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Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 30 September 2022
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 30 September 2022:
-UK Organisations, Ukraine's Allies Warned of Potential "Massive" Cyber Attacks By Russia
-Cyber Criminals See Allure in BEC Attacks Over Ransomware
-Most Hackers Need 5 Hours or Less to Break Into Enterprise Environments
-Global Firms Deal with 51 Security Incidents Each Day
-Phishing Attacks Crushed Records Last Quarter, Driven by Mobile
-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
-More Than Half of Security Pros Say Risks Higher in Cloud Than On Premise
-How To Outsmart Increasingly Complex Cyber Attacks
-Top Issues Driving Cyber Security: Growing Number of Cyber Criminals, Variety of Attacks
-Cyber Threats Top Business Leaders' Biggest Concerns
-Fired Admin Cripples Former Employer's Network Using Old Credentials
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
SQL Server admins warned to watch for Fargo ransomware • The Register
BlackCat/ALPHV Gang Adds Wiper Functionality as Ransomware Tactic (darkreading.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
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
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
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)
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)
New Erbium password-stealing malware spreads as game cracks, cheats (bleepingcomputer.com)
Lazarus APT continues to target job seekers with macOS malware - Security Affairs
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
Data Breaches/Leaks
Watchfinder warns customers that hackers stole their data • Graham Cluley
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)
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)
Cyber sleuth alleges $160M Wintermute hack was an inside job (cointelegraph.com)
Insider Risk and Insider Threats
Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime
Identities Stolen From 1 In 4 Internet Users (informationsecuritybuzz.com)
Fake Sites Siphon Millions of Dollars in 3-Year Scam (darkreading.com)
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
Denial of Service DoS/DDoS
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)
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
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
Parental Controls and Child Safety
Regulations, Fines and Legislation
Models, Frameworks and Standards
Spyware, Cyber Espionage & Cyber Warfare, including Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Cyber Warfare Rife in Ukraine, But Impact Stays in Shadows | SecurityWeek.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)
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
Nation State Actors – Misc
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
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
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
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.
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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 March 2022
Black Arrow Cyber Threat Briefing 25 March 2022:
-Morgan Stanley Client Accounts Breached in Social Engineering Attacks
-Ransomware Is Scary, But Another Scam Is Costing Victims Much, Much More
-Phishing Kits Constantly Evolve to Evade Security Software
-Ransomware Payments, Demands Rose Dramatically in 2021
-7 Suspected Members of LAPSUS$ Hacker Gang, Aged 16 to 21, Arrested in UK
-Here's How Fast Ransomware Encrypts Files
-HEAT Attacks: A New Class of Cyber Threats Organisations Are Not Prepared For
-The Cyber Warfare Predicted In Ukraine May Be Yet To Come
-The Three Russian Cyber Attacks The West Most Fears
-Do These 8 Things Now To Boost Your Security Ahead Of Potential Russian Cyber Attacks
-Cyber Crime Victims Suffered Losses of Over $6.9B in 2021 in the US Alone
-Expanding Threat Landscape: Cyber Criminals Attacking from All Sides
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
Morgan Stanley Client Accounts Breached in Social Engineering Attacks
Morgan Stanley Wealth Management says some of its customers had their accounts compromised in social engineering attacks.
The account breaches were the result of vishing (aka voice phishing), a social engineering attack where scammers impersonate a trusted entity (in this case Morgan Stanley) during a voice call to convince their targets into revealing sensitive information such as banking or login credentials.
The company said in a notice sent to affected clients that, "on or around February 11, 2022," a threat actor impersonating Morgan Stanley gained access to their accounts after tricking them into providing their Morgan Stanley Online account info.
After successfully breaching their accounts, the attacker also electronically transferred money to their own bank account by initiating payments using the Zelle payment service.
Ransomware Is Scary, But Another Scam Is Costing Victims Much, Much More
Business email compromise (BEC) remains the biggest source of financial losses, which totalled $2.4 billion in 2021, up from an estimated $1.8 billion in 2020, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Internet Crime Center (IC3).
The FBI says in its 2021 annual report that Americans last year lost $6.9 billion to scammers and cyber criminals through ransomware, BEC, and cryptocurrency theft related to financial and romance scams. In 2020, that figure stood at $4.2 billion.
Last year, FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 847,376 complaints about cybercrime losses, up 7% from 791,790 complaints in 2020.
BEC has been the largest source of fraud for several years despite ransomware attacks grabbing most headlines.
Phishing Kits Constantly Evolve to Evade Security Software
Modern phishing kits sold on cybercrime forums as off-the-shelf packages feature multiple, sophisticated detection avoidance and traffic filtering systems to ensure that internet security solutions won’t mark them as a threat.
Fake websites that mimic well-known brands are abundant on the internet to lure victims and steal their payment details or account credentials.
Most of these websites are built using phishing kits that feature brand logos, realistic login pages, and in cases of advanced offerings, dynamic webpages assembled from a set of basic elements.
Ransomware Payment Demands Rose Dramatically in 2021
Ransomware attackers demanded dramatically higher ransom fees last year, and the average ransom payment rose by 78% to $541,010, according to data from incident response (IR) cases investigated by Palo Alto Networks Unit 42.
IR cases by Unit 42 also saw a whopping 144% increase in ransom demands, to $2.2 million. According to the report, the most victimised sectors were professional and legal services, construction, wholesale and retail, healthcare, and manufacturing.
Cyber extortion spiked, with 85% of ransomware victims — some 2, 556 organisations — having their data dumped and exposed on leak sites, according to the "2022 Unit 42 Ransomware Threat Report."
Conti led the ransomware attack volume, representing some one in five cases Unit 42 investigated, followed by REvil, Hello Kitty, and Phobos.
https://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/ransomware-payments-demands-rose-dramatically-in-2021
7 Suspected Members of LAPSUS$ Hacker Gang, aged 16 to 21, Arrested in UK
The City of London Police has arrested seven teenagers between the ages of 16 and 21 for their alleged connections to the prolific LAPSUS$ extortion gang that's linked to a recent burst of attacks targeting NVIDIA, Samsung, Ubisoft, LG, Microsoft, and Okta.
"The City of London Police has been conducting an investigation with its partners into members of a hacking group," Detective Inspector, Michael O'Sullivan, said in a statement shared with The Hacker News. "Seven people between the ages of 16 and 21 have been arrested in connection with this investigation and have all been released under investigation. Our enquiries remain ongoing."
The development, which was first disclosed by BBC News, comes after a report from Bloomberg revealed that a 16-year-old Oxford-based teenager is the mastermind of the group. It's not immediately clear if the minor is one among the arrested individuals. The said teen, under the online alias White or Breachbase, is alleged to have accumulated about $14 million in Bitcoin from hacking.
https://thehackernews.com/2022/03/7-suspected-members-of-lapsus-hacker.html
Here's How Fast Ransomware Encrypts Files
Forty-two minutes and 54 seconds: that's how quickly the median ransomware variant can encrypt and lock out a victim from 100,000 of their files.
The data point came from Splunk's SURGe team, which analysed in its lab how quickly the 10 biggest ransomware strains — Lockbit, REvil, Blackmatter, Conti, Ryuk, Avaddon, Babuk, Darkside, Maize, and Mespinoza — could encrypt 100,000 files consisting of some 53.93 gigabytes of data. Lockbit won the race, with speeds of 86% faster than the median. One Lockbit sample was clocked at encrypting 25,000 files per minute.
Splunk's team found that ransomware variants are all over the map speed-wise, and the underlying hardware can dictate their encryption speeds.
https://www.darkreading.com/application-security/here-s-how-fast-ransomware-encrypts-files
HEAT Attacks: A New Class of Cyber Threats Organisations Are Not Prepared For
Web malware (47%) and ransomware (42%) now top the list of security threats that organisations are most concerned about. Yet despite the growing risks, just 27% have advanced threat protection in place on every endpoint device that can access corporate applications and resources.
This is according to research published by Menlo Security, exploring what steps organisations are taking to secure themselves in the wake of a new class of cyber threats – known as Highly Evasive Adaptive Threats (HEAT).
As employees spend more time working in the browser and accessing cloud-based applications, the risk of HEAT attacks increases. Almost two-thirds of organisations have had a device compromised by a browser-based attack in the last 12 months. The report suggests that organisations are not being proactive enough in mitigating the risk of these threats, with 45% failing to add strength to their network security stack over the past year. There are also conflicting views on the most effective place to deploy security to prevent advanced threats, with 43% citing the network, and 37% the cloud.
https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/03/22/web-security-threats/
The Cyber Warfare Predicted in Ukraine May Be Yet to Come
In the build-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the national security community braced for a campaign combining military combat, disinformation, electronic warfare and cyber attacks. Vladimir Putin would deploy devastating cyber operations, the thinking went, to disable government and critical infrastructure, blind Ukrainian surveillance capabilities and limit lines of communications to help invading forces. But that’s not how it has played out. At least, not yet.
The danger is that as political and economic conditions deteriorate, the red lines and escalation judgments that kept Moscow’s most potent cyber capabilities in check may adjust. Western sanctions and lethal aid support to Ukraine may prompt Russian hackers to lash out against the west. Russian ransomware actors may also take advantage of the situation, possibly resorting to cyber crime as one of the few means of revenue generation.
https://www.ft.com/content/2938a3cd-1825-4013-8219-4ee6342e20ca
The Three Russian Cyber Attacks the West Most Fears
The UK's cyber authorities are supporting the White House's calls for "increased cyber-security precautions", though neither has given any evidence that Russia is planning a cyber-attack.
Russia has previously stated that such accusations are "Russophobic".
However, Russia is a cyber-superpower with a serious arsenal of cyber-tools, and hackers capable of disruptive and potentially destructive cyber-attacks.
Ukraine has remained relatively untroubled by Russian cyber-offensives but experts now fear that Russia may go on a cyber-offensive against Ukraine's allies.
"Biden's warnings seem plausible, particularly as the West introduced more sanctions, hacktivists continue to join the fray, and the kinetic aspects of the invasion seemingly don't go to plan," says Jen Ellis, from cyber-security firm Rapid7.
This article from the BCC outlines the hacks that experts most fear, and they are repeats of things we have already seen coming out of Russia, only potentially a lot more destructive this time around.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-60841924
Do These 8 Things Now to Boost Your Security Ahead of Potential Russian Cyber Attacks
The message comes as the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) ramp up warnings about Russian hacking of everything from online accounts to satellite broadband networks. CISA's current campaign is called Shields Up, which urges all organisations to patch immediately and secure network boundaries. This messaging is being echoed by UK and other Western Cyber authorities:
The use of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is being very strongly advocated. The White House and other agencies both sides of the Atlantic also urged companies to take seven other steps:
Deploy modern security tools on your computers and devices to continuously look for and mitigate threats
Make sure that your systems are patched and protected against all known vulnerabilities, and change passwords across your networks so that previously stolen credentials are useless to malicious actors
Back up your data and ensure you have offline backups beyond the reach of malicious actors
Run exercises and drill your emergency plans so that you are prepared to respond quickly to minimize the impact of any attack
Encrypt your data so it cannot be used if it is stolen
Educate your employees to common tactics that attackers will use over email or through websites
Work with specialists to establish relationships in advance of any cyber incidents.
Cyber Crime Victims Suffered Losses of Over $6.9B in 2021 in the US Alone
The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reported a record-breaking year for 2021 in the number of complaints it received, among which business email compromise (BEC) attacks made up the majority of incidents.
IC3 handled 847,376 complaint reports last year — an increase of 7% over 2020 — which mainly revolved around phishing attacks, nonpayment/nondelivery scams, and personal data breaches. Overall, losses amounted to more than $6.9 billion.
BEC and email account compromises ranked as the No. 1 attack, accounting for 19,954 complaints and losses of around $2.4 billion.
"In 2021, heightened attention was brought to the urgent need for more cyber incident reporting to the federal government. Cyber incidents are in fact crimes deserving of an investigation, leading to judicial repercussions for the perpetrators who commit them," Paul Abbate, deputy director of the FBI wrote in the IC3's newly published annual report.
Expanding Threat Landscape: Cyber Criminals Attacking from All Sides
Research from Trend Micro warns of spiralling risk to digital infrastructure and remote workers as threat actors increase their rate of attack on organisations and individuals.
“Attackers are always working to increase their victim count and profit, whether through quantity or effectiveness of attacks,” said Jon Clay, VP of threat intelligence at Trend Micro.
“Our latest research shows that while Trend Micro threat detections rose 42% year-on-year in 2021 to over 94 billion, they shrank in some areas as attacks became more precisely targeted.”
Ransomware attackers are shifting their focus to critical businesses and industries more likely to pay, and double extortion tactics ensure that they are able to profit. Ransomware-as-a-service offerings have opened the market to attackers with limited technical knowledge – but also given rise to more specialisation, such as initial access brokers who are now an essential part of the cybercrime supply chain.
Threat actors are also getting better at exploiting human error to compromise cloud infrastructure and remote workers. Trend Micro detected and prevented 25.7 million email threats in 2021 compared to 16.7 million in 2020, with the volume of blocked phishing attempts nearly doubling over the period. Research shows home workers are often prone to take more risks than those in the office, which makes phishing a particular risk.
https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2022/03/22/threat-actors-increase-attack/
Threats
Ransomware
Ransomware Infections Follow Precursor Malware – Lumu • The Register
Ransomware, Malware-as-a-Service Dominate Threat Landscape | SecurityWeek.Com
AvosLocker Ransomware - What You Need To Know | The State of Security (tripwire.com)
What the Conti Ransomware Group Data Leak Tells Us (darkreading.com)
Ransomware Demands And Payments Increase With Use Of Leak Sites (computerweekly.com)
Ten Notorious Ransomware Strains Put to The Encryption Speed Test (bleepingcomputer.com)
Lockbit Wins Ransomware Speed Test, Encrypts 25k Files/Min • The Register
Talos warns of BlackMatter-linked BlackCat Ransomware • The Register
Report: 89% of Organizations Say Kubernetes Ransomware Is A Problem Today | VentureBeat
Top Russian Meat Producer Hit with Windows BitLocker Encryption Attack (bleepingcomputer.com)
Greece's Public Postal Service Offline Due To Ransomware Attack (bleepingcomputer.com)
Lawsuit Claims Kronos Breach Exposed Data For 'Millions' (techtarget.com)
Estonian Man Sentenced To Prison For Role In Cyber Intrusions, Ransomware Attacks - CyberScoop
Phishing & Email
New Phishing Toolkit Lets Anyone Create Fake Chrome Browser Windows (bleepingcomputer.com)
Browser-in-the-Browser Attack Makes Phishing Nearly Invisible | Threatpost
'Unique Attack Chain' Drops Backdoor in New Phishing Campaign (darkreading.com)
Other Social Engineering
Malware
Malicious Microsoft Excel Add-Ins Used to Deliver RAT Malware (bleepingcomputer.com)
BitRAT Malware Now Spreading As A Windows 10 License Activator (bleepingcomputer.com)
Mobile
URL Rendering Trick Enabled WhatsApp, Signal, iMessage Phishing (bleepingcomputer.com)
Downloaders Currently the Most Prevalent Android Malware (darkreading.com)
Experts Uncover Campaign Stealing Cryptocurrency from Android and iPhone Users (thehackernews.com)
Android Password-Stealing Malware Infects 100,000 Google Play Users (bleepingcomputer.com)
IoT
Botnet of Thousands of MikroTik Routers Abused in Glupteba, TrickBot Campaigns (thehackernews.com)
Honda Civics Vulnerable To Remote Unlock, Start Hack • The Register
Data Breaches/Leaks
UK MoD's Capita-Run Recruitment Portal Support Offline • The Register
Background Check Company Sued Over Data Breach - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
Organised Crime & Criminal Actors
Who is LAPSUS$, the Gang Hacking Microsoft, Samsung, and Okta? (gizmodo.com)
Hackers Are Targeting European Refugee Charities -Ukrainian Official | Reuters
Hackers Steal From Hackers By Pushing Fake Malware On Forums (bleepingcomputer.com)
Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking
An Investigation of Cryptocurrency Scams and Schemes (trendmicro.com)
Global Regulators Monitor Crypto Use in Ukraine War | Reuters
Cryptocurrency Companies Impacted by HubSpot Breach (techtarget.com)
Insider Risk and Insider Threats
6 Types Of Insider Threats And How To Prevent Them (techtarget.com)
HP Staffer Blew $5m On Personal Expenses With Company Card • The Register
Fraud, Scams & Financial Crime
Internet Crime in 2021: Investment Fraud Losses Soar - Help Net Security
NFT Fraud in the UK Soars 400% in 2021 - Infosecurity Magazine (infosecurity-magazine.com)
DeFiance Capital Founder Loses $1.7M in NFTs To Phishing Scam - Decrypt
Insurance
Dark Web
Supply Chain
Cloud
Passwords & Credential Stuffing
Spyware, Espionage & Cyber Warfare
Nation State Actors
Nation State Actors – Russia
Internet Sanctions Against Russia Pose Risks, Challenges For Businesses | CSO Online
Is It Safe To Use Russian-Based Kaspersky Antivirus? No, And Here's Why (komando.com)
Anonymous Leaked 28gb of Data Stolen from The Central Bank of Russia - Security Affairs
President Biden Says Russia Exploring Revenge Cyber Attacks • The Register
Analysis: Putin's next escalation could be a direct cyberattack on the West - CNNPolitics
Russia-backed Hackers Bypassed MFA, Exploited Print Vulnerability - MSSP Alert
Hackers Around The World Deluge Russia's Internet With Simple, Effective Cyber Attacks (nbcnews.com)
Anonymous Targets Western Companies Still Active in Russia - Security Affairs
Ukrainian Enterprises Hit with the DoubleZero Wiper - Security Affairs
NATO, G-7 Leaders Promise Bulwark Against Retaliatory Russian Cyber Attacks (cyberscoop.com)
Russia Hacked Ukrainian Satellite Communications, Officials Believe - BBC News
Russia-linked InvisiMole APT Targets State Organizations Of Ukraine - Security Affairs
Corrupted Open-Source Software Enters the Russian Battlefield | ZDNet
Nestlé Says 'Anonymous' Data Leak Actually A Self-Own • The Register
Nation State Actors – China
Another Chinese Hacking Group Spotted Targeting Ukraine Amid Russia Invasion (thehackernews.com)
Chinese APT Combines Fresh Hodur RAT with Complex Anti-Detection | Threatpost
Mustang Panda Hacking Group Takes Advantage Of Ukraine Crisis In New Attacks | ZDNet
Nation State Actors – North Korea
Vulnerabilities
CISA Adds 66 Vulnerabilities To List Of Bugs Exploited In Attacks (bleepingcomputer.com)
Three Critical RCE Flaws Affect Hundreds of HP Printer Models - Security Affairs
Critical Sophos Firewall vulnerability allows remote code execution (bleepingcomputer.com)
VMware Fixes Carbon Black Command Injection, Upload Bugs • The Register
Western Digital Fixes Critical Bug Giving Root On My Cloud NAS Devices (bleepingcomputer.com)
Sector Specific
Health/Medical/Pharma Sector
Scottish Mental Health Charity SAMH Targeted In Cyber Attack - BBC News
Over 1 Million Impacted in Data Breach at Texas Dental Services Provider | SecurityWeek.Com
Retail/eCommerce
Transport and Aviation
Energy & Utilities
Education and Academia
Reports Published in the Last Week
Other News
A Better Grasp of Cyber Attack Tactics Can Stop Criminals Faster (bleepingcomputer.com)
The Chaos (and Cost) of the Lapsus$ Hacking Carnage | SecurityWeek.Com
Soldiers told to use Signal instead of WhatsApp for security | The Times
Cyber Security Compliance: Start With Proven Best Practices - Help Net Security
Only 27% of Orgs Have Advanced Threat Protection on Endpoints | VentureBeat
Okta Breach Leads To Questions On Disclosure, Reliance On Third-Party Vendors - CyberScoop
The Challenges Audit Leaders Need To Look Out For This Year - Help Net Security
South Korean DarkHotel Hackers Targeted Luxury Hotels in Macau (thehackernews.com)
ISACA: Two-Thirds of Cybersecurity Teams Are Understaffed - Infosecurity Magazine
Security Teams are Responsible for Over 165k Assets - Infosecurity Magazine
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