekopye Telegram Bot to Craft Phishing Scams on a Grand Scale (thehackernews.com)

• ThreatLabz 2023 Phishing Report | ITPro

• What custom GPTs mean for the future of phishing - Help Net Security

• A reality check on email security threats in healthcare (securitybrief.co.nz)

Artificial Intelligence

• Released: AI security guidelines backed by 18 countries - Help Net Security

• 4 key takeaways from new global AI security guidelines | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• CISA and NCSC lead efforts to raise AI security standards • The Register

• Security leaders on high alert as GenAI poses privacy and security risks - Help Net Security

• AI like ChatGPT is creating huge increase in malicious phishing email (cnbc.com)

• A year after ChatGPT’s debut, is GenAI a boon or the bane of the CISO’s existence? | CSO Online

• Unpatched Critical Vulnerabilities Open AI Models to Takeover (darkreading.com)

• Guidance for Securing AI Issued by NSA, NCSC-UK, CISA, and Partners > National Security Agency/Central Security Service > Press Release View

• Mitigating Deepfake Threats in the Corporate World | MSSP Alert

• 4 key takeaways from new global AI security guidelines | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Securing generative AI across the technology stack | TechCrunch

• Critical Vulns Found in Ray Open Source Framework for AI/ML Workloads (darkreading.com)

• What custom GPTs mean for the future of phishing - Help Net Security

• 8 Tips on Leveraging AI Tools Without Compromising Security (darkreading.com)

Malware

• Implications of “malware free” attacks on SMBs (databreaches.net)

• SysJoker Malware Attacking Windows, Linux and Mac Users Abusing OneDrive - Cyber Security News

• Hacked Microsoft Word documents being used to trick Windows users | TechRadar

• N. Korean Hackers 'Mixing' macOS Malware Tactics to Evade Detection (thehackernews.com)

• Volume of unique malware samples threatens to overwhelm defenders | Computer Weekly

• RedLine Stealer Malware Deployed Via ScrubCrypt Evasion Tool - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• A New, Spookier Gh0st RAT Malware Haunts Global Cyber Targets (darkreading.com)

• LogoFAIL bugs in UEFI code allow planting bootkits via images (bleepingcomputer.com)

Mobile

• Busting 6 Myths About Mobile Device Security | MSSP Alert

• Surge in counterfeit app risk as cyber crime exploits rising digital consumption (securitybrief.co.nz)

• NameDrop in iOS 17 is not a privacy nightmare – here’s how to control it (msn.com)

• 200+ Malicious Android Apps Targeting Iranian Banks: Experts Warn (thehackernews.com)

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

• Same threat, new stakes: DDoS in an evolving telecoms sector

Internet of Things – IoT

• Cyber pros avoid smart devices: there is a good reason | Cybernews

• Navigating IoT security in a connected world - EDN

• IoT Security Labeling Improving, But More Collaboration Needed - EE Times

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Okta security breach much worse than originally disclosed – all customers' data potentially affected | Mashable

• Nuclear lab faces niche cyber threat (computing.co.uk)

• App used by hundreds of schools leaking children's data (securityaffairs.com)

• Warning: 3 Critical Vulnerabilities Expose ownCloud Users to Data Breaches (thehackernews.com)

• Gulf Air exposed to data breach, 'vital operations not affected' | Reuters

• General Electric investigates claims of cyber attack, data theft (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Data dump from Radware hack raises cyber eyebrows for the future of warfare | Ctech (calcalistech.com)

• Hackers spent 2+ years looting secrets of chipmaker NXP before being detected | Ars Technica

• Medical test company’s ‘serious and systemic failures’ led to cyber attack, watchdog says | Business | The Guardian

• DP World confirms data stolen in cyber attack, no ransomware used (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Former Uber CISO Speaks Out, After 6 Years, on Data Breach, SolarWinds (darkreading.com)

• Security flaws in court record systems used in five US states exposed sensitive legal documents | TechCrunch

• Dollar Tree hit by third-party data breach impacting 2 million people (bleepingcomputer.com)

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• Leader of Killnet 'unmasked' by Russian state media • The Register

• A Fifth of UK SMBs Can’t Spot Scams - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Ex-Motorola tech pleads guilty to cyber crime, passport fraud • The Register

• Security official: Romania is an exporter of cyber security in its part of the word (stiripesurse.ro)

• I'm a hacker who was jailed for a decade for heading up a cyber criminal organisation - I started the group to fight back against bullies but got hooked on the power | Daily Mail Online

• How a Teenage Saudi Hacker Went From Lockpicking to Ransomware (darkreading.com)

• Founder of spyware maker Hacking Team arrested for attempted murder: local media | TechCrunch

• US imprisons Ukrainian SSNDOB administrator for 8 years • The Register

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• North Korean Hackers Amass $3bn in Cryptocurrency Heists - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• KyberSwap Says Hackers Stole $55m in Crypto - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• US Treasury Sanctions Sinbad Cryptocurrency Mixer Used by North Korean Hackers (thehackernews.com)

Insurance

• Global Cyber Security Insurance Market Size To Exceed USD (globenewswire.com)

• Is cyber insurance worth the effort? | SC Media UK (scmagazineuk.com)

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• Cyber attack on managed service provider potentially affects hundreds of law firms | Scottish Legal News

• Cyber Attack Disrupts UK Property Deals - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Telecom Industry Association Advances Supply Chain Security | MSSP Alert

Cloud/SaaS

• SysJoker Malware Attacking Windows, Linux and Mac Users Abusing OneDrive - Cyber Security News

• Top file-sharing service hit with embarrassing security bug that reveals admin passwords | TechRadar

• Kubernetes Secrets of Fortune 500 Companies Exposed in Public Repositories (thehackernews.com)

• Warning: 3 Critical Vulnerabilities Expose ownCloud Users to Data Breaches (thehackernews.com)

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• How Hackers Phish for Your Users' Credentials and Sell Them (thehackernews.com)

• Top file-sharing service hit with embarrassing security bug that reveals admin passwords | TechRadar

• Weak & Strong Password Examples: Study Reveals Most Hackable Words (tech.co)

• Despite Hype, the Password-Free Workplace Is Still a Long Way Off (darkreading.com)

• Navigating the Stormy Seas of Cyber security: The Power of High-Entropy Passwords | HackerNoon

• 90+ Key Password Breach Statistics in 2023 (techreport.com)

Social Media

• Google, Meta, allege China cyber attacks • The Register

Training, Education and Awareness

• Approach Cyber Security Awareness Training by Engaging People at All Levels - CPO Magazine

• 8 Cyber Security Topics to Include in Your Training Program | Proofpoint US

• 40% of Cyber Security Departments Want More Budget to Upskill Employees - IT Security Guru

• 3 Simple Ways to Teach Your Teammates to Have a Security-First Mindset Today | Inc.com

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• European Commission Failing to Tackle Spyware, Lawmakers Say (inforisktoday.com)

• Released: AI security guidelines backed by 18 countries - Help Net Security

• Guidance for Securing AI Issued by NSA, NCSC-UK, CISA, and Partners > National Security Agency/Central Security Service > Press Release View

• EU considers widening scope of cyber security regulation (finextra.com)

• Newly-proposed cyber security rules could affect cloud banking services in the EU - PaymentExpert.com

• Thought GDPR Compliance Was Hard? Buckle Up (darkreading.com)

• 5 resolutions to prepare for SEC's new cyber disclosure rules - Help Net Security

• The SEC’s Fraud Suit Against SolarWinds: 3 Cyber security Action Items for Companies to Consider | Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP - JDSupra

• False Claims Act Meets Cyber security Compliance in Government Contracting - ClearanceJobs

Models, Frameworks and Standards

• CISA Launches Project to Assess Effectiveness of Security Controls - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• The challenge of adding governance as a pillar of cyber security (c4isrnet.com)

Data Protection

• Thought GDPR Compliance Was Hard? Buckle Up (darkreading.com)

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

• Information overload puts cyber security at risk (betanews.com)

• Volume of unique malware samples threatens to overwhelm defenders | Computer Weekly

• More than half admit to ignoring cyber security alerts (itsecuritywire.com)

• Fewer cyber pros are getting fired immediately after an incident: Trellix survey (axios.com)

• Unhappy network professionals juggling more with less - Help Net Security

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• International collaboration leads to dismantlement of ransomware group in Ukraine amidst ongoing war | Europol (europa.eu)

• Police dismantle ransomware group behind attacks in 71 countries (bleepingcomputer.com)

• CoLP launches strategy for fraud, economic and cyber crime | UK Police News - Police Oracle

• Los Angeles SIM Swapper Sentenced to 8 Years in Prison - Security Week

• New York Fines First American $1 Million for Cyber Breach (1) (bloomberglaw.com)

• Ex-Motorola tech pleads guilty to cyber crime, passport fraud • The Register

Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda

• Ahead of 2024 election, Meta worries about lack of information on top-tier nation-state covert operations | CyberScoop

---

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

Cyber Warfare and Cyber Espionage

• Data dump from Radware hack raises cyber eyebrows for the future of warfare | Ctech (calcalistech.com)

• Ahead of 2024 election, Meta worries about lack of information on top-tier nation-state covert operations | CyberScoop

Nation State Actors

China

• Deloitte and KPMG ask staff to use burner phones for Hong Kong trips

• Google, Meta, allege China cyber attacks • The Register

Russia

• Russian hackers pose ‘high’ threat level to EU, bloc’s cyber team warns – POLITICO

• North Korea-linked Konni APT uses Russian-language documents (securityaffairs.com)

• Ukraine says it hacked Russian aviation agency, leaks data (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Leader of Killnet 'unmasked' by Russian state media • The Register

Iran

• Pennsylvania water facility hit by Iran-linked hackers | CyberScoop

• North Texas water utility serving 2 million hit with cyber attack (therecord.media)

• Iranian Mobile Banking Malware Campaign Threat Continues | Zimperium

North Korea

• North Korean hackers are carrying out even more cyber attacks than previously thought | TechRadar

• North Korean Hackers Amass $3bn in Cryptocurrency Heists - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• North Korea-linked Konni APT uses Russian-language documents (securityaffairs.com)

• N. Korean Hackers 'Mixing' macOS Malware Tactics to Evade Detection (thehackernews.com)

• US Treasury Sanctions Sinbad Cryptocurrency Mixer Used by North Korean Hackers (thehackernews.com)

Other Nation State Actors, Hacktivism, Extremism, Terrorism and Other Geopolitical Threat Intelligence

• Hamas-linked APT uses Rust-based SysJoker backdoor against Israel (securityaffairs.com)

• Shadowy hacking group targeting Israel shows outsized capabilities | CyberScoop

• SysJoker Malware: Hamas-Related Threat Expands With Rust Variant - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Data dump from Radware hack raises cyber eyebrows for the future of warfare | Ctech (calcalistech.com)

• Israel’s national water company sees increase in cyber attacks since beginning of war | Ctech (calcalistech.com)

• Hacktivism: What’s in a Name… It May be More Than You Expect - Security Week

---

Vulnerability Management

• Why it’s the perfect time to reflect on your software update policy - Help Net Security

Vulnerabilities

• Apple fixes two new iOS zero-days in emergency updates (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Zero-Day Alert: Google Chrome Under Active Attack, Exploiting New Vulnerability (thehackernews.com)

• Design flaw leaves Google Workspace vulnerable for takeover - Help Net Security

• Major Security Flaws in Zyxel Firewalls, Access Points, NAS Devices - Security Week

• Zoom Vulnerability Allowed Hackers to Take Over Meetings, Steal Data (hackread.com)

• Why the MOVEit breach still lives rent free in the minds of IT leaders | ITPro

• Hackers start exploiting critical ownCloud flaw, patch now (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Warning: 3 Critical Vulnerabilities Expose ownCloud Users to Data Breaches (thehackernews.com)

• Security flaws in court record systems used in five US states exposed sensitive legal documents | TechCrunch

• OpenSSL 3.2.0 released: New cryptographic algorithms, support for TCP fast open, and more! - Help Net Security

• PoC for Splunk Enterprise RCE flaw released (CVE-2023-46214) - Help Net Security

• Unpatched Critical Vulnerabilities Open AI Models to Takeover (darkreading.com)

• Critical Vulns Found in Ray Open Source Framework for AI/ML Workloads (darkreading.com)

• CACTUS Ransomware Exploits Qlik Sense Vulnerabilities in Targeted Attacks (thehackernews.com)

---

Tools and Controls

• Approach Cyber Security Awareness Training by Engaging People at All Levels - CPO Magazine

• 8 Cyber Security Topics to Include in Your Training Program | Proofpoint US

• 40% of Cyber Security Departments Want More Budget to Upskill Employees - IT Security Guru

• 3 Simple Ways to Teach Your Teammates to Have a Security-First Mindset Today | Inc.com

• Long recovery times after cyber attacks could annihilate your organisation | TechRadar

• Stop panic buying your security products and start prioritizing - Help Net Security

• Cyber Security Spend Among UK Top 10 Legal Firms Jumps 21% as Threats Become Priority | Law.com International

• Enable 256-bit Bitlocker encryption on Windows 11 to boost security - gHacks Tech News

• Building cyber resilience for tomorrow’s threats - Help Net Security

• Volume of unique malware samples threatens to overwhelm defenders | Computer Weekly

• Global Cyber Security Insurance Market Size To Exceed USD (globenewswire.com)

• AI Boosts Malware Detection Rates by 70% - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Is cyber insurance worth the effort? | SC Media UK (scmagazineuk.com)

• What cyber security pros can learn from first responders (securityintelligence.com)

• Why are Organisations Failing to Detect Cyber security Threats? | MSSP Alert

• Vulnerability disclosure: Legal risks and ethical considerations for researchers - Help Net Security

• Researcher flags OpenCart security issue, founder rages • The Register

• Bridging the risk exposure gap with strategies for internal auditors - Help Net Security

---

Reports Published in the Last Week

• 2023 Zscaler ThreatLabz State of Phishing Report | Zscaler

---

Other News

• Cyber attack On A&O Highlights Perils Of Law Firm Mergers - Law360

• Law Firms & Legal Departments Singled Out for Cyber attacks (darkreading.com)

• Hacktivism: What’s in a Name… It May be More Than You Expect - Security Week

• Microsoft is at the Heart of US National Security Systems and It’s Vulnerable: Cyber Security Expert | NTD

• Implications of “malware free” attacks on SMBs (databreaches.net)

• Reading Borough Council apologises for dodgy infosec advice • The Register

• Holiday Season Increases Cyber security Risks (forbes.com)

• Only 1 in 6 Brits are concerned about cyberthreats at home - Home of Direct Commerce

• Security flaws in court record systems used in five US states exposed sensitive legal documents | TechCrunch

• Paris water agency targeted in cyber attack - Emerging Risks Media Ltd

• Why Utilities Need to Supercharge Their Approach to Cyber security (powermag.com)

• No plain sailing: modern pirates hack superyachts' cyber security | Euronews

• Hackers Hijack Industrial Control System at US Water Utility  - Security Week

• How to Keep Cyber attacks From Taking Off (darkreading.com)

• Estate agents warned to have measures in place to prevent cyber attacks (thenegotiator.co.uk)

• Japan’s space agency suffers cyber attack • The Register

• CISA to Congress: US Under Threat of Chemical Attacks (darkreading.com)

• New BLUFFS attack lets attackers hijack Bluetooth connections (bleepingcomputer.com)

---

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 Threat Briefing 29 September 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

Ransomware Groups Are Shifting Their Focus Away from Larger Targets

Ransomware groups are once again prioritising attacks on smaller organisations as they look to target those with less mature security capabilities. Analysis from Trend Micro has shown that ransomware groups such as Lockbit, Cl0p and Black Cat are slowing down attacks against “big game” targets, such as multinationals, and are focusing their attention on smaller organisations. It was found that the overall ransomware attack victim numbers increased by 47% from H2 2022.

Organisations “of up to 200 employees”, those within the small-to-medium-sized range, accounted for the majority (575) of attacks using LockBit’s ransomware across H1 2023. Similar trends were observed with rivals in the ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) space. Nearly half (45%) of Black Cat victims were in the same size range. There are many underlying factors in the recent surge of attacks on smaller organisations, however one big cause is the economic factor and the perception that smaller organisations are not going to be as well protected.

Sources: [Techcentral] [Helpnet Security]

Cover-ups Still the Norm as Half of Cyber Attacks go Unreported

A report found that 48% of organisations that experience critical cyber incidents and disasters such as ransomware attacks do not report it to the appropriate authorities, and 41% do not even disclose cyber attacks to their boards. Alarmingly, 32% simply “forgot” and 22% self-reported that there wasn’t a system in place to report it. In the UK, failure to report a breach within 72 hours could make a company eligible for a fine up to €10 million or 2% of annual global turnover if deemed a lower-level infringement, and up to €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover for higher-level infringements.

The lack of reporting also has a knock-on effect: a significant number of cyber attacks go un-reported and therefore this skews statistics, meaning the current numbers of known cyber attacks are likely much lower than the actual figure.

Sources: [Computer Weekly] [InfoSecurity Magazine]

Reported Cyber Security Breaches Increase Threefold for Financial Services Firms

New research shows that cyber security breaches for UK financial service firms have increased threefold from 187 attacks (2021-2022) to 640 attacks (2022-2023). This comes as the pensions sector reported the biggest jump in breaches rising from 6 to 246 in the same period, a concerning large increase of 4,000%. These patterns are not only relevant to the UK however, with separate reports highlighting an 119% increase in attacks on financial sector cyber attacks globally from 2022 to 2023.

Trustees can be liable for failures in managing cyber risk, so any business looking to protect itself from the impact of a cyber attack should invest in understanding its cyber footprint, the risks it poses, and have the right policies/procedures in place.

Sources: [CIR Magazine] [PensionsAge] [CityAM] [TechRadar]

Attacks on SME’s Surged in The First Half of 2023

According to Kaspersky, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) dealt with more attacks during the first half of the year compared to the same time the year previous. Worryingly, a separate report found that over three quarters of SME leaders could not confidently identify a cyber incident at work and 50% of respondents felt they were unable to identify the difference between a phishing email and real email.

An outcome of the study was the identification of a need for effective user training. SMEs do not have the budget to have a wide range of tools, however they can strengthen their users’ security practices.  Black Arrow enables SMEs to strengthen their people controls through bespoke and affordable education and awareness training for all levels of the organisation.

Sources: [Inquirer] [HelpNet Security] [Insurance Times]

The CISO Carousel and Its Effect on Enterprise Cyber Security

The average tenure of a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) is said to sit between 18 to 24 months; research highlights the reasons including the strain of the role, the perceived lack of leadership support, and the attraction of more money from a different employer. There is often a gap while the replacement is recruited, during which there is nobody looking after the organisation’s security.

In some cases, organisations may look to outsource by using the services of a virtual CISO (vCISO) with cost savings and greater stability and flexibility. The Black Arrow vCISO team are experienced world-class specialists, providing independent, impartial and objective expertise across the wide range of essential CISO skills with significant advantages compared to an internal resource.

Source: [Security Week]

Bermuda Struggles to Recover from Ransomware Attack

The Bermudan Government this week suffered what they referred to as a significant cyber incident. Workers were cut off from email and telephone systems, with affected departments resorting to manual processes and issuing of paper based cheques. The Government was unable to make payroll payments, and parcels could not be sent from the Island’s Post Offices. It is noted that while not all systems were affected, the government took everything offline out of precaution. It is believed that some other regional governments have also been impacted.

The attack has been attributed to Russia or Russian-based actors, but attribution in cases like this can be difficult. It should be noted that, if involvement from Russia were confirmed, both Russian state actors and Russian based cyber criminals work closely in a symbiotic relationship that benefits both parties. Using cyber crime groups as fronts provides nation state actors with a level of deniability, while also allowing them to direct the operation and benefit from it. Equally, cyber crime groups get to do their thing with the blessing, whether tacit or explicit, of the national authorities in their country. In general, countries where this happens (such as Russia, North Korea and China) have no interest in cooperating with Western authorities, so the cyber criminals essentially work with impunity.

Sources: [Duo] [GovInfo Security] [Bleeping Computer]

Businesses Remain Unprepared Despite Cyber Threats Remaining a Top Concern

A report found cyber threats continue to rank among the top three business concerns for a wide spectrum of companies. Despite it being such a concern, a significant percentage of businesses admitted to not conducting cyber assessments for vendors (57%) or customers’ assets (56%), having an incident response plan (50%), or implementing multifactor authentication for remote access (44%). Phishing scams were of particular concern, with companies reporting a notable increase in incidents, jumping from 14% to 27% over the past year.

Cyber attacks are a certainly a sobering reality, with nearly 23% of survey participants disclosing that their company had fallen victim to a cyber attack and 49% of these incidents occurred within the past year.

Source: [Reinsurance News]

Business Leaders More Anxious About Ransomware Than Recession as Victims from Single Attack Surpasses 2,000 Organisations

According to a recent study, half of business leaders are more worried about falling victim to a ransomware attack than macroeconomic hardship. Over 60% of businesses who had suffered a ransomware attack reported concerns about the prospect of a second ransomware attack, and 71% of leaders admitted their businesses wouldn’t be able to withstand it. 56% said they had increased hiring costs, nearly half experienced increased customer complaints, and 47% reported team stress. This comes as the tally of victims from the MOVEit attack alone surpasses 2,000 organisations. To make matters worse, the FBI has described dual ransomware attacks taking place, with the second attack less than 48 hours after the first.

Source: [Tech Informed] [Helpnet Security] [Helpnet Security] [BleepComputer]

Hotel Hackers Redirect Guests to Fake Booking[.]com Site in Major Phishing Campaign

Booking.com users have become the focus of a new, large-scale phishing campaign that involved hackers taking control of the hotel’s Booking[.]com account. Once in control, the attackers were then able to utilise personal information and craft messages, tailored to victims.

With many organisations using sites such as Booking[.]com, it is imperative that staff are trained effectively, to reduce the risk of them falling victim to a phishing campaign.

Sources: [BleepingComputer] [Inforsecurity Magazine]

Cyber Leaders Worry That AI Will Overwhelm Cyber Defences

A survey of 250 leaders found that 85% worry that AI will overwhelm cyber defences while almost two thirds (61%) have already seen an increase in cyber attack complexity due to AI. Overall 80% view AI as the single biggest cyber threat their business faces, and seven out of 10 are investing in more resilient measures to improve their detection and response protocols.

AI can certainly be overwhelming, but with the right expertise, organisations can navigate their way to improving their AI defences. Black Arrow’s expert team helps your leadership to understand and manage AI-based risks, and safely adopt artificial intelligence in your organisation.

Source: [Management Issues]

Boards Still Lack Cyber Security Expertise

A study by the US National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) and the Internet Security Alliance (ISA) found that just 12% of S&P 500 companies have board directors with relevant cyber credentials, showing that there is still a lack of expertise at the board level. Boards can improve their expertise by engaging with training that is tailored to leadership. Black Arrow supports business leaders in organisations of all sizes to demonstrate governance of their cyber security, by owning their cyber security strategy and leveraging their existing internal and external resources to build resilience against a cyber security incident. Source: [Wallstreet Journal]

4 Legal Surprises You May Encounter After a Cyber Security Incident

In the event of a cyber incident, there are a number of problems that emerge, but some you may not be aware of. These may include investigations by auditors, a freeze on payments by banks, and uncertainty about notifying third parties including customers. Your insurance provide may also launch a review of the cyber security controls that you had in place before the incident, to determine the payout.

Ideally, you will never have to face a cyber incident, but it can happen and it’s best to ensure you are well placed to deal with it, by understanding what needs to be done and how to respond. Black Arrow works with organisations of all sizes and sectors to design and prepare for managing a cyber security incident; this can include an Incident Response Plan and an educational tabletop exercise for the leadership team that highlights the proportionate controls to help the organisation prevent and mitigate an incident.

Source: [Dark Reading]

---

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• The CISO Carousel and Its Effect on Enterprise Cyber Security - Security Week

• Boards Still Lack Cyber Security Expertise - WSJ

• Cyber leaders worry that AI will overwhelm cyber defences (management-issues.com)

• It's time to safeguard the financial sector: Navigate employee turnover to defend against escalating cyber attacks (betanews.com)

• Businesses Unprepared for Cyber Attacks Despite Steady Concern (insurancejournal.com)

• Cyber criminals are targeting the financial sector more than ever | TechRadar

• The hidden costs of neglecting cyber security for small businesses - Help Net Security

• Majority of UK SME c-suites lacking awareness of cyber risks | Insurance Times

• Business leaders most anxious about ransomware attacks (techinformed.com)

• Cyber security incident response: Your company's ICU (channelweb.co.uk)

• Cover-ups still the norm in the wake of a cyber incident | Computer Weekly

• Many firms aren't reporting breaches to the proper authorities | TechRadar

• Half of Cyber-Attacks Go Unreported - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• CISOs are struggling to get cyber security budgets: Report | CSO Online

• CISOs are spending more on cyber security - but it might not be enough | TechRadar

• Cyber threats remain top concern for businesses in 2023: Travelers Risk Index - Reinsurance News

• Despite rising insider risk costs, budgets are being wasted in the wrong places - Help Net Security

• The Hot Seat: CISO Accountability in a New Era of SEC Regulation (darkreading.com)

• Proactive Security: What It Means for Enterprise Security Strategy (darkreading.com)

• Essential guide to cyber security compliance | Intruder

• 4 Legal Surprises You May Encounter After a Cyber Security Incident (darkreading.com)

• Moving From Qualitative to Quantitative Cyber Risk Modeling - Security Week

• Financial crime compliance costs exceed $206 billion - Help Net Security

---

Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• Ransomware soars as enterprises struggle to respond - Verdict

• Ransomware groups are once again targeting smaller businesses for more lucrative payouts - TechCentral.ie

• Ransomware groups are shifting their focus away from larger targets - Help Net Security

• Business leaders most anxious about ransomware attacks (techinformed.com)

• Why is Ransomware Such a Prevalent Threat and Popular Tool for Attackers? | MSSP Alert

• ShadowSyndicate: A New Cyber Crime Group Linked to 7 Ransomware Families (thehackernews.com)

• The Group Claiming To Have Hacked Sony Is Using GDPR As A Weapon For Demanding Ransoms | Techdirt

• FBI: Dual ransomware attack victims now get hit within 48 hours (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cl0p's MOVEit attack tally surpasses 2,000 victim organisations - Help Net Security

• MOVEit cyber attack is pause for concern | Ary Rosenbaum - The Rosenbaum Law Firm P.C. - JDSupra

• Lawsuits Allege MGM, Caesars Neglected Cyber Security Preparedness (skift.com)

• 'Power, influence, notoriety': The Gen-Z hackers who struck MGM and Caesars - The Japan Times

• Amidst MGM, Caesar's Incidents, Attackers Focus on Luxury Hotels (darkreading.com)

• Youth hacking ring at the center of cyber crime spree | CyberScoop

• Current ransomware defencs efforts are not working - Help Net Security

• VMware users anxious about costs and ransomware threats - Help Net Security

• MSP shares details of Kaseya VSA ransomware attack, recovery | TechTarget

• Trust Is Key In Cyber Security: Analysing The MOVEit Ransomware Attacks (forbes.com)

• Study Reveals Conti Affiliates Money Laundering Practices (inforisktoday.com)

• Akira Ransomware Mutates to Target Linux Systems, Adds TTPs (darkreading.com)

• Trend Micro Report Reveals Increase of LockBit Ransomware Attacks in US (thedefensepost.com)

• Hospital Ransomware Attacks Go Beyond Health Care Data (securityintelligence.com)

• Patient Care at Risk as Hospitals Increasingly on Frontlines of Ransomware Attacks | The Epoch Times

• Ransomware a threat to the trucking industry - FreightWaves

Ransomware Victims

• Bermuda Struggles to Recover From Cyber Attack (govinfosecurity.com)

• Cl0p's MOVEit attack tally surpasses 2,000 victim organisations - Help Net Security

• Amidst MGM, Caesar's Incidents, Attackers Focus on Luxury Hotels (darkreading.com)

• MGM, Caesars Cyber Attack Responses Required Brutal Choices (darkreading.com)

• Russian ransomware LockBit threatens to leak internal data from The Weather Network on dark web - The Globe and Mail

• City of Dallas has set a budget of $8.5 million to mitigate the May Royal ransomware attack. (securityaffairs.com)

• Ransomware Group Claims to Have Breached 'All of Sony Systems' (vgchartz.com)

• 900 US Schools Impacted by MOVEit Hack at National Student Clearinghouse - Security Week

• Youth hacking ring at the center of cyber crime spree | CyberScoop

• MGM Resorts and Caesars face class action lawsuits over September cyber attacks By Investing.com

• UK logistics firm blames ransomware attack for insolvency, 730 redundancies (therecord.media)

• Ransomed.vc Group Hits NTT Docomo After Sony Breach Claims - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Ransomware group demands $51 million from Johnson Controls after cyber attack (bitdefender.com)

• Lawsuits Allege MGM, Caesars Neglected Cyber Security Preparedness (skift.com)

• Alphv group claims the hack of Clarion, a global manufacturer of audio and video equipment for cars (securityaffairs.com)

• Leekes cyber attack? NoEscape ransomware gang claims breach (techmonitor.ai)

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• This devious phishing scam makes it look like dodgy emails are actually safe | TechRadar

• Booking.com Customers Targeted in Major Phishing Campaign - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Use of QR codes in email phishing | Securelist

• How Does Modern Phishing Work? | HackerNoon

• New AtlasCross hackers use American Red Cross as phishing lure (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Hackers Trick Outlook Into Showing Fake AV Scan | ITPro Today: IT News, How-Tos, Trends, Case Studies, Career Tips, More

BEC – Business Email Compromise

• Nigerian man pleads guilty to attempted $6 million BEC email heist (bleepingcomputer.com)

• BEC Attacks Increase By 279% in Healthcare - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Other Social Engineering; Smishing, Vishing, etc

• Rise in cyber criminals leveraging voice phishing and OTP theft for data breaches: Report | Tech News (hindustantimes.com)

Artificial Intelligence

• Cyber leaders worry that AI will overwhelm cyber defences (management-issues.com)

• No 10 worried AI could be used to create advanced weapons that escape human control | Artificial intelligence (AI) | The Guardian

• The Biggest AI Trends in Cyber Security - CNET

• Google is working to keep Bard chats out of Search • The Register

• Nuclear Brinkmanship in AI-Enabled Warfare: A Dangerous Algorithmic Game of Chicken - War on the Rocks

• New working group to probe AI risks and applications | CyberScoop

• A Primer On Artificial Intelligence And Cyber Security (forbes.com)

• How should organisations navigate the risks and opportunities of AI? - Help Net Security

Malware

• Malware attacks on SMEs surged in H1 | Inquirer Business

• Gozi strikes again, targeting banks, cryptocurrency and more (securityintelligence.com)

• 'Culturestreak' Malware Lurks Inside GitLab Python Package (darkreading.com)

• Deadglyph: New Advanced Backdoor with Distinctive Malware Tactics (thehackernews.com)

• New variant of BBTok Trojan targets users of +40 banks in LATAM (securityaffairs.com)

• A powerful new malware backdoor is targeting governments across the world | TechRadar

• Researchers uncover thriving market for malware targeting IoT devices - The Hindu

• ZenRAT Malware Uncovered in Bitwarden Impersonation - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Mobile

• Spyware: Spyware can infect your phone or computer via the ads you see online: report - The Economic Times (indiatimes.com)

• China-Linked EvilBamboo Targets Mobiles - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• iOS 17 update secretly changed your privacy settings; here's how to set them back (bitdefender.com)

• Dangerous XenomorphAndroid malware is stealing from 100 banking apps — protect yourself now | Tom's Guide (tomsguide.com)

• Predator Spyware Delivered to iOS, Android Devices via Zero-Days, MitM Attacks - Security Week

• Russian Firm Willing to Pay $20 Million for iPhone, Android Zero-Day Exploits (pcmag.com)

Botnets

• Bot Swarm: Attacks From Middle East & Africa Are Notably Up (darkreading.com)

• New variant of BBTok Trojan targets users of +40 banks in LATAM (securityaffairs.com)

• Asian banks are a favorite target of cyber cooks, and malicious bots their preferred tool | ZDNET

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

• Over 700 Dark Web Ads Offer DDoS Attacks Via IoT in 2023 - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Internet of Things – IoT

• If You Have An Amazon Alexa Device, You Need To Check This Security Update List (slashgear.com)

• Researchers uncover thriving market for malware targeting IoT devices - The Hindu

• Where Linux is in your home, and how to protect Linux devices from hacking | Kaspersky official blog

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Billions of usernames and passwords leaked online — how to see if you’re affected | Tom's Guide (tomsguide.com)

• ICO sees breach reports from FS firms triple - CIR Magazine

• UK pension schemes reveal 4,000% rise in cyber security breaches - Pensions Age Magazine

• Reported cyber security breaches increase threefold for financial services firms (cityam.com)

• British charities warn supporters their personal data has been breached • Graham Cluley

• Air Canada discloses data breach of employee and 'certain records' (bleepingcomputer.com)

• National Student Clearinghouse data breach impacts 890 schools (bleepingcomputer.com)

• BORN Ontario child registry data breach affects 3.4 million people (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 900 US Schools Impacted by MOVEit Hack at National Student Clearinghouse - Security Week

• Regulator Warns Breaches Can Cost Lives - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Hospital alert as 24,000 letters meant for GPs lost in computer error - Mirror Online

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• 'Marriages of Convenience' Between State Actors and Cyber Criminals Provide Cover for Both | Decipher (duo.com)

• 'Power, influence, notoriety': The Gen-Z hackers who struck MGM and Caesars - The Japan Times

• Asian banks are a favourite target of cyber cooks, and malicious bots their preferred tool | ZDNET

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• NFT Hype Collapse Means 95% of The Digital Assets Are Now 'Worthless' | Tom's Hardware (tomshardware.com)

• Gozi strikes again, targeting banks, cryptocurrency and more (securityintelligence.com)

• Yet another hack hits NFT marketplace OpenSea - SiliconANGLE

• Crooks stole $200 million worth of assets from Mixin Network (securityaffairs.com)

• Bitcoin scammer who was snared by victims sentenced - BBC News

• Security researcher stopped at US border for investigating crypto scam (bleepingcomputer.com)

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• 75% who didn't report cyber attack to leadership, felt guilty about it | Security Magazine

• Preventing employees from becoming the gateway for cyber attacks | TechRadar

• Despite rising insider risk costs, budgets are being wasted in the wrong places - Help Net Security

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• Hotel hackers redirect guests to fake Booking.com to steal cards (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Beware: fraud and smishing scams targeting students | Bournemouth University

• Yet another hack hits NFT marketplace OpenSea - SiliconANGLE

• Crooks stole $200 million worth of assets from Mixin Network (securityaffairs.com)

• Fraud prevention forces scammers to up their game - Help Net Security

• Why young people are more prone to online scams than boomers are (news5cleveland.com)

• Bitcoin scammer who was snared by victims sentenced - BBC News

• Security researcher warns of chilling effect after feds search phone at airport | TechCrunch

AML/CFT/Sanctions

• Study Reveals Conti Affiliates Money Laundering Practices (inforisktoday.com)

• Financial crime compliance costs exceed $206 billion - Help Net Security

Insurance

• Exploring Cyber Insurance and its Intersection with Property Coverage | Woodruff Sawyer - JDSupra

• Half of organisations with cyber insurance implemented additional security measures to qualify for the policy or reduce its cost - IT Security Guru

Dark Web

• Over 700 Dark Web Ads Offer DDoS Attacks Via IoT in 2023 - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• Trust Is Key In Cyber Security: Analysing The MOVEit Ransomware Attacks (forbes.com)

• How the Okta Cross-Tenant Impersonation Attacks Succeeded (darkreading.com)

• Lawsuits Allege MGM, Caesars Neglected Cyber Security Preparedness (skift.com)

• 3 phases of the third-party risk management lifecycle | TechTarget

Cloud/SaaS

• Guide: SaaS Offboarding Checklist - Help Net Security

Containers

• Kubernetes attacks in 2023: What it means for the future - Help Net Security

Encryption

• The UK just passed an online safety law that could make people less safe (theconversation.com)

• Regulators Are 'Hurting Their Own Country' in Seeking Encryption Backdoors: Nym CEO - Decrypt

Open Source

• Where Linux is in your home, and how to protect Linux devices from hacking | Kaspersky official blog

• Akira Ransomware Mutates to Target Linux Systems, Adds TTPs (darkreading.com)

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• Why Shouldn’t You Use the Same Password Everywhere Online (makeuseof.com)

• Are You Willing to Pay the High Cost of Compromised Credentials? (thehackernews.com)

Biometrics

• The multi-national push to ban facial recognition in public spaces | Biometric Update

Social Media

• Elon Musk’s X is biggest outlet of Russia disinformation, EU says (cnbctv18.com)

• X scraps tool to report electoral fake news - researchers - BBC News

Malvertising

• Spyware: Spyware can infect your phone or computer via the ads you see online: report - The Economic Times (indiatimes.com)

Training, Education and Awareness

• Preventing employees from becoming the gateway for cyber attacks | TechRadar

Travel

• Security researcher stopped at US border for investigating crypto scam (bleepingcomputer.com)

Cyber Bullying, Cyber Stalking and Sextortion

• Regulator Warns Breaches Can Cost Lives - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• The Group Claiming To Have Hacked Sony Is Using GDPR As A Weapon For Demanding Ransoms | Techdirt

• The UK just passed an online safety law that could make people less safe (theconversation.com)

• Are we about to lose the last pillar of our digital security? | Euronews

• New working group to probe AI risks and applications | CyberScoop

• SEC Gives Finality on Cyber Security Disclosures for Public Companies | Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP - JDSupra

• Why California's Delete Act matters for the whole country - Help Net Security

• Financial crime compliance costs exceed $206 billion - Help Net Security

Models, Frameworks and Standards

• MITRE ATT&CK project leader on why the framework remains vital for cyber security pros - Help Net Security

• Why It’s Wrong To Judge SIEM Success Only Against The ATT&CK Framework (forbes.com)

• Urgent actions for protecting utilities against cyber-attack: Navigating NIS 2 - Utility Week

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

• The CISO Carousel and Its Effect on Enterprise Cyber Security - Security Week

• Demand for cyber security staff trebled since 2019 | Business Post

• Cyber security and staffing issues key risks for companies | Accountancy Daily

• Cyber security skills employers are desperate to find in 2023 - Help Net Security

• Preventing security professionals from ‘quietly quitting’ due to alert fatigue (securitybrief.co.nz)

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• Nigerian man pleads guilty to attempted $6 million BEC email heist (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Western District of Washington | French cyber criminal pleads guilty to fraud and aggravated identity theft for hacking private information | United States Department of Justice

Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda

• Elon Musk’s X is biggest outlet of Russia disinformation, EU says (cnbctv18.com)

• X scraps tool to report electoral fake news - researchers - BBC News

---

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

Russia

• Russia’s APT29 intensifies espionage operations | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Russian hacking operations target Ukrainian law enforcement | CyberScoop

• Cyber-Attacks on Ukraine Surge 123%, But Success Rates Plummet - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Government of Bermuda blames Russian threat actors for the cyber attack (securityaffairs.com)

• Bermuda probes major cyber attack as officials slowly bring operations back online (thestar.com)

• Ukraine war: Cyber Attack in Crimea after Black Sea fleet HQ hit | News UK Video News | Sky News

• Russian hackers trying to steal evidence of Moscow’s war crimes in Ukraine - cyber chief (ukrinform.net)

• 'Marriages of Convenience' Between State Actors and Cyber Criminals Provide Cover for Both | Decipher (duo.com)

• Examining the Activities of the Turla APT Group (trendmicro.com)

• Scottish Tory MSP has website hacked by 'hostile Russian group' | The National

• Elon Musk’s X is biggest outlet of Russia disinformation, EU says (cnbctv18.com)

• Russian Firm Willing to Pay $20 Million for iPhone, Android Zero-Day Exploits (pcmag.com)

• Cyber Attack on Russian Air Booking System Sparks Flight Delays - The Moscow Times

China

• China's BlackTech Hacking Group Exploited Cisco Routers to Target US and Japanese Companies (thehackernews.com)

• Chinese hackers stole 60,000 emails from US State Department in Microsoft hack, Senate staffer says (databreaches.net)

• Taiwan is bracing for Chinese cyber attacks, White House official says - POLITICO

• China-Linked EvilBamboo Targets Mobiles - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Chinese Gov Hackers Caught Hiding in Cisco Router Firmware - Security Week

• Budworm: APT Group Uses Updated Custom Tool in Attacks on Government and Telecoms Org | Symantec Enterprise Blogs (security.com)

• China’s national security minister lists top digital threats • The Register

Misc Nation State/Cyber Warfare

• 'Marriages of Convenience' Between State Actors and Cyber Criminals Provide Cover for Both | Decipher (duo.com)

• Sophisticated APT Clusters Target Southeast Asia - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

---

Vulnerability Management

• Why Zero Days Are Set for Highest Year on Record - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Vulnerabilities

• Another Chrome security issue is exploited in the wild (and affecting all Chromium-based browsers) - gHacks Tech News

• Google assigns new maximum rated CVE to libwebp bug exploited in attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cisco Warns of IOS Software Zero-Day Exploitation Attempts - Security Week

• Researchers Release Details of New RCE Exploit Chain for SharePoint (darkreading.com)

• High-Severity Flaws Uncovered in Atlassian Products and ISC BIND Server (thehackernews.com)

• GPUs from all major suppliers are vulnerable to new pixel-stealing attack | Ars Technica

• Firefox 118 Patches High-Severity Vulnerabilities - Security Week

• Hackers actively exploiting Openfire flaw to encrypt servers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Trust Is Key In Cyber Security: Analysing The MOVEit Ransomware Attacks (forbes.com)

• China's BlackTech Hacking Group Exploited Cisco Routers to Target US and Japanese Companies (thehackernews.com)

• macOS 14 Sonoma Patches 60 Vulnerabilities - Security Week

---

Tools and Controls

• Cyber security incident response: Your company's ICU (channelweb.co.uk)

• CISOs are spending more on cyber security - but it might not be enough | TechRadar

• 4 Legal Surprises You May Encounter After a Cyber Security Incident (darkreading.com)

• Half of organisations with cyber insurance implemented additional security measures to qualify for the policy or reduce its cost - IT Security Guru

• The 5 most dangerous Wi-Fi attacks, and how to fight them | PCWorld

• The Biggest AI Trends in Cyber Security - CNET

• How SOAR helps improve MTTD and MTTR metrics | TechTarget

• What Is a Network Security Assessment and Why You Need It | MSSP Alert

• Why You Should Phish In Your Own Pond (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• The pitfalls of neglecting security ownership at the design stage - Help Net Security

• Guide: SaaS Offboarding Checklist - Help Net Security

• A Primer On Artificial Intelligence And Cyber Security (forbes.com)

• Preventing employees from becoming the gateway for cyber attacks | TechRadar

• Proactive Security: What It Means for Enterprise Security Strategy (darkreading.com)

• Looking Beyond the Hype Cycle of AI/ML in Cyber Security (darkreading.com)

• The Dark Side of Browser Isolation – and the Next Generation Browser Security Technologies (thehackernews.com)

• Moving From Qualitative to Quantitative Cyber Risk Modelling - SecurityWeek

• Cyber security budgets show moderate growth - Help Net Security

• Evaluating Security Outsourcing in the Wake of Recent High-Profile Cyber Attacks: Info-Tech Research Group Publishes New Resource (prnewswire.com)

• Exploring Cyber Insurance and its Intersection with Property Coverage | Woodruff Sawyer - JDSupra

---

Other News

• Cyber criminals are targeting the financial sector more than ever | TechRadar

• The hidden costs of neglecting cyber security for small businesses - Help Net Security

• SMBs face growing cyber security threats, but basic measures can lower risks | ZDNET

• Why aviation needs to prioritise cyber security – Airport World (airport-world.com)

• The key threats facing ICS/OT environments (betanews.com)

• Are Fire Departments Prepared for a Cyber Attack? | HackerNoon

• Fintechs must brace for rising cyber security challenges | Mint (livemint.com)

• Space Force chief says commercial satellites may need defending | Ars Technica

• UK Cyber Security Council CEO reflects on a year of progress | CSO Online

• Google Loophole Lets Drug Dealers Hijack Nearly Any Website to Sell Narcotics (businessinsider.com)

• Cyber Hygiene: A First Line of  Against Evolving Cyber Attacks (darkreading.com)

• Cyber Attacks hit military, Parliament websites as India hacker group targets Canada (cheknews.ca)

• KnowBe4 Finds US. Healthcare a Top Target For Cyber Attacks (prnewswire.com)

• US Government Shutdown Could Bench 80% of CISA Staff - SecurityWeek

• Recommendations for Managing Cyber Security Threats in the Manufacturing Sector | Foley & Lardner LLP - JDSupra

---

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 28 September 2023 – Google Patches Actively Exploited Chrome Zero Day as Mozilla Fix High-Severity Vulnerabilities in Firefox and Thunderbird

Executive summary

A new actively exploited zero-day vulnerability in Google Chrome which can lead to remote code execution has been identified, with patches released. Also this week, Mozilla released updates for high-severity vulnerabilities in both Firefox and Thunderbird.

What’s the risk to me or my business?

The actively exploited vulnerability and high-severity vulnerabilities can allow an attacker to execute malicious code, compromising the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data.

What can I do?

Security updates are available for both browsers. The updates for Chrome are available in version  117.0.5938.132 and should be applied immediately. The updates for Firefox are available in version 118 and should be applied as soon as possible.

Technical Summary

CVE-2023-5217: an actively exploited zero-day heap-based buffer overflow which can lead to execution of arbitrary code.

The security advisory from Google Chrome can be found here:

https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/09/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_27.html

The security advisory from Firefox can be found here:

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/security/advisories/mfsa2023-41/

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

#threatadvisory #threatintelligence #cybersecurity

Black Arrow Cyber Advisory 15 September 2023 – Critical Vulnerability in Multiple Browsers, Update Now

Executive summary

A critical vulnerability in WebP has been identified as being actively exploited. The vulnerability impacts multiple browsers including Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Opera and any software using the libwebp library. Successful exploitation can lead to malicious code execution.

What’s the risk to me or my business?

The actively exploited vulnerability can allow an attacker to execute malicious code on vulnerable software, compromising the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data.

What can I do?

Security updates are available for browsers impacted; these should be applied immediately. It has been noted that other applications which use the libwebp library are also impacted and it is recommended that organisations check if the software they use is vulnerable.

Technical Summary

CVE-2023-4863: The actively exploited vulnerability allows an attacker to perform a heap buffer overflow attack, allowing them to execute malicious code.

Further details on the vulnerability can be found here:

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-4863

https://stackdiary.com/critical-vulnerability-in-webp-codec-cve-2023-4863/

The security advisory from Google Chrome can be found here:

https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/09/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_12.html

The security advisory from Firefox can be found here:

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/security/advisories/mfsa2023-40/

The security advisory from Microsoft can be found here:

https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/advisory/CVE-2023-4863

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

#threatadvisory #threatintelligence #cybersecurity

Black Arrow Cyber Advisory 13 September 2023 – Microsoft Patch Tuesday fixes 59 Vulnerabilities, including Two Actively Exploited, also Adobe, Chrome, Mozilla and SAP Updates

Executive summary

Microsoft’s September Patch Tuesday provides updates to address 59 security issues across its product range, including two actively exploited zero-day vulnerabilities. The exploited zero-days have both been added to the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) “Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog”. Of the 59 security issues addressed by Microsoft , 5 were rated critical.

What’s the risk to me or my business?

The actively exploited vulnerabilities could allow an attacker to gain SYSTEM privileges or capture and relay hashes of user passwords to gain access to that users account. Both 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

CVE-2023-36802: The actively exploited allows a local attacker to gain SYSTEM privileges.

CVE-2023-36761: This actively exploited vulnerability can allow an attacker to steal user password NTLM hashes of users who open a document, even if just in the preview plane.

---

Adobe

This month, Adobe released fixes for 5 vulnerabilities, including 1 critical vulnerability, across Adobe Acrobat & Reader (1), Adobe Connect (2) and Adobe Experience Manager (2).  The critical vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2023-26369, impacts both Windows and macOS versions of Adobe Acrobat & Reader and if exploited, can allow an attacker to execute malicious code.

---

Chrome

A new update for Google Chrome is available for Windows, Linux and macOS. The update addresses 16 security fixes, including one critical and actively exploited vulnerability which could cause for denial of service or allow code execution.

---

Mozilla

Mozilla released fixes for two critical vulnerabilities, impacting Firefox and Thunderbird. The vulnerabilities could allow an attacker to perform code execution.

---

SAP

Enterprise software vendor SAP has addressed 13 vulnerabilities in several of its products, including two critical-severity vulnerabilities that impact SAP BusinessObjects Business Intelligence Platform. 66Including remote execution and authentication bypass. A total of 5 vulnerabilities were given the “Hot News” priority, which is the highest priority according to SAP.

---

further details on other specific updates within this patch Tuesday can be found here:

https://www.ghacks.net/2023/09/12/the-windows-september-2023-security-updates-are-now-available/

Further information on Adobe Acrobat and Reader can be found here:

https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/acrobat/apsb23-34.html

Further information on Adobe Connect can be found here:

https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/connect/apsb23-33.html

Further information on Adobe Experience Manager can be found here:

https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/experience-manager/apsb23-43.html

Further information on the patches by SAP can be found here:

https://dam.sap.com/mac/app/e/pdf/preview/embed/ucQrx6G?ltr=a&rc=10

Further information on Google Chrome can be found here:

https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/09/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_12.html

Further information on Mozilla can be found here:

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/security/advisories/mfsa2023-40/

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

#threatadvisory #threatintelligence #cybersecurity

---

Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 28th 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

• Half of UK Businesses Struggle to Fill Cyber Security Skills Gap

Half of UK businesses have a cyber security skills gap that they are struggling to fill amid a challenging labour market, according to data published by the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), which found that there were more than 160,000 cyber security job postings in the last year – a 30% increase on the previous period. In all, the UK requires an additional 11,200 people with suitable cyber skills to meet the demands of the market, the report estimates.

In a separate report, it was found that a lack of executive understanding and an ever-widening talent gap is placing an unsustainable burden on security teams to prevent business-ending breaches. When asked how long it takes to fill a cyber security role, 82% of organisations report it takes three months or longer, with 34% reporting it takes seven months or more. These challenges have led one-third (33%) of organisations to believe they will never have a fully-staffed security team with the proper skills.

With such a gap, some organisations have turned to outsourcing cyber security roles, such as chief information security officers (CISOs), leading to a rise in virtual CISOs (vCISO). With outsourcing, organisations can ensure that they are easily able to pick up and use cyber security experts, greatly reducing the delay were they to hire. Black Arrow supports clients as their vCISO with specialist experience in cyber security risk management in a business context.

https://www.uktech.news/cybersecurity/uk-cybersecurity-skills-gap-20230725

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/07/26/security-teams-executive-burden/

• Deloitte Joins Fellow Big Four MOVEit victims PWC, EY as Victims Exceed 500

The global auditing and accounting firm Deloitte appeared alongside a further 55 MOVEit victims that were recently named by the Cl0p ransomware gang, making them the third Big Four accounting firm to be affected and amongst over 500 organisations in total with that number expected to continue to increase.

Research by Kroll has also uncovered a new exfiltration method used by Cl0p in their the MOVEit attacks, highlighting constant efforts by the ransomware gang. Worryingly, it has been reported that Cl0p have made between $75-100 million from ransom payments and it is expected this, along with the victim count, will rise.

https://cybernews.com/security/deloitte-big-four-moveit-pwc-ey-clop/

https://www.kroll.com/en/insights/publications/cyber/moveit-vulnerability-investigations-uncover-additional-exfiltration-method

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/clop-could-make-100m-moveit/

• Why Cyber Security Should Be Part of Your ESG Strategy

Organisations need to consider cyber security risks in their overall environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy amid growing cyber threats and regulatory scrutiny. The ESG programme is, in many ways, a form of risk management to mitigate the risks to businesses, societies and the environment, all of which can be impacted by cyber security. The investment community has been singling out cyber security as one of the major risks that ESG programmes will need to address due to the potential financial losses, reputational damage and business continuity risks posed by a growing number of cyber attacks and data breaches.

Various ESG reporting frameworks have emerged in recent years to provide organisations with guidelines on how they can operate ethically and sustainably, along with metrics that they can use to measure their progress. There are also specific IT security standards and frameworks, including ISO 27001 and government guidelines. Some regulators have gone as far as mandating the adoption of baseline security standards by critical infrastructure operators and firms in industries like financial services, but that does not mean organisations outside of regulated sectors are less pressured to shore up their cyber security posture.

https://www.computerweekly.com/news/366545432/Why-cyber-security-should-be-part-of-your-ESG-strategy

• Lawyers Take Frontline Role in Business Response to Cyber Attacks

Cyber security risk has shot to the top of general counsels’ agendas as the sophistication and frequency of attacks has grown. According to security company Sophos’s State of Ransomware 2023 report, 44% of UK businesses surveyed said they had been hit with ransomware in the past year. Of those affected, 33% said their data was encrypted and stolen and a further 6% said that their data was not encrypted but they experienced extortion.

In-house lawyers have a key role around the boardroom table when dealing with a breach including war-gaming and discussing cases in which a company will pay a ransom. The advent of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) legislation in Europe, and equivalents elsewhere, demands that businesses hit by a data breach notify a regulator, and the individuals whose data was stolen, or both, depending on certain factors. This has led to far greater exposure of cyber incidents which companies previously could have tried to deal with privately.

https://www.ft.com/content/2af44ae8-78fc-4393-88c3-0d784a850331

• Organisations Face Record $4.5M Per Data Breach Incident

In a recent report conducted by IBM, the average cost per data breach for US business in 2023 jumped to $4.45 million, a 15% increase over three years. In the UK, the average cost was found to be £3.4 million, rising to £5.3 million for financial services. It is likely that the cost per breach will maintain a continual rise, with organisations struggling to crack down on cyber crime, something threat groups like Cl0p are taking advantage of.

https://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/orgs-record-4.5m-data-breach-incident

https://uk.newsroom.ibm.com/24-07-2023-IBM-Security-Report-Cost-of-a-Data-Breach-for-UK-Businesses-Averages-3-4m

• Cryptojacking Soars as Cyber Attacks Diversify

According to a recent report, a variety of attacks have increased globally, including cryptojacking (399%), IoT malware (37%) and encrypted threats (22%). This reflects the increase in actors who are changing their methods of attacks. The report found that we can expect more state-sponsored activity targeting a broader set of victims in 2023, including SMBs, government entities and enterprises.

Cryptojacking, sometimes referred to as malicious cryptomining, is where an attacker will use a victim’s device to mine cryptocurrency, giving the attacker free money at the expense of your device, network health and electricity.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/07/27/cryptojacking-attacks-rise/

• Ransomware Attacks Skyrocket in 2023

Ransomware attacks surged by 74% in Q2 2023 compared to the first three months of the year, a new report has found. The significant increase in ransomware over April, May and June 2023 suggests that attackers are regrouping. In July 2023, the blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis found that in the first half of 2023, ransomware attackers extorted $176m more than the same period in 2022, reversing a brief downward trend in 2022.

The report also observed an uptick in “pure extortion attacks,” with cyber criminals increasingly relying on the threat of data leaks rather than encrypting data to extort victims. Such schemes may not trigger any ransomware detection capability but could potentially be picked up by a robust Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solution.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/ransomware-attacks-skyrocket-q2/

• Blocking Access to ChatGPT is a Short-Term Solution to Mitigate AI Risk

Despite the mass adoption of generative AI, most companies don’t know how to assess its security, exposing them to risks and disadvantages if they don’t change their approach. A report found that for every 10,000 enterprise users, an enterprise organisation is experiencing approximately 183 incidents of sensitive data being posted to ChatGPT per month. Worryingly, despite the security issues, only 45% have an enterprise-wide strategy to ensure a secure, aligned deployment of AI across the entire organisation.

Blocking access to AI related content and AI applications is a short term solution to mitigate risk, but comes at the expense of the potential benefits that AI apps offer to supplement corporate innovation and employee productivity. The data shows that in financial services and healthcare nearly 1 in 5 organisations have implemented a blanket ban on employee use of ChatGPT, while in the technology sector, only 1 in 20 organisations have done likewise.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/07/28/chatgpt-exposure/

https://www.techradar.com/pro/lots-of-sensitive-data-is-still-being-posted-to-chatgpt

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/07/25/generative-ai-strategy/

• Protect Your Data Like Your Reputation Depends on It (Because it Does)

Data breaches can be incredibly costly. Be it lawsuits, regulatory fines, or a fall in stock price, the financial consequences of a breach can bring even the largest organisation to its knees. However, in the face of economic damage, it’s too easy to overlook the vast reputational impacts that often do more harm to a business. After all, it’s relatively easy to recoup monetary losses, less so to regain customer trust.

It’s important to remember that reputational damage isn’t limited to consumer perceptions. Stakeholder, shareholder, and potential buyer perception is also something that needs to be considered. By having effective defence in depth controls including robust data loss prevention (DLP) solutions in place, organisations can reduce the risk of a breach from happening.

https://informationsecuritybuzz.com/protect-your-data-like-your-reputation-depends-on-it-because-it-does/

• Why CISOs Should Get Involved with Cyber Insurance Negotiation

Generally negotiating cyber insurance policies falls to the general counsel, chief financial officer, or chief operations officer. Having the chief information security officer (CISO) at the table when negotiating with insurance brokers or carriers is a best practice for ensuring the insurers understand not only which security controls are in place, but why the controls are configured the way they are and the organisation's strategy. That said, often best practices are ignored for reasons of expediency and lack of acceptance by other C-suite executives.

Sometimes being the CISO can be a no-win position. According to a recent survey more than half of all CISOs report to a technical corporate officer rather than the business side of the organisation. This lack of recognition by the board can diminish the CISO's ability to deliver business-imperative insights and recommendations, leaving operations to have a more commanding influence on the board than cyber security. Too often the CISO gets the responsibility to protect the company without the authority and budget to accomplish their task.

https://www.darkreading.com/edge-articles/why-cisos-should-get-involved-with-cyber-insurance-negotiation

• Companies Must Have Corporate Cyber Security Experts, SEC Says

A recent report has found that only five Fortune 100 companies currently list a security professional in the executive leadership pages of their websites. This is largely unchanged from five of the Fortune 100 in 2018. One likely reason why a great many companies still don’t include their security leaders within their highest echelons is that these employees do not report directly to the company’s CEO, board of directors, or chief risk officer.

The chief security officer (CSO) or chief information security officer (CISO) position traditionally has reported to an executive in a technical role, such as the chief technology officer (CTO) or chief information officer (CIO). But workforce experts say placing the CISO/CSO on unequal footing with the organisation’s top leaders makes it more likely that cyber security and risk concerns will take a backseat to initiatives designed to increase productivity and generally grow the business.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has recently implemented new regulations necessitating publicly traded companies to report cyber attacks within four business days, once they're deemed material incidents. While the SEC is not presently advocating for the need to validate a board cyber security expert's credentials, it continues to insist that cyber security expertise within management be duly reported to them. The increased disclosure should help companies compare practices and may spur improvements in cyber defences, but meeting the new disclosure standards could be a bigger challenge for smaller companies with limited resources.

https://www.darkreading.com/edge-articles/companies-must-have-corporate-cybersecurity-experts-sec-says

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/sec-now-requires-companies-to-disclose-cyberattacks-in-4-days/

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2023/07/few-fortune-100-firms-list-security-pros-in-their-executive-ranks/

• Over 400,000 Corporate Credentials Stolen by Info-stealing Malware

Information stealers are malware that steal data stored in applications such as web browsers, email clients, instant messengers, cryptocurrency wallets, file transfer protocol (FTP) clients, and gaming services. The stolen information is packaged into archives called 'logs,' which are then uploaded back to the threat actor for use in attacks or sold on cyber crime marketplaces. Worryingly, employees use personal devices for work or access personal stuff from work computers, and this may result in many info-stealer infections stealing business credentials and authentication cookies. A report has found there are over 400,000 corporate credentials stolen, from applications such as Salesforce, Google Cloud and AWS. Additionally, there was a significant increase in the number containing OpenAI credentials; this is alarming as where AI is used without governance, the credentials may leak things such as internal business strategies and source code.

With such an array of valuable information for an attacker, it is no wonder incidents involving info stealers doubled in Q1 2023. Organisations can best protect themselves by utilising password managers, enforcing multi-factor authentication and having strict usage controls. Additionally, user awareness training can help avoid common infection channels such as malicious websites and adverts.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/over-400-000-corporate-credentials-stolen-by-info-stealing-malware/

https://www.scmagazine.com/news/infostealer-incidents-more-than-doubled-in-q1-2023

---

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Data Breaches Cost Businesses $4.5M on Average (darkreading.com)

• Deciphering The IBM Cost Of A Data Breach Report: A Statistical Perspective For Business Leaders (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Why CISOs Should Get Involved With Cyber Insurance Negotiation (darkreading.com)

• SEC now requires companies to disclose cyber attacks in 4 days (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Companies Must Have Corporate Cyber security Experts, SEC Says (darkreading.com)

• Companies encounter months-long delays in filling critical security positions - Help Net Security

• Why Today's CISOs Must Embrace Change (darkreading.com)

• Enterprises should layer-up security to avoid legal repercussions - Help Net Security

• Aligning Risk Appetite, Tolerance, And Thresholds With Business Planning: A Comprehensive Guide To Enterprise Risk Management (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Explaining risk maturity models and how they work | TechTarget

• Why cyber security should be part of your ESG strategy | Computer Weekly

• The old “trust but verify” adage should be the motto for every CISO | CSO Online

• Companies are rushing into generative AI without a cohesive, secure strategy - Help Net Security

• Few Fortune 100 Firms List Security Pros in Their Executive Ranks – Krebs on Security

• The critical cyber security backup plan too many companies are ignoring (cnbc.com)

• Protect Your Data Like Your Reputation Depends On It (Because It Does) (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Why Computer Security Advice Is More Confusing Than It Should Be (darkreading.com)

• Why whistleblowers in cyber security are important and need support | CSO Online

• The challenge of managing unlimited threats in a limited budget: cyber security experts comment | CSO Online

• 4 Cyber security Budget Management Tips (trendmicro.com)

---

Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• Clop now leaks data stolen in MOVEit attacks on clearweb sites (bleepingcomputer.com)

• MOVEit Vulnerability Investigations Uncover Additional Exfiltration Method (kroll.com)

• Clop Could Make $100m from MOVEit Campaign - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• The tail of the MOVEit hack may be longer than we realize | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Millions of people's healthcare files accessed by Clop gang • The Register

• Ransomware Attacks Skyrocket in Q2 2023 - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Local Governments Targeted for Ransomware – How to Prevent Falling Victim (thehackernews.com)

• New Nitrogen malware pushed via Google Ads for ransomware attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Dozens of Organisations Targeted by Akira Ransomware - SecurityWeek

• Ransomware Spotlight: Play - Security News (trendmicro.com)

• The FBI's Cynthia Kaiser on how the bureau fights ransomware | CyberScoop

• Risk & Repeat: Are data extortion attacks ransomware? | TechTarget

• ALPHV ransomware adds data leak API in new extortion strategy (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Education Sector Has Highest Ransomware Victim Count - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Ransomware: Sophos says most universities pay | Times Higher Education (THE)

Ransomware Victims

• PwC has data leaked on the clear web - Cyber Security Connect

• Deloitte joins fellow Big Four MOVEit victims PWC, EY | Cybernews

• DHL investigating MOVEit breach as number of victims surpasses 20 million (therecord.media)

• Up to 11 Million People Hit by MOVEit Hack at Government Services Firm Maximus - SecurityWeek

• Millions of people's healthcare files accessed by Clop gang • The Register

• Tampa General Hospital Says Patient Information Stolen in Ransomware Attack - SecurityWeek

• Another Cl0p victim goes public | Cybernews

• Yamaha confirms cyber attack after multiple ransomware gangs claim attacks (therecord.media)

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• Chinese Hackers Breached Ambassador’s Email - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• China’s Breach of Microsoft Cloud Email May Expose Deeper Problems | WIRED

• Stolen Microsoft key may have opened up more than inboxes • The Register

• KnowBe4 Phishing Test Results Reveal Half of Top Malicious Email Subjects Are HR Related (darkreading.com)

• The Email Threat Landscape, Q1 2023: Key Takeaways (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• How to avoid LinkedIn phishing attacks in the enterprise | TechTarget

• Windows 11 just got a big upgrade to protect you from phishing attacks — here’s how it works | Tom's Guide (tomsguide.com)

• Critical Infrastructure Workers More Likely to Detect and Report Phishing and Malicious Emails, Study Finds - MSSP Alert

BEC – Business Email Compromise

• Repeatable VEC Attacks Target Critical Infrastructure - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Artificial Intelligence

• The Dark Side of AI (darkreading.com)

• Blocking access to ChatGPT is a short term solution to mitigate risk - Help Net Security

• UN Security Council to hold first talks on AI risks | Reuters

• Companies are rushing into generative AI without a cohesive, secure strategy - Help Net Security

• ChatGPT, Other Generative AI Apps Prone to Compromise, Manipulation (darkreading.com)

• Lots of sensitive data is still being posted to ChatGPT | TechRadar

• Dark Web Markets Offer New FraudGPT AI Tool - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Top FBI officials warn of 'unparalleled' threat from China and AI | CyberScoop

• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Generative AI - SecurityWeek

• OpenAI, Meta and other tech firms sign onto White House AI commitments | FedScoop

• Intel's deepfake detector tested on real and fake videos - BBC News

• Are AI-Engineered Threats FUD or Reality? (darkreading.com)

• How is the Dark Web Reacting to the AI Revolution? (bleepingcomputer.com)

Malware

• Over 400,000 corporate credentials stolen by info-stealing malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Infostealer incidents more than doubled in Q1 2023 | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• The Alarming Rise of Infostealers: How to Detect this Silent Threat (thehackernews.com)

• Decoy Dog: New Breed of Malware Posing Serious Threats to Enterprise Networks (thehackernews.com)

• Rust-based malware used to hack both Windows and Linux servers - Neowin

• Rust-based Realst Infostealer Targeting Apple macOS Users' Cryptocurrency Wallets (thehackernews.com)

• Lazarus hackers hijack Microsoft IIS servers to spread malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• FIN8 is rewriting its backdoor malware to avoid detection | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• New Nitrogen malware pushed via Google Ads for ransomware attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• New P2PInfect worm malware targets Linux and Windows Redis servers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• HotRat: New Variant of AsyncRAT Malware Spreading Through Pirated Software (thehackernews.com)

• Who and What is Behind the Malware Proxy Service SocksEscort? – Krebs on Security

Mobile

• Chinese-backed Hacking Group Launches Two Bugs Targeting Android Devices - MSSP Alert

• Spyhide stalkerware is spying on tens of thousands of phones | TechCrunch

• 5 steps to approach BYOD compliance policies | TechTarget

Botnets

• Hackers Target Apache Tomcat Servers for Mirai Botnet and Crypto Mining (thehackernews.com)

• Multiple DDoS Botnets Exploiting Recent Zyxel Vulnerability - SecurityWeek

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

• Critical UK Infrastructures in the crosshairs of DDoS attacks (link11.com)

• Zyxel users still getting hacked by DDoS botnet emerge as public nuisance No. 1 | Ars Technica

• Anonymous Sudan DDoS strikes dominate attacks by KillNet collective | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

BYOD

• 5 steps to approach BYOD compliance policies | TechTarget

Internet of Things – IoT

• Peloton Bugs Expose Enterprise Networks to IoT Attacks (darkreading.com)

• Microsoft previews  Defender for IoT firmware analysis service (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Axis Door Controller Vulnerability Exposes Facilities to Physical, Cyber Threats - SecurityWeek

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Deciphering The IBM Cost Of A Data Breach Report: A Statistical Perspective For Business Leaders (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Capita breach class action nears 1,000 sign-ups • The Register

• VirusTotal: We're sorry for mistake that exposed 5,000 users • The Register

• Deloitte joins fellow Big Four MOVEit victims PWC, EY | Cybernews

• NATO investigating apparent breach of unclassified information sharing platform | CyberScoop

• Tampa General Hospital Data Breach Impacts 1.2 Million Patients - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Australian Home Affairs cyber survey exposed personal data of participating firms | Data and computer security | The Guardian

• Data Breach Costs Hit Record High but Fall For Some - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Hacker Claims to Have Stolen Sensitive Medical Records from Egypt's Ministry of Health - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• BreachForums database and private chats for sale in hacker data breach (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Nice Suzuki, sport: shame dealer left your data up for grabs - Security Affairs

• Johns Hopkins hit with class action lawsuit connected to data breach - CBS Baltimore (cbsnews.com)

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• The New Summer Vacation Necessity: Cyber Hygiene (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• BreachForums database and private chats for sale in hacker data breach (bleepingcomputer.com)

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• Cryptojacking soars as cyber attacks increase, diversify - Help Net Security

• Hackers Target Apache Tomcat Servers for Mirai Botnet and Crypto Mining (thehackernews.com)

• Cryptojacking: Understanding and defending against cloud compute resource abuse | Microsoft Security Blog

• Lazarus hackers linked to $60 million Alphapo cryptocurrency heist (bleepingcomputer.com)

• New Realst macOS malware steals your cryptocurrency wallets (bleepingcomputer.com)

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• Dark Web Markets Offer New FraudGPT AI Tool - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Consumers demand more from businesses when it comes to security - Help Net Security

• CISOs gear up to combat the rising threat of B2B fraud - Help Net Security

• Booz Allen Pays $377m to Settle Government Fraud Case - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• MPs launch inquiry into prosecution of Norton Motorcycles pension fraud | Crime | The Guardian

Insurance

• Why CISOs Should Get Involved With Cyber Insurance Negotiation (darkreading.com)

• Brave New World of Cyber Insurance Meets Old-World Contract Principles | New Jersey Law Journal

Dark Web

• BreachForums database and private chats for sale in hacker data breach (bleepingcomputer.com)

• How is the Dark Web Reacting to the AI Revolution? (bleepingcomputer.com)

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• Capita breach class action nears 1,000 sign-ups • The Register

• DHL investigating MOVEit breach as number of victims surpasses 20 million (therecord.media)

• The tail of the MOVEit hack may be longer than we realize | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Up to 11 Million People Hit by MOVEit Hack at Government Services Firm Maximus - SecurityWeek

• Banking Sector Targeted in Open-Source Software Supply Chain Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Strengthening the weakest links in the digital supply chain - Help Net Security

• JumpCloud hack linked to North Korea after OPSEC mistake (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Supply Chain Attack Hits NHS Ambulance Trusts - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Software Supply Chain

• Two ambulance services in UK lost access to patient records after a cyber attack on software provider - Security Affairs

Cloud/SaaS

• China’s Breach of Microsoft Cloud Email May Expose Deeper Problems | WIRED

• Microsoft 365 Breach Risk Widens to Millions of Azure AD Apps (darkreading.com)

• JumpCloud hack linked to North Korea after OPSEC mistake (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Wiz Says 62% of AWS Environments Exposed to Zenbleed Exploitation - SecurityWeek

• The 4 Keys to Building Cloud Security Programs That Can Actually Shift Left (thehackernews.com)

• Ubuntu Linux Cloud Workloads Face Rampant Root Take Takeovers (darkreading.com)

Shadow IT

• NCSC Publishes New Guidance on Shadow IT - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Encryption

• The UK Government Is Very Close To Eroding Encryption Worldwide  | Electronic Frontier Foundation (eff.org)

• Apple could opt to stop iMessage and FaceTime services due to the government's surveillance demands - Security Affairs

• Hacking police radios: 30-year-old crypto flaws in the spotlight – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• Researchers Find ‘Backdoor’ in Encrypted Police and Military Radios (vice.com)

API

• Reining in API sprawl | TechCrunch

• ALPHV ransomware adds data leak API in new extortion strategy (bleepingcomputer.com)

Open Source

• New OpenSSH Vulnerability Exposes Linux Systems to Remote Command Injection (thehackernews.com)

• Rust-based malware used to hack both Windows and Linux servers - Neowin

• Banking Sector Targeted in Open-Source Software Supply Chain Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• New P2PInfect worm malware targets Linux and Windows Redis servers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Ubuntu Linux Cloud Workloads Face Rampant Root Take Takeovers (darkreading.com)

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• CISA: Most cyber attacks on gov’ts, critical infrastructure involve valid credentials (therecord.media)

Social Media

• How to avoid LinkedIn phishing attacks in the enterprise | TechTarget

• Stanford researchers find Mastodon has a massive child abuse material problem - The Verge

Training, Education and Awareness

• Why are computer security guidelines so confusing? - Help Net Security

Travel

• The New Summer Vacation Necessity: Cyber Hygiene (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

Parental Controls and Child Safety

• Amazon agrees to $25 million fine for Alexa children privacy violations (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Stanford researchers find Mastodon has a massive child abuse material problem - The Verge

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• SEC now requires companies to disclose cyber attacks in 4 days (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Companies Must Have Corporate Cyber security Experts, SEC Says (darkreading.com)

• Amazon agrees to $25 million fine for Alexa children privacy violations (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Apple could opt to stop iMessage and FaceTime services due to the government's surveillance demands - Security Affairs

• OpenAI, Meta and other tech firms sign onto White House AI commitments | FedScoop

• EU Agrees On Common Position For Cyber Resilience Act To Enhance Security Of Digital Products (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

Data Protection

• More US States are ramping up data privacy laws in 2023 (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Protect Your Data Like Your Reputation Depends On It (Because It Does) (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

• Companies encounter months-long delays in filling critical security positions - Help Net Security

• UK Government Report Finds Cyber security Skills Gap Stagnant - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Bridging the cyber security skills gap through cyber range training - Help Net Security

• Overcoming the cyber security talent shortage with upskilling initiatives - Help Net Security

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• The FBI's Cynthia Kaiser on how the bureau fights ransomware | CyberScoop

Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring

• More US States are ramping up data privacy laws in 2023 (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Amazon agrees to $25 million fine for Alexa children privacy violations (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Companies Need to Prove They Can Be Trusted with Technology (hbr.org)

• Ryanair Hit With Lawsuit Over Use of Facial Recognition Technology (darkreading.com)

Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda

• China Propaganda Spreads via US News Sites, Freelancers, Times Square (darkreading.com)

• Russia ‘using disinformation’ to imply Sweden supported Qur’an burnings | Sweden | The Guardian

---

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

Russia

• Anonymous Sudan DDoS strikes dominate attacks by KillNet collective | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Russian court jails cyber security executive for 14 years in treason case | Reuters

• Russia ‘using disinformation’ to imply Sweden supported Qur’an burnings | Sweden | The Guardian

• 69% of Russian gamers are pirating after Ukraine invasion pushback | Ars Technica

China

• Top FBI officials warn of 'unparalleled' threat from China and AI | CyberScoop

• China’s Breach of Microsoft Cloud Email May Expose Deeper Problems | WIRED

• Stolen Microsoft key may have opened up more than inboxes • The Register

• Chinese Hackers Breached Ambassador’s Email - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• The Chinese groups accused of hacking the US and others | Reuters

• Industrial Organisations in Eastern Europe Targeted by Chinese Cyber spies - SecurityWeek

• Chinese-backed Hacking Group Launches Two Bugs Targeting Android Devices - MSSP Alert

• China Propaganda Spreads via US News Sites, Freelancers, Times Square (darkreading.com)

• China-backed hackers suspected in NetScaler RCE attacks | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• US Senator Wyden Accuses Microsoft of ‘Cyber security Negligence’ - SecurityWeek

• China’s Wuhan Earthquake Center Suffers Cyber Attack - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

North Korea

• North Korean Cyber spies Target GitHub Developers (darkreading.com)

• JumpCloud hack linked to North Korea after OPSEC mistake (bleepingcomputer.com)

• GitHub warns of Lazarus hackers targeting devs with malicious projects (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Lazarus hackers hijack Microsoft IIS servers to spread malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Lazarus hackers linked to $60 million Alphapo cryptocurrency heist (bleepingcomputer.com)

• APT “Mysterious Elephant” Emerges in Q2 2023, Kaspersky Reports - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Misc/Other/Unknown

• Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs): Detection and Mitigation (blueteamresources.in)

• Part 1: Historic To 2022 – The APT And Logical Threats (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

---

Vulnerability Management

• Google: 41 zero-day vulnerabilities exploited in 2022 | TechTarget

• CVSS 4.0 Is Here, But Prioritizing Patches Still a Hard Problem (darkreading.com)

• Want to live dangerously? Try running Windows XP in 2023 • The Register

• A step-by-step guide for patching software vulnerabilities - Help Net Security

Vulnerabilities

• Over 20,000 Citrix Appliances Vulnerable to New Exploit - SecurityWeek

• A flaw in OpenSSH forwarded ssh-agent allows remote code execution-Security Affairs

• Apple fixes new zero-day used in attacks against iPhones, Macs (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Shadowserver reported that +15K Citrix servers are likely vulnerable to attacks exploiting the flaw CVE-2023-3519 - Security Affairs

• NetScaler RCE bug abused to pilfer critical infrastructure Active Directory data | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Ivanti patches MobileIron zero-day bug exploited in attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Zyxel users still getting hacked by DDoS botnet emerge as public nuisance No. 1 | Ars Technica

• Apache OpenMeetings Wide Open to Account Takeover, Code Execution (darkreading.com)

• Super Admin elevation bug puts 900,000 MikroTik devices at risk (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Norwegian government IT systems hacked using zero-day flaw (bleepingcomputer.com)

• VMware fixes bug exposing CF API admin credentials in audit logs (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Major Security Flaw Discovered in Metabase BI Software – Urgent Update Required (thehackernews.com)

• Cyber security Agencies Warn Against IDOR Bugs Exploited for Data Breaches (thehackernews.com)

• Critical Zero-Days in Atera Windows Installers Expose Users to Privilege Escalation Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Atlassian RCE Bugs Plague Confluence, Bamboo (darkreading.com)

• Zenbleed attack leaks sensitive data from AMD Zen2 processors (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft shares fix for some Outlook hyperlinks not opening (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Critical Flaws Found in Microsoft Message Queuing Service - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• China-backed hackers suspected in NetScaler RCE attacks | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Study reveals silent Python package security fixes • The Register

• Windows 10 KB5028244 update released with 19 fixes, improved security (bleepingcomputer.com)

• VMware Patches Vulnerability Exposing Admin Credentials - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Wiz Says 62% of AWS Environments Exposed to Zenbleed Exploitation - SecurityWeek

• Multiple DDoS Botnets Exploiting Recent Zyxel Vulnerability - SecurityWeek

• Zimbra patches zero-day vulnerability exploited in XSS attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• WordPress Ninja Forms plugin flaw lets hackers steal submitted data (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Two flaws in Linux Ubuntu affect 40% of Ubuntu users - Security Affairs

---

Tools and Controls

• Aligning Risk Appetite, Tolerance, And Thresholds With Business Planning: A Comprehensive Guide To Enterprise Risk Management (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Why cyber security should be part of your ESG strategy | Computer Weekly

• Lawyers take frontline role in business response to cyber attacks | Financial Times (ft.com)

• Explaining risk maturity models and how they work | TechTarget

• Microsoft enhances Windows 11 Phishing Protection with new features (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Shadow Coding Is An Intoxicating Shortcut—And A Security Landmine (forbes.com)

• Zero trust rated as highly effective by businesses worldwide - Help Net Security

• 50% of Zero Trust Programs Risk Failure According to PlainID Survey (darkreading.com)

• Google Chrome to offer 'Link Previews' when hovering over links (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Why are computer security guidelines so confusing? - Help Net Security

• Threat Intelligence Is Growing — Here's How SOCs Can Keep Up (darkreading.com)

• The challenge of managing unlimited threats in a limited budget: cyber security experts comment | CSO Online

• Shaping the future of digital identity - Help Net Security

• How to Put the Sec in DevSecOps (darkreading.com)

• Designing a Security Strategy for Defending Multicloud Architectures (darkreading.com)

• How Microsoft Defender Experts for XDR helps triage, investigate, and respond to cyberthreats | Microsoft Security Blog

• Converging networking and security with SASE - Help Net Security

• 5 steps to approach BYOD compliance policies | TechTarget

• KnowBe4 Phishing Test Results Reveal Half of Top Malicious Email Subjects Are HR Related (darkreading.com)

• Windows 11 just got a big upgrade to protect you from phishing attacks — here’s how it works | Tom's Guide (tomsguide.com)

• Artificial Intelligence Continues To Revolutionize Cyber security (forbes.com)

• Key factors for effective security automation - Help Net Security

• Microsoft previews Defender for IoT firmware analysis service (bleepingcomputer.com)

• The 4 Keys to Building Cloud Security Programs That Can Actually Shift Left (thehackernews.com)

• CISOs consider zero trust a hot security ticket - Help Net Security

• How a Cyber Security Platform Addresses the 3 “S” (trendmicro.com)

• 4 Cyber security Budget Management Tips (trendmicro.com)

---

Reports Published in the Last Week

• The Email Threat Landscape, Q1 2023: Key Takeaways (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Cost of a data breach 2023 | IBM

• Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA) | Europol (europa.eu)

• Q1 Report: Email Threat Trends Discover Q1 trends and stay ahead of email based threats. - VIPRE

---

Other News

• Maritime Cyber attack Database Launched by Dutch University - SecurityWeek

• Google’s new security pilot program will ban employee Internet access | Ars Technica

• Inspiring secure coding: Strategies to encourage developers' continuous improvement - Help Net Security

• macOS Under Attack: Examining the Growing Threat and User Perspectives (thehackernews.com)

• Why whistleblowers in cyber security are important and need support | CSO Online

• Cyber crime as a Public Health Crisis (darkreading.com)

• 7 in 10 MSPs Name Data Security and Network Security As Their Top IT Priorities for 2023 (darkreading.com)

• TETRA Radio Code Encryption Has a Flaw: A Backdoor | WIRED

• World's most internetty firm tries life off the net • The Register

• Exam board cyber attack investigation: Teenager arrested (schoolsweek.co.uk)

• Companies Need to Prove They Can Be Trusted with Technology (hbr.org)

• Heart monitor manufacturer hit by cyber attack, takes systems offline (bitdefender.com)

• How do companies protect customer data? | TechTarget

• Cyber security Agencies Warn Against IDOR Bugs Exploited for Data Breaches (thehackernews.com)

---

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 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

---

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)

---

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

---

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)

---

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

---

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)

---

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)

---

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 Threat Briefing 10 February 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

• UK Companies Banned from Paying Ransomware Hackers After Attacks on Royal Mail and Guardian

British companies have been banned from paying ransomware hackers after a spate of attacks on businesses including Royal Mail and the Guardian newspaper.

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on Thursday unveiled sanctions on seven Russian hackers linked to a gang called Conti, effectively banning any payments to the group.

Thursday’s sanctions are the first of their kind to be specifically targeted against Russian ransomware gang members.

The actions follow a spate of high-profile attacks on businesses and amid warnings from GCHQ that Russian and Iranian hackers are stepping up actions in Britain.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2023/02/09/companies-banned-paying-hackers-attacks-royal-mail-guardian/

• Fraud Set to Be Upgraded as a Threat to National Security

Fraud is to be reclassified as a threat to national security under UK government plans that will force police chiefs to devote more officers to solving the crime.

It will be elevated to the same status as terrorism, with chief constables mandated to increase resources and combine capabilities in a new effort to combat a fraud epidemic that now accounts for 30 per cent of all crime.

It will be added to the strategic policing requirement, which means that forces will be required by ministers to treat fraud as a major priority alongside not only terrorism, but also public disorder, civil emergencies, serious and organised crime, cyber attacks and child sexual abuse.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/02/04/fraud-set-upgraded-threat-national-security/

• 98% of Attacks are Not Reported by Employees to their Employers

Cyber attackers are increasingly using social engineering tactics to lure employees into opening malicious emails in an attempt to trick them into providing login credentials, updating bank account information and paying fraudulent invoices. Worryingly, research conducted by security provider Abnormal has found that 98% of attacks on organisations are not reported to the organisation’s security team. In addition to this, the report found that the volume of business email compromise attacks are spiking, growing by 175% over the past two years. The report also found that nearly two-thirds of large enterprises experiencing a supply chain compromise attack in the second half of 2022.

https://www.msspalert.com/cybersecurity-research/employees-fail-to-report-98-of-email-cyber-hacks-to-security-teams-study-finds/

• UK Second Most Targeted Nation Behind America for Ransomware

Security research team Kraken Labs released their report earlier this week, which found that of the 101 different countries that registered victims of ransomware, the UK had registered the second highest number of victims behind the US. Currently, there are over 60 ransomware groups, with the top 3 accounting for a third of all ransomware attacks.

https://www.itsecurityguru.org/2023/02/07/uk-second-most-targeted-nation-behind-america-for-ransomware/

• Financial Institutions are Suffering from Increasingly Sophisticated Cyber Attacks

This week security provider Contrast Security released its Cyber Bank Heists report, an annual report that exposes cyber security threats facing the financial sector. The report warns financial institutions that security must be a top-of-mind issue amid rising geopolitical tensions, increased destructive attacks utilising wipers and a record-breaking year of zero-day exploits. The report involved a series of interviews with financial sector security leaders and found some notable results. Some of the results include 64% of leaders seeing an increase in application attacks, 72% of respondents planning to increase investment in application security in 2023, 60% of respondents falling victim to destructive attacks and 50% of organisations detecting campaigns which aimed to steal non-public market information.

https://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/financial-institutions-are-suffering-from-increasingly-sophisticated-cyberattacks-according-to-contrast-security

• An Email Attack Can End Up Costing You Over $1 Million

According to a report by security provider Barracuda Network, 75% of organisations had fallen victim to at least one successful email attack in the last 12 months, with those affected facing potential costs of over $1 million for their most expensive attack. The fallout from an email security attack can be significant, with the report finding 44% of those hit had faced significant downtime and business disruption. Additionally financial services greatly impacted by the loss of valuable data (59%) and payments made to attackers (51%). When it came to organisations preparation, 30% felt underprepared when dealing with account takeover and 28% felt unprepared for dealing with business email compromise.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/02/10/email-attack-damage-1-million/

• Cyber Crime Shows No Signs of Slowing Down

Global risks from population pressures and climate change to political conflicts and industrial supply chain challenges characterised 2022. Cyber criminals used this turmoil to exploit these trending topics, including significant events, public affairs, social causes, and anywhere else opportunity appeared. According to security researchers at Zscaler TheatLabz, 2023 will see a rise in Crime-as-a-service (CaaS), supply chains will be bigger targets than ever, there will be a greater need for defence in depth as endpoint protection will not be enough and finally, there will be a decrease in the time between initial compromise and the final stage of an attack.

https://www.darkreading.com/zscaler/cybercrime-shows-no-signs-of-slowing-down

• Surge of Swatting Attacks Targets Corporate Executive and Board Members

Swatting is the act of deceiving an emergency service with the purpose of the service then sending an emergency response, often armed, to a targeted persons address. Security provider Black Cloak has found that swatting incidents are now beginning to target C-suite executives and corporate board members, with the number of incidents increasing over the last few months. Malicious actors are using information from the dark web, company websites and property records to construct their swatting attacks.

https://www.csoonline.com/article/3687177/surge-of-swatting-attacks-targets-corporate-executives-and-board-members.html#tk.rss_news

• Phishing Surges Ahead, as ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence Loom

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is making it easier for threat actors to create sophisticated and malicious email campaigns. In their report, security provider Vade found that Q4 of 2022 saw a 36% volume increase in phishing campaigns compared to the previous quarter, with over 278.3 million unique phishing emails in that period. The researchers found in particular, new AI tools such as ChatGPT had made it easy for anyone, including those with limited skills, to conduct a sophisticated phishing campaign. Furthermore, the ability of ChatGPT to tailor phishing to different languages is an area for concern.

https://www.darkreading.com/vulnerabilities-threats/bolstered-chatgpt-tools-phishing-surged-ahead

• Pro-Russian Hacktivist Group is Only Getting Started, Experts Warn

A pro-Russian hacktivist group's low-level distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on US critical infrastructure could be a precursor to more serious cyber attacks, health care and security officials warned this week. A DDoS attack involves overwhelming a targeted service, service or network with traffic in an attempt to disrupt it. Earlier this week Killnet, a politically motivated Russian hacking group, overloaded and took down some US healthcare organisations. The attack came after threatening western healthcare organisations for the continued NATO support of Ukraine.

https://www.axios.com/2023/02/03/killnet-russian-hackers-attacks

• Crypto Investors Lost Nearly $4 Billion to Hackers in 2022

Last year marked the worst year on record for cryptocurrency hacks, according to analytic firm Chainalysis’ latest report. According to the report, hackers stole $3.8 billion in 2022, up from $3.3 billion the previous year. De-centralised finance products, which are products that have no requirement for an intermediary or middle-man accounted for about 82% of all crypto stolen.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/04/crypto-investors-lost-nearly-4-billion-dollars-to-hackers-in-2022.html

• PayPal and Twitter Abused in Turkey Relief Donation Scams

Scammers are now exploiting the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Turkey and Syria. This time, stealing donations by abusing legitimate platforms such as PayPal and Twitter. It has been identified that multiple scams are running which call for fundraising, linking the victim to a legitimate PayPal site. The money however, is kept by the scammer.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/paypal-and-twitter-abused-in-turkey-relief-donation-scams/

• Mysterious Leak of Booking.com Reservation Data is Being Used to Scam Customers

For almost 5 years, Booking.com customers have been on the receiving end of a continuous series of scams that demonstrate criminals have obtained travel plans amongst other personally identifiable information that were provided to Booking.com. The scams have involved users receiving fake emails purporting to be from Booking.com with genuine travel details that victims had provided. These emails contain links to malicious URL’s that look nearly identical to the Booking.com website. These then display the victim’s expected travel information, requiring them to input their card details. Some of the scams have developed and involve scammers sending WhatsApp messages after payment has been made, purporting to be from hotels which have been booked by the victims.

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/02/mysterious-leak-of-booking-com-reservation-data-is-being-used-to-scam-customers/

---

Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• UK/US cyber crime crackdown sees 7 ransomware criminals sanctioned | CSO Online

• US, UK Slap Sanctions on Trickbot Cyber crime Gang - SecurityWeek

• Bitcoin-demanding cyber criminals use bug from 2021 to initiate global ransomware attack  | TechCrunch

• UK second most targeted nation behind America for Ransomware - IT Security Guru

• Hackers who breached ION say ransom paid; company declines comment | Reuters

• New Wave of Ransomware Attacks Exploiting VMware Bug to Target ESXi Servers (thehackernews.com)

• Massive ESXiArgs ransomware attack targets VMware ESXi servers worldwide (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Royal Ransomware adds support for encrypting Linux, VMware ESXi systems-security affairs

• Ongoing VMware ESXi Ransomware Attack Highlights Inherent Virtualisation Risks (darkreading.com)

• Lessons Learned on Ransomware Prevention from the Rackspace Attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• ESXiArgs Ransomware Hits Over 3,800 Servers as Hackers Continue Improving Malware - SecurityWeek

• Ransomware Revolution: 4 Types of Cyber Risks in 2023 (trendmicro.com)

• Hypervisor patching struggles exacerbate ESXiArgs attacks | TechTarget

• Linux version of Royal Ransomware targets VMware ESXi servers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Nevada Ransomware has released upgraded locker - Help Net Security

• Italy, France and Singapore Warn of a Spike in ESXI Ransomware-security affairs

• Massive ransomware attack targets VMware ESXi servers worldwide | CSO Online

• Major Florida Hospital Shuts Down Networks, Ransomware Attack Suspected - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• LockBit ransomware gang claims Royal Mail cyber ttack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Medusa botnet returns as a Mirai-based variant with ransomware sting (bleepingcomputer.com)

• New Linux variant of Clop Ransomware uses a flawed encryption-security affairs

• After Hive takedown, could the LockBit ransomware crew be the next to fall? | CyberScoop

• Russia-Linked Ransomware Gang Claims Responsibility for Royal Mail Attack (gizmodo.com)

• #StopRansomware - Ransomware Attacks on Critical Infrastructure Fund DPRK Espionage Activities | CISA

• Largest Canadian bookstore Indigo shuts down site after cyber ttack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Kaspersky Finds Growing Number of Parents Experiencing Ransomware Attacks on Children's Schools (darkreading.com)

• Hackers hit Vesuvius, UK engineering company shuts down affected systems • Graham Cluley

• MKS Instruments falls victim to ransomware attack | CSO Online

• North Korea ransomware targets hospitals to fund digital spycraft, US agencies warn | CyberScoop

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• Phishing Surges Ahead, as ChatGPT & AI Loom (darkreading.com)

• Employees Fail to Report 98% of Email Cyber Hacks To Security Teams, Study Finds - MSSP Alert

• An email attack can end up costing you over $1 million - Help Net Security

• What SOCs Need to Know About Water Dybbuk A BEC Actor Using Open-Source Toolkits (trendmicro.com)

• How Can ChatGPT Make It Easier to Boost Phishing Scams? (analyticsinsight.net)

• Cyber criminals exploit volatile job market for targeted email attacks - Help Net Security

• Hong Kong police and Interpol uncover servers and apps used by global phishing syndicate | South China Morning Post (scmp.com)

• 'Phishing-as-a-service' kits drive uptick in theft: One business owner's story (cnbc.com)

• Malicious Google ads sneak AWS phishing sites into search results (bleepingcomputer.com)

• NewsPenguin Goes Phishing for Maritime & Military Secrets (darkreading.com)

BEC – Business Email Compromise

• What SOCs Need to Know About Water Dybbuk A BEC Actor Using Open-Source Toolkits (trendmicro.com)

Malware

• Hacker develops new 'Screenshotter' malware to find high-value targets (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Threat group targets over 1,000 companies with screenshotting and infostealing malware | CSO Online

• ESXiArgs Ransomware Hits Over 3,800 Servers as Hackers Continue Improving Malware - SecurityWeek

• Android mobile devices from top vendors in China have pre-installed malware-security affairs

• FormBook Malware Spreads via Malvertising Using MalVirt Loader to Evade Detection (thehackernews.com)

• Hackers backdoor Windows devices in Sliver and BYOVD attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• GuLoader Malware Using Malicious NSIS Executables to Target E-Commerce Industry (thehackernews.com)

• Novel Banking Trojan 'PixPirate' Targets Brazil - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• New QakNote attacks push QBot malware via Microsoft OneNote files (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Gootkit Malware Adopts New Tactics to Attack Healthcare and Finance Firms (thehackernews.com)

Mobile

• Android mobile devices from top vendors in China have pre-installed malware-security affairs

• Fraudulent "CryptoRom" Apps Slip Through Apple and Google App Store Review Process - SecurityWeek

• Android phones from Chinese vendors share private data • The Register

• 'Money Lover' Finance App Exposes User Data (darkreading.com)

• Xiaomi, OnePlus, Top Android Phones in China Spy on You: Study (gizmodo.com)

• Android 14 to block malware from abusing sensitive permissions (bleepingcomputer.com)

• UK Proposes Making the Sale and Possession of Encrypted Phones Illegal (vice.com)

• Android's February 2023 Updates Patch 40 Vulnerabilities - SecurityWeek

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

• Passion botnet cyber  Attacks hit healthcare, as actors offer threat as DDoS-as-a-service  | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Here's a list of proxy IPs to help block KillNet's DDoS bots • The Register

• Tor and I2P networks hit by wave of ongoing DDoS attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Experts published a list of proxy IPs used by the group Killnet-security affairs

Internet of Things – IoT

• Medusa botnet returns as a Mirai-based variant with ransomware sting (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Security manufacturer’s smart cameras went dark for two hours (mybroadband.co.za)

• Vulnerability Allows Hackers to Remotely Tamper With Dahua Security Cameras - SecurityWeek

• NIST Picks IoT Standard for Small Electronics Cyber security (darkreading.com)

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Swiss authorities open criminal probe into bank data breaches | Financial Times (ft.com)

• Mysterious leak of Booking.com reservation data is being used to scam customers | Ars Technica

• TruthFinder, Instant Checkmate confirm data breach affecting 20M customers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 20 Million Users Impacted by Data Breach at Instant Checkmate, TruthFinder - SecurityWeek

• US Cyber Ambassador's Twitter account hacked • The Register

• Over 12% of analysed online stores expose private data, backups (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 'Money Lover' Finance App Exposes User Data (darkreading.com)

• Reddit reveals security incident • The Register

• Reddit Suffers Security Breach Exposing Internal Documents and Source Code (thehackernews.com)

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• Tracers in the Dark: The Global Hunt for the Crime Lords of Crypto – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• Minister: Cyber crimes Now 20% of Spain’s Registered Offenses - SecurityWeek

• Finland’s Most-Wanted Hacker Nabbed in France – Krebs on Security

• Australian Man Sentenced for Scam Related to Optus Hack  - SecurityWeek

• Bungling Optus scammer was no criminal mastermind • Graham Cluley

• Dark Web Market Revenues Sink 50% in 2022 - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• Crypto investors lost nearly $4 billion to hackers in 2022 (cnbc.com)

• Tracers in the Dark: The Global Hunt for the Crime Lords of Crypto – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• Avraham Eisenberg in court accused of crypto exchange crash • The Register

• Crypto Drainers Are Ready to Ransack Investor Wallets (darkreading.com)

• How Cyber criminals Are Operationalising Money Laundering and What to Do About It (darkreading.com)

• FTX Being Advised by Cyber security Firm Sygnia on Hack Inquiry, CEO Ray Says (coindesk.com)

• Scammers steal $4 million in crypto during in-person meeting • The Register

• Enigma Stealer Targets Cryptocurrency Industry with Fake Jobs (trendmicro.com)

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• Another RAC staffer nabbed for sharing road accident data • The Register

• Ex-Ubiquiti worker pleads guilty to data theft, extortion, and smear plot (bitdefender.com)

• Cyber Hygiene: How to get buy-in from employees (trendmicro.com)

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• PayPal and Twitter abused in Turkey relief donation scams (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Working from home is fuelling fraud epidemic, warn managers (telegraph.co.uk)

• Mysterious leak of Booking.com reservation data is being used to scam customers | Ars Technica

• Avast Threat Report: Consumers Plagued With Refund Fraud, Tech Support Scams, and Adware (darkreading.com)

• As V-Day nears: Romance scams cost victims $1.3B last year • The Register

• What CISOs Can Do About Brand Impersonation Scam Sites (darkreading.com)

• Father killed himself after falling victim to romance scam | News | The Times

• 'Brushing' scams send people free items, but could be a warning sign about a data breach - ABC News

• Fraudulent "CryptoRom" Apps Slip Through Apple and Google App Store Review Process - SecurityWeek

• From ‘hi mum’ to crypto fraud: five of the latest scams to watch out for | Cyber crime | The Guardian

• Criminals use Telegram to recruit 'walkers' as America's big banks see an 84% increase in check fraud (cnbc.com)

• 5 Financial Scams To Watch Out For In 2023 (cnbc.com)

• How Cyber criminals Are Operationalising Money Laundering and What to Do About It (darkreading.com)

• Banks leave doors open for scammers with flaws in online security | This is Money

• Trio Arrested in COVID PPE Fraud Probe - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Twitter restricted in Turkey after the earthquake amid disinformation fear-security affairs

Impersonation Attacks

• What CISOs Can Do About Brand Impersonation Scam Sites (darkreading.com)

• HTML smuggling campaigns impersonate well-known brands to deliver malware | CSO Online

AML/CFT/Sanctions

• How Cyber criminals Are Operationalising Money Laundering and What to Do About It (darkreading.com)

• UK/US cyber crime crackdown sees 7 ransomware criminals sanctioned | CSO Online

• US, UK Slap Sanctions on Trickbot Cyber crime Gang - SecurityWeek

Insurance

• Tackling the New Cyber Insurance Requirements: Can Your Organisation Comply? (thehackernews.com)

• Cyber Insurance, A Must-Have for Small Businesses - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• How to Optimise Your Cyber Insurance Coverage (darkreading.com)

Dark Web

• BlackSprut: Darknet Drug Market Advertises On Billboards In Moscow (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Dark Web Market Revenues Sink 50% in 2022 - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• Have we learnt nothing from SolarWinds supply chain attacks? • The Register

• Vulnerability Provided Access to Toyota Supplier Management Network - SecurityWeek

Software Supply Chain

• Security pros say third parties are increasingly the cause of cyber security incidents | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

Cloud/SaaS

• How the Cloud Is Shifting CISO Priorities (darkreading.com)

• Cloud Apps Still Demand Way More Privileges Than They Use (darkreading.com)

• Amazon S3 to apply security best practices for all new buckets - Help Net Security

• Why Some Cloud Services Vulnerabilities Are So Hard to Fix (darkreading.com)

• Malicious Google ads sneak AWS phishing sites into search results (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 7 Critical Cloud Threats Facing the Enterprise in 2023 (darkreading.com)

Hybrid/Remote Working

• Working from home is fuelling fraud epidemic, warn managers (telegraph.co.uk)

• Predictions For Securing Today's Hybrid Workforce (darkreading.com)

Identity and Access Management

• 4 identity predictions for 2023 | TechTarget

Encryption

• It Isn't Time to Worry About Quantum Computing Just Yet (darkreading.com)

• UK Proposes Making the Sale and Possession of Encrypted Phones Illegal (vice.com)

API

• 10 API Security Best Practices To Protect Your Organisation (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• Patching & Passwords Lead the Problem Pack for Cyber-Teams (darkreading.com)

Biometrics

• Novel face swaps emerge as a major threat to biometric security - Help Net Security

Social Media

• Twitter Implements API Paywall, but Will That Solve Its Enormous Bot Crisis? (darkreading.com)

• Twitter restricted in Turkey after the earthquake amid disinformation fear-security affairs

Malvertising

• FormBook Malware Spreads via Malvertising Using MalVirt Loader to Evade Detection (thehackernews.com)

• Malicious Google ads sneak AWS phishing sites into search results (bleepingcomputer.com)

Training, Education and Awareness

• Cyber Hygiene: How to get buy-in from employees (trendmicro.com)

• Infosec Launches New Office Comedy Themed Security Awareness Training Series (darkreading.com)

Parental Controls and Child Safety

• It’s never too early to chat to your kids about online safety | Sarah Ayoub | The Guardian

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• Corporate ‘privacy’ concerns must not derail Europe’s Data Act | Financial Times (ft.com)

• While governments pass privacy laws, companies struggle to change - Help Net Security

• Prioritising Cyber security Regulation Harmonisation (darkreading.com)

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Quarter of CFOs Have Suffered $1m+ Breaches - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• A Hackers Pot of Gold: Your MSP's Data (thehackernews.com)

• The dangers of unsupported applications - Help Net Security

• Swiss authorities open criminal probe into bank data breaches | Financial Times (ft.com)

• Trends that impact on organisations' 2023 security priorities - Help Net Security

• With TikTok Bans, the Time for Operational Governance Is Now (darkreading.com)

• Optimising Cyber security Investments in a Constrained Spending Environment (darkreading.com)

• Surge of swatting attacks targets corporate executives and board members | CSO Online

• Lessons From the Cold War: How Quality Trumps Quantity in Cyber security (darkreading.com)

• Cyber Hygiene: How to get buy-in from employees (trendmicro.com)

Models, Frameworks and Standards

• NIST Picks IoT Standard for Small Electronics Cyber security (darkreading.com)

Data Protection

• Corporate ‘privacy’ concerns must not derail Europe’s Data Act | Financial Times (ft.com)

• While governments pass privacy laws, companies struggle to change - Help Net Security

• Regulator Halts AI Chatbot Over GDPR Concerns - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• Hong Kong police and Interpol uncover servers and apps used by global phishing syndicate | South China Morning Post (scmp.com)

• European Police Arrest 42 After Cracking Covert App - SecurityWeek

• Eurocops shut down Exclu encrypted messaging app • The Register

• Vastaamo hacking suspect arrested in France | TechTarget

• Finnish psychotherapy extortion suspect arrested in France – Naked Security (sophos.com)

Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring

• Xiaomi, OnePlus, Top Android Phones in China Spy on You: Study (gizmodo.com)

• Steps To Planning And Implementation Of Data Privacy (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• ChatGPT is a data privacy nightmare, and we ought to be concerned | Ars Technica

Artificial Intelligence

• Adversaries Using OpenAI’s ChatGPT Chatbot for Cyber  Attacks? Here are Some Clues - MSSP Alert

• Phishing Surges Ahead, as ChatGPT & AI Loom (darkreading.com)

• IT Leaders Reveal Cyber Fears Around ChatGPT - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• How Can ChatGPT Make It Easier to Boost Phishing Scams? (analyticsinsight.net)

• ChatGPT's potential to aid attackers puts IT pros on high alert - Help Net Security

• Hackers are selling a service that bypasses ChatGPT restrictions on malware | Ars Technica

• ChatGPT is a data privacy nightmare, and we ought to be concerned | Ars Technica

• Jailbreak Trick Breaks ChatGPT Content Safeguards (darkreading.com)

• Generative AI: A benefit and a hazard - Help Net Security

• Regulator Halts AI Chatbot Over GDPR Concerns - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Google's Bard AI bot mistake wipes $100bn off shares - BBC News

• $120bn wiped off Google after Bard AI chatbot gives wrong answer (telegraph.co.uk)

• Why ChatGPT Isn't a Death Sentence for Cyber Defenders (darkreading.com)

---

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

• Pro-Russian hacktivist group Killnet could just be getting started (axios.com)

• Yes, CISOs should be concerned about the types of data spy balloons can intercept | CSO Online

• Android mobile devices from top vendors in China have pre-installed malware-security affairs

• China sharply rebukes US over decision to shoot down spy balloon | Financial Times (ft.com)

• Here's a list of proxy IPs to help block KillNet's DDoS bots • The Register

• What is hybrid warfare? Inside the centre dealing with modern threats - BBC News

• Anonymous leaked 128GB of data stolen from Russian ISP Convex revealing FSB's warrantless surveillance-security affairs

• DPRK Using Unpatched Zimbra Devices to Spy on Researchers (darkreading.com)

• Russian hackers using new Graphiron information stealer in Ukraine (bleepingcomputer.com)

• New Info-Stealer Discovered as Russia Prepares for New Offensive - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• The impact of Russia's Ukraine invasion on digital threats - Help Net Security

• Russian Hackers Steal Data In Ukraine With New Graphiron Malware (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Spies, Hackers, Informants: How China Snoops on the US - SecurityWeek

• US teases new China tech sanctions to deflate balloon-makers • The Register

Nation State Actors

• Pro-Russian hacktivist group Killnet could just be getting started (axios.com)

• With TikTok Bans, the Time for Operational Governance Is Now (darkreading.com)

• Yes, CISOs should be concerned about the types of data spy balloons can intercept | CSO Online

• Android mobile devices from top vendors in China have pre-installed malware-security affairs

• China sharply rebukes US over decision to shoot down spy balloon | Financial Times (ft.com)

• Microsoft: Iran Unit Behind Charlie Hebdo Hack-and-Leak Op - SecurityWeek

• US Downs Chinese Balloon Off Carolina Coast - SecurityWeek

• How did the US successfully shoot down China's 'spy balloon' with a single missile - and what was on it? | US News | Sky News

• Here's a list of proxy IPs to help block KillNet's DDoS bots • The Register

• Android phones from Chinese vendors share private data • The Register

• US sources insist Chinese balloon was military - BBC News

• DPRK Using Unpatched Zimbra Devices to Spy on Researchers (darkreading.com)

• SNP MP Stewart McDonald's emails hacked by Russian group - BBC News

• Australia to remove Chinese surveillance cameras amid security fears - BBC News

• Russian hackers using new Graphiron information stealer in Ukraine (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Xiaomi, OnePlus, Top Android Phones in China Spy on You: Study (gizmodo.com)

• UN Experts: North Korean Hackers Stole Record Virtual Assets - SecurityWeek

• Mysterious Russian satellites are now breaking apart in low-Earth orbit | Ars Technica

• New Info-Stealer Discovered as Russia Prepares for New Offensive - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Downed balloon one of a ‘fleet’ of Chinese surveillance devices, US alleges | Surveillance | The Guardian

• #StopRansomware - Ransomware Attacks on Critical Infrastructure Fund DPRK Espionage Activities | CISA

• The impact of Russia's Ukraine invasion on digital threats - Help Net Security

• Russian Hackers Steal Data In Ukraine With New Graphiron Malware (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Experts published a list of proxy IPs used by the group Killnet-security affairs

• NewsPenguin Threat Actor Emerges with Malicious Campaign Targeting Pakistani Entities (thehackernews.com)

• NewsPenguin Goes Phishing for Maritime & Military Secrets (darkreading.com)

• US teases new China tech sanctions to deflate balloon-makers • The Register

• North Korea ransomware targets hospitals to fund digital spycraft, US agencies warn | Cyber scoop

---

Vulnerability Management

• Vulnerabilities and exposures to rise to 1,900 a month in 2023: Coalition | CSO Online

• The dangers of unsupported applications - Help Net Security

• Patching & Passwords Lead the Problem Pack for Cyber-Teams (darkreading.com)

• Hypervisor patching struggles exacerbate ESXiArgs attacks | TechTarget

• How to fix the top 5 cyber security vulnerabilities | TechTarget

• 20 Powerful Vulnerability Scanning Tools In 2023 (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

Vulnerabilities

• High-Severity Privilege Escalation Vulnerability Patched in VMware Workstation - SecurityWeek

• New Wave of Ransomware Attacks Exploiting VMware Bug to Target ESXi Servers (thehackernews.com)

• GoAnywhere MFT Users Warned of Zero-Day Exploit - SecurityWeek

• Serious security hole plugged in infosec tool binwalk | The Daily Swig (portswigger.net)

• Cisco fixed command injection bug in IOx Application Hosting Environment-security affairs

• Vulnerability In F5 BIG-IP May Cause DoS And Code Execution (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• GoAnywhere MFT zero-day flaw actively exploited-security affairs

• Exploitation attempts for Oracle E-Business Suite flaw observed after PoC release-security affairs

• Critical vulnerability patched in Jira Service Management Server and Data Center | CSO Online

• Warning: Hackers Actively Exploiting Zero-Day in Fortra's GoAnywhere MFT (thehackernews.com)

• Exploit released for actively exploited GoAnywhere MFT zero-day (bleepingcomputer.com)

• OpenSSL Ships Patch for High-Severity Flaws - SecurityWeek

• Patch Released for Actively Exploited GoAnywhere MFT Zero-Day - SecurityWeek

• Unpatched Security Flaws Disclosed in Multiple Document Management Systems (thehackernews.com)

• SonicWall warns web content filtering is broken on Windows 11 22H2 (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Chrome 110 Patches 15 Vulnerabilities - SecurityWeek

• OpenSSL Fixes Multiple New Security Flaws with Latest Update (thehackernews.com)

• Android's February 2023 Updates Patch 40 Vulnerabilities - SecurityWeek

---

Tools and Controls

• Growing number of endpoint security tools overwhelm users, leaving devices unprotected | CSO Online

• Poor Endpoint Device Management Trigger Cyber  Attacks, New Report Finds - MSSP Alert

• Implementing Digital Rights Management Systems to Safeguard Against Unauthorised Access Of Protected Content (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Endpoint security getting easier, but most organisations lack tool consolidation - Help Net Security

---

Other News

• A Hackers Pot of Gold: Your MSP's Data (thehackernews.com)

• Yes, CISOs should be concerned about the types of data spy balloons can intercept | CSO Online

• How to Think Like a Hacker and Stay Ahead of Threats (thehackernews.com)

• Surge of swatting a attacks targets corporate executives and board members | CSO Online

• Bermuda: Major Internet And Power Outage Strikes (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

---

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 Threat Briefing 27 January 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

• Supply Chain Attacks Caused More Data Compromises Than Malware

According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, data compromises steadily increased in the second half of 2022 and cyber attacks remained the primary source of data breaches.

The number of data breaches resulting from supply chain attacks exceeded malware related compromises in 2022 by 40%. According to the report, more than 10 million people were impacted by supply chain attacks targeting 1,743 entities. By comparison, 70 malware-based cyber attacks affected 4.3 million people.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/01/26/data-compromises-2022/

• What Makes Small and Medium-Sized Businesses Vulnerable to BEC Attacks

According to the United States’ FBI’s 2021 Internet Crime Report, business email compromise (BEC) accounted for almost a third of the country’s $6.9 billion in cyber losses that year – around $2.4 billion. In surprisingly sharp contrast, ransomware attacks accounted for only $50 million of those losses.

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are especially vulnerable to this form of attack and BEC’s contribution to annual cyber losses not only makes sense but is also likely underreported.

In stark contrast to highly disruptive ransomware attacks, BEC is subversive and is neither technically complicated nor expensive to deploy. In the case of large organisations, the financial fallout of BEC is almost negligible. That’s not the case for small and medium-sized businesses, which often lack the means to absorb similar financial losses.

BEC’s simplicity gives more credence for attackers to target smaller organisations, and because of that, it’s doubly essential for SMBs to be vigilant.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/01/25/what-makes-small-medium-sized-businesses-vulnerable-bec-attacks-video/

• Understanding Your Attack Surface Makes It Easier to Prioritise Technologies and Systems

It has been observed that attackers will attempt to start exploiting vulnerabilities within the first fifteen minutes of their disclosure. As the time to patch gets shorter, organisations need to be more pragmatic when it comes to remediating vulnerabilities, particularly when it comes to prioritisation.

Attack surfaces constantly evolve and change as new applications are developed, old systems are decommissioned, and new assets are registered. Also, more and more organisations are moving towards cloud-hosted infrastructure, which changes the risk and responsibility for securing those assets. Therefore, it is essential to carry out continuous or regular assessments to understand what systems are at risk, instead of just taking a point-in-time snapshot of how the attack surface looks at that moment.

The first step would be to map “traditional” asset types – those easily associated with an organisation and easy to monitor, such as domains and IP addresses. Ownership of these assets can be easily identified through available information (e.g., WHOIS data). The less traditional asset types (such as GitHub repositories) aren’t directly owned by the organisation but can also provide high-value targets or information for attackers.

It’s also important to understand which technologies are in use to make sound judgements based on the vulnerabilities relevant to the organisation. For example, out of one hundred vulnerabilities released within one month only 20% might affect the organisation’s technologies.

Once organisations have a good understanding of which assets might be at risk, context and prioritisation can be applied to the vulnerabilities affecting those assets. Threat intelligence can be utilised to determine which vulnerabilities are already being exploited in the wild.

What is then the correct answer for this conundrum? The answer is that there is no answer! Instead, organisations should consider a mindset shift and look towards preventing issues whilst adopting a defence-in-depth approach; focus on minimising impact and risk by prioritising assets that matter the most and reducing time spent on addressing those that don’t. This can be achieved by understanding your organisation’s attack surface and prioritising issues based on context and relevance.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/01/24/understanding-your-attack-surface/

• Cyber Security Pros Sound Alarm Over Insider Threats

Gurucul, a security information and event management (SIEM) solution provider, and Cyber security Insiders, a 600,000-plus member online community for information security professionals, found in their annual 2023 Insider Threat Report that only 3% of respondents surveyed are not concerned with insider risk.

Among all potential insiders, cyber security professionals are most concerned about IT users and admins with far-reaching access privileges (60%). This is followed by third-party contractors (such as MSPs and MSSPs) and service providers (57%), regular employees (55%), and privileged business users (53%).

The research also found that more than half of organisations in the study had been victimised by an insider threat in the past year. According to the data, 75% of the respondents believe they are moderately to extremely vulnerable to insider threats, an 8% spike from last year. That coincided with a similar percentage who said attacks have become more frequent, with 60% experiencing at least one attack and 25% getting hit by more than six attacks.

https://www.msspalert.com/cybersecurity-research/research-report-cybersecurity-pros-sound-alarm-over-insider-threats/

• Ransomware Attack Hit KFC and Pizza Hut Stores in the UK

Nearly 300 fast food restaurants, including branches of KFC and Pizza Hut, were forced to close following a ransomware attack against parent company Yum! Brands. In a statement dated 18 January 2023, Yum! confirmed that unnamed ransomware had impacted some of its IT infrastructure, and that data had been exfiltrated by hackers from its servers. However, although an investigation into the security breach continues, the company said that it had seen no evidence that customer details had been exposed.

What has not yet been made public, and may not even be known to those investigating the breach, is how long hackers might have had access to the company's IT infrastructure, and how they might have been able to gain access to what should have been a secure system. Yum! has also not shared whether it has received a ransom demand from its attackers, and if it did how much ransom was demanded, and whether it would be prepared to negotiate with its extortionists.

https://www.bitdefender.com/blog/hotforsecurity/ransomware-attack-hit-kfc-and-pizza-hut-stores-in-the-uk/

• Forthcoming SEC Rules Will Trigger ‘Tectonic Shift’ in How Corporate Boards Treat Cyber Security

Under rules first proposed in 2022 but expected to be finalised as soon as April 2023, publicly traded companies in the US that determine a cyber incident has become “material”, meaning it could have a significant impact on the business, must disclose details to the SEC and investors within four business days. That requirement would also apply “when a series of previously undisclosed, individually immaterial cyber security incidents has become material in the aggregate.

The SEC’s rules will also require the boards of those companies to disclose significant information on their security governance, such as how and when it exercises oversight on cyber risks. That info includes identifying who on the board (or which subcommittee) is responsible for cyber security and their relevant expertise. Required disclosures will also include how often and by which processes board members are informed and discuss cyber risk. The former cyber adviser to the SEC commented that “The problem we have with the current cyber security ecosystem is that it’s very focused on technical mitigation measures and does not contemplate these business, operational, [or] financial factors.”

Whilst this only impacts US firms, we can expect other jurisdictions to follow suit.

https://www.itbrew.com/stories/2023/01/20/forthcoming-sec-rules-will-trigger-tectonic-shift-in-how-corporate-boards-treat-cybersecurity

• Why CISOs Make Great Board Members

Cyber security-related risk is a top concern, so boards need to know they have the proper oversight in place. The past three years created a perfect storm situation with lasting consequences for how we think about cyber security, and as a result cyber security technologies and teams have shifted from being viewed as a cost centre to a business enabler.

Gartner predicts that by 2025, 40% of companies will have a dedicated cyber security committee. Who is better suited than a CISO to lead that conversation? Cyber security-related risk is a top concern, so boards need to know they have the proper oversight in place. CISOs can provide advice on moving forward with digital change initiatives and help companies prepare for the future. They can explain the organisation’s risk posture, including exposure related to geopolitical conflict as well as to new business initiatives and emerging threats, and what can be done to mitigate risk.

Lastly, the role of the CISO has evolved from being a risk metrics presenter to a translator of risk to the business. Therefore, the expertise CISOs have developed in recent years in how to explain risk to the board makes them valuable contributors to these conversations. They can elevate the discussion to ensure deep understanding of the trade-offs between growth and risk, enable more informed decision-making, and serve as guardrails for total business alignment.

https://www.securityweek.com/why-cisos-make-great-board-members/

• View From Davos: The Changing Economics of Cyber Crime

Cyber crime is a risk created by humans, driven by the economic conditions of high profit and easy opportunity. Ransomware is the most recent monetisation of these motives and opportunities, and it has evolved from simple malware to advanced exploits and double or triple extortion models.

The motive for cyber crime is clear: to steal money, but the digital nature of cyber crime makes the opportunity uniquely attractive, due to the following:

·       Cryptocurrency makes online extortion, trading illicit goods and services, and laundering fraudulent funds highly anonymous and usually beyond the reach of financial regulators or inspection

·       There isn't enough fear of getting caught for cyber crime.

·       With the explosion in spending on digital transformation, data is the new gold and it is incredibly easy to steal, due to lapses in basic hygiene like encrypting data-at-rest and in-transit or limiting access to only authorised users.

·       Paying extortion through extensive cyber insurance policies only feeds the ransomware epidemic by incentivising further crime, as noted by the FBI.

Fighting cyber crime is a team sport, and to succeed, we must adopt this framework of cyber resilience that integrates the technical, policy, behavioural, and economic elements necessary to manage the reality of ever-growing cyber crime as a predictable and manageable cyber risk.

https://www.darkreading.com/edge-articles/view-from-davos-the-changing-economics-of-cybercrime

• Cloud Based Networks Under Increasing Attack, Report Finds

As enterprises around the world continue to move to the cloud, cyber criminals are following right behind them. There was a 48 percent year-over-year jump in 2022 in cyber attacks on cloud-based networks, and it comes at a time when 98 percent of global organisations use cloud services, according to Check Point. The increases in cyber attacks were experienced in various regions, including Asia (with a 60 percent jump), Europe (50 percent), and North America (28 percent) according to a report by Checkpoint last week.

Check Point explained that "The rise in attacks on the cloud was driven both by an overall increase in cyber attacks globally (38 percent overall in 2022, compared to 48 percent in the cloud) and also by the fact that it holds much more data and incorporates infrastructure and services from large amounts of potential victims, so when exploited the attacks could have a larger impact,". Later, Checkpoint highlighted that human error is a significant factor in the vulnerability of cloud-based networks.

The report highlighted the need for defence capabilities in the cloud to improve. According to Check Point, this means adopting zero-trust cloud network security controls, incorporating security and compliance earlier in the development lifecycle, avoiding misconfigurations, and using tools such as an intrusion detection and prevention systems and next-generation web application firewalls. As  commented by Check Point “it is still up to the network and security admins to make sure all their infrastructure is not vulnerable.

https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/20/cloud_networks_under_attack/

• GoTo Admits: Customer Cloud Backups Stolen Together with Decryption Key

On 2022-11-30, GoTo informed customers that it had suffered “a security incident”, summarising the situation as follows:

“Based on the investigation to date, we have detected unusual activity within our development environment and third-party cloud storage service. The third-party cloud storage service is currently shared by both GoTo and its affiliate, LastPass.”

Two months later, GoTo has come back with an update, and the news isn’t great:

“[A] threat actor exfiltrated encrypted backups from a third-party cloud storage service related to the following products: Central, Pro, join.me, Hamachi, and RemotelyAnywhere. We also have evidence that a threat actor exfiltrated an encryption key for a portion of the encrypted backups. The affected information, which varies by product, may include account usernames, salted and hashed passwords, a portion of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) settings, as well as some product settings and licensing information.”

The company also noted that although MFA settings for some Rescue and GoToMyPC customers were stolen, their encrypted databases were not.

https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2023/01/25/goto-admits-customer-cloud-backups-stolen-together-with-decryption-key/

• State-Linked Hackers in Russia and Iran are Targeting UK Groups, NCSC Warns

Russian and Iranian state-linked hackers are increasingly targeting British politicians, journalists and researchers with sophisticated campaigns aimed at gaining access to a person’s email, Britain’s online security agency warned on Thursday. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) issued an alert about two groups from Russia and Iran, warning those in government, defence, thinktanks and the media against clicking on malicious links from people posing as conference hosts, journalists or even colleagues.

Both groups have been active for some years, but it is understood they have recently stepped up their activities in the UK as the war in Ukraine continues, as well as operating in the US and other NATO countries.

The hackers typically seek to gain confidence of a target by impersonating somebody likely to make contact with them, such as by falsely impersonating a journalist, and ultimately luring them to click on a malicious link, sometimes over the course of several emails and other online interactions.

NCSC encourages people to use strong email passwords. One technique is to use three random words, and not replicate it as a login credential on other websites. It recommends people use two-factor authentication, using a mobile phone as part of the log on process, ideally by using a special authenticator app.

The cyber agency also advises people exercise particular caution when receiving plausible sounding messages from strangers who rely on Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook or other webmail accounts, sometimes impersonating “known contacts” of the target culled from social media.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jan/26/state-linked-hackers-in-russia-and-iran-are-targeting-uk-groups-ncsc-warns

• 3.7 Million Customers’ Data of Hilton Hotels Put Up For Sale

A member of a hacker forum going by the name IntelBroker, has offered a database allegedly containing the personal information of 3.7 million people participating in the Hilton Hotels Honors program. According to the actor, the data in question includes personally identifying information such as name, address and Honors IDs. According to the Hilton Hotel, no guest login credentials, contacts, or financial information have been leaked.

https://informationsecuritybuzz.com/3-7-millions-customers-data-hilton-hotel-up-for-sale/

---

Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

• Rebranded Ransomware Crews Spike Number of Hijacking Incidents in Q4 2022 - MSSP Alert

• The Unrelenting Menace of the LockBit Ransomware Gang | WIRED

• Ransomware access brokers use Google ads to breach your network (bleepingcomputer.com)

• FBI hacked into Hive ransomware gang, disrupted operations | TechTarget

• "Workarounds" Helped Royal Mail Resume Shipping After Ransomware Attack - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Ransomware victims are refusing to pay, tanking attackers’ profits | Ars Technica

• Vice Society Ransomware Group Targets Manufacturing Companies (trendmicro.com)

• New Mimic ransomware abuses ‘Everything’ Windows search tool (bleepingcomputer.com)

• BlackCat Ransomware gang stole secret military data from industrial explosives manufacturer - Security Affairs

• Contractor error led to Baltimore schools ransomware attack | TechTarget

• LAUSD says Vice Society ransomware gang stole contractors’ SSNs (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Riot Games receives ransom demand from hackers, refuses to pay (bleepingcomputer.com)

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• State-linked hackers in Russia and Iran are targeting UK groups, NCSC warns | Hacking | The Guardian

• ChatGPT is a bigger threat to cyber security than most realize - Help Net Security

• Phishers Use Blank Images to Disguise Malicious Attachments - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Hackers often use this clever trick to take you to phishing sites — can you spot it? | Tom's Guide (tomsguide.com)

• Yahoo Most Faked Brand Name in Phishing Attempts by Threat Actors in Q4 2022 - MSSP Alert

• Yahoo Overtakes DHL As Most Impersonated Brand in Q4 2022 - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• ChatGPT could boost phishing scams | TechTarget

• SEABORGIUM and TA453 continue their respective... - NCSC.GOV.UK

• Bitwarden password vaults targeted in Google ads phishing attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• New 'Blank Image' attack hides phishing scripts in SVG files (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Hackers now use Microsoft OneNote attachments to spread malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

BEC – Business Email Compromise

• What makes small and medium-sized businesses vulnerable to BEC attacks - Help Net Security

Other Social Engineering; Smishing, Vishing, etc

• Social Engineering Tactics are Changing. Awareness Training Must Change Too.| CSA (cloudsecurityalliance.org)

Malware                                                                                   

• BlackBerry: Threat Actors Launch A Unique Malware Sample Every Minute - MSSP Alert

• Linux malware hit a new high in 2022 | TechRadar

• Phishers Use Blank Images to Disguise Malicious Attachments - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Consumers Face Greater Risks from Malware but Many are Unprepared and Vulnerable - MSSP Alert

• New 'Blank Image' attack hides phishing scripts in SVG files (bleepingcomputer.com)

• ChatGPT Could Create Polymorphic Malware Wave, Researchers Warn (darkreading.com)

• Hackers now use Microsoft OneNote attachments to spread malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• ChatGPT Can Write Polymorphic Malware to Infect Your Computer (gizmodo.com)

• Microsoft plans to kill malware delivery via Excel XLL add-ins (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Hackers use Golang source code interpreter to evade detection (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Hackers Deploy Open-Source Tool Sliver C2, Replacing Cobalt Strike, Metasploit - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Emotet Malware Makes a Comeback with New Evasion Techniques (thehackernews.com)

• 'DragonSpark' Malware: East Asian Cyber Attackers Create an OSS Frankenstein (darkreading.com)

• Malware exploited critical Realtek SDK bug in millions of attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• ‘DragonSpark’ threat actor leverages open-source RAT, other Chinese-language tools | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

Mobile

• Massive Ad Fraud Scheme Targeted Over 11 Million Devices with 1,700 Spoofed Apps (thehackernews.com)

• New 'Hook' Android malware lets hackers remotely control your phone (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Pair of Galaxy App Store Bugs Offer Cyber Attackers Mobile Device Access (darkreading.com)

• Google to phase out legacy apps with Android 14 to improve security - GSMArena.com news

Botnets

• How Does a Botnet Attack Work? - Cyber Defense Magazine

Denial of Service/DoS/DDOS

• Why a hybrid approach can help mitigate DDoS attacks | SC Media

• Russia’s largest ISP says 2022 broke all DDoS attack records (bleepingcomputer.com)

Internet of Things – IoT

• Nice smart device – how long does it get software updates? • The Register

• Why British homes are at risk from ‘Trojan Horse’ smart devices (telegraph.co.uk)

• Why most IoT cyber security strategies give zero hope for zero trust - Help Net Security

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Companies impacted by Mailchimp breach warn their customers - Security Affairs

• LastPass owner GoTo says hackers stole customers’ backups | TechCrunch

• GoTo admits: Customer cloud backups stolen together with decryption key – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• GoTo warns customers of crypto key and backup heist • The Register

• 3.7 Million Customers Data Of Hilton Hotels Put Up For Sale (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• QUT confirms personal data of thousands of staff compromised in cyber attack - ABC News

• Riot Games hacked, now it faces problems to release content - Security Affairs

• ICE releases asylum seekers after exposing their data • The Register

• Hacker Gets Hands on No-Fly List of Alleged Terrorist Suspects (gizmodo.com)

• Risk & Repeat: Breaking down the LastPass breach | TechTarget

• After data breach put their lives at risk, US releases 3000 immigrants seeking asylum (bitdefender.com)

• TSA No-Fly List Snafu Highlights Risk of Keeping Sensitive Data in Dev Environments (darkreading.com)

• T-Mobile Cyber Attack Spurs Law Firm Investigation - MSSP Alert

• Risk & Repeat: Another T-Mobile data breach disclosed | TechTarget

• Entire US "No Fly List" Exposed Online Via Unsecured Server (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Near-Record Year for US Data Breaches in 2022 - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Zacks data breach impacted hundreds of thousands of customers - Security Affairs

• French rugby club Stade Français leaks source code - Security Affairs

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• View from Davos: The Changing Economics of Cyber crime (darkreading.com)

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• Inside the crypto ‘prisons’ scamming Britons out of their life savings (telegraph.co.uk)

• FBI Confirms Lazarus Group Was Behind $100m Harmony Hack - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Hackers Take Over Robinhood Twitter Account To Promote Scam - Decrypt

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• Research Report: Cyber Security Pros Sound Alarm Over Insider Threats - MSSP Alert

• Hunting Insider Threats on the Dark Web (darkreading.com)

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• Inside the crypto ‘prisons’ scamming Britons out of their life savings (telegraph.co.uk)

• P-to-P fraud most concerning cyber threat in 2023: CSI | CSO Online

• Lloyds Bank Warns of 80% Surge in Advance Fee Scams - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Dark Web Posts Advertising Counterfeit Cash Surge 90% - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Hackers Take Over Robinhood Twitter Account To Promote Scam - Decrypt

Insurance

• Regulator Stress Test Highlights Cyber Insurance Concerns - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• 4 tips to find cyber insurance coverage in 2023 | TechTarget

• Insurers in talks on adding state-backed cyber to UK reinsurance scheme | Financial Times (ft.com)

• Cyber Security Posture & Insurance Outlook with Advisen (trendmicro.com)

Dark Web

• Hunting Insider Threats on the Dark Web (darkreading.com)

• Dark Web Posts Advertising Counterfeit Cash Surge 90% - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Software Supply Chain

• Attacking The Supply Chain: Developer (trendmicro.com)

Cloud/SaaS

• Report: Cloud-based networks under growing attack • The Register

• Chinese 8220 Gang Aims For Public Clouds And Vulnerable Apps (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Microsoft Azure-Based Kerberos Attacks Crack Open Cloud Accounts (darkreading.com)

Attack Surface Management

• Understanding your attack surface makes it easier to prioritize technologies and systems - Help Net Security

Encryption

• Bitwarden responds to encryption design flaw criticism | The Daily Swig (portswigger.net)

API

• 9 API security tools on the frontlines of cyber security | CSO Online

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• Bitwarden password vaults targeted in Google ads phishing attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Popular password managers auto-filled credentials on untrusted websites | The Daily Swig (portswigger.net)

• Bitwarden responds to encryption design flaw criticism | The Daily Swig (portswigger.net)

• Password Dependency: How to Break the Cycle - SecurityWeek

Social Media

• The metaverse brings a new breed of threats to challenge privacy and security gatekeepers | CSO Online

Malvertising

• Massive Ad Fraud Scheme Targeted Over 11 Million Devices with 1,700 Spoofed Apps (thehackernews.com)

• Ad Fraud Scheme Tops 12 Billion Daily Bid Requests - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Google Ads invites being abused to push spam, adult sites (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Ransomware access brokers use Google ads to breach your network (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Over 4,500 WordPress Sites Hacked to Redirect Visitors to Sketchy Ad Pages (thehackernews.com)

Training, Education and Awareness

• Social Engineering Tactics are Changing. Awareness Training Must Too.| CSA (cloudsecurityalliance.org)

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• Ireland’s data protection watchdog fines WhatsApp €5.5m • The Register

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Forthcoming SEC rules will trigger ‘tectonic shift’ in how corporate boards treat cyber security (itbrew.com)

• Just Half of Firms Have Sufficient Cyber Security Budget - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• View from Davos: The Changing Economics of Cyber Crime (darkreading.com)

• Why CISOs Make Great Board Members - SecurityWeek

• Awareness Training Must Change | CSA (cloudsecurityalliance.org)

• Despite Slowing Economy, Demand for Cyber Security Workers Remains Strong (darkreading.com)

• Organisations Must Brace for Privacy Impacts This Year (darkreading.com)

• The Business Imperative of Cyber Information Sharing for Our Collective Defence | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)

Data Protection

• Ireland’s data protection watchdog fines WhatsApp €5.5m • The Register

• ICO Offers Data Protection Advice to SMBs - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

• Why CISOs Make Great Board Members - SecurityWeek

• Davos Debrief: Critical Shortage of Cyber Security Talent Requires Action on Several Fronts, CompTIA Executive Says (darkreading.com)

• Despite Slowing Economy, Demand for Cyber Security Workers Remains Strong (darkreading.com)

• 8 cyber security roles to consider | TechTarget

• How To Safeguard Your Business From Cyber Security Stress And Prevent IT Burnout (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Can't Fill Open Positions? Rewrite Your Minimum Requirements (darkreading.com)

• Veterans bring high-value, real-life experience as potential cyber security employees | CSO Online

• US is Short Nearly 530,000 Skilled Cyber Security Workers, IT Layoffs Not Slowing Demand - MSSP Alert

• Dozens of Cyber Security Companies Announced Layoffs in Past Year - SecurityWeek

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• FBI hacked into Hive ransomware gang, disrupted operations | TechTarget

• Dutchman Detained for Dealing Details of Tens of Millions of People (darkreading.com)

• Dutch suspect locked up for alleged personal data megathefts – Naked Security (sophos.com)

Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring

• Organisations Must Brace for Privacy Impacts This Year (darkreading.com)

• The metaverse brings a new breed of threats to challenge privacy and security gatekeepers | CSO Online

• Scientists use Wi-Fi routers to see humans through walls | ZDNET

• Most consumers would share anonymised personal data to improve AI products - Help Net Security

Artificial Intelligence

• ChatGPT is a bigger threat to cyber security than most realize - Help Net Security

• Learning to Lie: AI Tools Adept at Creating Disinformation - SecurityWeek

• Rogue AI ‘could kill everyone’ | News | The Times

• ChatGPT could boost phishing scams | TechTarget

• FBI Chief Says He's 'Deeply concerned' by China's AI Program | SecurityWeek.Com

• ChatGPT Can Write Polymorphic Malware to Infect Your Computer (gizmodo.com)

• Chat Cyber Security: AI Promises a Lot, but Can It Deliver? (darkreading.com)

Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda

• Learning to Lie: AI Tools Adept at Creating Disinformation - SecurityWeek

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

• State-linked hackers in Russia and Iran are targeting UK groups, NCSC warns | Hacking | The Guardian

• UK authorities warn of phishing from Iran, Russia • The Register

• Armis State of Cyberwarfare and Trends Report - IT Security Guru

• North Korean Hackers Turn to Credential Harvesting in Latest Wave of Cyber Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• SEABORGIUM and TA453 continue their respective... - NCSC.GOV.UK

• Gamaredon Group Launches Cyber Attacks Against Ukraine Using Telegram (thehackernews.com)

• Chinese 8220 Gang Aims For Public Clouds And Vulnerable Apps (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• FBI Chief Says He's 'Deeply concerned' by China's AI Program | SecurityWeek.Com

• “Pegasus” lifts the lid on a sophisticated piece of spyware | The Economist

• North Korean Group TA444 Shows 'Startup' Culture, Tries Numerous Infection Methods - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• North Korea-linked TA444 turns to credential harvesting activity - Security Affairs

---

Nation State Actors

Nation State Actors – Russia

• State-linked hackers in Russia and Iran are targeting UK groups, NCSC warns | Hacking | The Guardian

• UK authorities warn of phishing from Iran, Russia • The Register

• SEABORGIUM and TA453 continue their respective... - NCSC.GOV.UK

• Gamaredon Group Launches Cyber Attacks Against Ukraine Using Telegram (thehackernews.com)

• Russia’s largest ISP says 2022 broke all DDoS attack records (bleepingcomputer.com)

Nation State Actors – China

• Chinese 8220 Gang Aims For Public Clouds And Vulnerable Apps (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• FBI Chief Says He's 'Deeply concerned' by China's AI Program | SecurityWeek.Com

Nation State Actors – North Korea

• North Korean Hackers Turn to Credential Harvesting in Latest Wave of Cyber Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• FBI Confirms Lazarus Group Was Behind $100m Harmony Hack - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• North Korean Group TA444 Shows 'Startup' Culture, Tries Numerous Infection Methods - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• North Korea-linked TA444 turns to credential harvesting activity - Security Affairs

Nation State Actors – Iran

• State-linked hackers in Russia and Iran are targeting UK groups, NCSC warns | Hacking | The Guardian

• UK authorities warn of phishing from Iran, Russia • The Register

• SEABORGIUM and TA453 continue their respective... - NCSC.GOV.UK

---

Vulnerability Management

• Extent of reported CVEs overwhelms critical infrastructure asset owners - Help Net Security

• Security Navigator Research: Some Vulnerabilities Date Back to the Last Millennium (thehackernews.com)

• Log4j Vulnerabilities Are Here to Stay — Are You Prepared? (darkreading.com)

• Trained developers get rid of more vulnerabilities than code scanning tools - Help Net Security

• New Open Source OT Security Tool Helps Address Impact of Upcoming Microsoft Patch  - SecurityWeek

• Halo Security unveils KEV feature to improve attack surface visibility - Help Net Security

Vulnerabilities

• Crims can still exploit this NSA-discovered Microsoft bug • The Register

• 75k WordPress sites impacted by critical online course plugin flaws (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Security Navigator Research: Some Vulnerabilities Date Back to the Last Millennium (thehackernews.com)

• Log4j Vulnerabilities Are Here to Stay — Are You Prepared? (darkreading.com)

• Chrome 109 update addresses six security vulnerabilities - Security Affairs

• Microsoft urges admins to patch on-premises Exchange servers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Drupal Patches Vulnerabilities Leading to Information Disclosure | SecurityWeek.Com

• Critical Vulnerabilities Patched in OpenText Enterprise Content Management System | SecurityWeek.Com

• Around 19,500 end-of-life Cisco routers exposed to hack - Security Affairs

• In-the-Wild Exploitation of Recent ManageEngine Vulnerability Commences | SecurityWeek.Com

• Apple patches are out – old iPhones get an old zero-day fix at last! – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• Apple Patches WebKit Code Execution in iPhones, MacBooks - SecurityWeek

• VMware Releases Patches for Critical vRealize Log Insight Software Vulnerabilities (thehackernews.com)

• Crooks are already exploiting this bug in old iPhones • The Register

• Logfile nightmare deepens thanks to critical VMware flaws • The Register

• Malware exploited critical Realtek SDK bug in millions of attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Realtek SDK flaw CVE-2021-35394 actively exploited in the wild- Security Affairs

• Lexmark warns of RCE bug affecting 100 printer models, PoC released (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Crims can still exploit this NSA-discovered Microsoft bug • The Register

---

Tools and Controls

• Is Once-Yearly Pen Testing Enough for Your Organisation? (thehackernews.com)

• Just Half of Firms Have Sufficient Cyber Security Budget - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• LastPass owner GoTo says hackers stole customers’ backups | TechCrunch

• Bitwarden password vaults targeted in Google ads phishing attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Bitwarden responds to encryption design flaw criticism | The Daily Swig (portswigger.net)

• Understanding your attack surface makes it easier to prioritize technologies and systems - Help Net Security

• Companies Struggle With Zero Trust as Attackers Adapt to Get Around It (darkreading.com)

• Federal Agencies Infested by Cyber Attackers via Legit Remote Management Systems (darkreading.com)

• Why a hybrid approach can help mitigate DDoS attacks | SC Media

• CISA Warns Against Malicious Use of Legitimate RMM Software - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Gartner Predicts 10% of Large Enterprises Will Have a Mature and Measurable Zero-Trust Program in Place by 2026 (darkreading.com)

• Steps To Planning And Implementation Of Endpoint Protection (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

---

Other News

• Hackers can make computers destroy their own chips with electricity | New Scientist

• Scientists use Wi-Fi routers to see humans through walls | ZDNET

• Microsoft 365 outage takes down Teams, Exchange Online, Outlook (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Lessons Learned from the Windows Remote Desktop Honeypot Report (bleepingcomputer.com)

---

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 Threat Briefing 25 November 2022

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

Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week

• Hackers Hit One Third of Organisations Worldwide Multiple Times

Hackers have stolen customer records multiple times from nearly a third of organisations worldwide in the past 12 months, security provider Trend Micro said in its newly released, twice-yearly Cyber Risk Index (CRI) report.

The report features interviews with some 4,100 organisations across North America, Europe, Latin/South America and Asia-Pacific. Respondents stressed that customer records are at increased risk as organisations struggle to profile and defend an expanding attack surface.

Overall, respondents rated the following as the top cyber threats in 1H 2022:

• Business Email Compromise (BEC)

• Clickjacking

• Fileless attacks

• Ransomware

• Login attacks (Credential Theft)

Here are some key findings from the study:

• The CRI calculates the gap between organisational preparedness and the likelihood of being attacked, with -10 representing the highest level of risk. The global CRI index moved from –0.04 in 2H 2021 to –0.15 in 1H 2022, indicating a surging level of risk over the past six months.

• This is a slight increase in risk from the second half of 2021, when it was -0.04. Organisations in North America and Asia-Pacific saw an increase in their cyber risk from that period while Europe and Latin/South America’s risk decreased in comparison.

• The number of global organisations experiencing a “successful” cyber-attack increased from 84% to 90% over the same period.

• The number now expected to be compromised over the coming year has also increased from 76% to 85%.

From the business perspective, the biggest concern is the misalignment between CISOs and business executives, Trend Micro said. The answers given by respondents to the question: “My organisation’s IT security objectives are aligned with business objectives,” only made a score of 4.79 out of 10.0

By addressing the shortage of cyber security professionals and improving security processes and technology, organisations will significantly reduce their vulnerability to attacks.

You can’t protect what you can’t see. But with hybrid working ushering in a new era of complex, distributed IT environments, many organisations are finding it difficult to eradicate growing security coverage and visibility gaps. To avoid the attack surface spiraling out of control, they need to combine asset discovery and monitoring with threat detection and response on a single platform.

https://www.msspalert.com/cybersecurity-research/hackers-hit-one-third-of-organizations-worldwide-multiple-times/

• Firms Spend $1,197 Per Employee Yearly to Address Cyber Attacks

Companies pay an average of $1,197 per employee yearly to address successful cyber incidents against email services, cloud collaboration apps or services and browsers.

Security researchers at Perception Point shared the findings with Infosecurity before publishing them in a new white paper this month.

According to the new data, the above figures exclude compliance fines, ransomware mitigation costs and losses from non-operational processes, all of which can cause further spending.

The survey, conducted in conjunction with Osterman Research in June, considers the responses of 250 security and IT decision-makers at various enterprises and reveals additional discoveries regarding today’s enterprise threat landscape.

These findings demonstrate the urgent need for organisations to find the most accurate and efficient cyber security solutions which provide the necessary protection with streamlined processes and managed services.

Among the findings is that malicious incidents against new cloud-based apps and services occur at 60% of the frequency with which they take place on email-based services.

Additionally, some attacks, like those involving malware installed on an endpoint, happen on cloud collaboration apps at a much higher rate (87%) when compared to email-based services.

The Perception Point report also shows that a successful email-based cyber incident takes security staff an average of 86 hours to address.

In light of these figures, the security company added that one security professional with no additional support can only handle 23 email incidents annually, representing a direct cost of $6452 per incident alone.

Conversely, incidents detected on cloud collaboration apps or services take, on average, 71 hours to resolve. In these cases, one professional can handle just 28 incidents yearly at an average cost of $5305 per incident.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/firms-dollar1197-per-employee/

• 90% of Organisations have Microsoft 365 Security Gaps

A recently published study evaluated 1.6 million Microsoft 365 users across three continents, finding that 90% of organisations had gaps in essential security protections. Managing Microsoft 365 (M365) is complicated. How can IT teams avoid management headaches, stay 100% compliant, and truly take control of their M365 instance?

Research from the study reveals that many common security procedures are not being followed 100% of the time. This leaves gaping holes in most organisations’ security defences. While most companies have strong documented security policies, the research uncovered that most aren’t being implemented consistently due to difficulties in reporting and limited IT resources:

• 90% of companies had gaps across all four key areas studied – multi-factor authentication (MFA), email security, password policies, and failed logins

• 87% of companies have MFA disabled for some or all their admins (which are the most critical accounts to protect, due to their higher access levels)

• Only 17% of companies had strong password requirements that were being consistently followed.

Overall, nearly every organisation is leaving the door open for cyber security threats due to weak credentials, particularly for administrator accounts.

In addition to security challenges, the study identified key areas for improvement in managing Microsoft 365 licences as well, such as:

• The average company had 21.6% of their licenses unassigned or “sitting on the shelf.” Another 10.2% of licenses were inactive, for an average of 31.9% unused licenses.

• 17% of companies had over 10,000 licenses unassigned or inactive. These cases represent big opportunities to optimise licence spend with better tools.

Overall, the study reveals that reporting challenges make security and licence management incredibly difficult, leading to unnecessary risks and costs.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/11/22/microsoft-365-security-protections/

• Luna Moth Phishing Extortion Campaign Targets Businesses in Multiple Sectors

A callback phishing extortion campaign by Luna Moth (aka Silent Ransom Group) has targeted businesses in multiple sectors, including legal and retail.

The findings come from Palo Alto Network’s security team Unit 42, which described the campaign in a new advisory.

“This campaign leverages extortion without encryption, has cost victims hundreds of thousands of dollars and is expanding in scope,” reads the technical write-up. At the same time, Unit 42 said that this type of social engineering attack leaves very few artifacts because it relies on legitimate technology tools to carry out attacks. In fact, callback phishing, also known as telephone-oriented attack delivery (TOAD), is a social engineering method that requires a threat actor to interact with the victim to accomplish their goals.

“This attack style is more resource intensive but less complex than script-based attacks, and it tends to have a much higher success rate,” reads the advisory. According to Unit 42, threat actors associated with the Conti group have extensively used this attack style in BazarCall campaigns. “Early iterations of this attack focused on tricking the victim into downloading the BazarLoader malware using documents with malicious macros,” explained the researchers.

As for the new campaign, which Sygnia security researchers first unveiled in July, it removes the malware portion of the attack. “In this campaign, attackers use legitimate and trusted systems management tools to interact directly with a victim’s computer to manually exfiltrate data [...] As these tools are not malicious, they’re not likely to be flagged by traditional antivirus products,” Unit 42 wrote.

The researchers also said that they expect callback phishing attacks to increase in popularity because of low per-target cost, low risk of detection and fast monetisation factors.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/luna-moth-phishing-target-multiple/

• The Real Cost of Cyber Attacks: What Organisations Should Be Prepared For

With each passing year, hackers and cyber criminals of all kinds are becoming more sophisticated, malicious, and greedy conducting brazen and often destructive cyber-attacks that can severely disrupt a company’s business operations. And this is a big problem, because, first and foremost, customers rely on a company’s ability to deliver services or products in a timely manner. Cyber-attacks not only can affect customers’ data, but they can impact service delivery.

In one of the recent incidents, the UK’s discount retailer The Works has been forced to temporarily shut down some of its stores after a ransomware attack. While the tech team quickly shut down the company’s computers after being alerted to the security breach by the firewall system, the attack caused disruption to deliveries and store functionality including till operations.

A cyber security incident can greatly affect a business due to the consequences associated with cyber-attacks like potential lawsuits, hefty fines and damage payments, insurance rate hikes, criminal investigations and bad publicity. For example, shares of Okta, a major provider of authentication services, fell 9% after the company revealed it was a victim of a major supply chain incident via an attack on a third-party contractor’s laptop, which affected some of its customers.

Another glaring example is a 2021 cyber-attack launched by the Russian-speaking ransomware gang called DarkSide against the operator of one of the US’ largest fuel pipelines Colonial Pipeline, which crippled fuel delivery across the Southeastern United States impacting lives of millions due to supply shortages. Colonial paid the DarkSide hackers a $4.4 million ransom soon after the incident. The attackers also stole nearly 100GB of data from Colonial Pipeline and threatened to leak it if the ransom wasn’t paid. It’s also worth noting that the company is now facing a nearly $1 million penalty for failure “to plan and prepare for a manual restart and shutdown operation, which contributed to the national impacts after the cyber-attack.”

Data breaches and costs associated with them have been on the rise for the past few years, but, according to a 2021 report, the average cost per breach increased from $3.86 million in 2020 to $4.24 million in 2021. The report also identified four categories contributing most global data breach costs – Lost business cost (38%), Detection and escalation (29%), Post breach response (27%), and Notification (6%).

Ransomware attacks cost an average of $4.62 million (the cost of a ransom is not included), and destructive wiper-style attacks cost an average of $4.69 million, the report said.

For a business, a data breach is not just a loss of data, it can also have a long-lasting impact on operations and undermine customers’ trust in the company. In fact, a survey revealed that 87% of consumers are willing to take their business elsewhere if they don’t trust a company is handling their data responsibly. Therefore, the reputational damage might be detrimental to a business’ ability to attract new customers.

https://informationsecuritybuzz.com/the-real-cost-of-cyber-attacks-what-organizations-should-be-prepared-for-2/

• 34 Russian Cyber Crime Groups Stole Over 50 Million Passwords with Stealer Malware

As many as 34 Russian-speaking gangs, distributing information-stealing malware under the stealer-as-a-service model, stole no fewer than 50 million passwords in the first seven months of 2022.

"The underground market value of stolen logs and compromised card details is estimated around $5.8 million" Singapore-headquartered Group-IB said in a report shared with The Hacker News.

Aside from looting passwords, the stealers also harvested 2.11 billion cookie files, 113,204 crypto wallets, and 103,150 payment cards.

A majority of the victims were located in the US, followed by Brazil, India, Germany, Indonesia, the Philippines, France, Turkey, Vietnam, and Italy. In total, over 890,000 devices in 111 countries were infected during the time frame.

Group-IB said the members of several scam groups who are propagating the information stealers previously participated in the Classiscam operation. These groups, which are active on Telegram and have around 200 members on average, are hierarchical, consisting of administrators and workers (or traffers), the latter of whom are responsible for driving unsuspecting users to info-stealers like RedLine and Raccoon. This is achieved by setting up bait websites that impersonate well-known companies and luring victims into downloading malicious files. Links to such websites are, in turn, embedded into YouTube video reviews for popular games and lotteries on social media, or shared directly with non-fungible token (NFT) artists.

https://thehackernews.com/2022/11/34-russian-hacker-groups-stole-over-50.html

• “Password” Continues to Be the Most Common Password in 2022

You would think the time spent working from home in the last two years or so helped netizens across the planet figure out how to master the world of WWW in a more efficient manner.

But new research from NordPass shows that despite so many people relying on an Internet connection for their daily activities, few actually care about the security of their data when they go online.

As a result, “password” continues to be the number one password out there, with the aforementioned company claiming that this particular keyword was detected close to 5 million times in a 3TB database. It takes less than one second to crack this password, the company says.

“123456” is currently the second most-used password worldwide, followed by its longer sibling known as “123456789” because, you know, hackers don’t know how to count to 10.

“There’s more than one way to get swindled on Tinder: using “tinder” as your password is more risky than swiping right on a billionaire. In total, this password was used 36,384 times” NordPass says. “The glitziest film industry event of the year – the Oscars ceremony – inspired many to use not-so-glitzy passwords: the password “Oscars” was used 62,983 times.”

Of course, it’s no surprise that Internet users out there turn to movies to get inspiration for their passwords, so unfortunately, “batman” is currently one of the most used keywords supposed to secure Internet accounts.

“Films and shows like Batman, Euphoria, and Encanto were among the most popular releases in 2021/2022. All are also popular passwords: “batman” was used 2,562,776 times, “euphoria” 53,993, and “encanto” 10,808 times,” the company says.

The most common password in the United States is “guest,” while in the United Kingdom, quite a lot of people go for “liverpool” (despite hackers needing just 1 second to crack it).

https://news.softpedia.com/news/password-continues-to-be-the-most-common-password-in-2022-as-well-536503.shtml

• Lasts Year’s Massive Twitter Data Breach Was Far Worse Than Reported, Reveal Security Researchers

A massive Twitter data breach last year, exposing more than five million phone numbers and email addresses, was worse than initially reported. The same security vulnerability appears to have been exploited by multiple bad actors, and the hacked data has been offered for sale on the dark web by several sources.

It had previously been thought that only one hacker gained access to the data, and Twitter’s belated admission reinforced this impression. HackerOne first reported the vulnerability back in January, which allowed anyone to enter a phone number or email address, and then find the associated twitterID. This is an internal identifier used by Twitter, but can be readily converted to a Twitter handle. A bad actor would be able to put together a single database which combined Twitter handles, email addresses, and phone numbers.

At the time, Twitter admitted that the vulnerability had existed, and subsequently been patched, but said nothing about anyone exploiting it. Restore Privacy subsequently reported that a hacker had indeed used the vulnerability to obtain personal data from millions of accounts.

https://9to5mac.com/2022/11/25/massive-twitter-data-breach/

• European Parliament Declares Russia to be a State Sponsor of Terrorism – Then Gets Attacked

On Wednesday, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the latest developments in Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine. MEPs highlight that the deliberate attacks and atrocities committed by Russian forces and their proxies against civilians in Ukraine, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and other serious violations of international and humanitarian law amount to acts of terror and constitute war crimes. In light of this, they recognise Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism and as a state that “uses means of terrorism”.

As the EU currently cannot officially designate states as sponsors of terrorism, the European Parliament calls on the EU and its member states to put in place the proper legal framework and consider adding Russia to such a list. This would trigger a number of significant restrictive measures against Moscow and have profound restrictive implications for EU relations with Russia.

In the meantime, MEPs call on the Council to include the Russian paramilitary organisation ‘the Wagner Group’, the 141st Special Motorized Regiment, also known as the “Kadyrovites”, and other Russian-funded armed groups, militias and proxies, on the EU’s terrorist list.

Almost immediately after the vote the European Parliament suffered a sustained denial of service attack that shut down email services and disrupted internet access for more than an hour. A pro-Russian group called KILLNET then claimed responsibility in a Telegram post.

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20221118IPR55707/european-parliament-declares-russia-to-be-a-state-sponsor-of-terrorism

https://informationsecuritybuzz.com/comment-european-parliament-hit-by-cyberattack-after-vote-on-russia/

• The Changing Nature of Nation-State Cyber Warfare

Military conflict is ever shifting from beyond the battlefield and into cyber space. Ever more sophisticated and ruthless groups of nation-state actors and their proxies continue to target critical systems and infrastructure for political and ideological leverage. These criminals’ far-reaching objectives include intelligence gathering, financial gain, destabilising other nations, hindering communications, and the theft of intellectual property.

The risks to individuals and society are clear. Due to its importance to daily life and the economy, the UK’s critical national infrastructure (CNI) is a natural target for malicious nation-state cyber-attacks. We only need look at the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack in the US – at the hands of the Russia-affiliated DarkSide group – to appreciate the potential for one criminal act to escalate and cause large-scale societal impact: panic and disruption. Even though the pipeline was shut down for less than a week, the havoc caused by suspending fuel supplies gave CNI operators everywhere a worrying taste of things to come.

Closer to home, the recent cyber attack on South Staffordshire Water highlights the need for all utilities providers to take proactive measures and precautions to better secure essential human sustenance supplies. With the risk of coordinated attacks by criminals backed by nation states rising, the potential for human casualties if attacks against CNI go unchecked is becoming starkly clear.

The Russia-Ukraine war has heightened awareness of the cyber threats posed by all nation-state adversaries. Unsurprisingly, challenges and conflicts in the physical world tend to bleed through into the cyber domain. And with relations between Western nations and Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea more fraught than ever, UK organisations can expect to see further increases in cyber threats at the hands of hostile nation-state actors.

https://informationsecuritybuzz.com/the-changing-nature-of-nation-state-cyber-warfare/

• Is Your Company Covered for a Cyber Security Attack? That’s the £2 Million Question

Cyber crime continues to be a persistent and pressing issue for all sized businesses, particularly smaller organisations. In fact, according to the National Cyber Security Alliance, nearly 60% of small businesses that experience a cyber attack shut their doors within six months.

Despite the continuing rise in risk, many small businesses remain vulnerable to cyber attacks due to a lack of resources and – surprisingly – a lack of knowledge of the existing threats. Moreover, companies are now being exposed to cyber risks even further as they struggle to get appropriate cyber insurance, which, if needed, can be devastating should bad actors circumvent your company’s defences.

Cyber insurance is a policy that helps an organisation pay for any financial losses incurred following a data breach or cyber attack. It also helps cover any costs related to the remediation process, such as paying for the investigation, crisis communication, legal services, and customer refunds.

With the constant – and ever-increasing – threat of potential cyber attacks and the need to protect their assets, many companies are applying for cyber insurance, which generally covers a variety of different types of cyber-attacks, including data breaches; business email compromises; cyber extortion demands; malware infections and ransomware.

But, despite the benefits of cyber insurance, it remains surprisingly undervalued. The UK government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2022 found that only 43% of businesses have a cyber insurance policy in place.

Organisations must always seek cost-effective ways to address the cyber security risks they face – as no business is safe in the modern security landscape from a cyber threat. One of the most common ways to mitigate the risk of a cyber security incident is cyber insurance.  While all-sized businesses can benefit from having cyber insurance, small businesses frequently lack the knowledge and importance of securing it. This is usually because of the cost, the time involved in finding a provider, and a lack of understanding of the importance of a cyber insurance policy.

https://informationsecuritybuzz.com/is-your-company-covered-for-a-cybersecurity-attack-thats-the-2-million-question/

---

Threats

Ransomware and Extortion

• Yanluowang Ransomware's Russian Links Laid Bare - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Medibank hackers release 1,500 more patient records on dark web, including mental health data | Medibank | The Guardian

• Fake subscription invoices lead to corporate data theft and extortion - Help Net Security

• Ouch! Ransomware gang says it won’t attack AirAsia again due to the “chaotic organisation” and sloppy security of hacked airline’s network • Graham Cluley

• Ransomware gang targets Belgian municipality, hits police instead (bleepingcomputer.com)

• New ransomware encrypts files, then steals your Discord account (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Donut extortion group also targets victims with ransomware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Daixin Ransomware Gang Steals 5 Million AirAsia Passengers' and Employees' Data (thehackernews.com)

• Ransomware attacks: Making cyber ransom payments unlawful would help boards (afr.com)

• An aggressive Black Basta Ransomware campaign targets US-based companies - Security Affairs

• Luna Moth ransomware group invests in call centres to target individual victims - SiliconANGLE

• New ransomware attacks in Ukraine linked to Russian Sandworm hackers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cybereason warns of fast-moving Black Basta campaign (techtarget.com)

• Spate Of Ransomware Targeting Healthcare Cost $92 Billion In Downtime Since 2018, Experts Weigh In - Information Security Buzz

• RansomExx Upgrades to Rust (securityintelligence.com)

• Enterprise healthcare providers warned of Lorenz ransomware threat | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Montreal-area city hit by ransomware: Report | IT World Canada News

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• Google Blocks 231B Spam, Phishing Emails in Past 2 Weeks (darkreading.com)

• World Cup phishing emails spike in Middle Eastern countries • The Register

• Microsoft Email Security Bypasses Instagram Credential Phishing Attacks - IT Security Guru

• Researcher warns that Cisco Secure Email Gateways can easily be circumvented - Security Affairs

• SocGholish finds success through novel email techniques | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

BEC – Business Email Compromise

• Ten Charged in $11m Healthcare BEC Plots - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Malware

• Cyber criminals are increasingly using info-stealing malware to target victims | CSO Online

• A security firm hacked malware operators, locking them out of their own C&C servers | TechSpot

• Emotet is back and delivers payloads like IcedID and Bumblebee - Security Affairs

• All You Need to Know About Emotet in 2022 (thehackernews.com)

• New attacks use Windows security bypass zero-day to drop malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Multi-Purpose Botnet and Infostealer 'Aurora' Rising to Fame | SecurityWeek.Com

• DUCKTAIL malware campaign targeting Facebook business and ads accounts is back | CSO Online

• Aurora infostealer malware increasingly adopted by cybergangs (bleepingcomputer.com)

• This new malware is able to bypass all of Microsoft's security warnings | TechRadar

• Backdoored Chrome extension installed by 200,000 Roblox players (bleepingcomputer.com)

Mobile

• 'Patch Lag' Leaves Millions of Android Devices Vulnerable (darkreading.com)

• Millions of Android Devices Still Don't Have Patches for Mali GPU Flaws (thehackernews.com)

• Your iPhone may be collecting more personal data than you think | Digital Trends

• This Android File Manager App Infected Thousands of Devices with SharkBot Malware (thehackernews.com)

• Bahamut cybermercenary group targets Android users with fake VPN apps | WeLiveSecurity

• WhatsApp data leak: 500 million user records for sale | Cybernews

Internet of Things – IoT

• Vulnerable SDK components lead to supply chain risks in IoT and OT environments - Microsoft Security Blog

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Data from 5.4M Twitter users obtained from multiple threat actors and combined with data from other breaches - Security Affairs

• WhatsApp data leak: 500 million user records for sale - Security Affairs

• California County Says Personal Information Compromised in Data Breach | SecurityWeek.Com

• Personal data of AirAsia Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand passengers allegedly leaked due to ransomware - SoyaCincau

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• Russian cyber gangs stole over 50 million passwords this year (bleepingcomputer.com)

• How social media scammers buy time to steal your 2FA codes – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• DEV-0569 Group Switches Tactics, Abuses Google Ads to Deliver Payloads | Cyware Alerts - Hacker News

• Hackers are locking out Mars Stealer operators from their own servers | TechCrunch

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• Bank Of England Says Crypto Needs Regulation Now - Information Security Buzz

• Two Estonians arrested for running $575M crypto Ponzi scheme (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cyber crooks to ditch BTC as regulation and tracking improves: Kaspersky (cointelegraph.com)

• Google Chrome extension used to steal cryptocurrency, passwords (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Crypto exchanges’ bundling of services threatens stability, says Bank of England official | Financial Times (ft.com)

• Bahamas SEC Or Hacker? Stolen Funds From FTX Keep On Moving (bitcoinist.com)

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• 'iSpoof' service dismantled, main operator and 145 users arrested (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Operation Elaborate - UK police text 70,000 suspected victims of iSpoof bank fraudsters | Tripwire

• UK Cops Lead Action Against Fraud Site that Made £100m - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• DUCKTAIL malware campaign targeting Facebook business and ads accounts is back | CSO Online

• Beware - Black Friday online shopping scams are here now | TechRadar

• Online retailers should prepare for a holiday season spike in bot-operated attacks | CSO Online

• Pig butchering domains seized and slaughtered by the Feds • The Register

• Experts Warn Remote Workers of Black Friday Security Threats - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Insurance

• What cyber insurance really covers - Help Net Security

Software Supply Chain

• CISA, NSA, ODNI Publish Software Supply Chain Guidelines For Customers - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com) 

Denial of Service DoS/DDoS

• Out of the blue: Surviving an 18-hour, 39M-request DDoS attack - Help Net Security

Cloud/SaaS

• The impact of inadequate SaaS management - Help Net Security

Hybrid/Remote Working

• How remote working impacts security incident reporting | CSO Online

Identity and Access Management

• Access Rights – Bridging the Gap Between Current and Desired States - Information Security Buzz

Encryption

• Mathematical theorem used to crack US government encryption algorithm (phys.org)

API

• 5 API Vulnerabilities That Get Exploited by Criminals - Security Affairs

• The API Timebomb - Information Security Buzz

• What are different types of APIs? - IT Security Guru

• Three security design principles for public REST APIs - Help Net Security

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• Russian cyber gangs stole over 50 million passwords this year (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Guess the most common password. Hint: We just told you • The Register

• World Cup Players Among Most Breached Passwords - IT Security Guru

• Google Chrome extension used to steal cryptocurrency, passwords (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft Email Security Bypasses Instagram Credential Phishing Attacks - IT Security Guru

• Hackers steal $300,000 in DraftKings credential stuffing attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

Social Media

• Data from 5.4M Twitter users obtained from multiple threat actors and combined with data from other breaches - Security Affairs

• Ducktail hackers now use WhatsApp to phish for Facebook Ad accounts (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cyber security Pros Put Mastodon Flaws Under the Microscope (darkreading.com)

• Musk to abused Twitter users: Your tormentors will return • The Register

• Facebook sued for collecting personal data to sell adverts | News | The Times

• DUCKTAIL malware campaign targeting Facebook business and ads accounts is back | CSO Online

• Meta Takes Down Fake Facebook and Instagram Accounts Linked to Pro-US Influence Operation (thehackernews.com)

• Microsoft Email Security Bypasses Instagram Credential Phishing Attacks - IT Security Guru

• Beyond Trump, Twitter welcomes back purveyors of far-right disinformation - CyberScoop

Cyber Bullying, Cyber Stalking and Sextortion

• Musk to abused Twitter users: Your tormentors will return • The Register

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• Bank Of England Says Crypto Needs Regulation Now - Information Security Buzz

• UK’s Privacy Tsar Defends Controversial Enforcement Strategy - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• How US cyber incident reporting law could finally fix the information sharing problem - CyberScoop

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• UK Cops Lead Action Against Fraud Site that Made £100m - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Operation Elaborate - UK police text 70,000 suspected victims of iSpoof bank fraudsters | Tripwire

• Interpol Seized $130 Million from Cyber criminals in Global "HAECHI-III" Crackdown Operation (thehackernews.com)

• 'iSpoof' service dismantled, main operator and 145 users arrested (bleepingcomputer.com)

Privacy, Surveillance and Mass Monitoring

• iPhones are not as privacy-focused as Apple claims, researchers point out - India Today

• Thinking about taking your computer to the repair shop? Be very afraid | Ars Technica

Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda

• Beyond Trump, Twitter welcomes back purveyors of far-right disinformation - CyberScoop

• Meta Takes Down Fake Facebook and Instagram Accounts Linked to Pro-US Influence Operation (thehackernews.com)

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

• Ukraine shows how space is now central to warfare | Financial Times (ft.com)

• New ransomware attacks in Ukraine linked to Russian Sandworm hackers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• EU Parliament Putin things back together after cyber attack • The Register

• Opinion | Democracies flirting with spyware like Pegasus raises dangers - The Washington Post

• Scotland's broadband builder linked to Israeli spyware | HeraldScotland

• Bahamut Spyware Group Compromises Android Devices Via Fake VPN Apps - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Russia-based RansomBoggs Ransomware Targeted Several Ukrainian Organisations (thehackernews.com)

---

Nation State Actors

Nation State Actors – Russia

• Russian Tech Giant Wants Out of the Country As Ukraine War Rages on (insider.com)

• Yanluowang Ransomware's Russian Links Laid Bare - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Nation State Actors – China

• US Bans Chinese Telecom Equipment and Surveillance Cameras Over National Security Risk (thehackernews.com)

• UK bans Chinese CCTV cameras on ‘sensitive’ government sites • The Register

---

Vulnerability Management

• EPSS explained: How does it compare to CVSS? | CSO Online

Vulnerabilities

• 73 Percent of Retail Applications Contain Security Flaws, but Only a Quarter Are Fixed (yahoo.com)

• ConnectWise Fixes XSS Vulnerability that Could Lead to Remote Code Execution - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Researcher warns that Cisco Secure Email Gateways can easily be circumvented - Security Affairs

• Vulnerability in AWS AppSync allowed unauthorized access to cloud resources | The Daily Swig (portswigger.net)

• AWS fixes 'confused deputy' vulnerability in AppSync • The Register

• How to hack an unpatched Exchange server with rogue PowerShell code – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• Google pushes emergency Chrome update to fix 8th zero-day in 2022 (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Upgrade to Apache Commons Text 1.10 to Avoid New Exploit (infoq.com)

• Security experts are laying Mastodon's flaws bare | TechRadar

• Devices from Dell, HP, and Lenovo used outdated OpenSSL versions - Security Affairs

• PoC Code Published for High-Severity macOS Sandbox Escape Vulnerability | SecurityWeek.Com

• 5 API Vulnerabilities That Get Exploited by Criminals - Security Affairs

• Vulnerable SDK components lead to supply chain risks in IoT and OT environments - Microsoft Security Blog

---

Tools and Controls

• Does Zero Trust mean Defence in Depth is dead? - Information Security Buzz

• Charting the Path to Zero Trust: Where to Begin (darkreading.com)

---

Reports Published in the Last Week

• Threat actors extend attack techniques to new enterprise apps and services - Help Net Security

---

Other News

• Know thy enemy: thinking like a hacker can boost cyber security strategy | CSO Online

• 'Quiet quitting' poses a cyber security risk that calls for a shift in workplace culture  | VentureBeat

• Nighthawk Likely to Become Hackers' New Post-Exploitation Tool After Cobalt Strike (thehackernews.com)

• Security Culture Matters when IT is Decentralized (trendmicro.com)

• Legacy IT system modernization largely driven by security concerns - Help Net Security

• Been Doing It The Same Way For Years? Think Again. (thehackernews.com)

• Here's how to make sure your incident response strategy is ready for holiday hackers - Help Net Security

• Docker Hub repositories hide over 1,650 malicious containers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Hacked digital billboard in Brisbane displays pornography for several minutes | Queensland | The Guardian

• The Case For A Security Program - Information Security Buzz

• How Tech Companies Can Slow Down Spike in Breaches (darkreading.com)

• Inventor of the Web Sir Tim Berners-Lee wants to save your data from Big Tech with Web3.0 | Euronews

• Deloitte reveals 10 strategic cyber security predictions for 2023  | VentureBeat

• The Biden administration has racked up a host of cyber security accomplishments | CSO Online

• US Navy Forced to Pay Software Company for Licensing Breach (gizmodo.com)

---

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 Threat Briefing 28 October 2022

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

Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week

• ‘Biggest Cyber Risk Is Complacency, Not Hackers’ - UK Information Commissioner Issues Warning as Construction Company Fined £4.4 Million

The UK Information Commissioner has warned that companies are leaving themselves open to cyber attack by ignoring crucial measures like updating software and training staff.

The warning comes as the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) issued a fine of £4,400,000 to Interserve Group Ltd, a Berkshire based construction company, for failing to keep personal information of its staff secure. This is a breach of data protection law.

The ICO found that the company failed to put appropriate security measures in place to prevent a cyber attack, which enabled hackers to access the personal data of up to 113,000 employees through a phishing email.

The compromised data included personal information such as contact details, national insurance numbers, and bank account details, as well as special category data including ethnic origin, religion, details of any disabilities, sexual orientation, and health information.

John Edwards, UK Information Commissioner, said:

 “The biggest cyber risk businesses face is not from hackers outside of their company, but from complacency within their company. If your business doesn't regularly monitor for suspicious activity in its systems and fails to act on warnings, or doesn't update software and fails to provide training to staff, you can expect a similar fine from my office.

 “Leaving the door open to cyber attackers is never acceptable, especially when dealing with people’s most sensitive information. This data breach had the potential to cause real harm to Interserve’s staff, as it left them vulnerable to the possibility of identity theft and financial fraud.

 “Cyber attacks are a global concern, and businesses around the world need to take steps to guard against complacency. The ICO and NCSC already work together to offer advice and support to businesses, and this week I will be meeting with regulators from around the world, to work towards consistent international cyber guidance so that people’s data is protected wherever a company is based.”

https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/media-centre/news-and-blogs/2022/10/biggest-cyber-risk-is-complacency-not-hackers/

• Ransomware Threat Shifts from US to EMEA and APAC

The volume of ransomware detections in Q3 2022 was the lowest in two years, but certain geographical regions have become bigger targets as attacks on US organisations wane, according to SonicWall. The security vendor used its own threat detection network, including over one million security sensors in more than 200 countries, to reveal the current landscape.

The good news is that global malware volumes have remained flat for the past three quarters, amounting to a total of over four billion detections in the year to date. Of these, ransomware is also trending down after a record-breaking 2021. Even so, SonicWall detected 338 million compromise attempts in the first three quarters of the year.

Year-to-date ransomware attempts in 2022 have already exceeded the full-year totals from four of the past five years, the vendor claimed. While attacks on US organisations dipped by 51% year-on-year during the period, they increased significantly in the UK (20%), EMEA (38%) and APAC (56%).

The cyber-warfare battlefront continues to shift, posing dangerous threats to organisations of all sizes. With expanding attack surfaces, growing numbers of threats and the current geopolitical landscape, it should be no surprise that even the most seasoned IT professional can feel overwhelmed.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/ransomware-threat-shifts-from-us/

• Phishing Attacks Increase by Over 31% In Third Quarter

Email security and threat detection company Vade has found that phishing emails in the third quarter this year increased by more than 31% quarter on quarter, with the number of emails containing malware in the first three quarters surpassing the 2021 level by 55.8 million.

Malware emails in the third quarter of 2022 alone increased by 217% compared to same period in 2021. Malware email volume peaked in July, reaching 19.2 million, before month-over-month declines in August and September, with numbers dropping to 16.8 million and 16.5 million respectively.

According to the report, email is the preferred attack vector for phishing and malware, as it gives hackers a direct channel to users, the weakest link in an organisation’s attack surface. The report analyses phishing and malware data captured by Vade, which does business internationally.

As attacks become more sophisticated, Vade said, they also become increasingly capable of evading the basic security offered by email providers, which almost eight in 10 businesses still rely on, according to Vade’s research.

While the activity of threat actors fluctuates, Vade’s research found that impersonating trusted and established brands remains the most popular strategy for hackers. In the third quarter of 2022, Facebook was the most impersonated brand for the second consecutive quarter, followed by Google, MTB, PayPal, and Microsoft.

The financial services sector remains the most impersonated industry, representing 32% of phishing emails detected by Vade, followed by cloud at 25%, social media at 22%, and internet/telco at 13%.

As phishing attacks increase, the techniques used by threat actors continue to evolve. While phishing campaigns were traditionally large scale and random, more recent campaigns seen by Vade suggest that hackers have pivoted to using more targeted campaigns.

https://www.csoonline.com/article/3678311/phishing-attacks-increase-by-over-31-in-third-quarter-report.html#tk.rss_news

• UK Urged to Watch for Fraud as People Aim to Make Extra Cash in Cost of Living Crisis

Brits have been warned to “stay alert for fraud” as more people are out to make extra cash as the cost of living rises across the country.

UK Finance said that more than half (56%) of people admitted that they are likely to look for opportunities to make extra money in the coming months, which could leave some people more susceptible to fraud.

According to the trade association’s Take Five To Stop Fraud campaign, one in six, or 16%, of people said the rising cost of living means they are more likely to respond to an unprompted approach from someone offering an investment opportunity or a loan.

Young people were more likely to be at risk, the data suggested, which surveyed 2,000 people across the UK. More than a third (34%) of 18 to 34-year-olds said they are more likely to respond to an unprompted approach from someone, with three in 10 (30%) also more likely to provide their personal or financial details to secure the arrangement.

Overall, three in five people (60%) said they are concerned about falling victim to financial fraud or a scam. It comes as recent figures from UK Finance showed that £609.8m was lost due to fraud and scams in the first half of this year.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/uk-watch-for-fraud-extra-cash-cost-of-living-crisis-230154352.html

• HR Departments Play a Key Role in Cyber Security

A common shortcoming of human resources (HR) departments is that — despite being an operation designed to put humans at the centre of how an organisation is run — they often fail to adequately align with their IT counterparts and the core technology systems that define how a business is run and protected from cyber-risk.

Insufficient coordination between HR and IT processes and procedures remains common and gives rise to security gaps that can represent some of the most dangerous vulnerabilities on a company's attack surface. Let's examine the scope of the challenge and some key cyber-asset management priorities that can close the schism for a more robust cyber security posture.

Gone are the days when HR's role in securing the enterprise relied on basic tutorials for employees about protecting passwords on company equipment. Today's threat environment intersects with the workforce in more ways than ever — from bring-your-own-device (BYOD) and authentication gaps to user vulnerabilities that make spear-phishing seem quaint. Traditional social engineering attacks are now being augmented by zero-click exploits that compromise employee devices without the user ever having to click a link or take any action at all.

Beyond malicious threats, even routine HR processes can introduce risk to the organisation when they're not adequately aligned with the IT processes in an organisation. As just one example, when an employee leaves a company, the offboarding goes far beyond just the exit interview to also include removing access to multiple enterprise systems, accounts, and devices — all of which require close coordination between HR and IT personnel and systems.

To better secure the enterprise, it's mission-critical to get HR and IT more united in a common and advanced understanding of cyber hygiene and risk mitigation. This relies on enhanced awareness of the impact that HR processes have on cyber assets in other parts of the organisation, as well as the HR role in access management for employees and contractors. This requires asset visibility that must be ongoing and in real time, since our roles, devices, and access to data and systems may change multiple times over the course of our employment.

https://www.darkreading.com/vulnerabilities-threats/hr-departments-play-a-key-role-in-cybersecurity

• The Long-Term Psychological Effects of Ransomware Attacks

Northwave has conducted scientific research into the psychological effects of a ransomware crisis on both organisations and individuals. The findings reveal the deep marks that a ransomware crisis leaves on all those affected. It also shows how their IT and security teams can turn in disarray long after the crisis itself has passed.

The research reveals how the psychological impact of ransomware attacks can persist on people in affected organisations for a very long time. It shows that crisis team members may develop serious symptoms far later. Top management and HR need to take measures against this, in fact right from the very beginning of the crisis. They are the ones bearing responsibility for the well-being of their staff.

They also discovered how teams have fallen apart some time after the crisis, with members leaving or staying home on sick-leave. The study reveals that effects can linger throughout the organisation. All in all the investigation shows that this invisible impact of a cyber crisis is an issue for the general business management, and certainly also for HR.

Northwave regards the response to a cyber attack as occurring in three phases. First comes the actual crisis situation, which evolves into an incident phase after about a week. A plan of action is then in place, and recovery measures are launched. The fire has been largely extinguished after a month or so, with the first (basic) functionalities available again.

Full recovery can take one to two years. Each phase has its specific effects on the minds and bodies of those involved, and by extension, on the organisation or parts of it. “On average a company is down for three weeks following a malware attack,” notes Van der Beijl. “But it surprised us that the impact persists for so long afterwards. Psychological issues are still surfacing a year after the actual crisis.”

One of every seven employees involved in the attack, either directly or indirectly, exhibits severe enough symptoms several months later, at a level considered to be above the clinical threshold at which professional trauma treatment help is needed. One in five employees say they would actually have needed more professional help subsequently in coming to terms with the attack. One in three liked to have more knowledge and concrete tools to deal with the psychological effects of the attack.

A ransomware attack has enduring psychological effects on the way employees view the world. Two-thirds of employees, including those not actually involved in the attack, now believe the world is less safe. As one IT manager pointed out, “I’ve become far more suspicious. The outside world is a dangerous place.”

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/10/25/psychological-effects-ransomware/

• 7 Hidden Social Media Cyber Risks for Enterprises

Whether they use it to amplify the brand, recruit new employees, advertise new products, or even sell directly to consumers, corporate brands love social media.

According to recent figures, brand advertising on social media is up by 53% in the last year, and that's not accounting for further investments that brands are making in developing and distributing content. They're pushing viral videos, funny memes, podcasts, written material, and more to increase engagement with their customers.

And brands are doing it across not only the old reliable social networks like Facebook and Twitter, but also emerging platforms like TikTok. In fact, according to another recent study, in 2022 marketers are expanding their horizons, with their increased content investments focused on areas like live streaming, long-form and short-form video content, virtual reality and augmented reality content, experimental content, and live audio chat rooms. The top platforms they're focused on most for increasing spending are now TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

With the broadening of these social-media marketing strategies comes more risk. Whether an organisation uses social media to amplify its brand, or its executives and employees leverage social channels to bolster their professional and personal brands, these marketing platforms are a breeding ground for a wide range of cyber attacks and scams, including in the areas of artificial intelligence, deepfakes, and biometrics.

Cyber criminals, fraudsters, spies, and activists work around the clock to take advantage of emerging attack surfaces that arise from enterprise use of social media. The article below presents just a few avenues that organisations may overlook when they double-down on their social media investments.

https://www.darkreading.com/application-security/7-hidden-social-media-cyber-risks-enterprises

• 54% of Staff Would Reconsider Working for a Firm That Had Experienced a Cyber Breach, Research Finds

Over half (54%) of office workers would reconsider working for a company that had recently experienced a cyber breach. That's according to a new study by cyber security technology provider, Encore.

An independent study of 100 C-level executives, 100 Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and 500 office workers in the US and the UK, conducted by Censuswide, sought to uncover the gap that remains between boards and security teams when it comes to addressing cyber demands.

Only a third (33%) of staff said they would be "completely unphased" if their employer suffered a cyber break-in. The majority (57%) of C-level executives polled said they have been breached in the last 12 months alone. Most office workers, however, were unaware, with only 39% believing their organisation had been the victim of a successful attack.

The immediate financial cost of a cyber-attack remains the number one concern for businesses, but security teams are learning that there is a long tail to these breaches, with employees at risk of losing faith in their company, its ethics and values and its overarching responsibilities to the general public. In a competitive market, this is a stark warning to businesses across the world. Keeping your staff in the dark about cyber risk is a fundamental error, not to mention the additional impact of delayed disclosure to customers.

41% of C-level executives polled named reputational damage as one of the biggest costs to their business following a cyber-attack, with 34% agreeing that loss of clientele or their trust was a significant cost.

Despite many admitting to suffering a cyber breach in the last year, the overwhelming majority (92%) of CISOs and C-level executives polled believe their business is secure at any given moment. Encore believes that a mindset shift is needed at an organisational level, treating cyber incidents and the security of employee and customer data as a fundamental part of normal business operations, not a function that sits on the outside, looking in.

https://www.darkreading.com/careers-and-people/54-of-staff-would-reconsider-working-for-a-firm-that-had-experienced-a-cyber-breach-research-finds

• Evolve as Fast as the Cyber Criminals: Protect Your Business Now, Before It’s Too Late

According to the 2022 Cyber Threat Report, 2021 saw a global average increase of 105% in the number of ransomware attacks. Proofpoint's 2022 State of the Phish report said that a staggering 82% of UK businesses that experienced a ransomware attack sent payment to the cyber criminals – believing this was the cheapest and easiest way to regain access to their data. However, in many cases criminals simply took the payment without restoring access and the organisation finds itself on criminal target lists as it has demonstrated that attacks pay off. Even when decryption keys are handed over it can take an extended period of time to restore data.

One attack, on a hospital in Dusseldorf, Germany, was implicated in the death of a patient who had to be diverted to an alternative site as the A&E department had been forced to close due to the loss of core computer systems. It appears that the attack had been misdirected, and the hackers – who were quickly apprehended by the police – handed over the encryption keys immediately when they realised what had happened. Nevertheless, the decryption process was slow. It began in the early hours of September 11 and by September 20 the hospital was still unable to add or retrieve information, or even send emails. 30 servers had been corrupted.

The methods and techniques required to conduct a cyber-attack have never been more accessible. Whether it is on the darknet or through open-source content, the ability to purchase material that allows a malicious user to conduct a cyber-attack is readily available. Conducting a ransomware attack and using it to extort money from companies and government services alike, is now viewed as a viable business model by organised criminals.

https://www.itsecurityguru.org/2022/10/28/evolve-as-fast-as-the-cybercriminals-protect-your-business-now-before-its-too-late/

• Enterprise Ransomware Preparedness Improving but Still Lacking

The majority of organisations have made ransomware preparedness a top-five business priority, yet only half believe their preparedness is stronger than it was two years ago. That is according to a recent survey, "The Long Road Ahead to Ransomware Preparedness" by Enterprise Strategy Group, a division of TechTarget.

Despite warnings and available preparedness resources, ransomware continues to distress companies. Seventy-nine percent of survey respondents said they suffered a successful attack within the last year, and 73% reported they had one or more attacks that caused negative financial impact or disrupted business operations in the same time period.

The good news is the board and the C-suite are finally getting the message that more needs to be done to address impending ransomware attempts. In fact, 79% of respondents said business leaders made ransomware preparedness a top business priority, and 82% of organisations plan to invest more in ransomware preparedness over the next 12 to 18 months.

With preparedness investments expected to grow, the survey asked how organisations currently tackle ransomware. Respondents said the most important prevention tactics involve efforts in the following:

• network security (43%)

• backup infrastructure security (40%)

• endpoint security (39%)

• email security (36%)

• data encryption (36%)

Ongoing activities cited included data recovery testing, employee security awareness training, response readiness assessments, incident response functional exercises, penetration testing, incident planning and playbook development, phishing simulation programs, tabletop exercises, and blue/red/purple team engagements.

https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/feature/Enterprise-ransomware-preparedness-improving-but-still-lacking

• Why Are There So Many Data Breaches? A Growing Industry of Criminals is Brokering in Stolen Data

New details have emerged on the severity of the Australian Medibank hack, which has now affected all users. Optus, Medibank, Woolworths, and, last Friday, electricity provider Energy Australia are all now among the Australian household names that have fallen victim to a data breach.

If it seems like barely a week goes by without news of another incident like this, you would be right. Cyber crime is on the rise – seven major Australian businesses were affected by data breaches in the past month alone.

But why now? And who is responsible for this latest wave of cyber attacks?

In large part, the increasing number of data breaches is being driven by the growth of a global illicit industry that trades in your data. In particular, hackers known as “initial access brokers” specialise in illegally gaining access to victim networks and then selling this access to other cyber criminals.

Hackers and initial access brokers are just one part of a complex and diversifying cyber crime ecosystem. This ecosystem contains various cyber criminal groups who increasingly specialise in one particular aspect of online crime and then work together to carry out the attacks.

Ransomware attacks are complex, involving up to nine different stages. These include gaining access to a victim’s network, stealing data, encrypting a victim’s network, and issuing a ransom demand. Increasingly, these attacks are carried out not by lone cyber criminal groups, but rather by networks of different cyber crime groups, each of which specialises in a different stage of the attack.

Initial access brokers will often carry out the first stage of a ransomware attack. Described by Google’s Threat Analysis Group as “the opportunistic locksmiths of the security world”, it’s their job to gain access to a victim’s network.

https://theconversation.com/why-are-there-so-many-data-breaches-a-growing-industry-of-criminals-is-brokering-in-stolen-data-193015

• How The "pizza123" Password Could Take Down an Organisation

Criminal hackers took responsibility for a recent FastCompany breach, saying they exploited an easily guessed default password, "pizza123." The business magazine reused the weak password across a dozen WordPress accounts, according to the hackers, who described the attack in their own article on FastCompany.com before the publication took the site down.

The breach, the bitter taste of pizza123, and the plight of malicious push notifications, demand caution when selecting and managing passwords.

The hackers claimed to have used the vulnerable password pizza123 to access authentication tokens, Apple News API keys, and Amazon Simple Email Service (SES) tokens. Then they sent offensive push notifications to the home screens of subscribers of the FastCompany channel on the Apple News service.

After decades of investment in sculpting the organisation's brand image, a business can watch its reputation flounder in the face of an obscene push notification. The sentiment of millions of faithful customers can turn sour in an instant. By the time organisations block the messages and make public apologies, the harm is done.

Customers can swap to a competitor, or even sue for the offence when they have entrusted a publisher to provide safe content. Regulatory bodies can fine organisations. The company can spend time and money defending itself in court and restoring its image. But malicious push notifications can do a lot worse than offend customers—criminal hackers can load messages with malware and infect consumer devices, leading to privacy violations and consumer financial fraud.

People often build passwords using the first word that comes to mind and a brief series of numbers. Pizza123 is a perfect example of an easy-to-guess password. Employees will create passwords already appearing on breached password lists. Criminal hackers use brute force attacks to confirm working passwords from the same lists.

Nearly two-thirds of employees reuse their passwords. The more they reuse them across business and personal accounts, the more likely criminal hackers will breach them and test them on the organisation. Hackers know to try the same passwords on different companies they hack because of password reuse.

Robust password management enables fine-grained password policies and policy customisation. With a custom password policy, organisations can increase complexity requirements, like length and previous-password change minimums. A custom password policy with increased complexity requirements will block 95% of weak and breached passwords.

Password length is a particularly critical component of strong passwords. Ninety-three percent of the passwords used in brute force attacks include eight or more characters. A custom password policy can require a minimum password length, decreasing password entropy.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/how-the-pizza123-password-could-take-down-an-organization/

---

Threats

Ransomware and Extortion

• SonicWall: Ransomware down this year, but there’s a catch • The Register

• Medibank cyber-attack: should the health insurer pay a ransom for its customers’ data? | Health | The Guardian

• Health insurer Medibank's infosec diagnosis is getting worse • The Register

• Microsoft links Raspberry Robin worm to Clop ransomware attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• How to detect Windows worm that now distributes ransomware • The Register

• Ransomware Barrage Aimed at US Healthcare Sector, Feds Warn (darkreading.com)

• BlackByte ransomware affiliate also steals victims' data • The Register

• Cuba ransomware affiliate targets Ukraine, CERT-UA warns - Security Affairs

• OldGremlin Ransomware Fierce Comeback Against Russian Targets (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• CISA warns of ransomware attacks on healthcare providers (techtarget.com)

• Industrial Ransomware Attacks: New Groups Emerge, Manufacturing Pays Highest Ransom | SecurityWeek.Com

• Ransom Cartel - REvil Rebrand? (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Addressing Ransomware in Hospitals & Medical Devices (trendmicro.com)

• Australian Clinical Labs says patient data stolen in ransomware attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Vice Society Hackers Confess To Education Sector Ransomware Attacks (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Why Ransomware in Education on the Rise and What That Means for 2023 (thehackernews.com)

• Largest EU copper producer Aurubis suffers cyber attack, IT outage (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Hive Ransomware Hackers Begin Leaking Data Stolen from Tata Power Energy Company (thehackernews.com)

• Ransomware Gangs Ramp Up Industrial Attacks in US (darkreading.com)

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• DHL Replaces LinkedIn As Most Imitated Brand in Phishing Attempts - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Other Social Engineering; Smishing, Vishing, etc

• Social engineering attacks anybody could fall victim to - Help Net Security

• Twilio Says Employees Targeted in Separate Smishing, Vishing Attacks | SecurityWeek.Com

Malware

• Threat Groups Repurpose Banking Trojans into Backdoors (darkreading.com)

• Types of cloud malware and how to defend against them (techtarget.com)

• Cranefly Hackers Use Stealthy Techniques to Deliver and Control Malware - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Thousands Of Fake PoC Exploits In GitHub Repositories Deliver Malware – (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Chrome extensions with 1 million installs hijack targets’ browsers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Hackers use Microsoft IIS web server logs to control malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

Mobile

• Apple Releases Patch for New Actively Exploited iOS and iPadOS Zero-Day Vulnerability (thehackernews.com)

• These Dropper Apps On Play Store Targeting Over 200 Banking and Cryptocurrency Wallets (thehackernews.com)

• Android Hacking Warning As Criminals Target TikTok And PayPal For (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

Internet of Things – IoT

• IoT Fingerprinting Helps Authenticate and Secure All Those Devices (darkreading.com)

• IoT security strategy from enterprises using connected devices | Network World

• Security by design vital to protecting IoT, smart cities around the world, says CEO of UK NCSC | CSO Online

• Your CCTV devices can be hacked and weaponized - Help Net Security

• Critical Flaws in Abode Home Security Kit Allow Hackers to Hijack, Disable Cameras | SecurityWeek.Com

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Thomson Reuters leaked at least 3TB of sensitive data | Cybernews

• See Tickets discloses 2.5 years-long credit card theft breach (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Twilio discloses another hack from June, blames voice phishing (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Seven months after it found out, FamilySearch tells users their personal data has been breached • Graham Cluley

• Bed Bath & Beyond reviewing possible data breach | Reuters

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• Ukrainian charged for operating Raccoon Stealer malware service (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Interpol says metaverse opens up new world of cyber crime | Reuters

• From Bounty to Exploit Observations About Cyber criminal Contests (trendmicro.com)

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• Researchers uncover cryptojacking campaign targeting Docker, Kubernetes cloud servers | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Purpleurchin: Cryptocurrency miners scour GitHub, Heroku • The Register

• Cryptomining campaign abused free GitHub account trials (techtarget.com)

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• New York Post hacked? No, the culprit is an employee - Security Affairs

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• UK Anti-fraud Efforts Failing (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Dealers Report Dramatic Increase in Identity Fraud: Most Lack Effective Protection (darkreading.com)

• Economic strife fuels cyber anxiety - Help Net Security

• LinkedIn Releases New Security Features To Combat Fraud (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Beware Of SCAMS As Cost Of Living Bites Finances, Expert Comments (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

Insurance

• Health insurer Medibank's infosec diagnosis is getting worse • The Register

• Cyber Insurance Market 2022: FAQs & Updates with iBynd (trendmicro.com)

Dark Web

• Notorious ‘BestBuy’ hacker arraigned for running dark web market (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Student arrested for running one of Germany’s largest dark web markets (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Dark Web Forum Busts Come Days Apart (darkreading.com)

• British hacker arraigned for running The Real Deal dark web marketplace - Security Affairs

Software Supply Chain

• Supply Chain Attacks Or Vulnerabilities Experienced By 80% Of Organisations (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• How the Software Supply Chain Security is Threatened by Hackers (thehackernews.com)

• Open Source Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg in Software Supply Chain Security (darkreading.com)

• Consumer behaviours are the root of open source risk - Help Net Security

Denial of Service DoS/DDoS

• Key observations on DDoS attacks in H1 2022 - Help Net Security

• Meet the Windows servers that have been fuelling massive DDoSes for months | Ars Technica

Cloud/SaaS

• Everything you Need to Know about Cloud Hacking and its Methodologies (analyticsinsight.net)

• It’s time to prioritize SaaS security | InfoWorld

• Top Cloud Security Challenges & How to Beat Them (trendmicro.com)

• Atlassian Vulnerabilities Highlight Criticality of Cloud Services (darkreading.com)

• Threat Actors Target AWS EC2 Workloads to Steal Credentials (trendmicro.com)

• Cloud and Hybrid Working Security Concerns Surge - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• 4 Reasons Open Source Matters for Cloud Security (darkreading.com)

• Cloud Providers Throw Their Weight Behind Confidential Computing (darkreading.com)

Hybrid Working

• Balancing remote work privacy vs. productivity monitoring (techtarget.com)

• Cloud and Hybrid Working Security Concerns Surge - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Attack Surface Management

• Attack Surface Management 2022 Midyear Review Part 2 (trendmicro.com)

• Asset risk management: Getting the basics right - Help Net Security

Encryption

• New Critical Vuln In Component That Allow Encryption Across Internet - (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Can a new form of cryptography solve the internet’s privacy problem? | Data protection | The Guardian

API

• Thousands Of Publicly Exposed API Tokens Could Threaten Software Integrity (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Key API Security Principles And How To Implement Them (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

Open Source

• Open Source Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg in Software Supply Chain Security (darkreading.com)

• 4 Reasons Open Source Matters for Cloud Security (darkreading.com)

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• Why it's time to expire mandatory password expiration policies (techtarget.com)

• Feds say Ukrainian man running malware service amassed 50M unique credentials | Ars Technica

Biometrics

• ICO Warns of "Immature" Biometric Tech - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Social Media

• LinkedIn Phishing Spoof Bypasses Google Workspace Security (darkreading.com)

• LinkedIn's new security features combat fake profiles, threat actors (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cyber security event cancelled after scammers disrupt LinkedIn live chat (bitdefender.com)

• Expert Opinion: What Does Musk's Takeover Mean For Cyber security? (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Cyber attackers Target Instagram Users With Threats of Copyright Infringement (darkreading.com)

Cyber Bullying, Cyber Stalking and Sextortion

• Ex-cop abused police tool in Snapshot sextortion plot that stole sexually explicit photos and videos (bitdefender.com)

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• UK Construction Biz Fined £4.4m for Serious Security Failings - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Australia Flags New Corporate Penalties for Privacy Breaches | SecurityWeek.Com

Data Protection

• What consumers expect from organisations that handle their personal data - Help Net Security

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

• Criminals are starting to exploit the metaverse, says Interpol. So police are heading there too | ZDNET

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

• Ukraine: Russian cyber attacks aimless and opportunistic (techtarget.com)

• Unknown Actors are Deploying RomCom RAT to Target Ukrainian Military (thehackernews.com)

• Slovak, Polish Parliaments Hit by Cyber attacks | SecurityWeek.Com

• Norway arrests man accused of being Russian spy - BBC News

• Cuba ransomware affiliate targets Ukraine, CERT-UA warns - Security Affairs

• Ukraine Warns of Cuba Ransomware Attacks - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

---

Nation State Actors

Nation State Actors – Russia

• Russia says Starlink satellites could become military target • The Register

• Calls for inquiry mount after reports that Truss’s phone was hacked | Financial Times

• OldGremlin Ransomware Fierce Comeback Against Russian Targets (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

Nation State Actors – China

• Chinese spy duo charged in Huawei case as US condemns ‘egregious’ interference | China | The Guardian

• Chinese Connected Cyber Crew Unleashes Disinformation Campaign Ahead of US Elections - MSSP Alert

• Federal bans don't stop US states from buying Chinese kit • The Register

• Chinese Spies Indicted for Coercing Nationals Living in US to Return as Agents of the PRC - MSSP Alert

Nation State Actors – North Korea

• Kimsuky Hackers Spotted Using 3 New Android Malware to Target South Koreans (thehackernews.com)

Nation State Actors – Iran

• Iranian government blames 'foreign country' for hack-and-leak of nuclear information - CyberScoop

---

Vulnerability Management

• Outpost24: How Pentesting-as-a-Service finds vulnerabilities before they're exploited (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Protecting organisations by understanding end-of-life software risks - Help Net Security

---

Vulnerabilities

• OpenSSL to fix the second critical flaw ever - Security Affairs

• Urgent: Google Issues Emergency Patch for Chrome Zero-Day (darkreading.com)

• Multiple RCE Vulnerabilities Discovered in Veeam Backup & Replication App - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• ConnectWise fixes RCE bug exposing thousands of servers to attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Critical authentication bug in Fortinet products actively exploited in the wild | The Daily Swig (portswigger.net)

• Apple megaupdate: Ventura out, iOS and iPad kernel zero-day – act now! – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• Windows Mark of the Web Zero-Days Remain Patchless, Under Exploit (darkreading.com)

• 22-Year-Old Vulnerability Reported in Widely Used SQLite Database Library (thehackernews.com)

• Cisco warns admins to patch AnyConnect flaws exploited in attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Exploit released for critical VMware RCE vulnerability, patch now (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cisco Confirms In-the-Wild Exploitation of Two VPN Vulnerabilities | SecurityWeek.Com

• Incoming OpenSSL critical fix: Organisations, users, get ready! - Help Net Security

• Cisco Users Informed of Vulnerabilities in Identity Services Engine | SecurityWeek.Com

• VMware fixes critical RCE in VMware Cloud Foundation - Security Affairs

• VMware Patches Critical Vulnerability in End-of-Life Product | SecurityWeek.Com

• Multiple vulnerabilities affect the Juniper Junos OS - Security Affairs

---

Reports Published in the Last Week

• Q3 2022 Phishing and Malware Report: Phishing Volumes Increase 31% (vadesecure.com)

• Attack Surface Management 2022 Midyear Review Part 2 (trendmicro.com)

• Justice response inadequate to meet scale of fraud epidemic - Committees - UK Parliament

---

Other News

• Cyber Security Risks & Stats This Spooky Season (darkreading.com)

• Cyber Certification Skills Are For Life, Not Just For Linkedin (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• 8 hallmarks of a proactive security strategy | CSO Online

• Implementing Defence in Depth to Prevent and Mitigate Cyber Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Cyber security’s importance and impact reaches all levels of the tech workforce - Help Net Security

• Stress Is Driving Cyber Security Professionals to Rethink Roles (darkreading.com)

• Equifax's Lessons Are Still Relevant, 5 Years Later (darkreading.com)

• Why dark data is a growing danger for corporations - Help Net Security

• Know the dangers you're facing: 4 notable TTPs used by cyber criminals worldwide - Help Net Security

---

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 Threat Briefing 14 October 2022

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

Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week

• Ransomware Report: Most Organisations Unprepared for an Attack, Lack Incident Playbook, Research Finds

Some organisations have made significant improvements to their ransomware readiness profile in the last year, Axio said in a newly released report. However, a lack of fundamental cyber security practices and controls, inadequate vulnerability patching and employee training continues to leave ransomware defences lacking in potency.

Axio’s report reveals that only 30% of organisations have a ransomware-specific playbook for incident management in place. In 2021’s report Axio, maker of a cloud-based cyber management software platform, identified seven key areas emerged where organisations were deficient in implementing and sustaining basic cyber security practices.

The same patterns showed up in the 2022 report:

• Managing privileged access.

• Improving basic cyber hygiene.

• Reducing exposure to supply chain and third-party risk.

• Monitoring and defending networks.

• Managing ransomware incidents.

• Identifying and addressing vulnerabilities in a timely manner.

• Improving cyber security training and awareness.

Overall, most organisations surveyed are not adequately prepared to manage the risk associated with a ransomware attack. Key data findings include:

• The number of organisations with a functional privileged access management solution in place increased by 10% but remains low at 33% overall.

• Limitations on the use of service and local administrator accounts remain average overall, with nearly 50% of organisations reporting implementing these practices.

• Approximately 40% of organisations monitor third-party network access, evaluate third-party cyber security posture, and limit the use of third-party software.

• Less than 50% of respondents implement basic network segmentation and only 40% monitor for anomalous connections.

• Critical vulnerability patching within 24 hours was reported by only 24% of organisations.

• Active phishing training has improved but is still not practiced by 40% of organisations.

https://www.msspalert.com/cybersecurity-research/most-organizations-unprepared-for-ransomware-attack-lack-incident-playbook-axio-reports/

• LinkedIn Scams, Fake Instagram Accounts Hit Businesses, Execs

Business owners with public social media accounts are easy targets for scammers who lift information to create fake accounts. The arduous process for removing fraudulent accounts leaves victims frustrated and vulnerable to further data privacy issues. Victims say platform providers, particularly Facebook and Instagram, must improve their responses to reports of fraud.

Impersonation of a brand or executive contributed to more than 40% of all phishing and social media incidents in the second quarter, according to the Agari and Phish Labs Quarterly Threat Trends and Intelligence Report released in August. Q2 marks the second quarter that impersonation attacks have represented the majority of threats, despite a 6.1% decrease from Q1.

Executive impersonation has been on the rise over the past four quarters — representing more than 15% of attacks, according to the report — as impersonating a corporate figure or company on social media is simple and effective for threat actors.

Thom Singer, CEO for the Austin Technology Council and a public speaker, was recently impersonated on Instagram. A scammer created a fake Instagram account with his name and photos, creating a handle with an extra "r" at the end of Singer. That account appeared to amass over 2,300 followers – nearly as many as Singer's own account – lending to its appearance of authenticity.

He learned of the fake account from a contact who texted to ask if he'd reached out on Instagram, which wasn't a channel Singer typically uses to communicate. Singer reported the fraudulent account using the platform's report button and asked his followers to do the same.

"You can't reach anyone at these platforms, so it takes days to get a fake account removed," Singer said. "These social media sites have no liability, nothing to lose when fraud is happening. They need to up their game and have a better process to get [fraud] handled in a timely manner."

https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/feature/LinkedIn-scams-fake-Instagram-accounts-hit-businesses-execs

• Study Highlights Surge in Identity Theft and Phishing Attacks

A new study from behavioural risk firm CybSafe and the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA) has been launched and it highlights an alarming surge in phishing and identity theft attacks.

The report, titled ‘Oh, Behave! The Annual Cybersecurity Attitudes and Behaviors report’, studied the opinions of 3,000 individuals across the US, the UK and Canada towards cyber security and revealed that nearly half (45%) of users are connected to the internet all the time, however, this has led to a surge in identity theft with almost 1 in 4 people being affected by the attack.

Furthermore, 1 in 3 (36%) respondents revealed they have lost money or data due to a phishing attack. Yet the study also revealed that 70% of respondents feel confident in their ability to identify a malicious email, but only 45% will confirm the authenticity of a suspicious email by reaching out to the apparent sender.

When it comes to implementing cyber security best practices, only 33% of respondents revealed they use a unique password for important online accounts, while only 16% utilise passwords of over 12 characters in length. Furthermore, only 18% of participants have downloaded a stand-alone password manager, while 43% of respondents have not even heard of multi-factor authentication.

https://www.itsecurityguru.org/2022/10/12/study-highlights-surge-in-identity-theft-and-phishing-attacks/

• Increase in Cyber Liability Insurance Claims as Cyber Crime Skyrockets

A cyber insurer, Acuity Insurance, is reporting an increased need for cyber liability insurance across both personal and business policyholders. From June 2021 to June 2022, the insurer saw cyber liability insurance claims on its commercial insurance policies increase by more than 50%. For personal policies, they saw more than a 90% increase in cyber claims being reported in 2021 compared with 2020.

Our lives, homes and businesses are more connected than ever before. Being connected leads to a greater risk of cyber attacks, which aren't covered under standard homeowners or business insurance policies.

The insurance experts caution that everyone is at risk — whether you are a small business owner or an individual — as cyber attacks continue to pose a serious financial threat. From 2019 to 2021, cyber attacks were up 50% from the previous year, according to recent research. Wire fraud and gift card scams are two of the most common types of cyber attacks impacting both businesses and individuals.

Scams involving social engineering are some of the easiest to fall for, as fraudsters exploit a person's trust to obtain money or personal information, which can then be used for unauthorised withdrawals of money. Cyber insurance can protect you from financial loss caused by wire transfer fraud, phishing attacks, cyber extortion, cyberbullying and more, Acuity reported.

While all cyber crimes have a financial impact, fraudulent wire transfers often come with greater losses. Banks are typically not responsible for funds lost as a result of a fraudulent wire transfer inadvertently authorised by the customer. Whether it's a wrongful money transfer by a business or an individual, cyber insurance can help mitigate some of the financial loss caused by these scams.

https://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/acuity-reports-increase-in-cyber-liability-insurance-claims-as-cybercrime-skyrockets

• UK Government Urges Action to Enhance Supply Chain Security

The UK government has warned organisations to take steps to strengthen their supply chain security.

New National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) guidance has been issued amid a significant increase in supply chain attacks in recent years, such as the SolarWinds incident in 2020. The NCSC cited official government data showing that just over one in 10 businesses review the risks posed by their immediate suppliers (13%), while the proportion covering the wider supply chain is just 7%.

Aimed at medium-to-large organisations, the document sets out practical steps to better assess cyber security across increasingly complex supply chains. This includes a description of typical supplier relationships and ways that organisations are exposed to vulnerabilities and cyber-attacks via the supply chain, and the expected outcomes and key steps needed to assess suppliers’ approaches to security.

The new guidance followed a government response to a call for views last year which highlighted the need for further advice. Supply chain attacks are a major cyber threat facing organisations and incidents can have a profound, long-lasting impact on businesses and customers. With incidents on the rise, it is vital organisations work with their suppliers to identify supply chain risks and ensure appropriate security measures are in place.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/uk-government-supply-chain-security/

• For Most Companies Ransomware Is the Scariest Of All Cyber Attacks

SonicWall released the 2022 SonicWall Threat Mindset Survey which found that 66% of customers are more concerned about cyber attacks in 2022, with the main threat being focused on financially motivated attacks like ransomware.

“No one is safe from cyber attacks — businesses or individuals,” said SonicWall Executive Chairman of the Board Bill Conner. “Today’s business landscape requires persistent digital trust to exist. Supply-chain attacks have dramatically changed the attack surface of the typical enterprise in the past few years, with more suppliers and service providers touching sensitive data than ever before.

“It’s likely we’ll see continued acceleration and evolution of ransomware tactics, as well as other advanced persistent threats (APTs), as cyber crime continues to scale the globe seeking both valuable and weak targets.”

Companies are not only losing millions of dollars to unending malware and ransomware strikes, but cyber attacks on essential infrastructure are impacting real-world services. Despite the growing concern of cyber attacks, organisations are struggling to keep pace with the fast-moving threat landscape as they orient their business, networks, data and employees against unwavering cyber attacks.

“The evolving cyber threat landscape has made us train our staff significantly more,” said Stafford Fields, IT Director, Cavett Turner & Wyble. “It’s made us spend more on cyber security. And what scares me is that an end-user can click on something and bring all our systems down — despite being well protected.”

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/10/12/customers-concerned-ransomware/

• EDR Is Not a Silver Bullet

Old lore held that shooting a werewolf, vampire, or even just your average nasty villain with a silver bullet was a sure-fire takedown: one hit, no more bad guy.

As cyber security professionals, we understand – much like folks in the Old West knew – that there are no panaceas, no actual silver bullets. Yet humans gravitate towards simple solutions to complex challenges, and we are constantly (if unconsciously) seeking silver bullet technology.

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) tools have become Standard Operating Procedures for cyber security regimes. They are every CIO’s starting point, and there’s nothing wrong with this. In a recent study by Cymulate of over one million tests conducted by customers in 2021, the most popular testing vector was EDR.

Yet cyber security stakeholders should not assume that EDR is a silver bullet. The fact is that EDR’s efficacy and protective prowess as a standalone solution has been slowly diminished over the decade since the term was first coined by Gartner. Even as it became a mainstay of enterprise and SMB/SME security posture – attacks have skyrocketed in frequency, severity, and success. Today, EDR is facing some of its greatest challenges, including threats laser-targeting EDR systems like the highly-successful Grandoiero banking trojan.

While EDR should not be your only line of defence against advanced threats, including it in a defence solution array is paramount. It should be installed on all organisational servers – including Linux-based ones. Yet installation is not enough. Your organisation is at significant risk if the underlying OS and EDR are not both implemented and fine-tuned.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/10/11/edr-is-not-a-silver-bullet/

• Attackers Use Automation to Speed from Exploit to Compromise

A report from Laceworks examines the cloud security threat landscape over the past three months and unveils the new techniques and avenues cyber criminals are exploiting for profit at the expense of businesses. In this latest edition, the Lacework Labs team found a significantly more sophisticated attacker landscape, with an increase in attacks against core networking and virtualisation software, and an unprecedented increase in the speed of attacks following a compromise. Key trends and threats identified include:

• Increased speed from exposure to compromise: Attackers are advancing to keep pace with cloud adoption and response time. Many classes of attacks are now fully automated to capitalise on timing. Additionally, one of the most common targets is credential leakage. In a specific example from the report, a leaked AWS access key was caught and flagged by AWS in record time. Despite the limited exposure, an unknown adversary was able to log in and launch tens of GPU EC2 instances, underscoring just how quickly attackers can take advantage of a single simple mistake.

• Increased focus on infrastructure, specifically attacks against core networking and virtualisation software: Commonly deployed core networking and related infrastructure consistently remains a key target for adversaries. Core flaws in infrastructure often appear suddenly and are shared openly online, creating opportunities for attackers of all kinds to exploit these potential targets.

• Continued Log4j reconnaissance and exploitation: Nearly a year after the initial exploit, the Lacework Labs team is still commonly observing vulnerable software targeted via OAST requests. Analysis of Project Discovery (interact.sh) activity revealed Cloudflare and DigitalOcean as the top originators.

https://www.darkreading.com/cloud/attackers-use-automation-to-speed-from-exploit-to-compromise-according-to-lacework-labs-cloud-threat-report

• Rising Premiums, More Restricted Cyber Insurance Coverage Poses Big Risk for Companies

Among the many consequences of the rising number of costly data breaches, ransomware, and other security attacks are pricier premiums for cyber security insurance. The rise in costs could put many organisations out of the running for this essential coverage, a risky proposition given the current threat landscape.

Cyber insurance is a type of specialty insurance that protects organisations against a variety of risks related to information security attacks such as ransomware and data breaches. Ordinarily, these types of risks aren’t included with traditional commercial general liability policies or are not specifically defined in these insurance plans.

Given the rise in attacks, the growing sophistication of these incidents and the potential financial impact, having cyber insurance coverage has become critical for many organisations. Premiums for these plans have been on the rise because of the increase in security-related losses and rising demand for coverage.

Cyber insurance premiums increased by an average of 28% in the first quarter of 2022 compared with the fourth quarter of 2021, according to the Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers (CIAB), an association for commercial insurance and employee benefits intermediaries.

Among the primary drivers for the continued price increases were a reduced carrier appetite for the risk and high demand for coverage, CIAB said. The high demand for cyber coverage is in part fueled by greater awareness among companies of the threat cyber risk poses for businesses of all sizes, it said.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/11/companies-are-finding-it-harder-to-get-cyber-insurance-.html

• Why CISO Roles Require Business and Technology Savvy

Listening and communicating to both the technical and business sides is critical to successfully leading IT teams and business leaders to the same end-goal.

Of all the crazy postings that advertise for CISO jobs, the one asking for a CISO to code in Python was probably the most outrageous example of the disconnect about a CISO’s role, says Joe Head, CISO search director at UK-based search firm, Intaso. This was a few years ago, and one can only guess that the role had been created by a technologist who didn’t care about or didn’t understand the business — or, inversely by a businessperson who didn’t understand enough about technology.

In either case, the disconnect is real. However, Head and other experts say that when it comes to achieving the true, executive role and reporting to the CEO and board, business skills rule. That doesn’t mean, however, that most CISOs know nothing about technology, because most still start out with technology backgrounds.

In the 2022 CISO survey by executive placement firm, Heidrick & Struggles, most CISOs come from a functional IT background that reflects the issues of the time. For example, in 2022 10% of CISOs came from software engineering backgrounds, which tracks with the White House directive to protect the software supply chain. The report notes that the majority of CISOs have experience in the financial services industry, which has a low risk tolerance and where more money is spent on security.

The survey also indicates that only a small core of CISOs (working primarily for the Fortune 500) rise to the executive level with the combination of business and technical responsibilities that come with the role. In it, more than two-thirds of CISOs responding to the survey worked for companies worth over $5 billion. So, instead of bashing a CISO’s lack of IT skills, the real need lies in developing business skills for the technologists coming up the ranks.

https://www.csoonline.com/article/3675952/why-ciso-roles-require-business-and-technology-savvy.html#tk.rss_news

• Wi-Fi Spy Drones Used to Snoop on Financial Firm

Modified off-the-shelf drones have been found carrying wireless network-intrusion kit in a very unlikely place.

The idea of using consumer-oriented drones for hacking has been explored over the past decade at security conferences like Black Hat 2016, in both the US and in Europe, but now these sort of attacks are actually taking place. A security researcher recently recounted an incident that occurred over the summer at a US East Coast financial firm focused on private investment.

The hacking incident was discovered when the financial firm spotted unusual activity on its internal Atlassian Confluence page that originated from within the company's network. The company's security team responded and found that the user whose MAC address was used to gain partial access to the company Wi-Fi network was also logged in at home several miles away. That is to say, the user was active off-site but someone within Wi-Fi range of the building was trying to wirelessly use that user's MAC address, which is a red flag. The team then took steps to trace the Wi-Fi signal and used a Fluke system to identify the Wi-Fi device.

This led the team to the roof, where two modified commercially available consumer drones series were discovered. One drone was in fine condition and had a modified Wi-Fi Pineapple device, used for network penetration testing. The second drone was carrying a case that contained a Raspberry Pi, several batteries, a GPD mini laptop, a 4G modem, and another Wi-Fi device. It had landed near the building's heating and ventilation system and appeared to be damaged but still operable.

During their investigation, they determined that the first drone had originally been used a few days prior to intercept a worker's credentials and Wi-Fi, and this data was then hard coded into the tools that were deployed on the second drone.

https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/12/drone-roof-attack/

• Magniber Ransomware Attacking Individuals and Home Users

A recent analysis shows that Magniber ransomware has been targeting home users by masquerading as software updates.

Reports have shown a ransomware campaign isolated by HP Wolf Security in September 2022 saw Magniber ransomware spread. The malware is known as a single-client ransomware family that demands $2,500 from victims. Magniber was previously primarily spread through MSI and EXE files, but in September 2022 HP Wolf Security began seeing campaigns distributing the ransomware in JavaScript files.

HP Wolf Security reported that some malware families rely exclusively on JavaScript, but have done so for some time. Currently, analysts are also seeing more HTML smuggling, such as with Qakbot and IcedID. This technique also makes use of JavaScript to decode malicious content. The only difference is that the HTML file is executed in the context of the browser and therefore usually requires further user interaction.

Remarkably, HP Wolf Security said, the attackers used clever techniques to evade detection, such as running the ransomware in memory, bypassing User Account Control (UAC) in Windows, and bypassing detection techniques that monitor user-mode hooks by using syscalls instead of standard Windows API libraries.

It appears that with the UAC bypass, the malware deletes the infected system’s shadow copy files and disables backup and recovery features, preventing the victim from recovering their data using Windows tools.

Having recently described the ransomware campaign in a recent interview, HP Wolf noted that the infection chain starts with a web download from an attacker-controlled website.

https://www.itsecurityguru.org/2022/10/14/https-www-infosecurity-magazine-com-news-magniber-ransomware-adopts/

---

Threats

Ransomware and Extortion

• More and more ransomware is just data theft, no encryption • The Register

• Why paying the ransom is a mistake - Help Net Security

• Ransomware: Undeniably Top of Mind - MSSP Alert

• Black Basta Ransomware Gang Infiltrates Networks via QAKBOT, Brute Ratel, and Cobalt Strike (trendmicro.com)

• Magniber ransomware now infects Windows users via JavaScript files (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Fake adult sites push data wipers disguised as ransomware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• It was LockBit that forced NHS tech supplier to shut down • The Register

• Ransomware posing as Windows antivirus update will just empty your wallet | TechRadar

• Microsoft: New Prestige ransomware targets orgs in Ukraine, Poland (bleepingcomputer.com)

• BlackByte ransomware uses new EDR evasion technique (techtarget.com)

• Prevent Ransomware Attacks on Critical Infrastructure (trendmicro.com)

• Microsoft Exchange servers hacked to deploy LockBit ransomware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Harvard Business Publishing licensee hit by ransomware - Security Affairs

• LockBit affiliates compromise Microsoft Exchange servers to deploy ransomware - Security Affairs

• Police tricks DeadBolt ransomware out of 155 decryption keys (bleepingcomputer.com)

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• Caffeine service lets anyone launch Microsoft 365 phishing attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Kaspersky Warns Of A New Wave Of Malicious Email Campaign, Spreading The (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• A whole load of phishing emails make it past Microsoft Defender, researchers say | TechRadar

• Google Forms abused in new COVID-19 phishing wave in the U.S. (bleepingcomputer.com)

• US election workers hit with phishing, malware emails • The Register

• Cyber criminals are having it easy with phishing-as-a-service - Help Net Security

Other Social Engineering; Smishing, Vishing, etc

• BazarCall Call Back Phishing Attacks Constantly Evolving Its Social Engineering Tactics (thehackernews.com)

• Hackers Using Vishing to Trick Victims into Installing Android Banking Malware (thehackernews.com)

Malware

• How a Microsoft blunder opened millions of PCs to potent malware attacks | Ars Technica

• Banks face their 'darkest hour' as crimeware powers up • The Register

• Emotet Rises Again With More Sophistication, Evasion (darkreading.com)

• QAKBOT Attacks Spike Amid Concerning Cyber Criminal Collaborations (darkreading.com)

• Hackers behind IcedID malware attacks diversify delivery tactics (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Eternity threat group’s LilithBot: A criminal multitool • The Register

• New Report Uncovers Emotet's Delivery and Evasion Techniques Used in Recent Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Here's another excellent reason not to browse adult websites at work | TechRadar

• Experts analysed the evolution of the Emotet supply chain - Security Affairs

• Mirai Botnet Targeted Wynncraft Minecraft Server, Cloudflare Reports - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• New Report Uncovers Emotet's Delivery and Evasion Techniques Used in Recent Attacks (thehackernews.com)

Mobile

• Modified WhatsApp App Caught Infecting Android Devices with Malware (thehackernews.com)

• Meta uncovers 400 malicious apps on Android and iOS apps   | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• ‘Zero-Click’ Spyware Emerges as a Menacing Mobile Threat - Bloomberg

• Mullvad: Android may leak information when connected to a VPN - gHacks Tech News

• Android Security Updates Patch Critical Vulnerabilities | SecurityWeek.Com

• Hackers Using Vishing to Trick Victims into Installing Android Banking Malware (thehackernews.com)

• Mystery iPhone update patches against iOS 16 mail crash-attack – Naked Security (sophos.com)

Internet of Things – IoT

• Smart buildings may be your cyber security downfall - Help Net Security

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Client data exfiltrated in Advanced NHS cyber attack (digitalhealth.net)

• Mormon Church data stolen in 'state-sponsored' cyber attack • The Register

• Singtel's Australian IT Firm Dialog Suffers Data Breach - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• 2K Customer Data Stolen, Sold Online After Support Desk Scam (kotaku.com)

• Toyota discloses data leak after access key exposed on GitHub (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Fast Company says Executive Board member info was not stolen in attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• State Bar of Georgia Confirms Data Breach Following Ransomware Attack | SecurityWeek.Com

• Singtel's second unit faces cyber attack weeks after Optus data breach | Reuters

• Zoetop pays $1.9m to settle customer data theft case • The Register

• CommonSpirit Health IT still suffering after cyber attack • The Register

• Over 80,000 DJI drone IDs exposed in data leak: Report (dronedj.com)

• High-Value Targets: String of Aussie Telco Breaches Continues (darkreading.com)

• Data of 380K patients compromised in hack of 13 anesthesia practices | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Australian police secret agents exposed in Colombian data leak (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 64,000 Additional Patients Impacted by Omnicell Data Breach - What is Your Data Breach Action Plan? (thehackernews.com)

• Toyota Reveals Data Leak of 300,000 Customers - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Intel Processor UEFI Source Code Leaked (darkreading.com)

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• INTERPOL arrests ‘Black Axe’ cyber crime syndicate members (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Caffeine Phishing-as-a-Service toolkit available in the underground - Security Affairs

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• North Korea's Crypto Hackers Are Paving the Road to Nuclear Armageddon - CNET

• Fake Solana Phantom security updates push crypto-stealing malware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 'Baby Al Capone' to pay $22m to SIM-swap crypto-heist victim • The Register

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• A New Wave of PayPal Invoice Scams Using Crypto Disguise - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Alternative payment methods are creating new fraud risks - Help Net Security

• Prison inmate charged with $11m fraud via cell phone • The Register

• Mastercard moves to protect ‘risky and frisky’ transactions • The Register

Deepfakes

• DeepFakes Are The Cyber criminal Economy’s Latest Business Line - Security Affairs

AML/CFT/Sanctions

• GCHQ boss: China could use Digital Yuan to swerve sanctions • The Register

Insurance

• Australian insurer takes systems offline over possible hacking | Cybersecurity News | Al Jazeera

Dark Web

• Darkweb market BidenCash gives away 1.2 million credit cards for free (bleepingcomputer.com)

Software Supply Chain

• Novel npm Timing Attack Allows Corporate Targeting (darkreading.com)

Denial of Service DoS/DDoS

• The Nation State Threat — Philip Ingram Discusses DDoS and the Possibilities of Cyber War - IT Security Guru

• US airports' sites taken down in DDoS attacks by pro-Russian hackers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Russian DDoS attack project pays contributors for more firepower (bleepingcomputer.com)

Cloud/SaaS

• Cloud Data Breaches Are Running Rampant. What Are the Common Characteristics? (darkreading.com)

Encryption

• Microsoft Office 365 uses insecure block ciphers • The Register

• Microsoft Office 365 email encryption could expose message content (bleepingcomputer.com)

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• AI and Residual Finger Heat Could Be a Password Cracker's Latest Tools (darkreading.com)

Social Media

• Young people using TikTok is no problem, GCHQ chief says | TikTok | The Guardian

Training, Education and Awareness

• Phishing Simulations Do Not Give Users Enough Context As To Why They Are (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• How to improve employees' cyber security behaviour - Help Net Security

Parental Controls and Child Safety

• Client-side scanning to detect child abuse material harmful • The Register

Cyber Bullying and Cyber Stalking

• Student jailed for hacking female classmates’ email, Snapchat accounts (bleepingcomputer.com)

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• India set to extend deadline for verbose infosec reporting • The Register

Backup and Recovery

• Microsoft Teams: A channel for sensitive business information sharing that needs better backup - Help Net Security

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

• Vladimir Putin’s hybrid war has begun and the West must be ready | Evening Standard

• The Nation State Threat — Philip Ingram Discusses DDoS and the Possibilities of Cyber War - IT Security Guru

• Internet outages hit Ukraine following Russian missile strikes (bitdefender.com)

• Seven 'Creepy' Backdoors Used by Lebanese Cyberspy Group in Israel Attacks | SecurityWeek.Com

• Researchers Uncover Custom Backdoors and Spying Tools Used by Polonium Hackers (thehackernews.com)

• We must tackle Europe’s winter cyber threats head-on – POLITICO

• Starlink helped restore energy, communications infrastructure in parts of Ukraine - official | Reuters

• Researchers Detail Malicious Tools Used by Cyber Espionage Group Earth Aughisky (thehackernews.com)

• Ukraine Enhances Cooperation With EU Cybersecurity Agencies - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• ‘Zero-Click’ Spyware Emerges as a Menacing Mobile Threat - Bloomberg

• SpaceX’s Starlink terminals in Ukraine back online after outages | Financial Times

---

Nation State Actors

Nation State Actors – Russia

• German Cyber security Chief Accused of Russian Contact Faces Sacking - IT Security Guru

• Russian DDoS attack project pays contributors for more firepower (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Extreme Networks admits sales to banned Russian arms maker • The Register

Nation State Actors – China

• UK Spy Chief to Warn of 'Huge' China Tech Threat | SecurityWeek.Com

• China’s attack motivations, tactics, and how CISOs can mitigate threats | CSO Online

• China will manipulate new tech for global influence, warns GCHQ boss | Metro News

• UK telcos legally required to remove Huawei equipment • The Register

• Chinese-linked hackers targeted U.S. state legislature, researchers say - CyberScoop

• New Chinese Malware Attack Framework Targets Windows, macOS, and Linux Systems (thehackernews.com)

• Feature-Rich 'Alchimist' Cyber attack Framework Targets Windows, Mac, Linux Environments (darkreading.com)

• China's cyber assault on Taiwan - 60 Minutes - CBS News

• UK to designate China a ‘threat’ in hawkish foreign policy shift | Foreign policy | The Guardian

• WIP19, a new Chinese APT targets IT Service Providers and Telcos - Security Affairs

• China-linked Budworm APT returns to target a US entity - Security Affairs

• We must tackle China’s satellite-busting technology, says GCHQ chief | News | The Times

• GCHQ boss: China could use Digital Yuan to swerve sanctions • The Register

• Young people using TikTok is no problem, GCHQ chief says | TikTok | The Guardian

Nation State Actors – North Korea

• North Korea's Crypto Hackers Are Paving the Road to Nuclear Armageddon - CNET

Nation State Actors – Misc

• Mormon Church data stolen in 'state-sponsored' cyber attack • The Register

---

Vulnerability Management

• Apple's Constant Battles Against Zero-Day Exploits (darkreading.com)

---

Vulnerabilities

• Concerns Over Fortinet Flaw Mount; PoC Released, Exploit Activity Grows (darkreading.com)

• Microsoft October 2022 Patch Tuesday fixes zero-day used in attacks, 84 flaws (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft Addresses Zero-Days, but Exchange Server Exploit Chain Remains Unpatched (darkreading.com)

• Auth bypass bug in FortiOS, FortiProxy is exploited in the wild (CVE-2022-40684) - Help Net Security

• Chrome 106 Update Patches Several High-Severity Vulnerabilities | SecurityWeek.Com

• Researchers Detail Windows Zero-Day Vulnerability Patched Last Month (thehackernews.com)

• SAP Patches Critical Vulnerabilities in Commerce, Manufacturing Execution Products | SecurityWeek.Com

• Almost 900 servers hacked using Zimbra zero-day flaw (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Patch Tuesday: Critical Flaws in ColdFusion, Adobe Commerce | SecurityWeek.Com

• Aruba fixes critical RCE and auth bypass flaws in EdgeConnect (bleepingcomputer.com)

• WordPress Vulnerability In Shortcodes Ultimate Impacts 700,000 Sites (searchenginejournal.com)

• Critical Open Source vm2 Sandbox Escape Bug Affects Millions (darkreading.com)

• VMware vCenter Server bug disclosed last year still not patched (bleepingcomputer.com)

---

Other News

• Board members should make CISOs their strategic partners - Help Net Security

• 5 Attack Elements Every Organisations Should Be Monitoring (darkreading.com)

• Ukraine’s Starlink problems show the dangers of digital dependency | Financial Times (ft.com)

• Here's 5 of the world's riskiest connected devices - Help Net Security

• 2FA is over. Long live 3FA! - Help Net Security

• White House to unveil ambitious cyber security labeling effort modeled after Energy Star - CyberScoop

• Older, Stored Data Is Cyber Security Risk, Report Warns - MSSP Alert

• What the Uber Breach Verdict Means for CISOs in the US (darkreading.com)

• Increasing network visibility is critical to improving security posture - Help Net Security

• What the Uber Hack can teach us about navigating IT Security (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Consumers want more transparency on how companies manage their data - Help Net Security

• Gaming Is Booming. That’s Catnip for Cyber criminals. - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

• 91% of Cyber Pros Experience Mental Health Challenges at Work - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Fear of cyber criminals drives cyber security improvements - Help Net Security

• The next Ford Mustang won’t be easy to tune; blame cyber security | Ars Technica

---

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 Threat Briefing 30 September 2022

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

Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week

• UK Organisations, Ukraine's Allies Warned of Potential "Massive" Cyber Attacks By Russia

The head of the UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) Lindy Cameron has given an update on Russia’s cyber activity amid its war with Ukraine. Her speech at Chatham House last week came just a few days after Ukraine’s military intelligence agency issued a warning that Russia was “preparing massive cyber attacks on the critical infrastructure of Ukraine and its allies.” This coincides with a new Forrester report that reveals the extent to which the cyber impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict has expanded beyond the conflict zone with malware attacks propagating into European entities.

Addressing Russian cyber activity this year, Cameron stated that, while we have not seen the “cyber-Armageddon” some predicted, there has been a “very significant conflict in cyber space – probably the most sustained and intensive cyber campaign on record – with the Russian State launching a series of major cyber attacks in support of their illegal invasion in February.”

Russian cyber forces from their intelligence and military branches have been busy launching a huge number of attacks in support of immediate military objectives.

Since the start of the year, the NCSC has been advising UK organisations to take a more proactive approach to cyber security in light of the situation in Ukraine. “There may be organisations that are beginning to think ‘is this still necessary?’ as in the UK we haven’t experienced a major incident related to the war in Ukraine. My answer is an emphatic yes,” Cameron said.

In response to significant recent battlefield set-backs, Putin has been reacting in unpredictable ways, and so we shouldn’t assume that just because the conflict has played out in one way to date, it will continue to go the same way, Cameron added. “There is still a real possibility that Russia could change its approach in the cyber domain and take more risks – which could cause more significant impacts in the UK.” UK organisations and their network defenders should therefore be prepared for this period of elevated alert with a focus on building long-term resilience, which is a “marathon not a sprint,” she said.

https://www.csoonline.com/article/3674871/ncsc-chief-warns-uk-organizations-ukraine-s-allies-of-possible-massive-cyberattacks-by-russia.html#tk.rss_news

• Cyber Criminals See Allure in BEC Attacks Over Ransomware

While published trends in ransomware attacks have been contradictory — with some firms tracking more incidents and other fewer — business email compromise (BEC) attacks continue to have proven success against organisations.

BEC cases, as a share of all incident-response cases, more than doubled in the second quarter of the year, to 34% from 17% in the first quarter of 2022. That's according to Arctic Wolf's "1H 2022 Incident Response Insights" report, published on 29 September, which found that specific industries — including financial, insurance, business services, and law firms, as well as government agencies — experienced more than double their previous number of cases, the company said.

Overall, the number of BEC attacks encountered per email box has grown by 84% in the first half of 2022, according to data from cyber security firm Abnormal Security.

Meanwhile, so far this year, threat reports released by organisations have revealed contradictory trends for ransomware. Arctic Wolf and the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) have seen drops in the number of successful ransomware attacks, while business customers seem to be encountering ransomware less often, according to security firm Trellix. At the same time, network security firm WatchGuard had a contrary take, noting that its detection of ransomware attacks skyrocketed 80% in the first quarter of 2022, compared with all of last year.

The surging state of BEC landscape is unsurprising because BEC attacks offer cyber criminals advantages over ransomware. Specifically, BEC gains do not rely on the value of cryptocurrency, and attacks are often more successful at escaping notice while in progress. Threat actors are unfortunately very opportunistic.

For that reason, BEC — which uses social engineering and internal systems to steal funds from businesses — continues to be a stronger source of revenue for cyber criminals. In 2021, BEC attacks accounted for 35%, or $2.4 billion, of the $6.9 billion in potential losses tracked by the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), while ransomware remained a small fraction (0.7%) of the total.

https://www.darkreading.com/threat-intelligence/cybercriminals-see-allure-bec-attacks-ransomware

• Most Hackers Need 5 Hours or Less to Break Into Enterprise Environments

A new survey of 300 ethical hackers provides insight into not only the most common means of initial access, but how a complete end-to-end attack happens.

Around 40% of ethical hackers recently surveyed by the SANS Institute said they can break into most environments they test, if not all. Nearly 60% said they need five hours or less to break into a corporate environment once they identify a weakness.

The SANS ethical hacking survey, done in partnership with security firm Bishop Fox, is the first of its kind and collected responses from over 300 ethical hackers working in different roles inside organisations, with different levels of experience and specialisations in different areas of information security. The survey revealed that on average, hackers would need five hours for each step of an attack chain: reconnaissance, exploitation, privilege escalation and data exfiltration, with an end-to-end attack taking less than 24 hours.

The survey highlights the need for organisations to improve their mean time-to-detect and mean-time-to-contain, especially when considering that ethical hackers are restricted in the techniques they're allowed to use during penetration testing or red team engagements. Using black hat techniques, like criminals do, would significantly improve the success rate and speed of attack.

When asked how much time they typically need to identify a weakness in an environment, 57% of the polled hackers indicated ten or fewer hours: 16% responded six to ten hours, 25% three to five hours, 11% one to two hours and 5% less than an hour.

https://www.csoonline.com/article/3675535/most-hackers-need-5-hours-or-less-to-break-into-enterprise-environments.html#tk.rss_news

• Global Firms Deal with 51 Security Incidents Each Day

Security operations (SecOps) teams are struggling to respond to dozens of cyber security incidents every single day, according to a new report from Trellix.

The security vendor polled 9000 security decision makers from organisations with 500+ employees across 15 markets to compile its latest study, ‘XDR: Redefining the future of cyber security’.

It found that the average SecOps team has to manage 51 incidents per day, with 36% of respondents claiming they deal with 50 to 200 daily incidents. Around half (46%) agreed that they are “inundated by a never-ending stream of cyber-attacks.”

Part of the problem is the siloed nature of security and detection and response systems, the study claimed. Some 60% of respondents argued that poorly integrated products mean teams can’t work efficiently, while a third (34%) admitted they have blind spots. It’s perhaps no surprise, therefore, that 60% admitted they can’t keep pace with the rapid evolution of security threats.

This could be having a major impact on the bottom line. The vast majority (84%) of security decision makers that Trellix spoke to estimated that their organisation lost up to 10% of revenue from security breaches in the past year.

Medium size businesses ($50–$100m in revenue) lost an average of 8% in revenue, versus 5% for large businesses with a turnover of $10bn–$25bn. That could mean hundreds of millions of dollars are being thrown away each year due to inadequate SecOps.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/global-firms-51-security-incidents/

• Phishing Attacks Crushed Records Last Quarter, Driven by Mobile

Last quarter saw a record-shattering number of observed phishing attacks, fuelled in large part by attempts to target users on their mobile devices.

The latest Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) "Phishing Activity Trends Report" for the second quarter of 2022 found 1,097,811 observed phishing attacks, the most the group has ever measured in its history.

The financial sector remained the top target for phishing lures (27.6%), along with other bombarded sectors, including webmail and software-as-a-service providers, social media sites, and cryptocurrency.

But much of the rise in phishing volume is due to a new threat actor focus on mobile devices, specifically vishing (voice phishing) and smishing (SMS phishing) attacks, the report noted.

https://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/phishing-attacks-crushed-records-last-quarter

• Why Paying the Ransom is Still the Most Common Response to a Ransomware Attack

According to new data from Databarracks, 44% of the organisations who experienced a ransomware assault paid the demanded ransom. 22% made use of ransomware decryption software, while 34% restored data from backups.

The Databarracks 2022 Data Health Check produced the results. The annual report has been collecting data on ransomware, cyber, backup, disaster recovery, and business continuity from more than 400 UK IT decision-makers since 2008.

From the victim’s standpoint, it’s logical why you may pay a ransom. You are unable to handle orders or provide customer support, and losses mount swiftly. Downtime expenses can easily surpass the ransom.

Organisations may believe that paying the ransom will solve the issue more quickly, allowing them to resume operations as usual. This strategy is faulty for a number of causes.

First of all, there is no assurance that your data will be returned. Second, once criminals know an organisation is an easy target, they frequently attack it again. Finally, it conveys the incorrect message. By paying, you are assisting the crooks by demonstrating that their strategies are effective.

https://informationsecuritybuzz.com/study-research/why-paying-the-ransom-is-still-the-most-common-response-to-a-ransomware-attack/

• Ransomware Attacks Continue Increasing: 20% of All Reported Attacks Occurred in the Last 12 Months

Nearly a quarter of businesses have suffered a ransomware attack, with a fifth occurring in the past 12 months, according to a latest annual report from cyber security specialist Hornetsecurity.

The 2022 Ransomware Report, which surveyed over 2,000 IT leaders, revealed that 24% have been victims of a ransomware attack, with one in five (20%) attacks happening in the last year.

Cyber attacks are happening more frequently. Last year's ransomware survey revealed one in five (21%) companies experienced an attack; this year it rose by three percent to 24%.

Attacks on businesses are increasing, and there is a shocking lack of awareness and preparation by IT pros. The survey shows that many in the IT community have a false sense of security as bad actors develop new techniques.

The 2022 Ransomware Report highlighted a lack of knowledge on the security available to businesses. A quarter (25%) of IT professionals either don't know or don't think that Microsoft 365 data can be impacted by a ransomware attack.

Just as worryingly, 40% of IT professionals that use Microsoft 365 in their organisation admitted they do not have a recovery plan in case their Microsoft 365 data was compromised by a ransomware attack.

Microsoft 365 is vulnerable to phishing attacks and ransomware attacks, but with the help of third-party tools, IT admins can back up their Microsoft 365 data securely and protect themselves from such attacks.

Industry responses showed the widespread lack of preparedness from IT professionals and businesses. There has been an increase in businesses not having a disaster recovery plan in place if they do succumb to the heightened threat of a cyber attack.

In 2021, 16% of respondents reported having no disaster recovery plan in place. In 2022, this grew to 19%, despite the rise in attacks.

https://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/ransomware-attacks-continue-increasing-20-of-all-reported-attacks-occurred-in-the-last-12-months---new-survey

• More Than Half of Security Pros Say Risks Higher in Cloud Than On Premise

A recent survey from machine identity solutions provider Venafi aimed to explore the complexity of cloud environments and the resulting impact on cyber security.

Venafi surveyed 1,101 security decision makers (SDMs) in firms with more than 1,000 employees and found that eighty-one percent of companies have experienced a cloud security incident in the last year. Forty-five percent have suffered at least four security incidents in the same period. More than half of security decision makers believe that security risks are higher in the cloud than on-premise.

Twenty-four percent of the firms have more than 10,000 employees. Ninety-two percent of the SDMs are at manager level or above, with 49% at c-suite level or higher.

Most of the firms surveyed believe the underlying issue is the increasing complexity of their cloud deployments. Since these companies already host 41% of their applications in the cloud, and expect to increase this to 57% over the next 18 months, the problem is only likely to worsen in the future.

The ripest target of attack in the cloud is identity management, especially machine identities. Each of these cloud services, containers, Kubernetes clusters and microservices needs an authenticated machine identity – such as a TLS certificate – to communicate securely. If any of these identities is compromised or misconfigured, it dramatically increases security and operational risks.

Respondents reported that the most common cloud incidents are security incidents during runtime (34%), unauthorised access (33%), misconfigurations (32%), vulnerabilities that have not been remediated (24%), and failed audits (19%).

Their primary operational concerns are hijacking of accounts, services or traffic (35%), malware or ransomware (31%), privacy/data access issues such as those from GDPR (31%), unauthorised access (28%), and nation state attacks (26%).

https://www.securityweek.com/more-half-security-pros-say-risks-higher-cloud-premise

• How To Outsmart Increasingly Complex Cyber Attacks

Threat detection is harder today than it was two years ago. Next year will be harder than this year. Why? It’s a compounding effect from skills shortages and threat varieties that’s making it more challenging for any one product to handle key security wins. And cyber security is a constantly evolving sector with 2022 a devastating year for cyber security. Both hackers and security experts are always in a battle to outsmart each other.

Even for businesses with good IT departments, data protection can too quickly become an afterthought. Today’s threat landscape is growing, not just in the frequency of attacks (and the number of high-profile breaches recorded in the media) but so is the complexity of any given threat. A recent piece of research found that in 93 percent of cases, an external attacker can breach an organisation’s network perimeter and gain access to local network resources. Following increasing levels of cyber-attacks, it’s a case of “not if I will be hit by a ransomware attack,” but “when…” Organisations need to do something to mitigate the risk and protect their businesses, and they need to do it now. 

Planning and executing a better defence to outsmart attackers and win more security battles doesn’t have to feel like a military operation – but it does require the right service coverage to remove blind spots and reduce emerging risks before they escalate. 

https://informationsecuritybuzz.com/articles/how-to-outsmart-increasingly-complex-cyber-attacks/

• Top Issues Driving Cyber Security: Growing Number of Cyber Criminals, Variety of Attacks

Fortifying cyber security defences remains a work in progress for many organisations, who acknowledge their shortcomings but have yet to commit the necessary resources to the effort, according to new research from CompTIA.

While a majority of respondents in each of seven geographic regions feels that their company’s cyber security is satisfactory, CompTIA’s “State of Cybersecurity” shows that a much smaller number rank the situation as “completely satisfactory.” Nearly everyone feels that there is room for improvement.

“Companies are aware of the threats they face and the potential consequences of an attack or breach,” said Seth Robinson, VP of industry research, CompTIA. “But they may be underestimating their exposure and how much they need to invest in cyber security. Risk mitigation is the key, the filter through which everything should be viewed.”

Two of the top three issues driving cyber security considerations are the growing volume of cyber criminals, cited by 48% of respondents, and the growing variety of cyber attacks (45%). Additionally, ransomware and phishing have quickly become major areas of concern as digital operations have increased and human error has proven more costly.

“Digital transformation driven by cloud and mobile adoption requires a new strategic approach to cyber security, but this poses significant challenges, both tactically and financially,” Robinson said. “As IT operations and strategy have grown more complex, so has the management of cyber security.”

As cyber security is more tightly integrated with business objectives, zero trust is the overarching policy that should be guiding modern efforts, though its adoption will not take place overnight because it requires a drastically different way of thinking and acting. The report suggests there is small progress in recognising a holistic zero trust approach, but better progress in adopting some elements that are part of an overarching zero trust policy.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/09/30/top-issues-driving-cybersecurity/

• Cyber Threats Top Business Leaders' Biggest Concerns

Cyber threats are the number one concern for business decision makers, beating worries over economic uncertainty, rising energy costs and hiring, according to insurance provider Travelers. The firm polled over 1200 business leaders to compile its 2022 Travelers Risk Index report.

This is the third time in four years that cyber has emerged as the top concern, with more than half (57%) of respondents believing a future cyber-attack on their organisation is inevitable. A quarter (26%) said their company had already been a breach victim, the seventh successive year this figure has risen.

The top two cyber-related concerns were suffering a security breach (57%), and a system glitch causing computers to crash (55%). Becoming a cyber-extortion victim rose from eighth position to third this year.

However, despite general concern about cyber-threats, business decision-makers may also be guilty of overconfidence in their organisation’s security posture.

Nearly all respondents (93%) said they’re confident their company has implemented best practices to prevent or mitigate a cyber event. Yet most have not deployed endpoint detection and response tools (64%), they haven’t conducted a vendor cyber-assessment (59%), and don’t have an incident response plan (53%). Further, while 90% said they’re familiar with multi-factor authentication (MFA), only 52% had implemented it for remote access. This increasingly matters, not only to mitigate cyber-risk but also to reduce insurance premium costs and increase coverage.

Cyber attacks can shut down a company for a long period of time or even put it out of business, and it’s imperative that companies have a plan in place to mitigate any associated operational and financial disruptions.

Effective measures that have proven to reduce the risk of becoming a cyber victim are available, but based on these survey results, not enough companies are taking action. It’s never too late, and these steps can help businesses avoid a devastating cyber-event.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/cyberthreats-top-business-big/

• Fired Admin Cripples Former Employer's Network Using Old Credentials

After being laid off, an IT system administrator disrupted the operations of his former employer, a high-profile financial company in Hawaii, hoping to get his job back.

Casey K Umetsu, aged 40, worked as a network admin for the company between 2017 and 2019, when his employer terminated his contract. The US Department of Justice says in a press release that the defendant pled guilty to accessing his former employer's website and making configuration changes to redirect web and email traffic to external computers.

To prolong the business disruption for several more days, Umetsu performed additional actions that essentially locked out the firm's IT team from the website administration panel. In the end, the victimised company learned who was responsible for the sabotage after reporting the cyber security incident to the FBI.

Umetsu is awaiting sentence for his wrongdoings on January 19, 2023. He faces a maximum of 10 years of prison time and a fine of up to $250,000.

While Umetsu's actions are condemnable, the company's security practices cannot be overlooked since Umetsu used credentials that should have been invalidated the moment he got fired.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/fired-admin-cripples-former-employers-network-using-old-credentials/

---

Threats

Ransomware and Extortion

• Ransomware data theft tool may show a shift in extortion tactics (bleepingcomputer.com)

• The various ways ransomware impacts your organization - Help Net Security

• New Royal Ransomware emerges in multi-million dollar attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Research: 20% of All Reported Ransomware Attacks Occurred in the Last 12 Months - MSSP Alert

• BlackCat Ransomware Attackers Spotted Fine-Tuning Their Malware Arsenal (thehackernews.com)

• Noberus ransomware gets info-stealing upgrades • The Register

• Personal Data Of Duchess Of York, Clarkson And Attenborough Leaked In Ransomware Attack On Luxury Company (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• SQL Server admins warned to watch for Fargo ransomware • The Register

• BlackCat/ALPHV Gang Adds Wiper Functionality as Ransomware Tactic (darkreading.com)

• 'Disgruntled insider' shared REvil information with researchers, helped law enforcement (cyberscoop.com)

• Leaked LockBit 3.0 builder used by ‘Bl00dy’ ransomware gang in attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• NCC Group: IceFire ransomware gang ramping up attacks (techtarget.com)

• MS SQL servers are getting hacked to deliver ransomware to orgs - Help Net Security

• TAP Air Portugal confirms hack, as Ragnar Locker gang leaks data - including that of Portuguese president (bitdefender.com)

• ‘The Ransomware Hunting Team’: Book Excerpt (nymag.com)

• Hackers Leak French Hospital Patient Data in Ransom Fight | SecurityWeek.Com

• Oxford Health: Cyber attack continues to hit NHS trust's services - BBC News

• LA School District Ransomware Attackers Now Threaten to Leak Stolen Data (darkreading.com)

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• Phishing activity exploded in Q2 2022 - Help Net Security

• Fake US govt job offers push Cobalt Strike in phishing attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Germany arrests hacker for stealing €4 million via phishing attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Capital One Phish Showcases Growing Bank-Brand Targeting Trend (darkreading.com)

Other Social Engineering; Smishing, Vishing, etc

• How cyber criminals use public online and offline data to target employees | CSO Online

• Beware Revolut frozen card scams sent via SMS text • Graham Cluley

• IRS warns Americans of massive rise in SMS phishing attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

Malware

• Office exploits continue to spread more than any other category of malware - Help Net Security

• This credit card-stealing malware is spreading like wildfire | Digital Trends

• VMWare Releases Guidance for VirtualPITA, VirtualPIE, and VirtualGATE Malware Targeting vSphere | CISA

• Hacking group hides backdoor malware inside Windows logo image (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Hackers now sharing cracked Brute Ratel post-exploitation kit online (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cobalt Strike malware campaign targets job seekers (techtarget.com)

• New Botnet 'Chaos' Targeting Linux, Windows Systems (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Malware targets VMware users for espionage, Mandiant says • The Register

• Chaos Malware Resurfaces With All-New DDoS & Cryptomining Modules (darkreading.com)

• Microsoft Sway Pages Weaponized to Perform Phishing and Malware Delivery - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Quantum Builder tool helps criminals spread Windows RATs • The Register

• Unit 42 finds polyglot files delivering IcedID malware (techtarget.com)

• Hackers use PowerPoint files for 'mouseover' malware delivery (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Does AI-powered malware exist in the wild? Not yet (techtarget.com)

• Hackers Backdoor Pirated Windows OS With Cryptominer and Xtreme RAT - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• New Erbium password-stealing malware spreads as game cracks, cheats (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Lazarus APT continues to target job seekers with macOS malware - Security Affairs

• Hackers Use NullMixer and SEO to Spread Malware More Efficiently - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• APT28 relies on PowerPoint Mouseover to deliver Graphite malware - Security Affairs

Mobile

• WhatsApp 0-Day Bug Let Hackers Execute an Arbitary Code Remotely (gbhackers.com)

• Adware on Google Play and Apple Store installed 13 million times (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Samsung facing class action suit after customer data leak • The Register

• Inside a cyber attack method that targets your cellphone - The Washington Post

Internet of Things – IoT

• Embedded IoT security threats and challenges - Help Net Security

• Manufacturers Failing to Address Cyber security Vulnerabilities Liable Under New European Rules - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Watchfinder warns customers that hackers stole their data • Graham Cluley

• Samsung Fails Consumers in Preventable Back-to-Back Data Breaches, According to Federal Lawsuit (darkreading.com)

• Shangri-La hotels Customer Database Hacked | SecurityWeek.Com

• Hacker Behind Optus Breach Releases 10,200 Customer Records in Extortion Scheme (thehackernews.com)

• Australia government wants Optus to pay for data breach | ZDNET

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• Ukraine Arrests Cyber Crime Group for Selling Data of 30 Million Accounts (thehackernews.com)

• Middle-class migrant trap as traffickers lure white collar workers into bogus overseas jobs (telegraph.co.uk)

• New hacking group ‘Metador’ lurking in ISP networks for months (bleepingcomputer.com)

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• Scams targeting crypto enthusiasts are becoming increasingly common - Help Net Security

• Chaos Malware Resurfaces With All-New DDoS & Cryptomining Modules (darkreading.com)

• Hackers Backdoor Pirated Windows OS With Cryptominer and Xtreme RAT - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Cyber sleuth alleges $160M Wintermute hack was an inside job (cointelegraph.com)

• Crypto-Thieves Cost Victims 53 Times What They Make - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Preventing Cryptocurrency Cyber Extortion (trendmicro.com)

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• Recent cases highlight need for insider threat awareness and action | CSO Online

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• Online fraudsters adapt tactics to exploit UK cost of living crisis | UK cost of living crisis | The Guardian

• Identities Stolen From 1 In 4 Internet Users (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Fake Sites Siphon Millions of Dollars in 3-Year Scam (darkreading.com)

• Man jailed over involvement in identity theft syndicate that laundered millions of dollars | Crime - Australia | The Guardian

• Here’s how crooks are using deepfakes to scam your biz • The Register

Deepfakes

• Reshaping the Threat Landscape: Deepfake Cyber attacks Are Here (darkreading.com)

• The deepfake danger: When it wasn’t you on that Zoom call | CSO Online

Software Supply Chain

• With the Software Supply Chain, You Can't Secure What You Don't Measure (darkreading.com)

Denial of Service DoS/DDoS

• DDoS Threat Intelligence Report: More Than 6 Million Cyber attacks in First Half of 2022 - MSSP Alert

• Hackers are making DDoS attacks sneakier and harder to protect against | ZDNET

• UK's MI5 website briefly hit by denial of service attack - BBC | Reuters

• Chaos Malware Resurfaces With All-New DDoS & Cryptomining Modules (darkreading.com)

Cloud/SaaS

• Cloud security trends: What makes cloud infrastructure vulnerable to threats? - Help Net Security

• 81% of Companies Suffered A Cloud Security Incident Last Year – (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• What Lurks in the Shadows of Cloud Security? (darkreading.com)

• The current state of cloud security - Help Net Security

Open Source

• Open source projects under attack, with enterprises as the ultimate targets - Help Net Security

• Microsoft: Lazarus hackers are weaponizing open-source software (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Numerous orgs hacked after installing weaponized open source apps | Ars Technica

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• The Country Where You Live Impacts Password Choices (darkreading.com)

• Five Steps to Mitigate the Risk of Credential Exposure (thehackernews.com)

Social Media

• Fake CISO Profiles on LinkedIn Target Fortune 500s – Krebs on Security

• Fake Accounts Are Not Your Friends! (darkreading.com)

• Ofcom chair says tech firms must prioritise safety alongside clicks | Ofcom | The Guardian

• UK may fine TikTok $29 million for failing to protect children's privacy | Reuters

Training, Education and Awareness

• Time to Change Flawed Approach to Security Awareness (darkreading.com)

Parental Controls and Child Safety

• TikTok could face £27m fine for failing to protect children’s privacy | TikTok | The Guardian

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• Australia flags privacy overhaul after huge cyber attack on Optus | Reuters

Models, Frameworks and Standards

• 10 PCI DSS best practices to weigh as new standard rolls out (techtarget.com)

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

• Cyber Warfare Rife in Ukraine, But Impact Stays in Shadows | SecurityWeek.Com

• Russia prepares massive cyber attacks on the critical infrastructure of Ukraine and its allies - Security Affairs

• State-Sponsored Hackers Likely Exploited MS Exchange 0-Days Against ~10 Organisations (thehackernews.com)

• NCSC: UK Organisations Can Learn from Ukraine’s Impressive Cyber Defences - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Facebook Shuts Down Covert Political 'Influence Operations' from Russia and China (thehackernews.com)

• Mystery hackers are “hyperjacking” targets for insidious spying | Ars Technica

• Cyber espionage group developed backdoors tailored for VMware ESXi hypervisors | CSO Online

• Taiwanese citizens prepare for possible cyber war (axios.com)

• Malware targets VMware users for espionage, Mandiant says • The Register

• Espionage Group Wields Steganographic Backdoor Against Govs, Stock Exchange (darkreading.com)

• Can Kaspersky survive the Ukraine war? - CyberScoop

---

Nation State Actors

Nation State Actors – Russia

• Researchers Identify 3 Hacktivist Groups Supporting Russian Interests (thehackernews.com)

• APT28 relies on PowerPoint Mouseover to deliver Graphite malware - Security Affairs

• Meta dismantles massive Russian network spoofing Western news sites (bleepingcomputer.com)

Nation State Actors – China

• Chinese Cyberespionage Group 'Witchetty' Updates Toolset in Recent Attacks | SecurityWeek.Com

• China’s infosec researchers may have dodged vuln report ban` • The Register

Nation State Actors – North Korea

• Lazarus Lures Aspiring Crypto Pros With Fake Exchange Job Postings (darkreading.com)

• Microsoft: Lazarus hackers are weaponizing open-source software (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Lazarus APT continues to target job seekers with macOS malware - Security Affairs

• Lazarus hackers abuse Dell driver bug using new FudModule rootkit (bleepingcomputer.com)

Nation State Actors – Iran

• 'Our Conflict With Iran Is Unparalleled', Say Israel's Elite Cyber Unit Commanders - Israel News - Haaretz.com

• OpIran:Anonymous declares war on Iran amid Mahsa Amini’s death - Security Affairs

Nation State Actors – Misc

• Hunting for Unsigned DLLs to Find APTs (paloaltonetworks.com)

---

Vulnerabilities

• Exchange Server zero-day being actively exploited • The Register

• Microsoft Confirms Pair of Blindsiding Exchange Zero-Days, No Patch Yet (darkreading.com)

• Cisco Patches High-Severity Vulnerabilities in Networking Software | SecurityWeek.Com

• Sophos fixes critical code injection bug under exploit • The Register

• Zoho ManageEngine flaw is actively exploited, CISA warns | CSO Online

• Lazarus hackers abuse Dell driver bug using new FudModule rootkit (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Google Quashes 5 High-Severity Bugs With Chrome 106 Update (darkreading.com)

• Critical WhatsApp Bugs Could Have Let Attackers Hack Devices Remotely (thehackernews.com)

• Go Update iOS, Chrome, and HP Computers to Fix Serious Flaws | WIRED

---

Reports Published in the Last Week

• 2022 State of Bot Mitigation Report: Growing Majority of Companies (69%) (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

---

Other News

• High-Profile Hacks Show Effectiveness of MFA Fatigue Attacks | SecurityWeek.Com

• Poll Of IT Security Pros Suggests Gaps In UK Cyber Defence (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Why Organisations Need Both EDR and NDR for Complete Network Protection (thehackernews.com)

• Lessons From the GitHub Cyber Security Breach (darkreading.com)

• Data security trends: 7 statistics you need to know - Help Net Security

• Why does a Legacy WAF Fail to “Catch” Sophisticated Attacks? (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Akamai finds 13 million malicious newly observed domains a month | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Opinion | The Uber Hack Exposes More Than Failed Data Security - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

• Cyber security Study Sees “Siloed” Security As Organisational Weak Spot - MSSP Alert

• The key differences between a business continuity plan and a disaster recovery plan - Help Net Security

• 3 types of attack paths in Microsoft Active Directory environments - Help Net Security

• 97% of enterprises say VPNs are prone to cyber attacks: Study | CSO Online

• Collaboration in Cyber Security is the Key to Combatting the Growing Cyber Threat. Here’s Why - IT Security Guru

• 65% of companies are considering adopting VPN alternatives - Help Net Security

• Spoofing cyber attack can make cameras see things that aren’t there | New Scientist

• Zero Trust is the Goal But Much Ground Yet to Cover, CompTIA Reports - MSSP Alert

---

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 Threat Briefing 16 September 2022

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

Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week

• CFOs’ Overconfidence in Cyber Security Can Cost Millions

Kroll announced its report entitled ‘Cyber Risk and CFOs: Over-Confidence is Costly’ which found chief financial officers (CFOs) to be woefully in the dark regarding cyber security, despite confidence in their company’s ability to respond to an incident.

The report, conducted by StudioID of Industry Dive, exposed three key themes among the 180 senior finance executives surveyed worldwide:

1. Ignorance is bliss. Eighty-seven percent of CFOs are either very or extremely confident in their organisation’s cyber attack response. This is at odds with the level of visibility CFOs have into cyber risk issues, given only four out of 10 surveyed have regular briefings with their cyber teams.

2. Wide-ranging damages. 71% of the represented organisations suffered more than $5 million in financial losses stemming from cyber incidents in the previous 18 months, and 61% had suffered at least three significant cyber incidents in that time. Eighty-two percent of the executives in the survey said their companies suffered a loss of 5% or more in their valuations following their largest cyber security incident in the previous 18 months.

3. Increasing investment in cyber security. Forty-five percent of respondents plan to increase the percentage of their overall IT budget dedicated to information security by at least 10%.

According to Kroll: “We often see that CFOs are not aware enough of the financial risk presented by cyber threats until they face an incident. At that point, it’s clear that they need to be involved not only in the recovery, including permitting access to emergency funds and procuring third-party suppliers, but also in the strategy and investment around cyber both pre- and post-incident.”

“Ultimately, cyber attacks represent a financial risk to the business, and incidents can have a significant impact on value. It is, therefore, critical that this is included in wider business risk considerations. A CFO and CISO should work side-by-side, helping the business navigate the operational and financial risk of cyber.”

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/09/14/cfos-cybersecurity-confidence/

• Cyber Security Outflanks Inflation, Talent, Logistics in Business Worries

Nearly six in 10 IT leaders in a new study view cyber security as their top business concern, ranking it higher than inflation, retaining talent and supply chain/logistics management.

Less than half of respondents (43%) believe their critical data and assets are protected from cyber threats despite increased cyber security investments by their organisations, greater board visibility and increased collaboration between the security team and the C-suite, Rackspace said in its new survey of 1,420 IT professionals worldwide.

The multi-cloud technology services specialist said that a “large majority” of the survey respondents report being either unprepared or only “somewhat prepared” to respond to major threats, such as identifying and mitigating threats and areas of concern (62%), recovering from cyber attacks (61%) or preventing lapses and breaches (63%).

Cloud native security is where organisations are most likely to rely on an outside partner, such as a managed security service provider, for expertise.

Here are more of the survey’s findings:

• The top three cyber security challenges their organisation is facing: migrating and operating apps (45%); shortage of workers with cyber security skills (39%); lack of visibility of vulnerabilities across all infrastructure (38%).

• 70% of survey respondents report that their cyber security budgets have increased over the past three years.

• The leading recipients of new investment are cloud native security (59%); data security (50%), consultative security services (44%); and application security (41%).

• Investments align closely with the areas where organisations perceive their greatest concentration of threats, led by network security (58%), closely followed by web application attacks (53%) and cloud architecture attacks (50%).

• 70% of respondents said there has been an increase in board visibility for cyber security over the past five years, while 69% cite better collaboration between the security team and members of the C-suite.

• Only 13% of respondents said there were significant communications gaps between the security team and C-suite, while 69% of IT executives view their counterparts in the C-suite as advocates for their concerns.

The authors stated “We are seeing a major shift in how organisations are allocating resources to address cyber threats, even as budgets increase. The cloud brings with it a new array of security challenges that require new expertise, and often reliance on external partners who can help implement cloud native security tools, automate security, provide cloud native application protection, offer container security solutions and other capabilities”.

https://www.msspalert.com/cybersecurity-research/cybersecurity-outflanks-inflation-talent-logistics-in-business-worries-rackspace-research/

• Attackers Can Compromise Most Cloud Data in Just 3 Steps

An analysis of cloud services finds that known vulnerabilities typically open the door for attackers, while insecure cloud architectures allow them to gain access to the crown jewels.

Companies and their cloud providers often leave vulnerabilities open in their system and services, gifting attackers with an easy path to gain access to critical data.

According to an Orca Security analysis of data collected from major cloud services, attackers only need on average three steps to gain access to sensitive data, the so-called "crown jewels," starting most often — in 78% of cases — with the exploitation of a known vulnerability.

While much of the security discussion has focused on the misconfigurations of cloud resources by companies, cloud providers have often been slow to plug vulnerabilities.

The key is to fix the root causes, which is the initial vector, and to increase the number of steps that they attacker needs to take. Proper security controls can make sure that even if there is an initial attack vector, you are still not able to reach the crown jewels.

The report analysed data from Orca's security research team using data from a "billions of cloud assets on AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud," which the company's customers regularly scan. The data included cloud workload and configuration data, environment data, and information on assets collected in the first half of 2022.

https://www.darkreading.com/cloud/cyberattackers-compromise-most-cloud-data-3-steps

• Cyber Insurance Premiums Soar 80% As Claims Surge

Cyber insurance premiums have soared in the past year as claims surged in response to a rise in damaging attacks by hackers.

The cost of taking out cyber cover had doubled on average every year for the past three years, said global insurance broker Marsh. Honan Group, another broker, pointed to an 80 per cent rise in premiums in the past 12 months, following a 20 per cent increase in the cost of cover in each of the previous two years.

Brokers are calling cyber “the new D&O”, referring to sharp rises in directors and officers insurance premiums since 2018. Brokers were hopeful premiums would ease, but have warned insurers would continue to demand companies prove they had strong security systems and policies in place before agreeing to sell them insurance.

There’ll be a number of insurance companies that won’t even look at a business that doesn’t have a bunch of security measures in place. They’ll just turn around and say, ‘we’re not going to insure you’. The chief reason for the price rises is the increase in the number and size of claims relating to ransomware, where criminals use malicious software to block access to an organisation’s computer system until a sum of money is paid. In addition, some insurers left the market, while remaining players attempted to recoup the cost of under-priced contracts written in previous years.

The rise in the premiums is mainly due to ransomware and cyber attacks across the board have risen sharply over the past few years.

https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/management/cyber-insurance-premiums-soar-80pc-as-claims-surge-20220908-p5bglo

• One In 10 Employees Leaks Sensitive Company Data Every 6 Months

Departing employees are most likely to leak sensitive information to competitors, criminals or the media in exchange for cash.

Insider threats are an ongoing menace that enterprise security teams need to handle. It's a global problem but especially acute in the US, with 47 million Americans quitting their jobs in 2021. The threat of ex-employees taking sensitive information to competitors, selling it to criminals in exchange for cash, and leaking files to media is making data exfiltration a growing concern. 

About 1.4 million people who handle sensitive information in their organisation globally were tracked over the period from January to June 30 this year by cyber security firm Cyberhaven to find out when, how and who is involved in data exfiltration.

On average, 2.5% of employees exfiltrate sensitive information in a month, but over a six-month period, nearly one in 10, or 9.4% of employees, do so, Cyberhaven noted in its report. Data exfiltration incidents occur when data is transferred outside the organisation in unapproved ways.

Among employees that exfiltrated data, the top 1% most prolific “super stealers” were responsible for 7.7% of incidents, and the top 10% were responsible for 34.9% of incidents.

North America accounted for the highest number of incidents at 44%, followed by the Asia Pacific region at 27%. Europe, the Middle East, and Africa accounted for 24% of incidents while 5% of incidents were recorded in South America.

https://www.csoonline.com/article/3673260/one-in-10-employees-leaks-sensitive-company-data-every-6-months-report.html#tk.rss_news

• Business Application Compromise and the Evolving Art of Social Engineering

Social engineering is hardly a new concept, even in the world of cyber security. Phishing scams alone have been around for nearly 30 years, with attackers consistently finding new ways to entice victims into clicking a link, downloading a file, or providing sensitive information.

Business email compromise (BEC) attacks iterated on this concept by having the attacker gain access to a legitimate email account and impersonate its owner. Attackers reason that victims won't question an email that comes from a trusted source — and all too often, they're right.

But email isn't the only effective means cyber criminals use to engage in social engineering attacks. Modern businesses rely on a range of digital applications, from cloud services and VPNs to communications tools and financial services. What's more, these applications are interconnected, so an attacker who can compromise one can compromise others, too. Organisations can't afford to focus exclusively on phishing and BEC attacks — not when business application compromise (BAC) is on the rise.

https://www.darkreading.com/vulnerabilities-threats/business-application-compromise-the-evolving-art-of-social-engineering

• SMBs Are Hardest-Hit By Ransomware

Coalition announced the mid-year update to its 2022 Cyber Claims Report detailing the evolution of cyber trends, revealing that small businesses have become bigger targets, overall incidents are down, and ransomware attacks are declining as demands go unpaid.

During the first half of 2022, the average cost of a claim for a small business owner increased to $139,000, which is 58% higher than levels during the first half of 2021.

“Across industries, we continue to see high-profile attacks targeting organisations with weak or exposed infrastructure — which has become exacerbated by today’s remote working culture and companies’ dependence on third-party vendors,” said Coalition’s Head of Claims.

“Small businesses are especially vulnerable because they often lack resources. For these businesses, avoiding downtime and disruption is essential, and they must understand that Active Insurance is accessible.”

The good news: both Coalition and the broader insurance industry observed a decrease in ransomware attack frequency and the amount of ransom demanded between the second half of 2021 and the first half of 2022. Ransomware demands decreased from $1.37M in H2 2021 to $896,000 in H1 2022.

“Organisations are increasingly aware of the threat ransomware poses. They have started to implement controls such as offline data backups that allow them to refuse to pay the ransom and restore operations through other means,” said Coalition’s Head of Incident Response. “As ransomware is on the decline, attackers are turning to reliable methods. Phishing, for example, has skyrocketed – and only continues to grow.”

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/09/15/small-businesses-ransomware-targets/

• 65% Say Legacy Backup Solutions Aren’t Up To Ransomware Challenges

HYCU researchers are reporting 65% of respondents lack full confidence in their legacy backup solutions (HYCU is a multi-cloud backup-as-a-service provider).

According to the report, 65% of surveyed enterprise organisations are increasing spending on detection, prevention and recovery, and respondents are beginning to understand that air-gapped or immutable backups are the only ways to ensure that the backups themselves don’t fall prey to encryption worms when ransomware hits.

Key findings include:

• 52% of ransomware victims suffered data loss

• 63% of victims suffered an operational disruption

• Just 41% air gap their backups

• Just 47% routinely test their backups

• Only 35% of respondents believe their current backup and recovery tools are sufficient.

https://informationsecuritybuzz.com/expert-comments/65-say-legacy-backup-solutions-arent-up-to-ransomware-challenges/

• Four-Fifths of Firms Hit by Critical Cloud Security Incident

Some 80% of organisations suffered a “severe” cloud security incident over the past year, while a quarter worry they’ve suffered a cloud data breach and aren’t aware of it, according to new research from Snyk.

The developer security specialist polled 400 cloud engineering and security practitioners from organisations of various sizes and sectors, to compile its State of Cloud Security Report.

Among the incidents flagged by respondents over the past 12 months were breaches, leaks, intrusions, crypto-mining, compliance violations, failed audits and system downtime in the cloud.

Startups (89%) and public sector organisations (88%) were the most likely to have suffered such an incident over the period.

The bad news is that 58% of respondents predict they will suffer another severe incident in the cloud over the coming year. Over three-quarters (77%) of those questioned cited poor training and collaboration as a major challenge in this regard.

“Many cloud security failures result from a lack of effective cross-team collaboration and team training. When different teams use different tools or policy frameworks, reconciling work across those teams and ensuring consistent enforcement can be challenging,” the report argued.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/fourfifths-firms-critical-cloud/

• Homeworkers Putting Home and Business Cyber Safety at Risk

BlackBerry published a European research report exposing the cyber security risk created by cost-conscious homeworkers who prioritise security behind price, usability and ease of set up in their purchase of domestic smart devices.

32% of European home workers who own a smart device surveyed said security was a top three factor when choosing a smart device, compared to 50% who prioritised price. 28% of businesses aren’t putting adequate security provisions in place to extend cyber protection as far as homes. This heightens the risk of cyber attacks for businesses and their employees, as hybrid and home working become the norm.

The survey of 4,000 home workers in the UK, France, Germany, and the Netherlands revealed that 28% of people say that their employer has not done or communicated anything about protecting their home network or smart devices, or they don’t know if they are protected.

Furthermore, 75% of Europeans say their employers have taken no steps to secure the home internet connection or provide software protection for home devices. This failure to extend network security to home devices increases risk of the vulnerabilities created by hybrid and home working being successfully exploited. These are particularly sobering findings for small and mid-sized businesses who face upwards of eleven cyber attacks per device, per day, according to the research.

Through even the most innocent of devices, bad actors can access home networks with connections to company devices – or company data on consumer devices – and seize the opportunity to steal data and intellectual property worth millions. It’s likely businesses will bear the brunt of cyber attacks caused by unsecured home devices, with knock-on effects to employees themselves.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/09/12/homeworkers-smart-devices-security/

• Uber Hacked, Internal Systems Breached and Vulnerability Reports Stolen

Uber suffered a cyber attack Thursday afternoon with an allegedly 18-year-old hacker downloading HackerOne vulnerability reports and sharing screenshots of the company's internal systems, email dashboard, and Slack server.

The screenshots shared by the hacker and seen by BleepingComputer show what appears to be full access to many critical Uber IT systems, including the company's security software and Windows domain.

Other systems accessed by the hacker include the company's Amazon Web Services console, VMware vSphere/ESXi virtual machines, and the Google Workspace admin dashboard for managing the Uber email accounts.

The threat actor also breached the Uber Slack server, which he used to post messages to employees stating that the company was hacked. However, screenshots from Uber's slack indicate that these announcements were first met with memes and jokes as employees had not realised an actual cyber attack was taking place.

Uber has since confirmed the attack, tweeting that they are in touch with law enforcement and will post additional information as it becomes available. "We are currently responding to a cyber security incident. We are in touch with law enforcement and will post additional updates here as they become available," tweeted the Uber Communications account.

The New York Times, which first reported on the breach, said they spoke to the threat actor, who said they breached Uber after performing a social engineering attack on an employee and stealing their password. The threat actor then gained access to the company's internal systems using the stolen credentials.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/uber-hacked-internal-systems-breached-and-vulnerability-reports-stolen/

• IHG Hack: 'Vindictive' Couple Deleted Hotel Chain Data for Fun

Hackers have told the BBC they carried out a destructive cyber-attack against Holiday Inn owner Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) "for fun".

Describing themselves as a couple from Vietnam, they say they first tried a ransomware attack, then deleted large amounts of data when they were foiled. They accessed the FTSE 100 firm's databases thanks to an easily found and weak password, Qwerty1234. An expert says the case highlights the vindictive side of criminal hackers.

UK-based IHG operates 6,000 hotels around the world, including the Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and Regent brands. On Monday last week, customers reported widespread problems with booking and check-in. For 24 hours IHG responded to complaints on social media by saying that the company was "undergoing system maintenance".

Then on the Tuesday afternoon it told investors that it had been hacked.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-62937678

---

Threats

Ransomware and Extortion

• How prepared are organisations to tackle ransomware attacks? - Help Net Security

• Lorenz ransomware breaches corporate network via phone systems (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 3 Iranian nationals are accused of ransomware attacks on US victims (cnbc.com)

• Emotet botnet now pushes Quantum and BlackCat ransomware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cisco confirms Yanluowang ransomware leaked stolen company data (bleepingcomputer.com)

• DEV-0270 Hacker Group Uses Windows BitLocker Feature to Encrypt Systems (gbhackers.com)

• New York ambulance service discloses data breach after ransomware attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

• The ransomware problem won't get better until we change one thing | ZDNET

• Iranian Hackers Used Victims’ Printers to Issue Ransom Demands, DOJ Says (vice.com)

• Transparency, disclosure key to fighting ransomware (techtarget.com)

• Researchers Warn of 674% Surge in Deadbolt Ransomware - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Over Three-Quarters of Retailers Hit by Ransomware in 2021 - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Cisco Data Breach Attributed to Lapsus$ Ransomware Group (darkreading.com)

• Ransomware Group Leaks Files Stolen From Cisco | SecurityWeek.Com

• The LA School District Cyber Attack Keeps Unravelling – Expert Comments (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• Revolut hit by ‘phishing’ cyber attack | Business | The Times

• Crooks are using lures related to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in phishing attacks - Security Affairs

• Phishing page embeds keylogger to steal passwords as you type (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Hackers now use ‘sock puppets’ for more realistic phishing attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Phishers take aim at Facebook page owners - Help Net Security

• New Spear Phish Methodology Relies on PuTTY SSH Client to Infect Systems - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Real Estate Phish Swallows 1,000s of Microsoft 365 Credentials (darkreading.com)

• Death of Queen Elizabeth II exploited to steal Microsoft credentials (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Potential phishing activity update - NCSC.GOV.UK

Other Social Engineering; Smishing, Vishing, etc

• Serious Breach at Uber Spotlights Hacker Social Deception | SecurityWeek.Com

Malware

• Hackers Are Using WeTransfer Links To Spread Malware (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• New malware bundle self-spreads through YouTube gaming videos (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Linux variant of the SideWalk backdoor discovered - Help Net Security

• Malware on Pirated Content Sites a Major WFH Risk for Enterprises (darkreading.com)

• How to spot and avoid scams and malware in search results - The Washington Post

• Gay hookup site typosquatted to push dodgy Chrome extensions, scams (bleepingcomputer.com)

Mobile

• Google Patches Critical Vulnerabilities in Pixel Phones | SecurityWeek.Com

• Apple patches iPhone and macOS flaws under active attack • The Register

Internet of Things – IoT

• Securing your IoT devices against cyber attacks in 5 steps (bleepingcomputer.com)

• EU Wants to Toughen Cyber Security Rules for Smart Devices | SecurityWeek.Com

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Uber hacked, internal systems breached and vulnerability reports stolen (bleepingcomputer.com)

• LastPass says hackers had internal access for four days (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Hacker sells stolen Starbucks data of 219,000 Singapore customers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• U-Haul discloses data breach exposing customer driver licenses (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Hackers Compromise Employee Data at PVC-Maker Eurocell - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• Chinese-linked cyber crims nab $529 million from India • The Register

• Cyber Crime Forum Admins Steal from Site Users - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• Police arrest man for laundering tens of millions in stolen crypto (bleepingcomputer.com)

• US regulators say multi-billion-dollar crypto lender Celsius was operating like a ponzi scheme | PC Gamer

• Hackers Targeting WebLogic Servers and Docker APIs for Mining Cryptocurrencies (thehackernews.com)

• Fake cryptocurrency giveaway sites have tripled this year (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Crypto Scams Skyrocket - IT Security Guru

• A Post-exploitation Look at Coinminers Abusing WebLogic Vulnerabilities (trendmicro.com)

• DOJ drops report on cryptocurrency crime efforts (techtarget.com)

• 76% Of Financial Institutions Plan On Using Crypto In The Next 3 Years (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• How Can You Tell if a Cryptocurrency is Legitimate? Read Our Guide To Find Out - IT Security Guru

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• 5 Ways to Mitigate Your New Insider Threats in the Great Resignation (thehackernews.com)

• Ex-Broadcom engineer asks for no prison in trade secret case • The Register

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• Microsoft Edge’s News Feed ads abused for tech support scams (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cops Raid Suspected Fraudster Penthouses - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• How to spot and avoid scams and malware in search results - The Washington Post

• Tax fraud ring leader jailed for selling children’s stolen identities (bleepingcomputer.com)

AML/CFT/Sanctions

• Spanish police arrest ‘one of Europe’s biggest money launderers’ | Financial Times (ft.com)

Insurance

• Coalition Cyber Insurance - Small Businesses Prime Targets (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

Dark Web

• Documents For Sale on the Dark Web - IT Security Guru

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• Hackers breach software vendor for Magento supply-chain attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• WordPress sites backdoored after FishPig supply chain attack • The Register

Denial of Service DoS/DDoS

• DDoS Attacks on UK Firms Surge During Ukraine War - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Akamai stopped new record-breaking DDoS attack in Europe (bleepingcomputer.com)

Cloud/SaaS

• 5 ways to improve your cloud security posture (techtarget.com)

• Excess privilege in the cloud is a universal security problem, IBM says | CSO Online

• Organisations lack visibility into unauthorised public cloud data access - Help Net Security

• One-third of enterprises don’t encrypt sensitive data in the cloud | CSO Online

Attack Surface Management

• Cyber attack trends vs. growing IT complexity - Help Net Security

• Outdated infrastructure remains a problem against sophisticated cyber attacks - Help Net Security

Shadow IT

• Use shadow IT discovery to find unauthorized devices and apps (techtarget.com)

Encryption

• Keep Today's Encrypted Data From Becoming Tomorrow's Treasure (darkreading.com)

API

• Hackers Targeting WebLogic Servers and Docker APIs for Mining Cryptocurrencies (thehackernews.com)

• API security—and even visibility—isn’t getting handled by enterprises | CSO Online

• Bad bots are coming at APIs! How to beat the API bot attacks? - Help Net Security

Open Source

• When It Comes to Security, Don’t Overlook Your Linux Systems | SecurityWeek.Com

• 40% of pros scaled back back open source use over security • The Register

• You never walk alone: The SideWalk backdoor gets a Linux variant | WeLiveSecurity

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• IHG Was Hacked Using Password “Qwerty1234” - LoyaltyLobby

Social Media

• Thwarting attackers in their favourite new playground: Social media - Help Net Security

• Twitter whistleblower tells Senate of ‘egregious’ security failings by company | Twitter | The Guardian

• Cyber attackers Abuse Facebook Ad Manager in Savvy Credential-Harvesting Campaign (darkreading.com)

Training, Education and Awareness

• Security Awareness Training Must Evolve to Align With Growing E-Commerce Security Threats (darkreading.com)

Parental Controls and Child Safety

• Cyber Crime Fears for Children as Cost-of-Living Bites - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• 10 Steps to Successfully Navigate Cyber Security Compliance - MSSP Alert

Models, Frameworks and Standards

• Don’t Put Preparation on Pause: CMMC 2.0 is Coming Quicker Than You Think - MSSP Alert

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

• Montenegro Under Cyber Attack, Russia Blamed, All NATO States Would Be (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• DDoS Attacks on UK Firms Surge During Ukraine War - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• New Cyberespionage Group 'Worok' Targeting Entities in Asia | SecurityWeek.Com

• ShadowPad Threat Actors Return With Fresh Government Strikes, Updated Tools (darkreading.com)

---

Nation State Actors

Nation State Actors – Russia

• Montenegro Wrestles With Massive Cyber Attack, Russia Blamed | SecurityWeek.Com

• Russia’s cyber future connected at the waist to Soviet military industrial complex | CSO Online

Nation State Actors – North Korea

• North Korea-linked APT spreads tainted versions of PuTTY via WhatsApp - Security Affairs

Nation State Actors – Iran

• Iranian cyber spies use multi-persona impersonation in phishing threads | CSO Online

• Albania says Iranian hackers hit the country with another cyber attack - CyberScoop

• US, UK, Canada and Australia Link Iranian Government Agency to Ransomware Attacks | SecurityWeek.Com

• Iranian Hackers Target High-Value Targets in Nuclear Security and Genomic Research (thehackernews.com)

• Iranian Hackers Used Victims’ Printers to Issue Ransom Demands, DOJ Says (vice.com)

---

Vulnerability Management

• Backlogs larger than 100K+ vulnerabilities but too time-consuming to address - Help Net Security

---

Vulnerabilities

• Microsoft September 2022 Patch Tuesday fixes zero-day used in attacks, 63 flaws (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Adobe Patches 63 Security Flaws in Patch Tuesday Bundle | SecurityWeek.Com

• CISA orders agencies to patch vulnerability used in Stuxnet attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Chrome 105 Update Patches High-Severity Vulnerabilities | SecurityWeek.Com

• Microsoft Teams stores auth tokens as cleartext in Windows, Linux, Macs (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft Quashes Actively Exploited Zero-Day, Wormable Critical Bugs (darkreading.com)

• Apple fixed the eighth actively exploited zero-day this year - Security Affairs

• Cisco Patches High-Severity Vulnerability in SD-WAN vManage | SecurityWeek.Com

• Over 280,000 WordPress Sites Attacked Using WPGateway Plugin Zero-Day Vulnerability (thehackernews.com)

• Over 280,000 WordPress sites may have been hijacked by zero-day hiding in popular plugin | TechRadar

• High-Severity Firmware Security Flaws Left Unpatched in HP Enterprise Devices (thehackernews.com)

• CISA added 2 more security flaws to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog - Security Affairs

• ManageEngine Password Management Vulnerability and Patch: Details for MSPs, MSSPs - MSSP Alert

---

Reports Published in the Last Week

• Falcon OverWatch Threat Hunting Report 2022 | CrowdStrike

• Cyber Security: Benchmarking Security Gaps & Privileged Access (delinea.com)

---

Other News

• MSPs and cyber security: The time for turning a blind eye is over - Help Net Security

• Red Teaming to Reduce Cyber Risk (trendmicro.com)

• Organisations should fear misconfigurations more than vulnerabilities - Help Net Security

• Companies need data privacy plan before joining metaverse (techtarget.com)

• Lens reflections may betray your secrets in Zoom video calls • The Register

• US Government Wants Security Guarantees From Software Vendors | SecurityWeek.Com

• Serious Security: Browser-in-the-browser attacks – watch out for windows that aren’t! – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• The Cyber Security Head Game | Psychology Today South Africa

• Cyber Security Report: Average Data Breach in US Costs $9.4 Million - MSSP Alert

• 5 Best Practices for Building Your Data Loss Prevention Strategy (darkreading.com)

• Hands-on cyber attacks jump 50%, CrowdStrike reports | CSO Online

• Penetration Testing Report: Security Misconfiguration Is "Top Vulnerability" - MSSP Alert

• Twitter whistleblower: Lack of access, data controls invite exploitation | SC Media (scmagazine.com)

• Cost of Living Crisis Impact on Online Activity - IT Security Guru

• Attacker Apparently Didn't Have to Breach a Single System to Pwn Uber (darkreading.com)

• Zoom outage left users unable to sign in or join meetings (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Five ways your data may be at risk — and what to do about it (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Notepad++ Plugins Allow Attackers to Infiltrate Systems, Achieve Persistence - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Twitter's ex-security boss Zatko disses biz as dysfunctional • The Register

• Don't Let Your Home Wi-Fi Get Hacked. Here's What to Do - CNET

• How serious are organisations about their data sovereignty strategies? - Help Net Security

• Undermining Microsoft Teams Security By Mining Tokens (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

---

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 Threat Briefing 09 September 2022

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

Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week

• Why It’s Mission-Critical That All-Sized Businesses Stay Cyber Secure

A study analysing millions of emails across thousands of companies found that on average, employees of small businesses with less than 100 employees experience 350% more social engineering attacks than employees of larger enterprises. 57% of these are phishing attacks – the most prevalent social engineering attack of 2021.

Add to the mix that the global average cost of a data breach for businesses has skyrocketed. According to IBM Security’s annual Cost of a Data Breach Report, the average global cost is now a phenomenal $4.35 million.

Generally, larger corporations tend to have bigger security budgets, making them less of a target than smaller businesses with lesser budgets, and as such, more attractive to cyber criminals. This means that for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – with fewer resources and money – protection from cyber-attacks is now a matter of survival.

Ease of attack is not the only reason why criminals attack SMEs either. SMEs are often an entry point to target bigger organisations within the same supply chain. These larger corporations can either be crucial partners, suppliers, or customers, making SMEs prime targets.

But with efficient cyber security measures, every business regardless of size can keep themselves and their network safe.

https://informationsecuritybuzz.com/articles/why-its-mission-critical-that-all-sized-businesses-stay-cyber-secure/

• Half of Firms Report Supply Chain Ransomware Compromise

Over half (52%) of global organisations know a partner that has been compromised by ransomware, yet few are doing anything to improve the security of their supply chain, according to Trend Micro.

The security vendor polled nearly 3,000 IT decision makers across 26 countries to produce its latest report, ‘Everything is connected: Uncovering the ransomware threat from global supply chains’.

It revealed that 90% of global IT leaders believe their partners and customers are making their own organisation a more attractive ransomware target.

That might be down in part to the fact that SMBs comprise a significant chunk of the supply chain for 52% of respondents. The security of SMBs is generally thought to be less effective than protection in larger, better resourced companies.

However, despite their concerns, less than half (47%) of respondents said they share knowledge about ransomware attacks with their suppliers, while a quarter (25%) claimed they don’t share potentially useful threat information with partners.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/half-firms-supply-chain-ransomware/

• Vulnerability Exploits, Not Phishing, Are the Top Cyber Attack Vector for Initial Compromise

Breaches involving phishing and credential compromise have received a lot of attention in recent years because of how frequently threat actors have employed the tactics in executing both targeted and opportunistic attacks. But that doesn't mean that enterprise organisations can afford to lessen their focus on vulnerability patching one bit.

A report from Kaspersky this week identified more initial intrusions last year resulting from exploitation of vulnerabilities in Internet-facing applications than breaches involving malicious emails and compromised accounts combined. And data that the company has collected through the second quarter of 2022 suggests the same trend might be playing out this year as well.

Kaspersky's analysis of its 2021 incident-response data showed that breaches involving vulnerability exploits surged from 31.5% of all incidents in 2020 to 53.6% in 2021. Over the same period, attacks associated with the use of compromised accounts to gain initial access declined from 31.6% in 2020 to 17.9% last year. Initial intrusions resulting from phishing emails decreased from 23.7% to 14.3% during the same period.

https://www.darkreading.com/vulnerabilities-threats/vulnerability-exploits-phishing-top-attack-vector-initial-compromise

• Uber’s Ex-Security Chief Faces Landmark Trial Over Data Breach That Hit 57m Users

Uber’s former security officer, Joe Sullivan, is standing trial this week in what is believed to be the first case of an executive facing criminal charges in relation to a data breach.

The US district court in San Francisco will start hearing arguments on whether Sullivan, the former head of security at the ride-share giant, failed to properly disclose a 2016 data breach affecting 57 million Uber riders and drivers around the world.

At a time when reports of ransomware attacks have surged and cyber security insurance premiums have risen, the case could set an important precedent regarding the culpability of US security staffers and executives for the way the companies they work for handle cyber security incidents.

The breach first came to light in November 2017, when Uber’s chief executive, Dara Khosrowshahi, revealed that hackers had gained access to the driver’s licence numbers of 600,000 US Uber drivers as well as the names, email addresses and phone numbers of as many as 57 million Uber riders and drivers.

Public disclosures like Khosrowshahi’s are required by law in many US states, with most regulations mandating that the notification be made “in the most expedient time possible and without unreasonable delay”.

But Khosrowshahi’s announcement came with an admission: a whole year had passed since the information had been breached.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/sep/06/uber-joe-sullivan-trial-security-data-breach

• Over 10% of Enterprise IT Assets Found With Missing Endpoint Protection

More than 10% of enterprise IT assets are missing endpoint protection and roughly 5% are not covered by enterprise patch management solutions.

The figures come from new research by Sevco Security, which the company has compiled in the State of the Cybersecurity Attack Surface report.

"Attackers are very adept at exploiting enterprise vulnerabilities. Security and IT teams already have their hands full mitigating the vulnerabilities that they know about, and our data confirms that this is just the tip of the iceberg," Sevco told Infosecurity Magazine.

The document analyses data aggregated from visibility into more than 500,000 IT assets, and underlines existential and underreported cyber security issues in relation to securing enterprises’ assets.

“The uncertainty of enterprise inventory – the elements that make up an organisation’s cyber security attack surface – upends the foundation of every major security framework and presents a challenge to security teams: it’s impossible to protect what you can’t see,” they said.

For instance, the data found that roughly 3% of all IT assets are “stale” in endpoint protection, while 1% are stale from the perspective of patch management coverage.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/enterprise-assets-miss-endpoint/

• Some Employees Aren't Just Leaving Companies — They're Defrauding Them

Since the Great Resignation in 2021, millions of employees have left their roles with current employers in search of better ones. According to Microsoft, 40% of employees reported they are considering leaving their current roles by the end of 2022. With many still working in remote or hybrid positions due to the pandemic, larger businesses have started implementing measures to gain a better understanding of employee morale and sentiment to prevent turnover.

While most employees leave companies on good terms, some may become extremely unhappy or disgruntled prior to their departure and are more likely to defraud the company either before leaving or on their way out the door. The unfortunate reality is that no business is immune to fraud, but luckily, there are several steps you can take to prevent it from happening.

According to the Cressey Fraud Triangle, fraudulent behaviour often occurs due to three contributing factors. These include pressure or motive to commit a fraud (usually a personal financial problem), perceived opportunity within the organisation to commit a fraud (poor oversight or internal controls), and rationalisation (the ability to justify the crime to make it seem acceptable).

Very often, a fraudster needs all three sides of the triangle to successfully commit a crime. Therefore, it is extremely important for organisations to do their best to create controls and understand the risk associated with each of these areas. For example, an employee may be disgruntled and also have personal financial issues. However, if internal controls are robust and the employee doesn't have access to financial instruments, valuable assets or software systems, their ability to defraud the company is extremely limited or will get identified immediately.

https://www.darkreading.com/vulnerabilities-threats/some-employees-aren-t-just-leaving-companies-they-re-defrauding-them

• Ransomware Gangs Switching to New Intermittent Encryption Tactic

A growing number of ransomware groups are adopting a new tactic that helps them encrypt their victims' systems faster while reducing the chances of being detected and stopped.

This tactic is called intermittent encryption, and it consists of encrypting only parts of the targeted files' content, which would still render the data unrecoverable without using a valid decryption key.

For example, by skipping every other 16 bytes of a file, the encryption process takes almost half of the time required for full encryption but still locks the contents for good.

Additionally, because the encryption is milder, automated detection tools that rely on detecting signs of trouble in the form of intense file IO operations are more likely to fail.

SentinelLabs has posted a report examining a trend started by LockFile in mid-2021 and now adopted by the likes of Black Basta, ALPHV (BlackCat), PLAY, Agenda, and Qyick.

These groups actively promote the presence of intermittent encryption features in their ransomware family to entice affiliates to join the RaaS operation.

"Notably, Qyick features intermittent encryption, which is what the cool kids are using as you read this. Combined with the fact that is written in Go, the speed is unmatched," describes a Qyick advertisement on hacking forums.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/ransomware-gangs-switching-to-new-intermittent-encryption-tactic/

• How Posting Personal and Business Photos Can Be a Security Risk

Image geotags, metadata, and location information can allow competitors, cyber criminals, and even nation-state threat actors to gain knowledge they can use against organisations.

Marketers in every industry enjoy evidencing their reach to their superiors and providing tangible examples of their width and breadth of influence via social networks, media, and other means of engagement. Photos of both customers and employees engaging at hosted social events, trade shows, conferences, and direct one-on-one encounters are often viewed as gold. Couple this with the individual employee’s or customer’s photos working their way onto social network platforms for others to see and admire, and the value of that gold increases, success being quantified by impressions, views and individual engagements.

The value of that gold doubles when not only does the company harvest data and call it a success, but their competitors also analyse such photos capturing a plethora of useful data points, including geotagged data, metadata of the photo, and identity of the individuals caught in the frame. They, too, call it a success. Yes, the digital engagement involving location data and or location hints within photos is a double-edged sword.

It isn’t just competitors who harvest the data. Criminal elements and nation-state intelligence and security elements do as well. Francis Bacon’s adage, “Knowledge itself is power,” applies. With location, time and place, and identity, competitors, criminals, and nation-states are given their initial tidbits of openly acquired information from which to begin to build their mosaic. 

https://www.csoonline.com/article/3672869/how-posting-personal-and-business-photos-can-be-a-security-risk.html#tk.rss_news

• Your Vendors Are Likely Your Biggest Cyber Security Risk

As speed of business increases, more and more organisations are looking to either buy companies or outsource more services to gain market advantage. With organisations expanding their vendor base, there is a critical need for holistic third-party risk management (TPRM) and comprehensive cyber security measures to assess how much risk vendors pose.

While organisations assess and manage risk on a multitude of layers, none present bigger threats to business resiliency than third-party risk and a lack of robust cyber security controls. Breaches and service interruptions tied to these risk areas have brought down critical systems of major organisations. In 2021, 53% of CISOs surveyed by Black Kite reported being hit by at least one ransomware attack.

It bears repeating: Cyber security and third-party risk are the two biggest problems facing your long-term viability. Businesses need to be able to tackle these risk vectors individually to gain a complete view of their risk profile. A cross-functional process is essential to managing the overlap between these risk areas to better protect your organisation and increase workflow efficiency.

Ensuring that the cyber security practices of your vendors align with your organisation’s standards is critical to safeguarding your systems and data. In fact, it is just as important as how stable the business is or how well it delivers products and services.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/09/05/vendors-cybersecurity-risk/

• A Recent Chinese Hack Is a Wake-up Call for the Security of the World’s Software Supply Chain

It’s perhaps only a coincidence that there’s a famous Chinese saying ‘No one knows, not even the ghosts’ that neatly summarises a recent hack on MiMi, a Chinese messaging app. According to recent reports, a Chinese state-backed hacking group inserted malicious code into this messaging app, essentially pulling off the equivalent of the infamous SolarWinds hack. Users of MiMi were served a version of the app with malicious code added, thanks to attackers taking control of the servers that delivered the app. In short, this was a software supply chain attack in which the software delivery pipeline was compromised.

Observers could be forgiven for thinking that this is just another hack. Chinese hacking groups, and those of Western countries too, have developed a reputation over the past two decades for spying, surveillance, and sabotage. But this attack is different than typical hacking fare because the attackers rode in on the back of a trusted piece of software. This is a software supply chain attack, where the attackers tamper with either source code, the software build system, or the software publishing pipeline, all of which have become essential to the functioning of the world’s digital economy.

Software supply chain attacks have been rapidly growing in frequency. Twenty years ago, there might have been one or two a year. These days, depending on the methodology, there are either hundreds or thousands a year, and that’s only counting the reported attacks. And increasingly anybody who depends upon software (read: everybody) is or shortly will be a victim: the U.S. government, Microsoft, thousands of other companies and, apparently in this MiMi attack, individuals.

https://thediplomat.com/2022/09/a-recent-chinese-hack-is-a-wake-up-call-for-the-security-of-the-worlds-software-supply-chain/

• Massive Hotels Group IHG Struck by Cyber Attack Which Disrupts Booking Systems

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), which owns brands such as InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, and many others, has had its IT systems breached by malicious hackers.

In a filing with the London Stock Exchange, the multinational hospitality company reported that "parts of the company's technology systems have been subject to unauthorised activity."

As a result, the company said, "IHG's booking channels and other applications have been significantly disrupted since [Monday], and this is ongoing."

The first indication that the company was experiencing problems appeared early on Monday morning UK time, when anyone who tried to book a hotel room via the company's website or app, or access their IHG One Rewards account was greeted by a maintenance message.

Although it has made no declaration regarding the nature of the security breach, in its filing with the London Stock Exchange, IHG mentioned they were "working to fully restore all systems". This would fit into the scenario of IHG having hit been hit with ransomware, which may not only have encrypted data - locking the company out of its systems and demanding a ransom be paid - but could have also caused even more problems.

https://www.bitdefender.com/blog/hotforsecurity/massive-hotels-group-ihg-struck-by-cyberattack-which-disrupts-booking-systems/

• London's Biggest Bus Operator Hit by Cyber "Incident"

Travellers in London were braced for more delays last week after the city’s largest bus operator revealed it has been hit by a “cyber security incident,” according to reports.

Newcastle-based transportation group Go-Ahead shared a statement with the London Stock Exchange indicating “unauthorised activity” had been discovered on its network yesterday.

“Upon becoming aware of the incident, Go-Ahead immediately engaged external forensic specialists and has taken precautionary measures with its IT infrastructure whilst it continues to investigate the nature and extent of the incident and implement its incident response plans,” it stated. “Go-Ahead will continue to assess the potential impact of the incident but confirms that there is no impact on UK or International rail services which are operating normally.”

However, the same may not be true of its bus services. Sky News reported that bus and driver rosters may have been impacted by the attack, which could disrupt operations.

Go-Ahead operates multiple services in the South, South West, London, North West, East Anglia, East Yorkshire and its native North East. It is London’s largest bus company, operating over 2400 buses in the capital and employing more than 7000 staff.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/londons-biggest-bus-operator-hit/

---

Threats

Ransomware and Extortion

• Ransomware remains the number one threat to businesses and government organisations - Help Net Security

• Interpol dismantles sextortion ring, warns of increased attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Play Ransomware Attack Playbook Similar to that of Hive, Nokoyawa (trendmicro.com)

• Ransomware attacks on Linux to surge - Help Net Security

• LockBit gang leads the way for ransomware (techtarget.com)

• Some Members of Conti Group Targeting Ukraine in Financially Motivated Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• How to Improve Mean Time to Detect for Ransomware | SecurityWeek.Com

• Google: Former Conti ransomware members attacking Ukraine (techtarget.com)

• Hackers Are Using NASA Telescope Images To Push Ransomware (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Ransomware gang's Cobalt Strike servers DDoSed with anti-Russia messages (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Everything You Need To Know About BlackCat (AlphaV) (darkreading.com)

• Microsoft: Iranian hackers encrypt Windows systems using BitLocker (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft Warns of Ransomware Attacks by Iranian Phosphorus Hacker Group (thehackernews.com)

• Clarion Housing: Anger over landlord silence since cyber attack - BBC News

• New Ransomware Hits Windows, Linux Servers Of Chile Govt Agency (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• QNAP warns new Deadbolt ransomware attacks exploiting 0day - Security Affairs

• Second largest U.S. school district LAUSD hit by ransomware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Windows Defender identified Chromium, Electron apps as Hive Ransomware - Security Affairs

• BlackCat Ransomware Linked to Italy's Energy Services Firm Hack - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• EvilProxy Commodifies Reverse-Proxy Tactic for Phishing, Bypassing 2FA (darkreading.com)

• Criminals harvest users' PI by impersonating popular brands - Help Net Security

• Lampion malware returns in phishing attacks abusing WeTransfer (bleepingcomputer.com)

• A new phishing scam targets American Express cardholders - Security Affairs

• EvilProxy phishing-as-a-service with MFA bypass emerged on the dark web - Help Net Security

• GIFShell attack creates reverse shell using Microsoft Teams GIFs (bleepingcomputer.com)

Other Social Engineering; Smishing, Vishing, etc

• Defeat social engineering attacks by growing your cyber resilience - Help Net Security

Malware

• Cyber criminals targeting Minecraft fans with malware • The Register

• Next-Gen Linux Malware Takes Over Devices With Unique Tool Set (darkreading.com)

• TeslaGun Primed to Blast a New Wave of Backdoor Cyber attacks (darkreading.com)

• New Linux malware evades detection using multi-stage deployment (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Bumblebee malware adds post-exploitation tool for stealthy infections (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Botnets in the Age of Remote Work (darkreading.com)

• North Korean Hackers Deploying New MagicRAT Malware in Targeted Campaigns (thehackernews.com)

Mobile

• In-app browser security risks, and what to do about them | CSO Online

• Fake Antivirus and Cleaner Apps Caught Installing SharkBot Android Banking Trojan (thehackernews.com)

• SharkBot Malware Resurfaces on Google Play to Steal Users' Credentials - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Internet of Things – IoT

• New Stealthy Shikitega Malware Targeting Linux Systems and IoT Devices (thehackernews.com)

Data Breaches/Leaks

• NATO docs sold on darkweb after they were stolen from Portugal - Security Affairs

• Criminals claim they've stolen NATO missile plans • The Register

• TikTok denies data breach following leak of user data - Security Affairs

• IRS mistakenly published confidential info for roughly 120K taxpayers - Security Affairs

• Samsung US Says Customer Data Compromised in July Data Breach | SecurityWeek.Com

• Digital Identity Provider SDK Leaves Hundreds Of Thousands Of Biometric (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• Scammers live-streamed on YouTube a fake Apple crypto event - Security Affairs

• FBI: Crooks are using these DeFi flaws to steal your money | ZDNET

• Feds freeze $30m in cryptocurrency stolen from Axie Infinity • The Register

• New Rules for Crypto Exchanges to Stop Sanctions Evaders - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• 62% of consumers see fraud as an inevitable risk of online shopping - Help Net Security

• Islanders in Jersey lose nearly £400,000 to romance fraud | ITV News Channel

• The Advantages of Threat Intelligence for Combating Fraud | SecurityWeek.Com

AML/CFT/Sanctions

• UK forces crypto exchanges to report suspected sanction breaches | Cryptocurrencies | The Guardian

• US Treasury sanctioned Iran ’s Ministry of Intelligence over Albania cyber attack - Security Affairs

Insurance

• Lloyd’s of London defends cyber insurance exclusion for state-backed attacks | Financial Times (ft.com)

• Global Cyber security Insurance Market Size Expected to Top $32.6 Billion by 2028 - MSSP Alert

• With cyber insurance costs increasing, can smaller firms avoid getting priced out? - Help Net Security

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• Supply chain risk is a top security priority as confidence in partners wanes - Help Net Security

• KeyBank: Hackers of third-party provider stole customer data | The Seattle Times

• Government guide for supply chain security: The good, the bad and the ugly - Help Net Security

Software Supply Chain

• Report Highlights Prevalence of Software Supply Chain Risks (darkreading.com)

Denial of Service DoS/DDoS

• Ransomware gang's Cobalt Strike servers DDoSed with anti-Russia messages (bleepingcomputer.com)

Cloud/SaaS

• Defenders Be Prepared: Cyber attacks Surge Against Linux Amid Cloud Migration (darkreading.com)

• Hybrid Cloud Security Challenges & Solutions (trendmicro.com)

• 3 Critical Steps for Reducing Cloud Risk (darkreading.com)

Identity and Access Management

• There is no secure critical infrastructure without identity-based access - Help Net Security

Encryption

• A Pragmatic Response to the Quantum Threat (darkreading.com)

API

• 6 Top API Security Risks! Favoured Targets for Attackers If Left Unmanaged (thehackernews.com)

• API Security for the Modern Enterprise - IT Security Guru

Open Source

• New Linux malware combines unusual stealth with a full suite of capabilities | Ars Technica

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• Are Default Passwords Hiding in Your Active Directory? Here's how to check (bleepingcomputer.com)

• 200,000 North Face accounts hacked in credential stuffing attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

Social Media

• TikTok denies security breach after hackers leak user data, source code (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Facebook Engineers Admit They Don’t Know What They Do With Your Data (vice.com)

• Meta axes Responsible Innovation team charged with addressing ethical problems with Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp | Fortune

Privacy

• You should know that most websites share your in-site search queries with third parties - Help Net Security

• Meta Fined $400m in Ireland For Children's Privacy Breach - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

Parental Controls and Child Safety

• Google’s image-scanning illustrates how tech firms can penalise the innocent | John Naughton | The Guardian

Cyber Bullying and Cyber Stalking

• ‘I didn’t want it anywhere near me’: how the Apple AirTag became a gift to stalkers | Apple | The Guardian

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• Tear up decades-old law to save Britain from hackers, say cyber experts (telegraph.co.uk)

• UK Privacy Regulator Fines Halfords for Spam Deluge - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Meta Fined $400m in Ireland For Children's Privacy Breach - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

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

• Google Details Recent Ukraine Cyber attacks | SecurityWeek.Com

• Ukraine dismantles more bot farms spreading Russian disinformation (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Ukraine is under attack by hacking tools repurposed from Conti cyber crime group | Ars Technica

• Sprawling, multi-year Iranian cyberespionage and surveillance group exposed in new report - CyberScoop

• Iranian APT42 Launched Over 30 Espionage Attacks Against Activists and Dissidents (thehackernews.com)

• Newly discovered cyber spy group targets Asia • The Register

• New Iranian hacking group APT42 deploys custom Android spyware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Israeli Defence Minister's Cleaner Sentenced for Spying Attempt | SecurityWeek.Com

• An interview with Ukrainian hacker 'Herm1t' on countering pro-Kremlin attacks - The Record by Recorded Future

• Researchers Find New Android Spyware Campaign Targeting Uyghur Community (thehackernews.com)

• Anonymous hacked Yandex taxi causing a traffic jam in Moscow - Security Affairs

---

Nation State Actors

Nation State Actors – Russia

• Raspberry Robin Malware Connected to Russian Evil Corp Gang (darkreading.com)

Nation State Actors – China

• US bans ‘advanced tech’ firms from building facilities in China for a decade | Technology sector | The Guardian

Nation State Actors – North Korea

• North Korean Hackers Deploying New MagicRAT Malware in Targeted Campaigns (thehackernews.com)

• North Korea's Lazarus Targets Energy Firms With Three RATs | SecurityWeek.Com

Nation State Actors – Iran

• Microsoft: Iranian hackers encrypt Windows systems using BitLocker (bleepingcomputer.com)

• UK condemns Iran for reckless cyber attack against Albania - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

• US Treasury sanctioned Iran ’s Ministry of Intelligence over Albania cyber attack - Security Affairs

• NATO Condemns Alleged Iranian Cyber attack on Albania | SecurityWeek.Com

• New Iranian hacking group APT42 deploys custom Android spyware (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft investigates Iranian attacks against the Albanian government - Microsoft Security Blog

• Microsoft Warns of Ransomware Attacks by Iranian Phosphorus Hacker Group (thehackernews.com)

Nation State Actors – Misc

• Nation-state attacks are a growing threat to video conferencing - Help Net Security

• Use of machine identities is growing in state-sponsored cyber attacks - Help Net Security

---

Vulnerability Management

• High-profile vulnerabilities encourage organisations to improve security posture - Help Net Security

---

Vulnerabilities

• CISA adds 12 new flaws to Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog - Security Affairs

• September 2022 Patch Tuesday forecast: No sign of cooling off - Help Net Security

• High-risk ConnectWise Automate vulnerability fixed, admins urged to patch ASAP - Help Net Security

• Hackers Exploit Zero-Day in WordPress BackupBuddy Plugin in ~5 Million Attempts (thehackernews.com)

• Cisco Releases Security Patches for New Vulnerabilities Impacting Multiple Products (thehackernews.com)

• Mirai Variant MooBot Botnet Exploiting D-Link Router Vulnerabilities (thehackernews.com)

• Cisco won’t fix authentication bypass zero-day in EoL routers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Critical RCE Vulnerability Affects Zyxel NAS Devices — Firmware Patch Released (thehackernews.com)

• Chrome and Edge fix zero-day security hole – update now! – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• Google Patches Sixth Chrome Zero-Day of 2022 | SecurityWeek.Com

• QNAP patches zero-day used in new Deadbolt ransomware attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• HP fixes severe bug in pre-installed Support Assistant tool (bleepingcomputer.com)

---

Other News

• Top 5 Cyber crime Cases in 2022 (techgenix.com)

• The Heartbleed bug: How a flaw in OpenSSL caused a security crisis | CSO Online

• Cyber Security - the More Things Change, the More They Are The Same | SecurityWeek.Com

• CISOs say stress and burnout are their top personal risks (cnbc.com)

• How to deal with unprecedented levels of regulatory change - Help Net Security

---

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 Threat Briefing 19 August 2022

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

Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week

• Businesses Found to Neglect Cyber Security Until it is Too Late

Businesses only take cyber security seriously after falling victim to an attack, according to a report published by the UK's Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) this week.

For the research, the UK government surveyed IT professionals and end users in 10 UK organisations of varying sizes that have experienced cyber security breaches in the past three years. This analysed their existing level of security prior to a breach, the business impacts of the attack and how cyber security arrangements changed in the wake of the incident.

Nearly all respondents said their organisation took cyber security much more seriously after experiencing a breach, including reviewing existing practices and significantly increased investment in technology solutions.

While there was a consensus among participants that there is a greater need for vigilance and investment in cyber security, there was significant variation between organisations’ practices in this area. Medium and large organisations tended to have formal plans in place and budget allocated for further cyber security investment, but smaller businesses mostly did not due to resource constraints.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/cybersecurity-seriously-breach/

• Cyber Tops Staff Retention as Biggest Business Risk

Cyber security concerns represent the most serious risk facing organisations, beating inflation, talent acquisition/retention and rising production costs, according to a new PwC study.

The PwC Pulse: Managing business risks in 2022 report was compiled from interviews with 722 US C-suite executives.

Two-fifths (40%) ranked cyber-attacks as a serious risk, rising to 51% of board members. PwC said boardrooms may be getting more attuned to cyber risk after new SEC proposals were published in March that would require directors to oversee cyber security risk and be more transparent about their cyber expertise.

In fact, executives appear to be getting more proactive with cyber security on a number of fronts.

Some 84% said they are taking action or monitoring closely policy areas related to cyber security, privacy and data protection. A further 79% said they’re revising or enhancing their cyber risk management approaches, and half (49%) pointed to increased investments in cyber security and privacy.

By way of comparison, 53% said they’re increasing investment in digital transformation and 52% in IT.

Cyber security is a strategic business enabler – technology is the central nervous system of many companies – and confirming its data is secure and protected can be brand defining.

There’s now heightened attention from a wider range of business leaders and corporate directors as they recognise that cyber security and data privacy should be part of not only a risk management strategy, but also a broader corporate strategy. C-suite and boards are actively taking steps to better understand the global threat landscape, confirm a foundational cyber security program is in place, and manage these risks to create opportunities.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/cyber-tops-staff-retention-biggest/

• Cyber Criminals Weaponising Ransomware Data for BEC Attacks

Cyber criminals and other threat actors are increasingly using data dumped from ransomware attacks in secondary business email compromise (BEC) attacks, according to new analysis by Accenture Cyber Threat Intelligence.

The ACTI team analysed data from the 20 most active ransomware leak sites, measured by number of featured victims, between July 2021 and July 2022. Of the 4,026 victims (corporate, non-governmental organisations, and governmental entities) uncovered on various ransomware groups’ dedicated leak sites, an estimated 91% incurred subsequent data disclosures, ACTI found.

Dedicated leak sites most commonly provide financial data, followed by employee and client personally identifiable information and communication documentation. The rise of double extortion attempts – where attack groups use ransomware to exfiltrate data and then publicise the data on dedicated leak sites – has made large amounts of sensitive corporate data available to any threat actor. The most valuable types of data most useful for conducting BEC attacks are financial, employee, and communication data, as well as operational documents. There is a significant overlap between the types of data most useful for conducting BEC attacks and the types of data most commonly posted on these ransomware leak sites, ACTI said.

The data is a “rich source for information for criminals who can easily weaponise it for secondary BEC attacks,” ACTI said. “The primary factor driving an increased threat of BEC and VEC attacks stemming from double-extortion leaks is the availability of [corporate and communication data].”

https://www.darkreading.com/edge-threat-monitor/cybercriminals-weaponizing-ransomware-data-for-bec-attacks

• Callback Phishing Attacks See Massive 625% Growth Since Q1 2021

Hackers are increasingly moving towards hybrid forms of phishing attacks that combine email and voice social engineering calls as a way to breach corporate networks for ransomware and data extortion attacks.

According to Agari's Q2 2022 cyber-intelligence report, phishing volumes have only increased by 6% compared to Q1 2022. However, the use of 'hybrid vishing' is seeing a massive 625% growth.

Vishing, "voice phishing," involves some form of a phone call to perform social engineering on the victim. Its hybrid form, called "callback phishing," also includes an email before the call, typically presenting the victim with a fake subscription/invoice notice.

The recipient is advised to call on the provided phone number to resolve any issues with the charge, but instead of a real customer support agent, the call is answered by phishing actors.

The scammers then offer to resolve the presented problem by tricking the victim into disclosing sensitive information or installing remote desktop tools on their system. The threat actors then connect to the victim's device remotely to install further backdoors or spread to other machines.

These callback phishing attacks were first introduced by the 'BazarCall/BazaCall' campaigns that appeared in March 2021 to gain initial access to corporate networks for ransomware attacks.

The attacks work so well that multiple ransomware and extortion gangs, such as Quantum, Zeon, and Silent Ransom Group, have adopted the same technique today to gain initial network access through an unsuspecting employee.

"Hybrid Vishing attacks reached a six-quarter high in Q2, increasing 625% from Q1 2021. This threat type also contributed to 24.6% of the overall share of Response-Based threats," details the Agari report.

"While this is the second quarter hybrid vishing attacks have declined in share due to the overall increase of response-based threats, vishing volume has steadily increased in count over the course of the year."

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/callback-phishing-attacks-see-massive-625-percent-growth-since-q1-2021/

• Credential Phishing Attacks Skyrocketing, 265 Brands Impersonated in H1 2022

Abnormal Security released a report which explores the current email threat landscape and provides insight into the latest advanced email attack trends, including increases in business email compromise, the evolution of financial supply chain compromise, and the rise of brand impersonation in credential phishing attacks.

The research found a 48% increase in email attacks over the previous six months, and 68.5% of those attacks included a credential phishing link. In addition to posing as internal employees and executives, cyber criminals impersonated well-known brands in 15% of phishing emails, relying on the brands’ familiarity and reputation to convince employees to provide their login credentials. Most common among the 265 brands impersonated in these attacks were social networks and Microsoft products.

“The vast majority of cyber crime today is successful because it exploits the people behind the keyboard,” said Crane Hassold, director of threat intelligence at Abnormal Security.

“By compromising people rather than networks, it’s easier for attackers to circumvent conventional security measures. This is especially true with brand impersonation, where attackers use urgency and fear to encourage their targets to provide usernames and passwords.”

LinkedIn took the top spot for brand impersonation, but Outlook, OneDrive and Microsoft 365 appeared in 20% of all attacks. What makes these attacks particularly dangerous is that phishing emails are often the first step to compromising employee email accounts. Acquiring Microsoft credentials enables cyber criminals to access the full suite of connected products, allowing them to view sensitive data and use the account to send business email compromise attacks.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/08/15/landscape-email-threat/

• Are Cloud Environments Secure Enough for Today’s Threats?

Cyber security is a major problem right now. Not only is it the highest priority of any given business to keep their own data and their customers’ and clients’ data secure, but changes in the workplace have had a knock-on effect on cyber security. The concept of working from home has forced businesses all around the world to address old and new cyber security threats. People taking their laptops, and therefore their data, home to public networks that can be hacked or leaving access details like passwords scribbled on notebooks has meant that access to a business and therefore their customers’ data is a lot more accessible.

The saving grace was said to be the cloud. Beyond retraining cyber security in staff workforces, the practical solution was to move data into the cloud. But we’re now a few years from the point when the cloud really gained popularity. Is it still the answer to all our cyber security problems? Is there a chance of risk to using the cloud?

Cloud data breaches do happen and misconfiguration is a leading cause of them, mainly due to businesses inadequate cyber security strategies. This is due to several factors, such as the fundamental nature of the cloud designed to be easy for anyone to access, and businesses unable to completely see or control the cloud’s infrastructure and therefore relying on the cyber security controls that are provided by the cloud service provider (or CSP).

Unauthorised access is also a risk. The internet, which is a readily available public resource to most of the world, makes it easy for hackers to access data if they have the credentials to get past the cyber security set up by the individual business. This is where the ugliness of internal cloud breaches happens. If security is not configured well or credentials like passwords and secret questions are compromised, an attacker can easily access the cloud.

However, it’s not only through an employee that hackers access credentials. Phishing is a very common means of gaining information that would allow access to a customer or business data.

Plus, the simple nature of sharing data can easily backfire on a company. A lot of data access is granted with a link to someone external, which can then be forwarded, either sold or stolen, to an attacker to access the cloud’s data.

https://www.itsecurityguru.org/2022/08/16/are-cloud-environments-secure-enough-for-todays-threats/

• Most Q2 Attacks Targeted Old Microsoft Vulnerabilities

Attacks targeting a remote code execution vulnerability in Microsoft's MSHTML browser engine — which was patched last September — soared during the second quarter of this year, according to a Kaspersky analysis.

Researchers from Kaspersky counted at least 4,886 attacks targeting the flaw (CVE-2021-40444) last quarter, an eightfold increase over the first quarter of 2022. The security vendor attributed the continued adversary interest in the vulnerability to the ease with which it can be exploited.

Kaspersky said it has observed threat actors exploiting the flaw in attacks on organisations across multiple sectors including the energy and industrial sectors, research and development, IT companies, and financial and medical technology firms. In many of these attacks, the adversaries have used social engineering tricks to try and get victims to open specially crafted Office documents that would then download and execute a malicious script. The flaw was under active attack at the time Microsoft first disclosed it in September 2021.

Attacks targeting a remote code execution vulnerability in Microsoft's MSHTML browser engine — which was patched last September — soared during the second quarter of this year, according to a Kaspersky analysis. Researchers from Kaspersky counted at least 4,886 attacks targeting the flaw last quarter, an eightfold increase over the first quarter of 2022. The security vendor attributed the continued adversary interest in the vulnerability to the ease with which it can be exploited. According to Kaspersky, exploits for Windows vulnerabilities accounted for 82% of all exploits across all platforms during the second quarter of 2022. While attacks on the MSHTML vulnerability increased the most dramatically, it was by no means the most exploited flaw, which was a remote code execution vulnerability in Microsoft Office that was disclosed and patched four years ago that was attacked some 345,827 times last quarter.

https://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/most-attacks-in-q2-targeted-old-microsoft-vulnerabilities

• Cyber Resiliency Isn't Just About Technology, It's About People

Cyber attacks are on the rise — but if we're being honest, that statement has been true for quite a while, given the acceleration of cyber incidents over the past several years. Recent research indicates that organisations experienced 50% more attack attempts per week on corporate networks in 2021 than they did in 2020, and tactics such as phishing are becoming increasingly popular as attackers refine their tried-and-true methods to more successfully entice unsuspecting targets.

It's no surprise, then, that cyber resiliency has been a hot topic in the cyber security world. But although cyber resiliency refers broadly to the ability of an organisation to anticipate, withstand, and recover from cyber security incidents, many experts make the mistake of applying the term specifically to technology. And while it's true that detection and remediation tools, backup systems, and other resources play an important role in cyber resiliency, organisations that focus exclusively on technology risk are overlooking an equally important element: people.

People are often thought of as the weak link in cyber security. It's easy to understand why. People fall for phishing scams. They use weak passwords and procrastinate on installing security updates. They misconfigure hardware and software, leave cloud assets unsecured, and send confidential files to the wrong recipient. There's a reason so much cyber security technology is moving toward automation: removing people from the equation is seen as one of the most obvious ways to improve security. To many security experts, that's just common sense.

Except — is it, really? It's true that people make mistakes — it's called "human error" for a reason, after all — but many of those mistakes come when employees aren't put in a position to succeed. Phishing is a great example. Most people are familiar with the concept of phishing, but many may not be aware of the nefarious techniques that today's attackers deploy. If employees have not been properly trained, they may not be aware that attackers often impersonate real people within the organisation, or that the CEO asking them to buy gift cards "for a company happy hour" probably isn't legit. Organisations that want to build strong cyber-resiliency cannot pretend that people don't exist. Instead, they need to prioritise the resiliency of their people just as highly as the resiliency of their technology.

Training the organisation to recognise the signs of common attack tactics, practice better password and cyber hygiene, and report signs of suspicious activity can help ease the burden on IT and security personnel by providing them better information in a more timely manner. It also avoids some of the pitfalls that create a drain on their time and resources. By ensuring that people at every level of the business are more resilient, today's organisations will discover that their overall cyber-resiliency will improve significantly.

https://www.darkreading.com/vulnerabilities-threats/cyber-resiliency-isn-t-just-about-technology-it-s-about-people

• The “Cyber Insurance Gap” Is Threatening Most Companies

A new study by BlackBerry and Corvus Insurance confirms a “cyber insurance gap” is growing, with a majority of businesses either uninsured or under insured against a rising tide of ransomware attacks and other cyber threats.

• Only 19% of all businesses surveyed have ransomware coverage limits above the median ransomware demand amount ($600,000)

• Among SMBs with fewer than 1,500 employees, only 14% have a coverage limit in excess of $600,000

• 37% of respondents with cyber insurance do not have any coverage for ransomware payment demands

• 43% of those with a policy are not covered for auxiliary costs such as court fees or employee downtime

• 60% say they would reconsider entering into a partnership or agreement with another business or supplier if the organisation did not have comprehensive cyber insurance

• Endpoint detection and response (EDR) software is frequently a key component to obtaining a policy

• 34% of respondents have been previously denied cyber coverage by insurance providers due to not meeting EDR eligibility requirements

https://informationsecuritybuzz.com/expert-comments/the-cyber-insurance-gap-is-threatening-most-companies/

• Easing the Cyber-Skills Crisis with Staff Augmentation

Filling cyber security roles can be costly, slow, and chancy. More firms are working with third-party service providers to quickly procure needed expertise.

There are many possible solutions to the cyber security skills shortage, but most of them take time. Cyber security education, career development tracks, training programs, employer-sponsored academies, and internships are great ways to build a talent pipeline and develop skill sets to meet organisational needs in years to come.

But sometimes the need to fill a gap in capability is more immediate.

An organisation in the entertainment industry recently found itself in such a position. Its primary cyber security staff member quit suddenly without notice, taking along critical institutional knowledge and leaving various projects incomplete. With its key defender gone, the organisation's environment was left vulnerable. In a scarce talent market, the organisation faced a long hiring process to find a replacement — too long to leave its digital estate unattended. It needed expertise, and quickly.

According to a 2021 ESG report, 57% of organisations have been impacted by the global cyber security skills crisis. Seventy-six percent say it's difficult to recruit and hire security professionals. The biggest effects of this shortage are increasing workloads, positions open for weeks or months, and high cyber security staff burnout and attrition.

In this climate, more companies are turning to third parties for cyber security staff reinforcement. According to a NewtonX study, 56% of organisations are now subcontracting up to a quarter of their cyber security staff. Sixty-nine percent of companies rely on third-party expertise to assist in mitigating the risk of ransomware — up from 58% in 2017 — per a study by Ponemon and CBI, a Converge Company.

One way that companies gain this additional support is via third-party staff augmentation and consulting services. Cyber security staff augmentation, or strategic staffing, entails trained external consultants acting as an extension of an organisation's security team in a residency. Engagements can be anywhere from a few weeks to a few years, and roles can range from analysts and engineers to architects, compliance specialists, and virtual CISOs.

https://www.darkreading.com/operations/easing-the-cyber-skills-crisis-with-staff-augmentation

• Mailchimp Suffers Second Breach In 4 Months

Mailchimp suffered another data breach earlier this month, and this one cost it a client.

In a statement Friday, Mailchimp disclosed that a security incident involving phishing and social engineering tactics had targeted cryptocurrency and blockchain companies using the email marketing platform. It was the second Mailchimp breach to target cryptocurrency customers in a four-month span.

Though Mailchimp said it has suspended accounts where suspicious activity was detected while an investigation is ongoing, it did not reveal the source of the breach or scope of the attack.

More details were provided Sunday by one of the affected customers, DigitalOcean, which cut ties with Mailchimp on Aug. 9.

The cloud hosting provider observed suspicious activity beginning Aug. 8, when threat actors used its Mailchimp account for "a small number of attempted compromises" of DigitalOcean customer accounts -- specifically cryptocurrency platforms.

While it is not clear whether any DigitalOcean accounts were compromised, the company did confirm that some email addresses were exposed. More importantly, the statement attributed a potential source of the most recent Mailchimp breach.

https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/news/252523911/Mailchimp-suffers-second-breach-in-4-months

• Firm Told It Can't Claim Full Cyber Crime Insurance After Social Engineering Attack

A Minnesota computer store suing its cyber insurance provider has had its case dismissed, with the courts saying it was a clear instance of social engineering, a crime for which the insurer was only liable to cover a fraction of total losses.

SJ Computers alleged in a November lawsuit that Travelers Casualty and Surety Co. owed it far more than paid on a claim for nearly $600,000 in losses due to a successful business email compromise (BEC) attack.

According to its website, SJ Computers is a Microsoft Authorised Refurbisher, reselling Dell, HP, Lenovo and Acer products, as well as providing tech services including software installs and upgrades.

Travelers, which filed a motion to dismiss, said SJ's policy clearly delineated between computer fraud and social engineering fraud. The motion was granted with prejudice last Friday.

In the dismissal order, the US District Court for Minnesota found that the two policy agreements are mutually exclusive, as well as finding SJ's claim fell squarely into its social engineering fraud agreement with Travelers, which has a cap of $100,000.

When SJ filed its claim with Travelers, the court noted, it did so only under the social engineering fraud agreement. After realising the policy limit on computer fraud was 10 times higher, "SJ Computers then made a series of arguments – ranging from creative to desperate – to try to persuade Travelers that its loss was not the result of social-engineering-fraud (as SJ Computers itself had initially said) but instead the result of computer fraud," the district judge wrote in the order.

https://www.theregister.com/2022/08/16/social_engineering_cyber_crime_insurance/

---

Threats

Ransomware

• Ransomware Group Threatens to Leak Data Stolen From Security Firm Entrust | SecurityWeek.Com

• Cisco Confirms Hack: Yanluowang Ransom Gang Claims 2.8GB Of Data (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Ransomware is still on the rise. Here's what you need to do to stay safe from hackers | ZDNET

• Russian Man Extradited to US for Laundering Ryuk Ransomware Money | SecurityWeek.Com

• ‘Coopetition’ a growing trend among ransomware gangs (computerweekly.com)

• Hackers Attack UK Water Supplier, Sends Ransom Demand to the Wrong Company (gizmodo.com)

• SOVA malware adds ransomware feature to encrypt Android devices (bleepingcomputer.com)

• BlackByte ransomware v2 is out with new extortion novelties - Security Affairs

• Ransomware is back, healthcare sector most targeted - Help Net Security

• Why Hackers Are Now Targeting Electric Car Charging Stations (nocamels.com)

• BlackByte Ransomware Gang Returns With Twitter Presence, Tiered Pricing (darkreading.com)

• Ski-Doo maker BRP resumes operations following cyber attack; shares fluctuate - MarketWatch

• Argentina's Judiciary of Córdoba hit by PLAY ransomware attack (bleepingcomputer.com)

BEC – Business Email Compromise

• Three Extradited from UK to US on $5m BEC Charges - Infosecurity Magazine

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• Response-based attacks make up 41% of all email-based scams - Help Net Security

• PayPal Phishing Scam Uses Invoices Sent Via PayPal – Krebs on Security

• Microsoft admits it can't stop scammers fooling you with their latest tricks | ZDNET

Other Social Engineering; SMishing, Vishing, etc

• This is the lamest Microsoft Office security threat we've ever seen - but people will still fall for it | TechRadar

Malware

• Hackers Deploy Bumblebee Loader to Breach Target Networks - Infosecurity Magazine

• 'DarkTortilla' Malware Wraps in Sophistication for High-Volume RAT Infections (darkreading.com)

• Malicious browser extensions targeted almost 7 million people (bleepingcomputer.com)

• DoNot Team Hackers Updated its Malware Toolkit with Improved Capabilities (thehackernews.com)

• Whack-a-Mole: More Malicious PyPI Packages Spring Up Targeting Discord, Roblox (darkreading.com)

• This String of Emojis Is Actually Malware (vice.com)

Mobile

• SOVA Android malware now also encrypts victims' files - Security Affairs

• Malware devs already bypassed Android 13's new security feature (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Google releases Android 13 with improved privacy and security features - Help Net Security

• Android malware apps with 2 million installs found on Google Play (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Researchers Find 35 Adware Apps on Google Play - Infosecurity Magazine

• Nearly 1,900 Signal Messenger Accounts Potentially Compromised in Twilio Hack (thehackernews.com)

Internet of Things – IoT

• How attackers are exploiting corporate IoT - Help Net Security

• ‘Ask all the time: why do I need this?’ How to stop your vacuum from spying on you | Smart homes | The Guardian

• Amazon fixes Ring Android app flaw exposing camera recordings (bleepingcomputer.com)

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Digital Ocean dumps Mailchimp after security breach • The Register

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• How Do Hackers Steal Credit Card Information? | TechTarget

• IT security worker who hacked businesses caught out by neighbour's Wi-Fi - Manchester Evening News

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• With Plunge in Value, Cryptocurrency Crimes Decline in 2022 (darkreading.com)

• Microsoft: Cryptojackers Continue to Evolve to Be Stealthier and Spread Faster - Infosecurity Magazine

• Hardware-based threat defence against increasingly complex cryptojackers - Microsoft Security Blog

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• Ex-HP manager jailed for $5m company card shopping spree • The Register

• Microsoft Employees Exposed Own Company’s Internal Logins (vice.com)

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• SEC claims $1.3m pump-and-dump scam used hacked accounts • The Register

AML/CFT/Sanctions

• Alleged Russian Money Launderer Extradited from the Netherlands to U.S. | OPA | Department of Justice

Insurance

• Organisations are losing cyber insurance as an important risk management tool - Help Net Security

• For cyber insurance, some technology leads to higher premiums (techtarget.com)

• New Study Reveals Serious Cyber-Insurance Shortfalls - Infosecurity Magazine

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• Expert On Report Showing 297% Increase in US Breaches Tied To Supply Chain (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• Transitioning From VPNs to Zero-Trust Access Requires Shoring Up Third-Party Risk Management (darkreading.com)

• How a Third-Party SMS Service Was Used to Take Over Signal Accounts

Denial of Service DoS/DDoS

• Google blocked the largest Layer 7 DDoS reported to date - Security Affairs

Cloud/SaaS

• Organisations Struggle to Fend Off Cloud and Web Attacks - Infosecurity Magazine

• Incident response in the cloud can be simple if you are prepared - Help Net Security

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• Credential Theft Is (Still) A Top Attack Method (thehackernews.com)

• FBI Warns of Proxies and Configurations Used in Credential Stuffing Attacks | SecurityWeek.Com

• Over 9,000 VNC servers exposed online without a password (bleepingcomputer.com)

Privacy

• Google fined $60 million over Android location data collection (bleepingcomputer.com)

• New Amazon Ring Vulnerability Could Have Exposed All Your Camera Recordings (thehackernews.com)

• ‘Ask all the time: why do I need this?’ How to stop your vacuum from spying on you | Smart homes | The Guardian

• Period and pregnancy tracking apps have bad privacy protections, report finds - The Verge

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• Financial Services & Cyber Security Regulations: New York Making Changes? - MSSP Alert

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

• 5 Russia-Linked Groups Target Ukraine in Cyberwar (darkreading.com)

• Russia-linked Gamaredon APT continues to target Ukraine - Security Affairs

• Microsoft shuts down accounts linked to Russian spies • The Register

• State-Sponsored APTs Dangle Job Opps to Lure In Spy Victims (darkreading.com)

• Estonia Repels Biggest Cyber-Attack Since 2007 - Infosecurity Magazine

• Spyware Scandals Are Ripping Through Europe | WIRED

• US Cyber Command deploys defensive operators to Croatia to hunt for malicious cyber activity - Help Net Security

• NHS cyber attacks hit record levels in four in five trusts after Russian invasion (telegraph.co.uk)

• Spyware Hunters Are Expanding Their Tool Set | WIRED

---

Nation State Actors

Nation State Actors – Russia

• Microsoft disrupts Russian hackers' operation on NATO targets (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Russian APT29 hackers abuse Azure services to hack Microsoft 365 users (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Microsoft Disrupts Russian Group's Multiyear Cyber-Espionage Campaign (darkreading.com)

• Russian hackers target Ukraine with default Word template hijacker (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Estonia says it repelled major cyber attack after removing Soviet monuments | Reuters

Nation State Actors – China

• Western companies wake up to China risk | Financial Times (ft.com)

• China-backed APT41 Hackers Targeted 13 Organisations Worldwide Last Year (thehackernews.com)

• China-linked RedAlpha behind multi-year credential theft campaign - Security Affairs

• Chinese Cyberspy Group 'RedAlpha' Targeting Governments, Humanitarian Entities | SecurityWeek.Com

• China's APT41 Embraces Baffling Approach for Dropping Cobalt Strike Payload (darkreading.com)

• Chinese takeover of tech company blocked over security fears (telegraph.co.uk)

• 3 ways China's access to TikTok data is a security risk | CSO Online

• Montana flagged bugs in cow app exploited in alleged China hack | Business and Economy | Al Jazeera

• APT41 group: 4 malicious campaigns, 13 victims, new tools and techniques - Help Net Security

Nation State Actors – North Korea

• North Korean hackers use signed macOS malware to target IT job seekers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Mac Attack: North Korea's Lazarus APT Targets Apple's M1 Chip (darkreading.com)

---

Vulnerability Management

• Zero Day Initiative seeing an increase in failed patches (techtarget.com)

• Vulnerability Broker Applies Pressure on Software Vendors Shipping Faulty, Incomplete Patches | SecurityWeek.Com

• Which Security Bugs Will Be Exploited? Researchers Create an ML Model to Find Out (darkreading.com)

---

Vulnerabilities

• CISA adds 7 vulnerabilities to list of bugs exploited by hackers (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Google patches yet another Chrome zero-day vulnerability (techtarget.com)

• Chrome browser gets 11 security fixes with 1 zero-day – update now! – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• Cisco fixes High-Severity bug in Secure Web Appliance - Security Affairs

• Exploit out for critical Realtek flaw affecting many networking devices (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Software Patches Flaw on macOS Could Let Hackers Bypass All Security Levels - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)

• Safari 15.6.1 fixes a zero-day flaw actively exploited in the wild - Security Affairs

• Rapid7: Cisco ASA and ASDM flaws went unpatched for months (techtarget.com)

• Windows Vulnerability Could Crack DC Server Credentials Open (darkreading.com)

• ÆPIC and SQUIP Vulnerabilities Found in Intel and AMD Processors (thehackernews.com)

• PoC exploit code for the critical Realtek RCE flaw released online - Security Affairs

---

Other News

• Exploiting stolen session cookies to bypass multi-factor authentication (MFA) - Help Net Security

• The Future of Endpoint Management | SecurityWeek.Com

• Janet Jackson music video given CVE for crashing laptops • The Register

• More Evil Markets | How It's Never Been Easier To Buy Initial Access To Compromised Networks - SentinelOne

• How aware are organisations of the importance of endpoint management security? - Help Net Security

• The Future of Cyber Security is Prevention | SecurityWeek.Com

• Signal/Twilio Incident - How Secure Are SMS Verifications? Experts Weigh (informationsecuritybuzz.com)

• DigitalOcean Discloses Impact From Recent Mailchimp Cyber Attack | SecurityWeek.Com

---

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 Threat Briefing 22 July 2022

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

Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week

• Insurer Refuses to Pay Out After Victim Misrepresented Their Cyber Controls

In what may be one of the first court filings of its kind, insurer Travelers is asking a district court for a ruling to rescind a policy because the insured allegedly misrepresented its use of multifactor authentication (MFA) – a condition to get cyber coverage.

According to a July filing, Travelers said it would not have issued a cyber insurance policy in April to electronics manufacturing services company International Control Services (ICS) if the insurer knew the company was not using MFA as it said. Additionally, Travelers wants no part of any losses, costs, or claims from ICS – including from a May ransomware attack ICS suffered.

Travelers alleged ICS submitted a cyber policy application signed by its CEO and “a person responsible for the applicant’s network and information security” that the company used MFA for administrative or privileged access. However, following the May ransomware event, Travelers first learned during an investigation that the insured was not using the security control to protect its server and “only used MFA to protect its firewall, and did not use MFA to protect any other digital assets.”

Therefore, statements ICS made in the application were “misrepresentations, omissions, concealment of facts, and incorrect statements” – all of which “materially affected the acceptance of the risk and/or the hazard assumed by Travelers,” the insurer alleged in the filing.

ICS also was the victim of a ransomware attack in December 2020 when hackers gained access using the username and password of an ICS administrator, Travelers said. ICS told the insurer of the attack during the application process and said it improved the company’s cyber security.

Travelers said it wants the court to declare the insurance contract null and void, rescind the policy, and declare it has no duty to indemnify or defend ICS for any claim.

https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2022/07/12/675516.htm#

• 5 Cyber Security Questions CFOs Should Ask CISOs

Armed with the answers, chief financial officers can play an essential role in reducing cyber risk.

Even in a shrinking economy, organisations are likely to maintain their level of cyber security spend. But that doesn’t mean in the current economic climate of burgeoning costs and a possible recession they won’t take a magnifying glass to how they are spending the money budgeted to defend systems and data. Indeed, at many companies, cyber security spending isn’t targeting the most significant dangers, according to experts — as evidenced by the large number of successful ransomware attacks and data breaches.

Without a comprehensive understanding of the security landscape and what the organisation needs to do to protect itself, how can CFOs make the right decisions when it comes to investments in cyber security technology and other resources? They can’t.

So, CFOs need to ensure they have a timely grasp of the security issues their organisation faces. That requires turning to the most knowledgeable people in the organisation: chief information security officers (CISOs) and other security leaders on the IT front lines.

Here are five questions CFOs should be asking their CISOs about the security of their companies.

1. How secure are we as an organisation?

2. What are the main security threats or risks in our industry?

3. How do we ensure that the cyber security team and the CISO are involved in business development?

4. What are the risks and potential costs of not implementing a cyber control?

5. Do employees understand information security and are they implementing security protocols successfully?

https://www.cfo.com/technology/cyber-security-technology/2022/07/cybersecurity-spending-protocols-ciso-security-threats-business-development-cyber-control/

• The Biggest Cyber Attacks in 2022 So Far — and it’s Just the Tip of the Iceberg

For those in the cyber resilience realm, it’s no surprise that there’s a continued uptick in cyber attacks. Hackers are hacking, thieves are thieving and ransomers are — you guessed it — ransoming. In other words, cyber crime is absolutely a growth industry.

As we cross into the second half of this year, let’s look at some of the most significant attacks so far:

• Blockchain schmockchain. Cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com’s two-factor-identification (2FA) system was compromised as thieves made off with approximately $30 million.

• Still the one they run to. Microsoft’s ubiquity makes it a constant target. Earlier this year, the hacking collective Lapsus$ compromised Cortana and Bing, among other Microsoft products, posting source code online.

• Not necessarily the news. News Corp. journalist emails and documents were accessed at properties including the Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones and the New York Post in a hack tied to China.

• Uncharitable ways. The Red Cross was the target of an attack earlier this year, with more than half a million “highly vulnerable” records of Red Cross assistance recipients compromised.

• Victim of success. North Korea’s Lazarus Group made off with $600 million in cryptocurrencies after blockchain gaming platform Ronin relaxed some of its security protocols so its servers could better handle its growing popularity.

• We can hear you now. State-sponsored hackers in China have breached global telecom powerhouses worldwide this year, according to the U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency.

• Politics, the art of the possible. Christian crowdfunding site GiveSendGo was breached twice this year as hacktivists exposed the records of donors to Canada’s Freedom Convoy.

• Disgruntled revenge. Businesspeople everywhere were reminded of the risks associated with departing personnel when fintech powerhouse Block announced that a former employee accessed sensitive customer information, impacting eight million customers.

• Unhealthy habits. Two million sensitive customer records were exposed when hackers breached Shields Health Care’s network.

• They even stole the rewards points. General Motors revealed that hackers used a credentials stuffing attack to access personal information on an undisclosed number of car owners. They even stole gift-card-redeemable customer reward points.

For every breach or attack that generates headlines, millions of others that we never hear about put businesses at risk regularly. The Anti-Phishing Working Group just released data for the first quarter of this year, and the trend isn’t good. Recorded phishing attacks are at an all-time high (more than a million in just the first quarter) and were accelerating as the quarter closed, with March 2022 setting a new record for single-month attacks.

https://www.msspalert.com/cybersecurity-guests/the-biggest-cyberattacks-in-2022-so-far-and-its-just-the-tip-of-the-iceberg/

• Malware-as-a-Service Creating New Cyber Crime Ecosystem

This week HP released their report The Evolution of Cybercrime: Why the Dark Web is Supercharging the Threat Landscape and How to Fight Back, exploring how cyber-criminals are increasingly operating in a quasi-professional manner, with malware and ransomware attacks being offered on a ‘software-as-a-service’ basis.

The report’s findings showed how cyber crime is being supercharged through “plug and play” malware kits that are easier than ever to launch attacks. Additionally, cyber syndicates are now collaborating with amateur attackers to target businesses, putting the online world and its users at risk.

The report’s methodology saw HP’s Wolf Security threat team work in tandem with dark-web investigation firm Forensic Pathways to scrape and analyse over 35 million cyber criminal marketplaces and forum posts between February and March 2022, with the investigation helping to gain a deeper understanding of how cyber criminals operate, gain trust, and build reputation. Its key findings include:

Malware is cheap and readily available: Over three-quarters (76%) of malware advertisements listed, and 91% of exploits (i.e. code that gives attackers control over systems by taking advantage of software bugs), retail for under $10.

Trust and reputation are ironically essential parts of cyber-criminal commerce: Over three-quarters (77%) of cyber criminal marketplaces analysed require a vendor bond – a license to sell – which can cost up to $3000.  Of these, 92% have a third-party dispute resolution service.

Popular software is giving cyber criminals a foot in the door: Kits that exploit vulnerabilities in niche systems command the highest prices (typically ranging from $1,000-$4,000), while zero day vulnerabilities are retailing at 10s of thousands of pounds on dark web markets.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/malware-service-cybercrime/

• The Rise and Continuing Popularity of LinkedIn-Themed Phishing

Phishing emails impersonating LinkedIn continue to make the bulk of all brand phishing attempts. According to Check Point, 45% of all email phishing attempts in Q2 2022 imitated the style of communication of the professional social media platform, with the goal of directing targets to a spoofed LinkedIn login page and collecting their account credentials.

The phishers are generally trying to pique the targets’ interest with fake messages claiming that they “have appeared in X searches this week”, that a new message is waiting for them, or that another user would like to do business with them, and are obviously taking advantage of the fact that a record number of individuals are switching or are considering quitting their job and are looking for a new one.

To compare: In Q4 2021, LinkedIn-themed phishing attempts were just 8 percent of the total brand phishing attacks flagged by Check Point. Also, according to Vade Secure, in 2021 the number of LinkedIn-themed phishing pages linked from unique phishing emails was considerably lower than those impersonating other social networks (Facebook, WhatsApp).

Other brands that phishers loved to impersonate during Q2 2022 are (unsurprisingly) Microsoft (13%), DHL (12%) and Amazon (9%).

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/07/21/linkedin-phishing/

• Microsoft Teams Default Settings Leave Organisations Open to Cyber Attacks

Relying on default settings on Microsoft Teams leaves organisations and users open to threats from external domains, and misconfigurations can prove perilous to high-value targets.

Microsoft Teams has over 270 million active monthly users, with government institutions using the software in the US, UK, Netherlands, Germany, Lithuania, and other countries at varying levels.

Cyber security researchers have discovered that relying on default MS Teams settings can leave firms and high-value users vulnerable to social engineering attacks. Attackers could create group chats, masquerade as seniors within the target organisation and observe whether users are online.

Attackers could, rather convincingly, impersonate high-ranking officials and possibly strike up conversations, fooling victims into believing they’re discussing sensitive topics with a superior. Skilled attackers could do a lot of harm with this capability.

https://cybernews.com/security/microsoft-teams-settings-leave-govt-officials-open-to-cyberattacks/

• Top 10 Cyber Security Attacks of Last Decade Show What is to Come

Past is prologue, wrote William Shakespeare in his play “The Tempest,” meaning that the present can often be determined by what has come before. So it is with cyber security, serving as the basis of which is Trustwave’s “Decade Retrospective: The State of Vulnerabilities” over the last 10 years.

Threat actors frequently revisit well-known and previously patched vulnerabilities to take advantage of continuing poor cyber security hygiene. “If one does not know what has recently taken place it leaves you vulnerable to another attack,” Trustwave said in its report that identifies and examines the “watershed moments” that shaped cyber security between 2011 and 2021.

With a backdrop of the number of security incidents and vulnerabilities increasing in volume and sophistication, here are Trustwave’s top 10 network vulnerabilities in no particular order that defined the decade and “won’t be forgotten.”

• SolarWinds hack and FireEye breach, Detected: December 8, 2020 (FireEye)

• EternalBlue Exploit, Detected: April 14, 2017

• Heartbleed, Detected: March 21, 2014

• Shellshock, Remote Code Execution in BASH, Detected: September 12, 2014

• Apache Struts Remote Command Injection & Equifax Breach, Detected: March 6, 2017

• Chipocalypse, Speculative Execution Vulnerabilities Meltdown & Spectre

• BlueKeep, Remote Desktop as an Access Vector, Detected: January, 2018

• Drupalgeddon Series, CMS Vulnerabilities, Detected: January, 2018

• Microsoft Windows OLE Vulnerability, Sandworm Exploit, Detected: September 3, 2014

• Ripple20 Vulnerabilities, Growing IoT landscape, Detected: June 16, 2020

https://www.msspalert.com/cybersecurity-news/top-10-cybersecurity-attacks-of-last-decade-show-what-is-to-come-report/

• Software Supply Chain Concerns Reach C-Suite

Major supply chain attacks have had a significant impact on software security awareness and decision-making, with more investment planned for monitoring attack surfaces.

Organisations are waking up to the need to establish better software supply chain risk management policies and are taking action to address the escalating threats and vulnerabilities targeting this expanding attack surface.

These were among the findings of a CyberRisk Alliance-conducted survey of 300 respondents from both software-buying and software-producing companies.

Most survey respondents (52%) said they are "very" or "extremely" concerned about software supply chain risks, and 84% of respondents said their organisation is likely to allocate at least 5% of their AppSec budgets to manage software supply chain risk.

Software buyers are planning to invest in procurement program metrics and reporting, application pen-testing, and software build of materials (SBOM) design and implementation, according to the findings.

Meanwhile, software developers said they plan to invest in secure code review as well as SBOM design and implementation.

https://www.darkreading.com/application-security/software-supply-chain-concerns-reach-c-suite

• EU Warns of Russian Cyber Attack Spillover, Escalation Risks

The Council of the European Union (EU) said that Russian hackers and hacker groups increasingly attacking "essential" organisations worldwide could lead to spillover risks and potential escalation.

"This increase in malicious cyber activities, in the context of the war against Ukraine, creates unacceptable risks of spillover effects, misinterpretation and possible escalation," the High Representative on behalf of the EU said.

"The latest distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against several EU Member States and partners claimed by pro-Russian hacker groups are yet another example of the heightened and tense cyber threat landscape that EU and its Member States have observed."

In this context, the EU reminded Russia that all United Nations member states must adhere to the UN's Framework of responsible state behaviour in cyberspace to ensure international security and peace.

The EU urged all states to take any actions required to stop malicious cyber activities conducted from their territory.

The EU's statement follows a February joint warning from CISA and the FBI that wiper malware attacks targeting Ukraine could spill over to targets from other countries.

Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG) said in late March that it observed phishing attacks orchestrated by the Russian COLDRIVER hacking group against NATO and European military entities.

In May, the US, UK, and EU accused Russia of coordinating a massive cyber attack that hit the KA-SAT consumer-oriented satellite broadband service in Ukraine on February 24 with AcidRain data destroying malware, approximately one hour before Russia invaded Ukraine.

A Microsoft report from June also confirms the EU's observation of an increase in Russian malicious cyber activities. The company's president said that threat groups linked to Russian intelligence agencies (including the GRU, SVR, and FSB) stepped up cyber attacks against government entities in countries allied with Ukraine after Russia's invasion.

In related news, in July 2021, President Joe Biden warned that cyber attacks leading to severe security breaches could lead to a "real shooting war," a statement issued a month after NATO said that cyber attacks could be compared to "armed attacks" in some circumstances.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/eu-warns-of-russian-cyberattack-spillover-escalation-risks/

• Critical Flaws in GPS Tracker Enable “Disastrous” and “Life-Threatening” Hacks

A security firm and the US government are advising the public to immediately stop using a popular GPS tracking device or to at least minimise exposure to it, citing a host of vulnerabilities that make it possible for hackers to remotely disable cars while they’re moving, track location histories, disarm alarms, and cut off fuel.

An assessment from security firm BitSight found six vulnerabilities in the Micodus MV720, a GPS tracker that sells for about $20 and is widely available. The researchers who performed the assessment believe the same critical vulnerabilities are present in other Micodus tracker models. The China-based manufacturer says 1.5 million of its tracking devices are deployed across 420,000 customers. BitSight found the device in use in 169 countries, with customers including governments, militaries, law enforcement agencies, and aerospace, shipping, and manufacturing companies.

BitSight discovered what it said were six “severe” vulnerabilities in the device that allow for a host of possible attacks. One flaw is the use of unencrypted HTTP communications that makes it possible for remote hackers to conduct adversary-in-the-middle attacks that intercept or change requests sent between the mobile application and supporting servers. Other vulnerabilities include a flawed authentication mechanism in the mobile app that can allow attackers to access the hardcoded key for locking down the trackers and the ability to use a custom IP address that makes it possible for hackers to monitor and control all communications to and from the device.

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/07/critical-flaws-in-gps-tracker-enable-disastrous-and-life-threatening-hacks/

• Russian Hackers Behind Solarwinds Breach Continue to Scour US And European Organisations for Intel, Researchers Say

The Russian hackers behind a sweeping 2020 breach of US government networks have in recent months continued to hack US organisations to collect intelligence while also targeting an unnamed European government that is a NATO member.

The new findings show how relentless the hacking group — which US officials have linked with Russia's foreign intelligence service — is in its pursuit of intelligence held by the US and its allies, and how adept the hackers are at targeting widely used cloud-computing technologies.

The hacking efforts come as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues to fray US-Russia relations and drive intelligence collection efforts from both governments.

In recent months, the hacking group has compromised the networks of US-based organisations that have data of interest to the Russian government.

In separate activity revealed Tuesday, US cyber security firm Palo Alto Networks said that the Russian hacking group had been using popular services like Dropbox and Google Drive to try to deliver malicious software to the embassies of an unnamed European government in Portugal and Brazil in May and June.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/07/19/politics/russia-solarwinds-hackers/index.html

• The Next Big Security Threat Is Staring Us in The Face. Tackling It Is Going to Be Tough

If the ongoing fight against ransomware wasn't keeping security teams busy, along with the challenges of securing the ever-expanding galaxy of Internet of Things devices, or cloud computing, then there's a new challenge on the horizon – protecting against the coming wave of digital imposters or deepfakes.

A deepfake video uses artificial intelligence and deep-learning techniques to produce fake images of people or events.

One recent example is when the mayor of Berlin thought he was having an online meeting with former boxing champion and current mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko. But the mayor of Berlin grew suspicious when 'Klitschko' started saying some very out of character things relating to the invasion of Ukraine, and when the call was interrupted the mayor's office contacted the Ukrainian ambassador to Berlin – to discover that, whoever they were talking to, it wasn't the real Klitschko.

It's a sign that deepfakes are getting more advanced and quickly. Previous instances of deepfake videos that have gone viral often have tell-tale signs that something isn't real, such as unconvincing edits or odd movements, but the developments in deepfake technology mean it isn't difficult to imagine it being exploited by cyber criminals, particularly when it comes to stealing money.

While ransomware might generate more headlines, business email compromise (BEC) is the costliest form of cyber crime today. The FBI estimates that it costs businesses billions of dollars every year. The most common form of BEC attack involves cyber criminals exploiting emails, hacking into accounts belonging to bosses – or cleverly spoofing their email accounts – and asking staff to authorise large financial transactions, which can often amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The emails claim that the money needs to be sent urgently, maybe as part of a secret business deal that can't be disclosed to anyone. It's a classic social-engineering trick designed to force the victim into transferring money quickly and without asking for confirmation from anyone else who could reveal it's a fake request. By the time anyone might be suspicious, the cyber criminals have taken the money, likely closed the bank account they used for the transfer – and run.

BEC attacks are successful, but many people might remain suspicious of an email from their boss that comes out the blue and they could avoid falling victim by speaking to someone to confirm that it's not real. But if cyber criminals could use a deepfake to make the request, it could be much more difficult for victims to deny the request, because they believe they're actually speaking to their boss on camera.

Many companies publicly list their board of directors and senior management on their website. Often, these high-level business executives will have spoken at events or in the media, so it's possible to find footage of them speaking. By using AI-powered deep-learning techniques, cyber criminals could exploit this public information to create a deepfake of a senior-level executive, exploit email vulnerabilities to request a video call with an employee, and then ask them to make the transaction. If the victim believes they're speaking to their CEO or boss, they're unlikely to deny the request.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-next-big-security-threat-is-staring-us-in-the-face-tackling-it-is-going-to-be-tough/

---

Threats

Ransomware

• Post-Breakup, Conti Ransomware Members Remain Dangerous (darkreading.com)

• The Kronos Ransomware Attack: What You Need to Know So Your Business Isn't Next (darkreading.com)

• New Luna ransomware encrypts Windows, Linux, and ESXi systems (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Digital security giant Entrust breached by ransomware gang (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Protecting Against Kubernetes-Borne Ransomware (darkreading.com)

• Knauf cyber attack: Black Basta ransomware gang claims responsibility (techmonitor.ai)

• New Redeemer ransomware version promoted on hacker forums (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Kaspersky report on Luna and Black Basta ransomware | Securelist

• Snowballing Ransomware Variants Highlight Growing Threat to VMware ESXi Environments (darkreading.com)

• New Cross-Platform 'Luna' Ransomware Only Offered to Russian Affiliates | SecurityWeek.Com

• Conti’s Reign of Chaos: Costa Rica in the Crosshairs | Threatpost

• Researchers uncover potential ransomware network with U.S. connections - CyberScoop

• How Conti ransomware hacked and encrypted the Costa Rican government (bleepingcomputer.com)

• A small Canadian town is being extorted by a global ransomware gang - The Verge

BEC – Business Email Compromise

• The biggest cyber-crime threat is also the one that nobody wants to talk about | ZDNet

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

• Phishing Bonanza: Social-Engineering Savvy Skyrockets as Malicious Actors Cash In (darkreading.com)

• Outlook users report suspicious activity from Microsoft IPs • The Register

• PayPal Used to Send Malicious “Double Spear” Invoices - Infosecurity Magazine

• LinkedIn remains the most impersonated brand in phishing attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Google Calendar provides new way to block invitation phishing (bleepingcomputer.com)

Other Social Engineering

• Ongoing 'Roaming Mantis' Smishing Campaign Hits Over 70,000 Users in France | SecurityWeek.Com

Malware

• Hacking group '8220' grows cloud botnet to more than 30,000 hosts (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Buy ‘plug-n-play’ malware for the price of a pint of beer (computerweekly.com)

• The Market Is Teeming: Bargains on Dark Web Give Novice Cyber Criminals a Quick Start (darkreading.com)

• New ‘Lightning Framework’ Linux malware installs rootkits, backdoors (bleepingcomputer.com)

Mobile

• Google pulls malware-infected apps, 3 million users at risk • The Register

• Several New Play Store Apps Spotted Distributing Joker, Facestealer and Coper Malware (thehackernews.com)

• Roaming Mantis hits Android and iOS users in malware, phishing attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

BYOD

• The New Weak Link in SaaS Security: Devices (thehackernews.com)

Data Breaches/Leaks

• Neopets data breach exposes personal data of 69 million members (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Verified Twitter Vulnerability Exposes Data from 5.4 Million Accounts | RestorePrivacy

• Mixed Messages as Neopets Scrambles to Respond to Mega Breach - Infosecurity Magazine

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

• Cyber crime escalates as barriers to entry crumble | CSO Online

• Understanding the Evolution of Cyber Crime to Predict its Future | SecurityWeek.Com

• The growth in targeted, sophisticated cyber attacks troubles top FBI cyber official - CyberScoop

• 'AIG' Threat Group Launches with Unique Business Model (darkreading.com)

• US DOJ report warns of escalating cyber crime, 'blended' threats (techtarget.com)

• Chaotic LAPSUS$ Group Goes Quiet, but Threat Likely Persists (darkreading.com)

• Last member of Gozi malware troika arrives in US for criminal trial – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• Romanian hacker faces US trial over virus-for-hire service - The Verge

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

• This Cloud Botnet Has Hijacked 30,000 Systems to Mine Cryptocurrencies (thehackernews.com)

• Hackers Use Evilnum Malware to Target Cryptocurrency and Commodities Platforms (thehackernews.com)

• Singapore distances itself from local crypto companies • The Register

• FBI Warns Fake Crypto Apps are Bilking Investors of Millions | Threatpost

• Ex-Coinbase manager charged in crypto insider trading case • The Register

• FBI Warns of Fake Cryptocurrency Apps Stealing Millions from Investors (thehackernews.com)

• My Big Coin founder guilty of $6m crypto-fraud • The Register

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

• Three Charged in First Crypto Insider-Trading Case- IT Security Guru

Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime

• How to identify and combat online fraud - Help Net Security

AML/CFT/Sanctions

• UK Regulator Issues Record Fines as Financial Crime Surges - Infosecurity Magazine

• Broker Fined £2m for Financial Crime Control Failings - Infosecurity Magazine

Insurance

• Graff paid a $7.5M ransom and sued its insurance firm for refusing to cover this payment - Security Affairs

• 82% of global insurers expect the rise in cyber insurance premiums to continue - Help Net Security

• Will Your Cyber Insurance Premiums Protect You in Times of War? (darkreading.com)

Dark Web

• Stolen Credentials Selling on the Dark Web for Price of a Gallon of Gas – Security Review Magazine

• The Market Is Teeming: Bargains on Dark Web Give Novice Cyber criminals a Quick Start (darkreading.com)

Supply Chain and Third Parties

• Supply chain security breaches jumped in 2021 | CSO Online

Software Supply Chain

• Improving Software Supply Chain Cyber Security (trendmicro.com)

• Why SBOMs aren't the silver bullet they're portrayed as - Help Net Security

• Breaking down CIS's new software supply chain security guidance | CSO Online

Cloud/SaaS

• 60% of IT leaders are not confident about their secure cloud access - Help Net Security

• Public Cloud Customers Admit Security Challenges - Infosecurity Magazine

• The New Weak Link in SaaS Security: Devices (thehackernews.com)

Identity and Access Management

• Authentication weakness responsible for 80% of financial breaches (scmagazine.com)

Encryption

• British recycle old arguments for bypassing E2E encryption • The Register

Open Source

• Open source security needs automation as usage climbs amongst organisations | ZDNet

• New ‘Lightning Framework’ Linux malware installs rootkits, backdoors (bleepingcomputer.com)

• The US military wants to understand the most important software on earth | MIT Technology Review

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

• The importance of secure passwords can't be emphasized enough - Help Net Security

• 3rd Party Services Are Falling Short on Password Security (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Okta Exposes Passwords in Clear Text for Possible Theft (darkreading.com)

• Enforcing Password History in Your Windows AD to Curb Password Reuse (bleepingcomputer.com)

Social Media

• LinkedIn remains the most impersonated brand in phishing attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Hacker selling Twitter account data of 5.4 million users for $30k (bleepingcomputer.com)

• TikTok Engaging in Excessive Data Collection - Infosecurity Magazine

Privacy

• New Deanonymization Attack Works on Major Browsers, Websites | SecurityWeek.Com

Parental Controls and Child Safety

• UK cyber security chiefs back plan to scan phones for child abuse images | GCHQ | The Guardian

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

• UK Regulator Issues Record Fines as Financial Crime Surges - Infosecurity Magazine

• Legal Experts Concerned Over New UK Digital Reform Bill - Infosecurity Magazine

• Understanding Proposed SEC Rules Through an ESG Lens (darkreading.com)

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

• What NATO's virtual rapid response cyber capability means for the fight against cyber warfare - Help Net Security

• EU warns of risks of spillover effects associated with ongoing war - Security Affairs

• Continued cyber activity in Eastern Europe observed by Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) (blog.google)

• US Cyber Command IDs new malware strains targeting Ukraine • The Register

• Russian hackers use fake DDoS app to infect pro-Ukrainian activists (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Experts Uncover New CloudMensis Spyware Targeting Apple macOS Users (thehackernews.com)

• Hackers attempt to infiltrate Ukrainian tech company with backdoor malware, Talos says - CyberScoop

• Will Your Cyber-Insurance Premiums Protect You in Times of War? (darkreading.com)

• Hackers Target Ukrainian Software Company Using GoMet Backdoor (thehackernews.com)

• Copycat DoS App Created by Russian Hackers to Target Ukraine - IT Security Guru

• Inside Ukraine’s Decentralized Cyber Army (vice.com)

• Albanian government websites go dark after cyber attack • The Register

• China Accuses Indian APT Group of Cyber Warfare Against Pakistan; 2nd Major Accusation After 'Evil Flower' (eurasiantimes.com)

• Mysterious, Cloud-Enabled macOS Spyware Blows Onto the Scene (darkreading.com)

• Belgium claims China-linked APT groups hit its ministries - Security Affairs

• Hacked Ukrainian Radio Stations Broadcast Fake News About President Zelensky’s Health - Infosecurity Magazine

---

Nation State Actors

Nation State Actors – Russia

• Google, EU Warn of Malicious Russian Cyber Activity | SecurityWeek.Com

• Russian cyber spies targeting NATO countries in new hacking campaign | Science & Tech News | Sky News

• Google warns Kremlin-backed goons pose as pro-Ukraine app • The Register

• Russia Released a Ukrainian App for Hacking Russia That Was Actually Malware (vice.com)

• Cloaked Ursa (APT29) Hackers Use Trusted Online Storage Services (paloaltonetworks.com)

• Russian SVR hackers use Google Drive, Dropbox to evade detection (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Russia, Iran discuss broad tech collaboration • The Register

• Half of Russian spies in Europe expelled since Ukraine invasion, says MI6 chief | MI6 | The Guardian

Nation State Actors – China

• Belgium says Chinese APT gangs attacked its government • The Register

• A massive cyber attack hit Albania - Security Affairs

• Government blocks Chinese tech deal on national security grounds | Business News | Sky News

Nation State Actors – North Korea

• US seizes stolen funds from suspected North Korean hackers - BBC News

Nation State Actors – Iran

• Russia, Iran discuss broad tech collaboration • The Register

Nation State Actors – Misc APT

• Unit 42 Threat Group Naming Update (paloaltonetworks.com)

---

Vulnerability Management

• Mind the Gap – How to Ensure Your Vulnerability Detection Methods are up to Scratch (thehackernews.com)

• Zero-day attacks climb as hackers get more sophisticated (securitybrief.com.au)

Vulnerabilities

• Chrome 103 Update Patches High-Severity Vulnerabilities | SecurityWeek.Com

• Critical Bugs Threaten to Crack Atlassian Confluence Workspaces Wide Open (darkreading.com)

• WordPress Page Builder Plug-in Under Attack, Can't Be Patched (darkreading.com)

• Apple Releases Security Patches for all Devices Fixing Dozens of New Vulnerabilities (thehackernews.com)

• SonicWall: Patch critical SQL injection bug immediately (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Cisco fixes bug that lets attackers execute commands as root (bleepingcomputer.com)

• Atlassian reveals critical flaws across its product line • The Register

• Netwrix Auditor Vulnerability Can Facilitate Attacks on Enterprises | SecurityWeek.Com

• Azure's Security Vulnerabilities Are Out of Control - Last Week in AWS Blog

• Oracle Releases 349 New Security Patches With July 2022 CPU | SecurityWeek.Com

• 0-day used to infect Chrome users could pose threat to Edge and Safari users, too | Ars Technica

• Juniper Networks Patches Over 200 Third-Party Component Vulnerabilities | SecurityWeek.Com

• Experts Notice Sudden Surge in Exploitation of WordPress Page Builder Plugin Vulnerability (thehackernews.com)

• Google Chrome Zero-Day Weaponized to Spy on Journalists (darkreading.com)

• Apple Ships Urgent Security Patches for macOS, iOS | SecurityWeek.Com

• Cisco Releases Patches for Critical Flaws Impacting Nexus Dashboard for Data Centers (thehackernews.com)

• Juniper Releases Patches for Critical Flaws in Junos OS and Contrail Networking (thehackernews.com)

• Code Execution and Other Vulnerabilities Patched in Drupal | SecurityWeek.Com

• Atlassian Rolls Out Security Patch for Critical Confluence Vulnerability (thehackernews.com)

---

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

---

Reports Published in the Last Week

• The Evolution of Cyber Crime:  Why the Dark Web is Supercharging the Threat Landscape and How to Fight Back - HP

• Decade Retrospective: The State of Vulnerabilities | Trustwave

---

Other News

• Hackers for Hire: Adversaries Employ 'Cyber Mercenaries' | Threatpost

• Companies around the globe still not implementing MFA - Help Net Security

• Global Firms Fear the Worst Over Risk Management Failures - Infosecurity Magazine

• Humans are becoming the primary security risk for organisations around the world - Help Net Security

• What threats and challenges are CISOs and CROs most focused on? - Help Net Security

• What InfoSec Pros Can Teach the Organisation About ESG (darkreading.com)

• SATAn Turns Hard Drive Cable Into Antenna To Defeat Air-Gapped Security | Hackaday

• Cyber security hiring remains red-hot—the industry to surpass $400 billion market size by 2027 | Fortune

• Lack of staff and resources drives smaller teams to outsource security - Help Net Security

• Office macro security: on-again-off-again feature now BACK ON AGAIN! – Naked Security (sophos.com)

• New Study Finds Most Enterprise Vendors Failing to Mitigate Speculative Execution Attacks (thehackernews.com)

• Analysing Penetration-Testing Tools That Threat Actors Use to Breach Systems and Steal Data (trendmicro.com)

• Removing the blind spots that allow lateral movement - Help Net Security

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.